Hi, I’m 22, my parents’ marriage didn’t go too well and the whole issue was really confusing. My dad was a bastard but my mother was always going off on him, which – I believe – might possibly have been a factor in why he eventually cheated a few times, then up and left. So the situation’s typically deteriorated: dad’s having to pay our mortgage whilst morbidly obese and in a relationship with some other woman, mum and sister are always screaming at each other, and I just do what I’m told to avoid to avoid rocking the boat (I’m gonna be stuck here for a while as I don’t have my own source of income or any experience living alone). I honestly think that both sides of the relationship breakdown were responsible and as such I don’t take sides concerning it. What it did convince me though, was that I would never repeat the mistake they made in getting married. For the reason that I’m still dependent on family, I don’t consider myself to be a man just yet. I’m working on it, but it’s going to take a fair bit of time before I’m ready to cope with the real world. I’m majoring in IT with some personal experience in web design / programming and teaching myself math because the schools couldn’t do it. Heavy stuff aside, I like to code, compose music (I don’t play any instruments yet), go for walks, talk to people online, and do personal study on topics I find interesting. It’s really nice to meet everyone.
welcome to the fam! for source of income, you might want to consider building web pages or designing logos even online tutoring for ppl. All of your meetings can be done via skype and you can advertise on CL and other free sites. I know a couple ppl that CLEANED UP doing this. Form what I remember of C++…anyone who can code, is in high demand. Sorry to hear about your parents, fortunately you are able to learn a lesson from them and are all the wiser. at your age I would pick up the guitar, and learn via youtube free lessons also get in the habit of working out (health is important) and take up wrestling or western boxing by the time you are 25, you will be quite well rounded and capable of excelling in virtually any environment Sebastian
Thank you for your input. I have very minor experience with C++, learning from Jesse Liberty’s book – “Learn C++ in 21 Days”, first book I ever bought at age 13.
As for software snobbery, I agree. I have a book on Java, C++ (the one I just mentioned), and am hoping to get my feet wet with python and assembly x86 (REALLY powerful if you know how to use it).
As for tutoring, I would need to refresh my current knowledge and refine it to the point where explaining the logic, concepts, and API functions would be second-nature. There is also the issue that there is plenty of free learning material out there, for example, from w3schools.
Freelance work would be promising, but I would need to fiddle about in creating an online paypal, or something like that. Last time I tried that I accidentally locked myself out of my bank account. Oops… There is actually an opportunity for an apprenticeship around the corner for me which I’m hoping will get my foot in the door.
I used to take Japanese Jujitsu, but it was a kid’s class, so I looked a bit silly being the only 20-something guy around a bunch of 9-year-old kids. There is an adult class on Tuesdays not far – I went to it over the summer holidays – but my body simply couldn’t keep up with the demand so I was forced to take the less intensive kids’ class. To improve my health, I’ve started talking walks in the woods for an hour a day.
Japanese Jujitsu had loads of throws and joint locks which I absolutely loved practicing with my partner (Shane, great guy). I’m not a very big or strong person so leveraging joints and balance is a big advantage for me. I’d love to go back after getting my body into proper shape. I’m also quite interested in Krav Maga, but don’t know of any clubs nearby.
As for music, I am using my mother’s old keyboard, which she never has time to use (she’s constantly trying to make ends meet in the house and with paperwork and such). I’m teaching myself to play it using free online resources.
