21 and feel as if I'm in a mid-life crisis.
 

I turned 21 this summer. I live in a a town right between Cleveland and Pittsburgh here in Pennsylvania. I have nothing more than a HS diploma. Honestly, I have no idea what to do with my life, I have had almost no guidance in what path to take. My father is a fairly successful man, he has established a lot of the patents for heat treating for Werner Ladder Co. He has since moved to AK Steel and has received many ET awards, been mentioned in The Book of Whos Who. The problem is being this busy and coming from nothing he expects the same from me. He has given me no guidance, told me he absolutely will not help me with college. Yet he files me as a dependent in our taxes (even if he didn't with his salary and my age the US government still see's me this way)so obtaining financial help for college is very tricky and I have had no success with it since graduation at 17. Employment in my area comes down to fast food, a job requiring a degree or being a well liked long time 'valley' resident for places such as GM Lordstown, the steel mills, etc. I recently worked last summer at the leading pyrotechnical firework display company in our country as a warehouse organizer and shooter. I had zero experience when hired and within a month I was running circles around people. Yet was let go before 80 days as the company saves money this way by hiring seasonal help. Since I have had to handle many many family affairs and deaths including estates with my father being absent. While searching for a job I have been unsuccessful in anything labor industrialized because my father laid off half our county from Werner and he shares the same exact name as me. I'm at the point that I am applying to Dunkin Donuts today. There is a local Penn State University branch just miles from my house which would be an exceptional opportunity to earn a degree under a great name. Yet when I spoke to an adviser and explained my situation they were at a loss and said they are unsure how to help or guide me! I did well in school, when I was actually there. I was per-occupied with riding BMX and was at the time on my way to becoming a professional as I was already sponsored and ranking up through contests and media attention. Unfortunately that was shattered with a few parts of my body that chose not to heal text book correctly and made me unable to compete on that level anymore. Although that was not a life plan by any means, I currently need to work towards one. I don't have any passions to lead me to a career of the stability I want. I do not exactly want to become a mechanic working to barely get by for my other passion which is vehicles. I am in quite a tricky situation. I would follow my fathers footsteps to metallurgical engineering but its a dying field. Nuclear engineering was always a slight interest for me but I have no idea where to even start there and with it being a cut throat field it complicates it. My girlfriend's family is fairly wealthy as well, they moved from Saudi Arabia to the states when she was 9. Her father owns many successful outlets, she has a passion for fashion and is pursuing a degree in merchandising. Yet I am left hopeless, talking to him is very hard as he is a strict Muslim and pre marital dating is not viewed well by him especially of his daughter. If anyone can help me out or help point me in a direction I would greatly appreciate it.

It sounds like you are a bit lost, and feel desperate when really, you shouldn't be. There are many people in your situation and they are struggling, but they are pulling through, and so should you. I recommend going to school and gaining a skill. Car Mechanic? Nursing? Paralegal? The point is that you need some set of skills in order to be employable. Go to Monster.com and see what kind of jobs there are in your area and get the skills you need.

Don't feel lost, do some research, get some marketable skills, and do your thing. There are always college loans for college.

Can you move?

Am I willing? Yes. But I do not have the funds.

Are you still fit enough to join a branch of service? I have seen plenty of guys get in and move on. It is not exactly selling your life like everyone thinks it is but it can be used as a stepping stone.

I've been contemplating that alot lately. It's not exactly what I want to do. But I will do it as a last resort.

Go to Williston, ND and work in the oil fields. You will make great money doing labor while you figure out what it is that you really want to do in life. You could easily save enough to go to school over a very short period of time, if you are not blowing your income. Seriously, they are desperate for workers there and will train you on the job. If you have a high school diploma and can pass a urine drug screen, you are in. They will put you up in temporary housing, which seems to turn a lot of people off, but from what I have heard, it is no different than living in your typical college dorm room. Some employers even provide all of your meals buffet-style.

do you have a jr. college close by? idk about where your at but here in OR you can go to a jr. college for about $3,500 a yr. work 20 hrs a week somewhere retail not fast food and start there. 21 is young, im almost 25 and imm right where you are but i have a degree. i just worked at my supplement store for 2 yrs while in college, learned the ropes, now i manage it. its a start and today you need real world experiance AND a degree of some sort. take history, its fun and easy.

why don't you just go to college and get student loans? Their easily available without any parental information needed. My sister & I did the same thing.

Metallurgical engineering a dying field? I hardly think so. I do know Steam Engineers are a hot commodity in this neck of the woods (Canada), so maybe that's an option?