Seems a lot of people are down the past year or two, the economy sucks, and the way of the world goes with it. I haven't gone back to school yet. I actually have changed my mind over the years - I initially wanted to be a meteorologist from like 8-18, then realized how much math is involved and said meh, I'll leave it as a hobby (I do still storm chase, and once I get a better camera am definitely going to get into weather photography). Me and math don't get along. I'm the cliche "good at art, hates math" thing, and I excelled in reading/writing in school. That being said, I wouldn't mind writing as a career, just not sure how to really make money off of that. The thing that held me back was the debt. I'm almost 27 and have no debt to my name. It's nice not having it, I know if I ever want a house I'll have to deal with it, but for now I'm fine. I buy cars outright and I'm good at looking them over and working on them, so I have no issue with that. My mom has a degree in web design and my aunt is a doctor, they both waited to go back to school and are very successful so that gives me hope about it. I do not feel like everyone needs to go to college from 18-22. 18 year olds know NOTHING of debt and loans the papers they are signing. I feel bad for my friends who graduated and are loaded down with debt. One of them is an engineer, he has a good job, but his monthly loan payments are the cost of a house loan and he still lives at home! Yikes. Anyway, it's definitely in the plan, just not now, when I feel ready and can pay it as I go.

I've worked not-so-exciting jobs, but I do okay. I am pretty easy to entertain and a positive person who finds happiness in about everything. The sun being out means a good day to me. I fill my free time with things I am passionate about and friends who I have a great time with and who care about me and vice versa. The older I get, the better life is. Happiness is right in front of your face, it's a state of mind, really. I'm alive and healthy and in the best shape of my life, I don't compare my life to anyone else's because I'm different. Most of my friends are married, dating and/or have kids. I kind of feel sorry for them, because I believe in freedom and doing what I want, but that's the beauty of how different human beings are. I hate how people act like if you don't settle before you're 30, you're washed up and you're time's up. I feel like my life is just beginning. I'm excited to get older. With age comes wisdom and learning is fun.

Lemon, you are a very talented artist and I really hope you don't give it up. So many of us just kind of do it here and there and it fades into the background for a while, comes back up, and the cycle begins. It's hard to make money off of art, I think, because the best art is produced from the soul, with feeling, and it's hard to give something like that away. But I could see you making it for sure. I wish you the best of luck. I will always do many forms of art in my life...but I doubt I'd ever make anything of it.

I was on my ass over the summer but my parent made me get off my ass and get a job. Two weeks after that, the three companies I went to have an interview with all sent me offer letters. I started working at Accenture as a software engineer, and I'm still working now.

Is this the first successful story we've had so far?

Let's get some more misery in this thread.

Standard story: Went through school and sixth form umotivated, getting decent grades with the least amount effort and spending the rest of the time playing video games. Carried on to A Levels in the same manner, with the addition of electric guitar and bass in the second year. Got solid grades and proceeded to study Law in university, while learning classical guitar to help with the increasing boredom. In the middle of the first year it hit me that I had no desire to work in Law, and had no end goal to get me through the degree. For the sake of ego .I finished the year and passed my exams, after which I quit the programme and jumped into a 1 year music A Level. I applied to a good university, and through some trick of fate got accepted. Life's picking up, and I'm getting closer to my goal of being a games composer :). If all goes according to plan I'll start composing in my second year, and have some semblance of a career when I finish the course. I'll probably go on to do a MA and a PHD. Lol.

CpxAzn said

I was on my ass over the summer but my parent made me get off my ass and get a job. Two weeks after that, the three companies I went to have an interview with all sent me offer letters. I started working at Accenture as a software engineer, and I'm still working now.

Is this the first successful story we've had so far?

Success is subjective. I don't consider my life a failure at all. I am constantly setting and achieving goals.

Well I didn't really mean success at life. I meant success at getting a job/occupation.

you WANT misery?

well heres the worst fucking day in my life

in 5 hours i was: kicked out school because i missed to many days (post-secondary, doing grade 12 equivalency) because i was losing sleep (about 2 hours each night) because my mother was in the hospital battling breast cancer. being no longer a student at CONA, i was kicked out of residence. this sucked because all my family was in another province with my mom, while i attended school, or tried to. whilst moving my things from res i called my boss and told him i had to move and couldnt come to work, so he fired me from my only job and only source of income.

so i was jobless, no money, nowhere to go, only the streets of goosebay labrador, no calling on my cell or texting cause the bill hadnt been paid, couldnt call my mother cause she had so much going on, and i only felt as if id disappoint her and make what she was going through worse, and had no way to contact any other family member because they were all gone.

kicked out of school, no bed, no money, no cigarettes, and no one to turn to.

that night, i slept in a cardboard box in a blizzard.

every mistake made is a lesson learned.

while on the airplane to come home, i looked out my window (my grandmother came home and bought me a ticket) and i saw a rainbow, no clouds anywhere in the sky, no rain, just sun and cerulean endlessness overhead.

that rainbow told me that there is a silver lining, it just doesnt come for those who wait, you have to find it for yourself; someone tells you theres always a silver lining? wrong, life sucks. gotta do it for yourself.

when it rains it pours, it all happens in 3's blahblahblah.

if that ISNT rockbottom, i dont wanna know what it feels like.

THERES some fucking misery.

I'm in school, having bullshit problems with professors, aspiring to become a pharmacist,and teaching kids/teenageers who could care less how to play either guitar , flute or piano and music theory. My boss at that job also has me bullshit lessons on how to play instruments I have never even touched and certainly don't really plan on touching. Also have an impractical job at a Spencer Gifts that's barely worth the drive and I'm probably gonna quit or ask for a transfer. Oh and I'm in a band that's making progress, but very very slowly.

wayfaerer, glad you overcame that dude. It's only those who've been to the bottom who can appreciate the top.

havent beatin it yet, still gets me down from time to time, but i accept it all.

acceptance is half the battle.

thanks for your kindness, appreciate it.

its funny, when i went to take a piss that night, i remember turning on my cell phone to get some light, and when i turned to look at the box it said "this side up" with an arrow pointing right at me.

turned off my phone and told the box to go fuck itself.

Restoring hot rods. We just finished with a 56 Chevy Bel Air and right now we're working on a 47 Ford Truck and a Galaxie 500. Will post some before and after shots soon.

Here's the Bel Air after a lot of body work and before paint:

And here it is after paint:

And this is the Ford so far:

Hey guise. Long time no see. Saw this thread and figured it would be a good place to catch up with everyone. I know I've been really REALLY uninvolved with the site lately, and for that I am sorry. I started a Ph.D. in physics this semester after graduating from college last May. I'm currently at The University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, but have decided to transfer to another school because I hate living here. I've made a lot of good friends, and I like the program here a lot, but I just can't stand being in the desert. It depresses the hell out of me. I went to college in Washington DC and I miss the city life soo soooooo much. I was extremely idealistic and optimistic about life when I came out here and I thought it would be good to try something new because who the hell knows, maybe I'll like it. Since coming here my outlook on life has changed in a lot of ways. I'm still a huge optimist and I'm always positive about everything, but being in the "real world" has forced me to think about what it is I really want out of life, and has made me look into the future at things like thinking about getting married and starting a family and doing something career-wise that will allow me to support said family. So basically, I'm dropping out of the physics program at Arizona and transferring to Boston University next fall where I believe I will be much happier. In the meantime I'm going to get a job, most likely doing web development, and re-evaluate my life for a little before I return to getting my Ph.D.

So you'll have to excuse me for being M.I.A. on the site for the past few months. Unfortunately I don't see my life getting any less hectic than it is right now, and so I've decided to sell the site. I think it's best for everyone that I do this, as it will remain more or less stagnant if I am in charge, but if someone with the desire and expertise to make this place better is in control, things can get quite a bit awesomer around here I do believe. I will say more on this later, but I wanted you all to know.