Anyone else feel like giving up your tools is like giving up your independence?

[Gunney]

B-C is averaging: For example I get High Bs in my College History course I am taking, and similar in my Honours Chemistry class I am taking but a D in Algebra. Further testing puts me a rather above average, with my reading and writing around Genius...

 

[Walter Sobchak]

Gunney, not sure exactly where you are in New England, but I've lived ALL over New England in my life and everywhere I've lived there's been an Artist's Co-op within 30-45 minutes. Maybe you can check one out and see if there's cheap space to put your stuff and have a place to work?

 

[Slash McCoy]

I am more the intellectual type; I think I would spend half the time making the Drill Sgt's head spin with conundrums and such ...

They go to school to learn how to make recruits' heads spin, not the other way around. I don't think your intellectualizing will bother the nice sargeant at all. It will probably amuse him. I understand they get very amused right before they make you regret not just acting dumb and shouting "Sir, Yes Sir!" on cue like a good recruit. See "Full Metal Jacket" for details.

For a somewhat longterm solution, you will want to balance out storage and upkeep costs and PITA factor vs replacement costs of your tools minus what you can get for them on ebay or at a yard sale. Small items that are rare and difficult to replace, or that hold sentimental value to you, try to store them with friends or with family members not affilicted with, well, affilictions. No sense paying more for storage than what the stuff could be replaced brand new for.

The military is historically the ultimate escape from unpalatable home environments for young fellows your age. Independence? You won't have much of that, not at first. But it is much easier to get into a good school with a few years of military service under your belt even if you do not have a history of making perfect grades in high school. And the financial help alone is probably worth having to kiss a lot of butt for 4 years or so. Are you in the U.S.? The military here has some very good college assistance, and programs for gaining considerable college credits from your military or specialized training, as well as opportunities to actually take some of your courses while you are still in. At any rate, hanging in there at least until you finish high school is probably a very good idea.

Now another option, since you like to weld, is to go to a technical school and develop your skills, and put them to work for you. If you have the discipline to live cheaply and to save, you should be in pretty good shape to get into a full time college program after a few years. Maybe you could even take some night classes or correspondence courses while you are out in the real world. Welders, depending on their certifications and experience, can make pretty good bucks. I'm not talking about making burglar bars and barbecue grills... I am talking about pipefitting and oilfield or refinery construction, stuff like that. Technical stuff, where getting it right the first time is the only acceptable outcome, and they pay accordingly.

 

[scottish steve]

Gunney, I think you're putting the cart before the horse here. Your post reads a bit like
"My house burned down and I need advice on whether I should sit on the kerb or nearer the store-shutter."
Forget about your tools for the moment. Try to find somewhere to live that doesn't involve an alcoholic or psychologically abusive parent.
I was in a similar situation to you when I was 17. I still cannot be in the same room as my mum and my dad and I had nearly a decade of estrangement before we came to an accommodation with each other. I tried to stick it out at home when I was younger (and I now believe I was actually an annoying so and so at that age). When I was 18 my dad threw me out the house and I had a very hard time of it. Long story short, I was so pleased to not have screaming arguments and a man twice my strength threatening me every day, that the notion of getting a job or furthering my education "slipped my mind" and I spent 2 years hanging around with dodgy no-hopers, 2 of which went on to commit murder.
Get yourself somewhere to stay, keep your sh*t together and make it clear to both your parents that you their involvement in your life is now dependent on you.
I would not suggest you join the armed forces- it might very well do you a lot of good. But it might also be totally unsuitable- your comment about the sergeant shows, I think, a complete lack of appreciation of the realities of this scenario. You also might quite easily experience a life-changing deployment. You have to go anywhere in the world they tell you and that includes some very harrowing places.
One further word of advice from a fellow "word genius" and I truly mean this benevolently.
You are almost certainly not nearly as clever as you think you are.
And if you are, it almost certainly won't make a blind bit of difference until you've got yourself well into University and are on the way to a career.
Stow the attitude and think about the practicalities of your life.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I'll give you another piece of quasi-unsolicited advice. Find somebody who you can talk to face to face about this stuff. A school counselor, a clergyman, teacher, somebody. Maybe even that recruiter who you don't want to sign you up. An adult who can listen and offer you good advice. We're pretty good guys here but this is really a place for guys who like wetshaving to hang out. It sounds like you need somebody to talk to and I think you need to find someone prepared to give you the advice and guidance you need. Give that a try before you act on any of the other advice you've gotten here. Except this one, of course.

 

[the_edski]

if there's not a co-op or a studio to rent space, do you have a friend with a large or clear garage? See if they'll let you either A.) store your stuff there for free or a nominal charge or B.) let you set up a workspace for a small charge and it'll give you a refuge from home and a place to enjoy your hobby

 

[TonyH]

If I owned an apartment and found out you were welding in it I would kick your *** out so fast your head would spin.

To the OP - it's just stuff, man. You've got your whole life to weld and woodwork. Take care of yourself and those you care about and the rest will fall in.

I read somewhere "You gotta do what you gotta do now, so that you can do what you wanna do later".

 

[Go West Young Man]

I don't think the welding is your actual issue here....

 

[jwcarlson]

B-C is averaging: For example I get High Bs in my College History course I am taking, and similar in my Honours Chemistry class I am taking but a D in Algebra. Further testing puts me a rather above average, with my reading and writing around Genius...

This attitude probably isn't the best at this point in your life. Just a friendly warning.

 

[M80]

I don't think the welding is your actual issue here....

I disagree. I think it is the most important issue here. In my job we do a lot of welding inside occupied buildings and there is a very good reason we are required to have a person on fire watch before we ever strike an arc. We are professionals and have the experience, training, and proper gear to do it safely. OP states he is a hobbyist welder who plans on welding inside his next apartment. He will be putting the health and lives of every person who lives in that apartment building at risk.

Safety first.
Avuncular advice about wearing your big boy pants second.

 

[jdto]

B-C is averaging: For example I get High Bs in my College History course I am taking, and similar in my Honours Chemistry class I am taking but a D in Algebra. Further testing puts me a rather above average, with my reading and writing around Genius...

You want to be a lawyer? How are you going to pay for that VERY expensive education? There is some merit to the military option, as they do offer many avenues to education, from what I understand. There are a lot of good pieces of advice in this thread. If you are diametrically opposed to the military option, then look into a part-time job (assuming you haven't got one already), get your grades up and work your butt off. B and C grades are "average" and they are what matters, not some reading and writing assessment. As and Bs would be better.

As for the tools, they are just things. They are your escape, not your independence. If you want independence, that means living on your own, supporting yourself, paying your way and taking charge of your life. You're only 17, so your view of things might stand to have a bit of seasoning before you see what I mean.

If your home situation is truly untenable and you find your options are limited, then try to get into an officer training program or something. Before you do that, the advice mentioned above about talking to someone, be it a counsellor, a member of the clergy, an older relative with whom you have a good relationship or someone you respect, is very sound advice.

 

[Go West Young Man]

I disagree. I think it is the most important issue here. In my job we do a lot of welding inside occupied buildings and there is a very good reason we are required to have a person on fire watch before we ever strike an arc. We are professionals and have the experience, training, and proper gear to do it safely. OP states he is a hobbyist welder who plans on welding inside his next apartment. He will be putting the health and lives of every person who lives in that apartment building at risk.

Safety first.
Avuncular advice about wearing your big boy pants second.

LOL, true! I meant his actual emotional issue

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

The military is historically the ultimate escape from unpalatable home environments for young fellows your age. Independence? You won't have much of that, not at first. But it is much easier to get into a good school with a few years of military service under your belt even if you do not have a history of making perfect grades in high school. And the financial help alone is probably worth having to kiss a lot of butt for 4 years or so. Are you in the U.S.? The military [the Army all the way], here has some very good college assistance, and programs for gaining considerable college credits from your military or specialized training, as well as opportunities to actually take some of your courses while you are still in.

Slash McCoy:
+ 1...

And being a very biased, I firmly beleive that joining the military (the Army is a great choice), would instill the attributes of discipline, civic duty and a sense of challenge, responsibility, purpose and direction which will help and teach you to be a superbly trained, physically fit and highly motivated solider ready to take his or her place in today’s modern Armed Forces.

"You will never know the true nature of your nationality, until your Nation calls you to Serve". CBJ

 

[Donnchadh_Sempill]

You sound a lot like I did at 17. It really sucks when real life comes around and kicks you in the butt. The first thing is to get settled in. If living in the apartment with your Mom is the option you need to take, do it and put those tools in storage. Either way, get those high school grades up so that college is an open option for you!

You like welding and woodworking. Put it to work for you. Go to the trade school while you are young. It shouldn't take you more than two years (you have plenty of years ahead of you, and it will go by quickly). Take the following two years, and work...but spend NO MORE MONEY THAN YOU NEED TO SPEND! you'll the be 22-wish when you start your pre-law. With real-world experience under your belt, you'll have the maturity that you need to be successful in college. You'll also have a bit of money saved up...and a part-time work option...so you won't have to rely so much on loans that you'll eventually have to pay back.

The bonus? You'll have a solid career to fall back on if you need it. This is pretty much the same advice that I would give to my sons--or my 17 year old self if time travel were possible.

 

[Kit Walker]

B-C is averaging: For example I get High Bs in my College History course I am taking, and similar in my Honours Chemistry class I am taking but a D in Algebra. Further testing puts me a rather above average, with my reading and writing around Genius...

I suggest that you do an honest evaluation of your abilities. If you are averaging less than a 3.0 you are NOT the intellectual type. Unless you place in the top 5% in the SATs, you are NOT the intellectual type. If you don't meet those criteria, and you don't wake up, you are in for a rude shock when you get out in the world.

I know a young man who wanted to get into Medicine. His family couldn't afford to put him through school, and the local economy had recently tanked, so he couldn't do it himself. He tried to get into the army medical corps, but all the billets were filled. He enlisted as an electronics tech, served one hitch, then was able to transfer into medical. He got his degree, worked as an RN, and continued his education. He is now a PA.

He got there by deciding what he wanted, and working fixedly towards it. He didn't have time for hobbies until he reached his goal. You need to do the same thing. First, decide what you want to do with the majority of your life. Then choose a realistic path to get there, not a flight of fancy. If your hobbies have no place in that path, put them on hold and unload the baggage. Finally, get off your butt and start RIGHT NOW.

 

[one cut]

Who am I to give you advice ? What do I know ?

I think that perhaps you could use your skill in welding and carpentry to help fund your goal of moving out. It pays better than allot of other jobs.
Save all the money you can moving out will be expensive.
Think of it this way, you are using welding to become a lawyer.

So yes keep your tools.

If you wish to go to university,take all the classes you can at community college. your 101 classes do not need to cost you thousands.

 

[Sipahi]

Seriously, folks? This thread is over three years old.

 

[Alejandro Salemandro]

Seriously, folks? This thread is over three years old.

I'm going to shoot the kid an email and see how it all turned out!