Don't give up! I had my BS when I was 20 and got divorced when I was 25. It took me longer than most to get through college but I did it. Then I was depressed and it took me forever to find a job. But I did find one two years ago. Now I teach fulltime at the high school level and I love it. Now I am thinking of going back to school to be a counselor. It really pays off to have that good income coming in. I can provide for my BS and I feel good about that.

I just want to say that you are not alone. I am 25 and working my way slowly through school too. When I was 21, I took what I thought would be a semester off to stay home with ss who dh had just gotten sole custody of. Well, bm disappeared, I began dealing with what turned out to be a chronic life long medical condition and now I'm making my way through school part time. I feel lonely a lot of the time - my friends have graduated and have careers, the people at school are younger and much less mature, the parents at ss school are much older an more mature, and I feel disconnected. I feel like the light at the end of the tunnel will come after I graduate and ss8 is older. I guess I just hope that I am a late bloomer :). Hang in there.

Never give up! It has taken me twice as long to get my masters in nursing. I raised 4 bios plus 3 kids in my home that needed a home. I am now 40, down to 2 kids and going a few semesters here and there to get my Doctorite Never give up on your dreams!

I had to switch careers in my 40s when my industry tanked. I was dead broke with 3 houses that were underwater. Thought I would never get out of debt. Plus I had to start over at a very, very low salary. I ended up with a great career and retired early.

when i first began working after high school (i partied too much to even think about college), i worked at a pizza joint. after my kids were born, i went back to school and got a certificate in medical assisting, worked a job for 1 year after that. i was in and out of the workforce, but would always go back to that pizza place when i needed a job (they always hired me back). i was kind of a rolling stone anyway, but mostly stayed home with the kids. then i landed a job in a law firm as a accounting assistant, got a divorce when my kids were early teens and to make ends meet worked weekends at the pizza restaurant. my kids and i were living good, and along the line i developed a deep love of the restaurant. after working 9 plus years at the firm, getting the kids self-sufficient, i cashed in my 401k and BOUGHT the restaurant. been the hardest thing i've ever done, giving up all the security i've had. it's been 6 years now and i'm starting to reap the rewards of the restaurant. i'm making twice as much as i did at the firm, and starting to build for retirement. but i couldn't do this until my kids were older and pretty much self-sufficient. keep plugging away! when your child is raised, you'll have plenty of time. for me, it was like a re-birth. i was giddy with the freedom! i risked it all, and FINALLY it's starting to pay off for me. and this is the major reason i was not able to raise dh's kids for him. i told him i had to wait until MY kids were old enough to follow my dream, i wasn't going to put it on hold AGAIN for someone elses' kids. by the way, i was 42 when i bought the restaurant.

I got my second degree when I was 28. I didn't get a job in that field until I was 32. It is still one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life and my income is almost twice what it was prior to that.