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To everyone who joined these forums at some point, and got discouraged by the negativity and left after a while (or even got literally scared off): I'm sorry.

I wasn't good enough at encouraging people to be kinder, and removing people who refuse to be kind. Encouraging people is hard, and removing people creates conflict, and I hate conflict... so that's why I wasn't better at it.

I was a very, very sensitive teen. The atmosphere of this forum as it is now, if it had existed in 1996, would probably have upset me far more than it would have helped.

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I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #31
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-03-2014 11:49 AM)SubCulture Wrote:  That's just absolutely disrespectful, dude.

STOP.
Elaborate?

And can you blame me? Read my previous threads and you'll see why.

Seven crappy hours of our lives.
02-03-2014 12:27 PM
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xcriteria Offline
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Post: #32
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-03-2014 12:27 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 11:49 AM)SubCulture Wrote:  That's just absolutely disrespectful, dude.

STOP.
Elaborate?

And can you blame me? Read my previous threads and you'll see why.

That was a response to an offensive/troll post that got deleted, not you. Smile

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02-03-2014 12:29 PM
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #33
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-03-2014 12:29 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 12:27 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 11:49 AM)SubCulture Wrote:  That's just absolutely disrespectful, dude.

STOP.
Elaborate?

And can you blame me? Read my previous threads and you'll see why.

That was a response to an offensive/troll post that got deleted, not you. Smile
Oh, LOL. What is this troll that's going around this forum and posting these negative remarks? I've never seen him.

I also thought that SR was the only moderator of these boards. Is there someone else deleting his posts?

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02-03-2014 12:31 PM
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Post: #34
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

NONONONONONO.

You're fine. You're absolutely fine. Someone was posting terrible photos, and I was so pissed off that they would do that here. I'm really sorry.

I know xcriteria explained that, but I thought I needed to as well.

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We've had a lot of fun, guys.
Fulltime Member, 2013-2014

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02-03-2014 12:32 PM
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 Thanks given by: GamerGurl
GamerGurl Away
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Post: #35
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  I spent quite a while when I was younger (early 20's in particular) wondering why my parents weren't more supportive of my ideas and goals, about transforming education, and making money in ways beyond traditional jobs. For the most part, they just didn't understand it.
Same. I tried getting then to learn how homeschooling online works, but they just refused to listen. They just kept telling me that I have to go to school "like everybody else".

(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  And, despite my basic intention to just say "fine" and move on and make all these things happen, I didn't know how to proceed with that, who to connect with, or how to decide what to do. Part of me kept wondering why my parents couldn't be more supportive and play more of an active role in helping me out (not just financially or with housing, but even with collaboration.)

But, in the end, they just weren't the people for that. And the big life quest I've had since, in retrospect, has been finding a broader network of people to discuss ideas with, learn from, work for and/or with, and collaborate with.
This is basically the same situation I'm stuck in now. I just, for the most part, assume that this is how my parents will act because they were not trustful at all when I wanted to stop going to regular public school and wanted the online homeschooling alternative.

To make matters worse, I don't think my dad was ever supportive in my gaming hobby. Sometimes he'd have somewhat of an attitude when I asked him to get my a game that I wanted. Not only that, when I did ask him it was less than occasionally. I had friends that had lots more video games than I did, so I wasn't asking him to buy me dozens of new video games every few months; however, I wish I did have that opportunity of getting more than I bargained for.

It just makes it that much harder to even approach them about it. When my mom tells me about some place hiring (or if my dad lets my mom know to tell me), I just shrug it off. I don't want that discussion because I feel like they most likely won't understand and support me. They didn't when it came to the online homeschooling alternative, and if they're not that much understanding of my gaming hobby I think they'll just react the same way.

I remember a few months ago when my mom bothered me about this career center not that far from where I live, but again I just shrugged it off. These things I'd like to do are very easy for me to do on my own, and most of them do involve the internet so it makes it that much easier.

(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  Through JF, I found Emily Wapnick, who is also promoting people pursuing passions, but specifically people who have many passions and interests. I think you fall in this category, as do I and many of us on SS. The issue is, there tend not to be pre-defined "jobs" out there that encompass all (or even several) of our interests. And, others (like family) often don't understand anything beyond "getting a job," and in practice it can be a challenge to make money in other ways.
I agree. It'll be hard to make money with what I want to do, but I'm passionate about it that I'll make it work. I do know that I will have to spend quite a good amount of money to start getting it back. I want to be professional in the stuff I want to do.

(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  Emily blogs and gives talks about this challenge, and you might find some useful things on her blog, Puttylike (In fact, the most recent post there, a guest post, is quite applicable to your situation: What Happens When Those Closest to Us Don’t Accept What We Do?)
I'll read it sometime, thanks. Smile

(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  
MrJurgens Wrote:In general, I'd like to help these people become better gamers. Outside of that, I'd also help those who want to be pro cosplayers, competitive gamers, etc.

How do you see yourself doing that? YouTube videos/tutorials, advice, articles, consulting, etc?

Obviously a lot of other people have tutorials, walkthroughs, and so on for various games, but do you know of anyone else marketing themselves as helping people being better pro gamers and cosplayers in general?

I can imagine that could be something people might pay for, but is it an existing "thing" people are already paying for (like college, voice acting training, or something like that)?
A combination of things. Firstly using YouTube and creating videos and giving advice to my followers, but I'd also like to consult to my fans as well – and go as far as to do it in person. Maybe make a little mentorship program because I'd love to connect with the people who follow me who share my same interests.

I guess there's a mixed bag because I know for sure you wouldn't go to college for something like machinima or competitive gaming, but for things like voice acting and animation you could. I'd just like to make it easier for the fan-base that I'd have and take it to a different level.

Seven crappy hours of our lives.
(This post was last modified: 02-03-2014 12:55 PM by GamerGurl.)
02-03-2014 12:51 PM
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xcriteria Offline
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Post: #36
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-03-2014 12:51 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  I spent quite a while when I was younger (early 20's in particular) wondering why my parents weren't more supportive of my ideas and goals, about transforming education, and making money in ways beyond traditional jobs. For the most part, they just didn't understand it.
Same. I tried getting then to learn how homeschooling online works, but they just refused to listen. They just kept telling me that I have to go to school "like everybody else".

Ahh, I did the same thing when I was 13-14, and got that response. But then, after I dropped out, got a GED, and did some college, I was unhappy with college, too... and said, there must be some better way to do things. Same general response from my parents. So, I quit, and (fortunately) found a job that worked out well for a couple years, at a web software startup. But, I hit points during that where, once again, I felt like that wasn't my main calling... and eventually I started realizing a lot of interests beyond computers... psychology, neuroscience, songwriting, brainstorming, changing education, all kinds of things.

But, once again, by then in my early 20's, I thought maybe my parents would back up my ideas of doing things differently. Didn't work out. But... despite disappointment and surprise that they still didn't get any of this, I realized I then had to go my own way.

The problem was, I really didn't know what to do... or how to connect with people (despite lots of ideas.)

In fact, I think it was during that time that I first encountered School Survival, but it was more just a placeholder in my mind, at that time, proof that others were out there who felt the way I did... but I didn't know about the forums, and it was a few more years before I finally found them and started posting here.

(02-03-2014 12:51 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  And, despite my basic intention to just say "fine" and move on and make all these things happen, I didn't know how to proceed with that, who to connect with, or how to decide what to do. Part of me kept wondering why my parents couldn't be more supportive and play more of an active role in helping me out (not just financially or with housing, but even with collaboration.)

But, in the end, they just weren't the people for that. And the big life quest I've had since, in retrospect, has been finding a broader network of people to discuss ideas with, learn from, work for and/or with, and collaborate with.
This is basically the same situation I'm stuck in now. I just, for the most part, assume that this is how my parents will act because they were not trustful at all when I wanted to stop going to regular public school and wanted the online homeschooling alternative.

To make matters worse, I don't think my dad was ever supportive in my gaming hobby. Sometimes he'd have somewhat of an attitude when I asked him to get my a game that I wanted. Not only that, when I did ask him it was less than occasionally. I had friends that had lots more video games than I did, so I wasn't asking him to buy me dozens of new video games every few months; however, I wish I did have that opportunity of getting more than I bargained for.

It just makes it that much harder to even approach them about it. When my mom tells me about some place hiring (or if my dad lets my mom know to tell me), I just shrug it off. I don't want that discussion because I feel like they most likely won't understand and support me. They didn't when it came to the online homeschooling alternative, and if they're not that much understanding of my gaming hobby I think they'll just react the same way.

I remember a few months ago when my mom bothered me about this career center not that far from where I live, but again I just shrugged it off. These things I'd like to do are very easy for me to do on my own, and most of them do involve the internet so it makes it that much easier.

I think that however misguided they may be, your parents are trying to help you out on the same journey to independence that you're looking for. And I know that feeling well. The question is then how to just make it happen without having to deal with their suggestions.

(02-03-2014 12:51 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  Through JF, I found Emily Wapnick, who is also promoting people pursuing passions, but specifically people who have many passions and interests. I think you fall in this category, as do I and many of us on SS. The issue is, there tend not to be pre-defined "jobs" out there that encompass all (or even several) of our interests. And, others (like family) often don't understand anything beyond "getting a job," and in practice it can be a challenge to make money in other ways.
I agree. It'll be hard to make money with what I want to do, but I'm passionate about it that I'll make it work. I do know that I will have to spend quite a good amount of money to start getting it back. I want to be professional in the stuff I want to do.

I think you may be able to spend less than you have in mind. These days, quite amazing technology is pretty cheap... even when it comes to professional quality. Far cheaper than things used to be.

What kind of equipment do you have in mind?

It might take some research to figure that out, but maybe identify a couple of levels, from what you have now, on up to a dream setup.

A basic webcam and a computer are all that's needed to start with a lot of these things. Collaboration is also a great way to get access to equipment and facilities... as well has having the opportunity to learn from working alongside others. (That's what I'm doing... and it'd be awesome to do so on a bit larger scale, leading to something that can be a college alternative but provide some of the same benefits.)

(02-03-2014 12:51 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  Emily blogs and gives talks about this challenge, and you might find some useful things on her blog, Puttylike (In fact, the most recent post there, a guest post, is quite applicable to your situation: What Happens When Those Closest to Us Don’t Accept What We Do?)
I'll read it sometime, thanks. Smile

Lol, yes, info-overload. Smile

(02-03-2014 12:51 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-03-2014 01:56 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  
MrJurgens Wrote:In general, I'd like to help these people become better gamers. Outside of that, I'd also help those who want to be pro cosplayers, competitive gamers, etc.

How do you see yourself doing that? YouTube videos/tutorials, advice, articles, consulting, etc?

Obviously a lot of other people have tutorials, walkthroughs, and so on for various games, but do you know of anyone else marketing themselves as helping people being better pro gamers and cosplayers in general?

I can imagine that could be something people might pay for, but is it an existing "thing" people are already paying for (like college, voice acting training, or something like that)?

A combination of things. Firstly using YouTube and creating videos and giving advice to my followers, but I'd also like to consult to my fans as well – and go as far as to do it in person. Maybe make a little mentorship program because I'd love to connect with the people who follow me who share my same interests.

That sounds like a plan. Even workshops or something like that would fit in with that plan. Definitely, a key to success is building up communication with your audience/clients/followers/community, and growing it.

This guy Ronnie Bincer comes to mind as someone who's doing this successfully. His focus is on helping people learn to use Google Hangouts effectively, and he's got a whole business set up around doing that (coaching/consulting and a paid subscription area), as well as offering a bunch of advice, videos, and hangouts for free on G+ and his YouTube Channel.

Looking at how others are managing these unusual career paths is one way to get a sense of what to do, and it might even be useful for demonstrating to others that there are ways to "make it" without just following a pre-set path. I've been scouring the web for examples, and I've found a lot of them... Pamela Slim is another who writes and coaches people on how to Escape from Cubicle Nation. I'm fortunately not in a cubicle, but I'm still trying to figure out the "monetize my dreams" side of this myself. Razz

(02-03-2014 12:51 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  I guess there's a mixed bag because I know for sure you wouldn't go to college for something like machinima or competitive gaming, but for things like voice acting and animation you could. I'd just like to make it easier for the fan-base that I'd have and take it to a different level.

I'd say there's some general knowledge and experiences you could get out of college (or, perhaps more likely, a more flexible college alternative.)

Voice acting seems like something you'd best learn through some kind of courses, coaching, and/or self-study and practice, probably not a college program. A friend of mine looked into this some. What programs have you come across?

Animation, likewise could be learned outside of college, though you could certainly pursue a degree. I'd say it's worth distinguishing between how you'll actually learn and practice the skills, vs. going to college to get a degree. A lot of time (and money) ends up getting wasted in many college programs, if your main goal is the learning and doing, because most are structured around credits for graduation and getting that piece of paper.

(If you want to credential, that may be worth it, but if you're going to demonstrate your ability and find work based on networking, publicity, and having a portfolio or "body of work," the main question is how you'd actually learn these skills.)

I'm trying to figure out how to put together a college alternative program where I help people find and use the many resources out there for learning (which could even include college classes, but only where they make sense.) I have in mind both in-person and online forms. I'm still figuring out how I can best provide value for people, but I know there are so many resources out there that are a lot cheaper than just jumping into college.

(Others are already putting together college alternatives, like Mycelium and MOOC Campus, part of Black Mountain SOLE.)

For animation and related skills, CreativeLive and Lynda.com are definitely worth checking out. CreativeLive has free ongoing broadcasts, but buying the courses to watch anytime costs some money. It's definitely less (often much less) than you'd pay for college classes. (They have a super-discounted Adobe Creative Cloud bundle that includes some After Effects courses, for example.) Lynda.com has a huge number of video courses on many subjects, with a monthly subscription model. And, of course, there are a lot of free videos and tutorials on YouTube and so on. Film Riot has a lot of free special effects, editing, and filming tutorials, for example.

Beyond that, it can be useful to participate in a community. I think several people in SS are interested in learning animation... maybe that could lead to some kind of co-learning?

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02-04-2014 01:50 AM
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #37
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

[Image: Oh-Get-A-Job..-Just-Get-A-Job..-Why-Dont...Helmet.jpg]

I feel as if the image above is very relevant. Anyhow, MORE BRIBERY. A few minutes ago my mom just told me how my dad had some money stashed away from the military for his family for things like education and stuff like that, and my mom was telling me that he'll use that money for me to go to 1yr of trade school... and that is where the argument begins! Brickwall

It sounded like she was holding me responsible for that money. The thing is if my dad doesn't use that money he'll lose it, so I'm not sure why it has to be ME at fault for something that clearly is his problem. Right now most of what I've been doing is just taking care of my pet lovebird and staying on the computer and doing things online; whether it's playing games or just surfing online forums, etc. My mom complains how I always WANT, WANT, WANT, and to be honest if there's anything I do ask for it's just for food on a plate – and IMO it's not all the goddamn time. She got mad at me as well because I ate the rest of the spaghetti that was left for today as well. My dad told her to leave some for today, and fuck I was just so hungry and there was nothing else I wanted to eat (and there was not much else, on top of that) so I took that.

She also got bitchy because it was also for my sister, and I told her I don't care about her (which I don't) and she's like, "Oh, you should care about her! She's your sister!" Well quite frankly, I think she's a complete bitch and whatever happens to her doesn't concern me. She always complains about me and makes these snarky remarks that I sometimes hear, and I know for a fact they're always directed towards me. Sometimes she'll even give me these nasty looks, and when she's throwing out the trash or washing the dishes (which she does both rarely, especially the latter) she'll say very bitchy and downright nasty stuff about me. Sometimes I even hear her talking about me to my mom when I'm not there. Rolleyes

Anyways, I stopped asking my dad for anything related to gaming or tech. My mom was telling me if I use the money to go to a trade school for 1yr my dad will give me an allowance... again (now I know why I stopped getting money), a new computer, etc. I was telling her that he already has another family to worry about, and that what I want to do isn't any of their business and doesn't concern them. She sparked when I said "it doesn't concern them", and she said semi-furiously that it did because I'm not doing anything to better my life. She doesn't see me working, studying (ugh, I really hate that word), or doing anything that "betters my life".

I just repeated what I wanted to do is none of their business. Like I've told you guys already, there's stuff I want to do but I don't want them to know. They weren't supportive AT ALL when it came to online homeschooling (I bet that sounded pretty unconventional to them), but if they heard this who knows what type of reaction and response I'd get. I just can't trust them after all that BS.

In the argument I also told her exactly what you can read in that picture word-for-word and she told me that I have to do something because at 18 she isn't going to support me (gives me even more reasons NOT to trust her). She came up with some more of the same generalizations again, too! She told me how all... ALL teenagers have a job and making money to buy themselves things, and that at 18 they start making a life for themselves. More of the same status quo bullshit. Mad

She also said that when my sister is 18 she's going to have a job, this and that, BLAH BLAH BLAH, and I just retorted saying how oh yeah, surely because everything always works out the way you plan it to.

Rolleyes Rolleyes Rolleyes (Can I add anymore of these? Razz)

Anyways, yeah I don't do much in the house. I really don't, but it depends I guess. I'm trying to describe it but I can't because I don't want to use words that in your guys' eyes may be applied differently. Again, when I ask for something I want, it isn't really anything like a video game or anything of that nature. My mom serves me food most of the time (and I know for a fact I never demand my mom to serve me food) and still does my laundry (I'm quite embarrassed about the latter so SORRY, but I am quite a lazy person), so I can see why she'd get mad about that. Other than that however, I don't ask for anything more of her.

Moving along, my mom said that one day she's going to live alone, blah blah blah. I'm going to have to fend for myself, blah blah blah. More of her QQ.

Another thing – I also told her that if I don't eat I'll get hungry. She pointed out there was other stuff to eat (which I didn't want and which there wasn't much of a variety of), and you know, it's not my fault that I'm very skinny and have a very high metabolism. I weigh around 120–130llbs, but I eat A LOT. I really do. It's not my fault I eat a lot more than the average human.

She then pointed out that if I had a job I can buy whatever I wanted outside if I didn't want what was already in the house, and it's like she implied that having a job I could afford almost everything I wanted that was out there.

But yeah, that's pretty much it. You know, I don't go outside at all but that's because there's nothing for me to go outside for. The area I live in doesn't concern me and I don't see myself having a future here – not that my parents want me to, it's not that, but I just kind of want to detach myself from this area as much as possible. She complained about me not going outside as well.

I just don't know what I'm going to do now. I'm not getting any money now, and most places that are hiring have a FUBAR'd system of trying to get hired. It's like the term "entry-level" doesn't even exist. I just know the main thing – or things, I should say – I want to do are mostly what I said to you guys in this thread, and I highly doubt there's any college or trade school that does "major" in specifically what I want to do (you can't graduate from that stuff wanting to be a professional gamer Razz).

And if I worked anywhere it'd probably be at GameStop, just in order to have more money because starting off trying to launch my internet persona doesn't sound like it'd pay for the things I'd like to do. Razz

Seven crappy hours of our lives.
(This post was last modified: 02-10-2014 10:55 PM by GamerGurl.)
02-10-2014 10:46 PM
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #38
I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

UPDATE

She told me that just as much as there's an obligation for the parents to take care of their kids, it's the same the other way around when the parents reach old age. Since it didn't seem like I was "winning" the argument, I had to take drastic measures.

I pointed out how why she isn't helping out her parents, and then she told me how she has other family members like her brothers doing that (they live in another country). Yet she has a sister who lives here who sends stuff, and then she had to resort to saying that they know she's poor, and then she said that at least she keeps in contact with them. Then I told her that it seems like she's pulling the least amount of weight.

What's funny is that that statement doesn't always apply that exact way; such as in her case. Or as in another example, there's families who kind of break apart. The mom or dad leave the children and are never to be seen again. It's a pretty bland example but hey, it works. There are MANY single parents out there.

I pretty much invalidated her statement with just that, but I could have gone father. She just said angrily when leaving for work that I'm a stupid idiot who only thinks with my penis. I'm quite baffled at the part where she says I only think with my penis, because I'm not going out banging girls every week! Razz

Edit: She also thinks someone online is feeding me BS like telling me how my parents are going to take care of me for the rest of my life. Rolleyes

Seven crappy hours of our lives.
(This post was last modified: 02-10-2014 11:14 PM by GamerGurl.)
02-10-2014 10:52 PM
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #39
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-11-2014 12:40 AM)SadArio Wrote:  
Quote:More of her QQ.

* SadArio thinks that QQ doesn't stand for bitching and crying.
That's what it means in the MMO community. The capital letters "QQ" together kinda look like a face crying, so it's become a regular syntax that's used in the MMO-verse.

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02-11-2014 01:38 AM
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #40
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-11-2014 02:46 AM)SadArio Wrote:  
(02-11-2014 01:38 AM)MrJurgens Wrote:  
(02-11-2014 12:40 AM)SadArio Wrote:  
Quote:More of her QQ.

* SadArio thinks that QQ doesn't stand for bitching and crying.
That's what it means in the MMO community. The capital letters "QQ" together kinda look like a face crying, so it's become a regular syntax that's used in the MMO-verse.

It used to mean quitting because in Warcraft 2 when you wanted to quit a game you pressed ALT+Q-...ehh fuck it.
Lol I remember reading about that a long time ago. Now it's kind of evolved into this term. Have you seen how it's been used in the MMO community today?

Seven crappy hours of our lives.
02-11-2014 02:49 AM
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James Comey Away
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Post: #41
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

Holy shit. That's a lot.

The money thing is really irrelevant, because that's your father's money and it's up to him how to spend it. If you don't want to go to trade school, that's your choice. What's important is that you're a human being, and that if it goes against your goals, you don't have to do it. Unfortunately, this society believes that doesn't apply to youth.

Do you have any kind of money saved up? Perhaps you can start working at Amazon Mechanical Turk, something I intend on doing myself, just to get the entire family to shut up.

Otherwise, sounds like you're going through a state of flux. A "dead period" of your life, which doesn't sound good, and it seems you're living in a state of conflict as well. Could you possibly start trying to spend some time outside? Then again, the weather around the entire country has turned to shit, even here in California the shitty weather has arrived. Hopefully when the weather gets better though you might be able to spend time outside. Seems like an obvious solution. Then again, your family might try to limit your time outside. Something I've hated.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

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02-11-2014 02:53 AM
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #42
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-11-2014 02:53 AM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Holy shit. That's a lot.

The money thing is really irrelevant, because that's your father's money and it's up to him how to spend it. If you don't want to go to trade school, that's your choice. What's important is that you're a human being, and that if it goes against your goals, you don't have to do it. Unfortunately, this society believes that doesn't apply to youth.

Do you have any kind of money saved up? Perhaps you can start working at Amazon Mechanical Turk, something I intend on doing myself, just to get the entire family to shut up.

Otherwise, sounds like you're going through a state of flux. A "dead period" of your life, which doesn't sound good, and it seems you're living in a state of conflict as well. Could you possibly start trying to spend some time outside? Then again, the weather around the entire country has turned to shit, even here in California the shitty weather has arrived. Hopefully when the weather gets better though you might be able to spend time outside. Seems like an obvious solution. Then again, your family might try to limit your time outside. Something I've hated.
I love your posts, Hansgrohe. Sadhug

The only money I have at the moment is $50 from Christmas, that's all. Cry It just sucks because I feel like if I do tell my parents all of this, they'll react the same way they did about the whole homeschooling thing. I'm not going to repeat past events. I'd rather err on the side of caution this time around.

You pretty much made a TL;DR version of my whole update. Life is in limbo and really not going anywhere. I'm not much of an outside person so that's why I don't go outside. Plus I HATE the winter season, so I only like to go out when it's warm and the summer weather starts rolling in. If I do go outside at any time however, it's to go to GameStop or go get my haircut.

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02-11-2014 03:45 AM
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James Comey Away
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Post: #43
I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

I'm not a winter person, as well. I can't stand fall or winter, for various reasons. A lot of it comes from school, but I've still managed to hate those seasons in particular.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

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Stop jerking off to porn and whining and do something about it

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02-11-2014 03:50 AM
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GamerGurl Away
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Post: #44
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-11-2014 03:50 AM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  I'm not a winter person, as well. I can't stand fall or winter, for various reasons. A lot of it comes from school, but I've still managed to hate those seasons in particular.
I'm just not a fan of the bitter cold at all.

And did I mention I love your posts? Razz

I'm just really conflicted at this point as well. I have absolutely no fucking idea what's going to happen once I turn 18. I'll be 18 on June 7th. I wonder what's going to happen to me, to my stuff, and to my bird. She was given to me by my paternal uncle and aunt, and if I do go anywhere I'd love to take her with me. I will not allow my mom to keep her, especially with my sister still living here with her.

Sometimes my sister is a bitch to my bird and it pisses me off. She doesn't abuse her, but sometimes my sister has hit me and has almost hit my bird in the process. One time she was running up angrily at me and almost stepped on my bird when she was on the floor. Also, when my bird is peeping in her cage during the day sometimes she covers my bird.

There is no way I will allow my mom to keep my bird if I happen to be kicked out or whatever. That is something that can't happen. No

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02-11-2014 03:59 AM
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Post: #45
I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

Morally, that is your bird. Don't let them take your bird away from you.

Yeah, that'll be interesting once you reach the age of 18. Do you have any kind of friends or other support who may be willing to let you stay in the scenario your mom boots you from your home? From the sound of it, unfortunately this sounds like this has a chance of happening.

RIP GWEDIN
RIP URITIYOGI
RIP NIGHT
RIP VONUNOV
RIP WES/THEWAKE
RIP USERNAME

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02-11-2014 04:12 AM
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xcriteria Offline
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Post: #46
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-10-2014 10:46 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  I feel as if the image above is very relevant. Anyhow, MORE BRIBERY. A few minutes ago my mom just told me how my dad had some money stashed away from the military for his family for things like education and stuff like that, and my mom was telling me that he'll use that money for me to go to 1yr of trade school... and that is where the argument begins! Brickwall

It sounded like she was holding me responsible for that money. The thing is if my dad doesn't use that money he'll lose it, so I'm not sure why it has to be ME at fault for something that clearly is his problem.

I realize you probably don't want any help from your parents, but...

What are his options for spending the money? Do you have to go to "trade school?" -- or are there other options? What is "trade school," anyway?

There might be a way to spend that money that benefits you, and satisfies your parents... so I suggest looking into the options.

(02-10-2014 10:46 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  I just don't know what I'm going to do now. I'm not getting any money now, and most places that are hiring have a FUBAR'd system of trying to get hired. It's like the term "entry-level" doesn't even exist. I just know the main thing – or things, I should say – I want to do are mostly what I said to you guys in this thread, and I highly doubt there's any college or trade school that does "major" in specifically what I want to do (you can't graduate from that stuff wanting to be a professional gamer Razz).

Your main desirable options for college or alternatives are probably things that focus on individualized instruction, and knowledge and skills relevant to being an entrepreneur, promoting yourself, understanding some tech skills, and skills like animation, graphics, audio, video, and performance that are relevant to your interests.

I've found several programs that attempt to combine some of the benefits of college, and other key life skills, into shorter time periods than college. You might consider whether these -- or building your own personal plan with these as a reference -- might be a better fit than college, but a step beyond where you are.

Mycelium, 12 weeks, $1500 -- http://mycelium.is/

Black Mountain SOLE "Gap Semester," 3 months, $950/month, (includes food and lodging
Full and partial Pay It Forward scholarships are available) -- http://blackmountainsole.org/gap-semester/

"A three-month in-residence or commuter program
to design and explore your own personal learning path.

Are you in transition and not sure what comes next?
Do you believe there’s more to life than punching a clock and dreaming of the day you can retire?
Are you ready to challenge yourself to take the first steps in turning your dreams into reality?"


Personally, I'd explore these -- maybe talk to both places and learn more -- but also consider whether their models can somehow be copied in a less-expensive way. However, if there's a way to apply money to things like these, or qualify for a reduced payment, they might be worth considering.

(02-10-2014 10:46 PM)MrJurgens Wrote:  And if I worked anywhere it'd probably be at GameStop, just in order to have more money because starting off trying to launch my internet persona doesn't sound like it'd pay for the things I'd like to do. Razz

How much money do you realistically need for this? Have you mapped out what exactly you need, vs. what you'd like to upgrade to when you get a chance?

I'm working with some friends on a documentary series related to all of this education stuff, and we're starting out with very minimal equipment, but we're taking steps anyway. Sometimes you do need certain equipment for certain things, but sometimes you can make do with a lot less, at first. And that, in turn, can help you build (1) skills, and (2) a body of work, which can be useful for getting to know people, finding collaborators (who might have equipment and skills that could help you), and (3) even raising some money.

On some level, I think your parents do care about you, even if it comes across as meddling. In the end, you have a mutual agenda: both you and your parents want you to move on with your life. You each have a different vision for how to bring that about, but the key thing is finding "a way," and one that works for you in particular.

In any case, you do have a bit of a dilemma on your hands, to figure out. I'm sure there are several paths out, but it's probably going to take some brainstorming and exploration to figure them out, and decide how to proceed.

I've been stuck in positions of not knowing what to do at multiple points in my life, so I know the feeling well. But there are usually ways forward, even if they're unexpected.

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02-11-2014 05:38 PM
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Post: #47
RE: I Know What I Wanna Do With My Life, But I Don't Have Faith In My Parents...

(02-11-2014 04:12 AM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Morally, that is your bird. Don't let them take your bird away from you.

Yeah, that'll be interesting once you reach the age of 18. Do you have any kind of friends or other support who may be willing to let you stay in the scenario your mom boots you from your home? From the sound of it, unfortunately this sounds like this has a chance of happening.
I really don't have a definite place to stay, truth be told. Have talked about it with like around 2 other people but nothing really serious. I really have no friends IRL anymore due to isolating myself inside my apartment since I'm just not a fan of going outside – and to make matters worse just not a fan of the people that live in this city.

(02-11-2014 05:38 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  I realize you probably don't want any help from your parents, but...

What are his options for spending the money? Do you have to go to "trade school?" -- or are there other options? What is "trade school," anyway?

There might be a way to spend that money that benefits you, and satisfies your parents... so I suggest looking into the options.
Dude, I have absolutely no clue. It was pretty vague and at the time since I was so pissed off at her I never thought about telling her if the money could be used for any-fucking-thing else besides school.

You know turning 17 and leaving school over a year ago gave me quite the ego boost in the terms of just not listening to my parents about going back to school. I just got so sick of the words "school" and "study" that I ended up taking an indefinite vacation. I know that sounds pretty much but at least I know what stuff I want to pursue. The bad news is that I feel like I'll be hit with criticism by at least one of my parents.

As for their exact definition of "trade school", it's probably going to something like that or of community college-type of school. You know what I mean? They probably think I want to maje video games but boy, they're so far off it's not even funny. Razz

I haven't even thought of looking into this because I just basically avoid as much interaction with them as possible. You know, I'm acting all high and mighty and standing by my ideals yet I'm still kind of hurting myself. I just want to avoid the pain of hurting myself MORESO by engaging with them about this and not being able to reach a compromise – and with how selfish and adamant both my parents and I can be, I think a compromise is out of the question.

(02-11-2014 05:38 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  Your main desirable options for college or alternatives are probably things that focus on individualized instruction, and knowledge and skills relevant to being an entrepreneur, promoting yourself, understanding some tech skills, and skills like animation, graphics, audio, video, and performance that are relevant to your interests.
Being a professional gamer/cosplayer, active machinimst, anti-compulsory school activist, etc. and having that all come up to entrepreneurship? You know how much I'd love that?

Bouncey

(02-11-2014 05:38 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  I've found several programs that attempt to combine some of the benefits of college, and other key life skills, into shorter time periods than college. You might consider whether these -- or building your own personal plan with these as a reference -- might be a better fit than college, but a step beyond where you are.

Mycelium, 12 weeks, $1500 -- http://mycelium.is/

Black Mountain SOLE "Gap Semester," 3 months, $950/month, (includes food and lodging
Full and partial Pay It Forward scholarships are available) -- http://blackmountainsole.org/gap-semester/

"A three-month in-residence or commuter program
to design and explore your own personal learning path.

Are you in transition and not sure what comes next?
Do you believe there’s more to life than punching a clock and dreaming of the day you can retire?
Are you ready to challenge yourself to take the first steps in turning your dreams into reality?"


Personally, I'd explore these -- maybe talk to both places and learn more -- but also consider whether their models can somehow be copied in a less-expensive way. However, if there's a way to apply money to things like these, or qualify for a reduced payment, they might be worth considering.
Information overload again! LOL Razz

(02-11-2014 05:38 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  How much money do you realistically need for this? Have you mapped out what exactly you need, vs. what you'd like to upgrade to when you get a chance?
Not really, but honestly I do have an expensive eye when it comes to purchasing things so that's going to be a problem. I kinda love having that advanced and upgraded tech ready to go. I don't just want some 360p camcorder, and trust me you should NOT be using that when making machinimas. Shrug

(02-11-2014 05:38 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  I'm working with some friends on a documentary series related to all of this education stuff, and we're starting out with very minimal equipment, but we're taking steps anyway. Sometimes you do need certain equipment for certain things, but sometimes you can make do with a lot less, at first. And that, in turn, can help you build (1) skills, and (2) a body of work, which can be useful for getting to know people, finding collaborators (who might have equipment and skills that could help you), and (3) even raising some money.
I plan on mostly being an independent, but I'd definitely love to branch out and collaborate with other machinimists, songwriters, pro gamers, etc. once I have a growing and established fan-base.

On the plus side I am a fast learner when it comes to things like this so I think I can do more than just "making do with a lot less".

(02-11-2014 05:38 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  On some level, I think your parents do care about you, even if it comes across as meddling. In the end, you have a mutual agenda: both you and your parents want you to move on with your life. You each have a different vision for how to bring that about, but the key thing is finding "a way," and one that works for you in particular.
Right now since there's virtually no communication between me and my parents I know for a fact that our vision, first and foremost, is completely different and so is the execution of that vision.

The thing is, I played their game with compulsory schooling and I know for a fact I won't be playing a similar game like that with them again. If we can ever come to terms at least, I'm going to make that very clear. Just because they're my parents doesn't mean I'm going to make a complete 360 and love them again or sugarcoat any of my feelings and thoughts. They made me suppress a lot of my feelings and thoughts in the past during the latter part of my years in school and I'm going to make sure I'll never do that to myself again.

If it goes as far as to not having any of their support whatsoever, I'm ready, mentally and emotionally – and have been for a long time already – to take that avenue.

(02-11-2014 05:38 PM)xcriteria Wrote:  In any case, you do have a bit of a dilemma on your hands, to figure out. I'm sure there are several paths out, but it's probably going to take some brainstorming and exploration to figure them out, and decide how to proceed.

I've been stuck in positions of not knowing what to do at multiple points in my life, so I know the feeling well. But there are usually ways forward, even if they're unexpected.
That's an understatement. I'm a little scared for what the latter part of this year will bring for me, and most of that feeling is because I just have absolutely no idea at all of what's going to happen to me or the stuff I own. or the pet that I take care of.

Seven crappy hours of our lives.
02-14-2014 02:09 PM
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