[Macjohn]

you should really listen to Martyr2, freelance contracts is pretty good, dont need to be a programmer like he is just need to know what you'r doing and I'm sure you'll find some pretty good contracts for pieces of code!

[gabehabe]

I will give you a shiny penny for every nude picture you take of yourself and send to me.

[Choscura]

Since nobody's mentioned the specific sites for freelancing, vworker.com, elance.com and even reddit.com/r/forhire all deserve shoutouts here. These aren't just for coding gigs; they need engineers all the time, and there's an entire niche market (*cough* that I've profited from) of mediocre students desperate to buy their grades by getting competent people to do their assignments for pay- which puts you in the position to further your education and get experience and make money at the same time. Keep in mind, most of these students (it seems) are seeking higher degrees after getting bachelors or associates degrees from universities that barely require a pulse to graduate from. I've helped with everything from senior projects and thesis to introductory stuff.

the most important things to keep in mind with this are that you aren't responsible for their education, just this assignment, and that even if you fail them, they were guaranteed to fail as well, and so they haven't lost anything, and if they want to pin it on you, all you have to do is agree and say that you two should talk to their professor, advisor, and dean- the two of you, with the three of them, together- about why their grade shouldn't reflect your lack of knowledge (or effort) on their behalf unless it's better than what they could have gotten on their own.

[Apokio]

I know people will do what they have to in order to make money, but helping people cheat in school to get into the field of work that you are working in is something I wouldn't do. This is part of the reason I work with people that have all the right education but still can't do the smallest task without me writing out instructions on how to do it.

[Robin19]

I know your situation sucks right now, but you just have to keep your head up and keep fighting. It's going to be tough. The only true advice I can give you is to keep your chin up.

Working at my last job, I met a very strange applicant. She lived in Indiana. The job was $8 an hour in Milwaukee, about 8 hours away. She didn't know anybody in the state. She hadn't found a place to live yet. The day of her interview it started to blizzard. She still drove in for it (she called on the way to say she would be late. It took her 12 hours to make the drive). She was offered the job since it was clear that she wanted to work in Milwaukee. She was asked why. Job offers had dried up in her area. She had worked a couple of Ren Fairs in Wisconsin and thought it looked beautiful here. She just wanted land any job in the area and figure out everything later. She spent three weeks renting a room at a hotel and driving back to Indy on the weekends. She had been spending all of her spare time looking for an apartment and finally found one. She now has a large credit card debt, but is living a better life in a new city.

The in-laws are in a rough patch right now. Father-in-law lost his job. Mother-in-law has had her hours cut to 20 a week. They sold one of their cars, most of their appliances, and moved in with 75 year old Grandma. The parents are in their 50's. Nobody looks down on them, because we all know that they are doing their best in a bad situation.

[BenignDesign]

gabehabe, on 14 March 2012 - 08:48 PM, said:

I double posted.

GTFO. Now.

[no2pencil]

I already know what's going to happen. She asked for our advice, we all suggest to her don't move back home, she'll move back home. We suggest to her, work two jobs, she'll continue with school. She'll hate having moved home half an hour into it, she'll be so frustrated she will not devote 100% attention to school, she'll continue to fail. At 25, NeoTifa, you'll still be posting this same repetitive life situation.

[BenignDesign]

[no2pencil]

I've seen it time & time again with friends of mine, maybe it's an Ohio thing. It's going to be difficult. The real question is, will it be difficult with regret, or difficult with goals. That's how I look at it. She'll do what she wants to do, obviously, but I really think her mind was already made up even before getting advice.

On a positive note, this is the 2nd Lounge topic that she's started that lead to a pain in the ass member getting banned.

[BenignDesign]

If nothing else, she's good at helping us weed out the uber morons.

[blutrane]

At the risk of sounding incredibly redundant;

here are two sample game plans.

1. Do whatever it takes to get into the military. seriously.
I know a guy who has no formal schooling other than what he received from being enlisted in the air force and he makes more than several degree'd engineers at my workplace (also actually knows how to do his job and do it well)

2. Do whatever it takes to get the flock out of Dodge. seriously.
Do some research and find a locale (city, state, country) that meets your minimum requirements for livability. Apply for every possible job that you could relevant to (see my note after this). Sell everything that you don't absolutely need. Move to said locale. Embody the wisdom of your peers (supersloth, dorknexus, everyone else); give the homeland the bird and spread your wings.

*Note

Main point here is this. Do whatever it takes to overcome your situation. Decide on a course of action and remain committed to that course of action come hell or high water. Live in your car after you move if you have to. Get your Scarlett O'Hara on, pick up that turnip, reach for the sky and proclaim to the cold cruel world that you will never go hungry again and mean it (RESOLVE!). The thing that will aid you tremendously in your success here other than strengthening your resolve is projecting confidence in your abilities. I know a few programmers that applied for and got jobs where they didn't know the primary language they were to programming in. They are successful, and they got that way because they confidence in their abilities.


Some people have the benefit of family members for help, doesn't sound like you do, but you do have a lot of friends on this site. While they may not be able to provide a bed for you (maybe someone can who knows) but depending on which locale you pick (if you go that route) we maybe able to provide job hunting advice/assistance. Don't be afraid to utilize the resources you have here!

Spread your wings, little robin. Its time to leave the nest.

[BenignDesign]

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blutrane, on 15 March 2012 - 10:07 AM, said:

Spread your wings, little robin. Its time to leave the nest.

This post has been edited by BenignDesign: 15 March 2012 - 08:13 AM

[jon.kiparsky]

no2pencil, on 15 March 2012 - 08:35 AM, said:

I already know what's going to happen. She asked for our advice, we all suggest to her don't move back home, she'll move back home. We suggest to her, work two jobs, she'll continue with school. She'll hate having moved home half an hour into it, she'll be so frustrated she will not devote 100% attention to school, she'll continue to fail. At 25, NeoTifa, you'll still be posting this same repetitive life situation.

I have to admit, this is a live possibility. There's only one person here who's got anything to say about whether it works out this way, though.

[Kilorn]

I think one of the best options right now would be to ride B9's couch for a while until you get on your feet. Put school off for the time being. Assuming Sallie Mae is servicing your loans, like they are mine, you can also pay $150 to push off your payments for 3 months due to financial hardship. You've got a 6 month grace period that you can burn through, and then after that you've got 7 months before your delinquency is reported to a collections agency, or since my credit already sucks due to bad credit card habits in the past and excessive debt without a stable income for several months at one point, you can pay $150 to bring your account current just before the 7 month deadline for collections agency reporting. While it may harm your credit a little be to get behind on the loans, it's better than being homeless or living in a really horrible situation with family that doesn't seem to deserve to know that you exist.

[rgfirefly24]

Kilorn, on 15 March 2012 - 10:25 AM, said:

You've got a 6 month grace period that you can burn through, and then after that you've got 7 months before your delinquency is reported to a collections agency, or since my credit already sucks due to bad credit card habits in the past and excessive debt without a stable income for several months at one point, you can pay $150 to bring your account current just before the 7 month deadline for collections agency reporting. While it may harm your credit a little be to get behind on the loans, it's better than being homeless or living in a really horrible situation with family that doesn't seem to deserve to know that you exist.

if you have Federal Student aid loans you can call them and ask for an extension due to hardship, and you should get anywhere from 1 month to 6 month extensions that do not require you to pay a fee. I put off a loan for 2.5 years doing this. It still collects interest during this time, but you don't have to make payments.