Been out since Dec2012, fucked up in college, worked retail and tutored, and all I have to show is no skills, $9k in credit card debt, living with fam, and a car that won’t pass smog.
I dropped out of community college and my pipe dream of becoming an engineer in December to seek out a trade. I was unemployed until June when I started as a laborer at the shipyard for a temp agency; thought I was going places when the company we were working for hired me. But I’ve been furloughed twice 2-3 weeks each.
I’m not really passionate about anything and I always wonder where I would be had I stayed in. Apprenticeship programs have proven to be a lengthy and unrewarding in their application process.
I just feel like I’m stuck in a loop of failure. I’d move out of California to work in a trade, but I don’t know where to look...
Am I being dramatic? Should I keep applying or get back in to get the career, home, marriage, and kids I really want?
Take some time and really reconsider - why did you leave in the first place? Was it due to frustrations, or just that you did your time and that was that? In that case, if you're physically fit, maybe consider it. But if it was out of frustration, I wouldn't do it. I was in it myself up until a couple years ago, and it was over 10 years at that. Things have really changed in the military and it doesn't seem to be getting better. As bad as it may seem on the outside, at least you're free and not attached to DC in that way. Maybe consider police?
Look into Instrumentation as a trade, it involves a lot of automation work which will be more and more in demand.. depending on where you go it’s a two year program and you can take it at night. I only know about what it pays in the south, not sure about Cali, but should start out around $28 an hour and after a few years most people are in the high 30’s and low 40’s (depending on industry)