Im in a rut.

[doomncandy]

I have been travailing all my life, my family was in the navy. I graduated high school last year and vaugly know what I want to do, just sort of taking guideline classes, and working a dead end fast food job. It seems like my life is school, work, sleep, school, on and on, And I cant mentally handle that, I feel that I will soon go off the deep end if I don't just...leave.
So, I have no plan, no money but the will to leave and do some soul searching, maybe work in some small towns or sell some art (I'm trying to be an art major in...something) or whatever. Anyone here ever just up and leave for a few months, I feel this is something I need to do, I mean sometimes a girl needs to get crap straight in there lives before they can see a bigger picture...what am I gonna expect doing this?

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

You're kind of looking at a double edged sword here. Roadtrips can be a great way to separate yourself from a rut, have time for some self-reflection.

Of course if you are just taking a roadtrip to run away from your problems, you might escape while you are on the road, those problems will still be there when you get back.

There is also the element that if you are just hitting the road without a plan and without funds, you could very well just take all of your problems with you and in fact develop new problems along the way. How will pay for gas to get on the road, where are you going to sleep, what happens if you can't find anyone to buy your art or find a small town job?

There is certanly a lot of romance involved with taking a roadtrip, but a magic cure for solving life's problems, its not. Develop a plan first, think about the realities of being on the road, and then decide if this will be a trip that will help you see the bigger picture or if it will just be a chance to run away from one problem without looking at what you are running into.

[lhuff]

School could be a good "out". Schools, especially those in large cities, lose many of their Freshmen, thus leaving open spots for incoming Sophomores. Have you looked into getting into a school in a city that catches your interest? Oftentimes scholarships have been lost by those Freshmen and there is always financial aid. I would think that having a parent in the Navy would also lead to more scholarships/grants for you.

I kinda sorta did this myself. I was not happy at home and just wanted to run away. I jumped at the chance to move to New Orleans for four years and pursue my music (cello in my case). I don't always use that degree now, but I have never regreted those years or the knowledge I acquired. I left my hometown a painfully shy girl who was almost constantly depressed and came back with a much better attitude towards life.