If you're going out into the world without a degree, or a degree that gave you zero opportunities, here's my advice to survive as an adult (in America).
You need friends. Make them at school, work, out and about in public, even online friends who live in the same country. If you want to move out of your parents house and can't afford a place on your own, you need friends to be your roommates. Note: it is a lot harder to be someone's friend when you're living with them. They way they clean, if at all, the way they cook, if at all, the way they keep their personal space, all come with nuances that you weren't prepared for. You need to be able to talk things out to make keeping the household comfortable for everyone.
You should do a lot of research about what housing is available. If you don't have a car, you need to do your best to make sure that wherever you end up living and wherever you end up working are within reasonable walking distance. If you live in a place that gets snow, this is especially important. Townhouses are another option for renting. Some are the same price as a 2 bedroom apartment with more space, but they'll likely be more picky about who lives there, so keep your place clean, otherwise they won't renew your lease. Make a spreadsheet, with pencil and paper if you have to, to help with cost-benefit analysis, it's worth it.
Good jobs to learn life skills:
Food service. These have a very low bar to entry, unless it's high-end. McDonalds has surprisingly decent wages and benefits, at least where I live. You get an employee discount on the food, and usually a free meal once a day. They will train you for your position, and if you have a good manager, they will invest the time to make sure you know how to do a good job. A restaurant, buffet place, or fast food joint will teach you food handling and safety. The dishwasher position will teach you how to clean a lot of stuff. Like, not just plates and cutlery, but pots, pans, and other food prep equipment. There's also janitor and maintenance positions that are very valuable to learn from. If you're a proper cook at a proper restaurant, you can learn how to cook for yourself. Buying ingredients for meals instead of ready-made meals is much, much, cheaper.
Hotels. Housekeeping is a hard job, but the skills it teaches are worth it. Note: You WILL get fit from this job. You will also have an opportunity for free food if you show up early enough, but personally, hotel food isn't worth it, it's nasty, but that's up to you. Try to go for a hotel that does extended stays, with a fridge, kitchenette, dishwasher, microwave. You will learn how to clean EVERYTHING in your house, no matter how dirty it is. You'll learn to make a bed, properly disinfect a bathroom, use and care for vacuum (trust me, you'll need to learn how to fix your vacuum), and safely handling cleaning chemicals. That one looks good on a resume, too. If you go for the laundry position, you'll learn how to deal with every stain imaginable, more chemical handling, and how to fold stuff. All kinds of towels, fitted sheets, flat sheets, the works. Working at a hotel can also give you free access to a gym and/or pool if they have them. I recommend working at a hotel for 3-5 years to learn everything you can, even if you hop between them. Trust me, hotels are always hiring.
That's all I can think of for now, thanks for reading and good luck out there!
gracieabrams
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
romaincrisis
stormborns
blakekathryn
