Help me get a life?

[Phobos]

12 years ago I graduated from a great school with a BS in Math and a minor in Computer Science. Then, due to low confidence, having no idea what job I actually wanted to do, and feeling like my "pure math" (no finance) and "partial CS" degree didn't really teach me enough to be useful, I moved back home and resumed the sh*tty retail job I had during school. I moved out with a friend for a few years, but moved home again when I needed a new car and couldn't afford everything with a crap job and $450/month in school loans (which I'm still paying and limits the entry level jobs I could afford to live on).

So, does anyone have any suggestions for how I could get out on my own before I shoot myself? I think my degree is almost worthless at this point, especially since I've forgotten most of what I learned. I just want a job that's like: "looking for formerly intelligent person with bachelor's degree; will provide all training and pay well."

I'm not constrained by family or location. I would probably run away to anywhere, as long as I wouldn't feel too isolated. But I am constrained by money.

P.S. Sorry if it's the wrong forum and mostly taking value. Getting desperate for a direction so I can get to a place of giving value.

 

[shesabranchswinger]

Depends on what your willing to do it may take sometime. 1st get your resume on all those websites the fact that your willing to move anywhere puts you in a good position and closer to being hired as most people are pickey and won't move I never understood that. 2nd Washington state has 1000 people moving there a week and has a lot of great companies there like Boeing amazon etc... and there all hiring. 3rd Northrop Grumman is staffing up at some point in the near future as they have the new bomber coming out soon. 4th any major city that is on the rise will always be looking for union apprentices in all of the commercial trades carpenters, ironworkers, electricians, piledrivers, millwright, machinest, and trump might sign the HWY act that would make most of those jobs a solid career for the next 30 years. All of those careers I listed are superior to any retail job If I were looking to work for someone else with an outdated degree that's the path I would take. When you get on don't forget about me and my commissions

 

[cola]

Become a high school teacher or .. Become a cop.

Two good, respectable jobs that are always hiring.
Also you can go to bed every day knowing you have a job that really matters.

 

[wifehunter]

Yawn....try something, that interests you on an extreme level...for me, it's theology, music and science.

Follow your passions...everything else, is drudgery.

 

[Phobos]

Yawn....try something, that interests you on an extreme level...for me, it's theology, music and science.

Follow your passions...everything else, is drudgery.

I have a million interests, but I don't know if I have any passions. Driving cars, riding motorcycles, listening to and playing music, and playing competitive board games and video games, are things I really enjoy doing, but I don't see them being lucrative or ultimately fulfilling.

More intellectual interests would include:

• psychology, child psychology and parenting, how to be mentally stronger, neurology, brain/computer interfacing
• human biology and physical health, fitness, optimal diet, availability and sustainability of clean food/water
• economics: could we make a system that doesn't exploit 3rd world countries and the poor, raise standards of living everywhere
• computer programming and AI, robotics and automation
• the environment, conservation, recycling, clean manufacturing
• musical composition (I always want to learn how to make movie trailer type music.. then I try and get nowhere. Also very hard to make money.)
• one music/audio-related job I thought of recently would be like a home theater designer / installer, where you would go to someone's home and figure out the best audio setup for their room and budget, speaker and sub placement, etc. I have no idea of the demand or pay for such a job. I think big budgets would be fun, though. And years later I would realize I spent a whole lot of time putting speakers in rich people's houses

My problem is I hate to start down a path that's a dead end, or won't be fulfilling or make an impact on the world. I also don't want to treat symptoms, I want to fix things at the core. So for example, cola's suggestion of a cop, I would feel like I was wasting my time chasing individual bad guys when I could be trying to fix the economics or psychology that creates bad guys. Not to mention, basically all of these things would require more schooling, which would require some better job in the present to afford more schooling.

So these are my endless thought circles. Sorry I'm wasting everyone's time with reading this. But also thank you to the people who respond.

 

[wifehunter]

You only have one life on this planet, do what your passions tell you. Regardless of $$$. I drive for lyft/uber, so I can follow my passion. (computer music)

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." - KJV

 

[Red Legg]

Practice a daily routine and stick to it everyday,I am retired and still get up at 5 am everyday,DO NOT get lazy !

 

[RedZone]

This is something you need figure out own your own. I can tell you to read, ski, or hell even build model trains, but if you are not interested in that whats the point. As people said, you have one life. Do what you wan to do. If you want to make music, make music. Or if want to swim with sharks, swim with sharks. Even if what you want to do can't get paid for at first, at least you'll be building towards something.

 

[Plums]

You explained your problem in your second sentence. Low confidence. You are telling yourself this story and creating a belief system around it that limits you.
This means when you feel a calling, you already put the blocks in place that stops you moving forward. Maybe there is fear of failure there as well. In fact that may be the root cause of your lack of confidence.
You can't just break this pattern of thinking overnight. You have to work at it on a daily basis. The more you think a thought, particularly a negative thought, the easier it is to think it again. Negative thoughts create pathways in your mind that become easy to walk down until you believe it as truth. You can trick your mind to work better for you by thinking positive thoughts.
When the blocks are destroyed you will see clearly what you should do and then do it.