Hey Reddit. Not sure where to even start. I turn 18 next month and the long and short of it is I’m trapped in a shitty household with controlling parents that are only getting worse now that I’m starting college and I need to be independent from them as fast as possible.
I’m not allowed out of the house at all unless with them, so getting a job anywhere near my home that requires me to leave and travel is not an option. Thinking of working remotely? Not sure how I’d manage that without a college degree but I know it can be done, I just have no idea where to start.
I’m also thinking of my little sister. We’re a few years apart in age and my family’s treatment seems to be affecting her pretty badly, too. If at all possible, I’d like to have my own place by the time she turns 18 so she’s got the option to leave if she needs to.
So my question is how do I start scraping together cash in the meantime? I’ve done a few commissions (digital art) here and there, but it’s hard to get clients and I’ll definitely need something more stable. I just don’t know where I’d be able to find a job that A) I could do from home and B) would take on an 18-year-old kid with only a high school education.
Anything at all helps.
Comments
This ain’t overreacting it’s survival. Make cash online fast freelancing or assistant work and vanish the second you turn 18.
You haven’t earned independence yet. The quickest way, and it can be a great way, is to join the military.
Honestly this is a pretty rough situation. But coming from someone who was in the same boat, here’s some advice that I think might help. first off, if you don’t have your drivers license yet, try to convince your parents to help you out with that. if you do then good. Honestly moving out is the best option. See if you have any friends that will let you stay with them until you can find a job and get yourself on your feet. Now idk what your hours are like with college, but if you can do full time then do it. If you cannot do full time, try to explain your situation to your friends parents and work part time and pay a little rent here and there and they might let you stay with them throughout collage as long as you do your part and help around the house. I know you’re also worried about your sister, but in the long run, it would definitely help you have your own place by the time she’s 18, and you guys would be able to hang out and stuff still.
if none of that is an option, then I would start some form of content creation. You said you do some digital art so I would do some time lapse videos of you drawing and post them on tiktok. Once you get a decent following, you’ll start getting paid. This can work with YouTube as well. Try to start a story time or video eassy channel and use your digital art as visuals. People love that sort of stuff.
this is just some advice I could come up with. If you have any more specific questions feel free to DM me. I would be happy to help in any way I can
You need to discuss this with your parents it will be hard and may take multiple attempts , try not to get angry but come with logical notes. They will need to come to terms with you leaving one day, and they need to support you. With this behaviour they are pushing you away so if that continues you are more likely to not want to return. Get whatever job you can right now, its a foot in the door even if its part time, it will be a lengthy process, but the sooner you start, the sooner you will see results. If that doesnt work, speak to local social services and foster agencies if you’re home life continues like this
I don’t know your nationality, but if you are fluent in English, there are plenty of online platforms to teach English.
What about starting an online business?
You could also start looking into options and find someone who is trying to find a roomate, though that depends on how much money you have saved.
You can also post on social media and make fan pages or AI pages, I know that AI ASMR is starting to go pretty viral right now. Just make sure to monetize whatever you do. You don’t even have to show your face or use your real voice.
If you need help with making a website, if you want to do an online business, there are multiple websites that help make your own page, and if you boost the small business on Instagram or TikTok, you could put the link of the page there.
Google and YouTube are your best friends in these situations. I would also recommend drop shipping, however, I do not know how well that would work considering we’re kind of on the brink of war.
I hope some of these could help.
where do you live? depending on the country, the advice would be wildly different.
Generally speaking, once you start university, they oftentimes offer subsidized housing. You also want to check out any scholarships and apply, no matter how you estimate your chances. Then, there are jobs for students – tutor at university etc, that are made to fit a students schedule. Lastly, working 1 night shift per month in a hospital as a night watch, just watching patients, at a factory or at a museum can rake in lots of money
Get chat gpt and it can help you get ideas on how to fix this situation and get independence from your parents – truly it can help you make income or think of ideas aswell.