Like most teens in my area I got a job in the local grocery store and loved it. It helped massively with my confidence and gave me a lot of financial independence. I was the typical guy who’d cover every shift possible and work short notice every single time (even working evenings and days between my country’s biggest state exams). So like a dumbass and because I was a victim of the work ethic=value trap I decided to skip college and go to work full time in the store. Since then I’ve gotten a promotion and I’m carrying departments that were run by four people (we’ve lost 30 staff in six months due to bad management) . The raise isn’t even worth it because because of taxes and how minimal my raise was I’m bringing home less than I was on minimum wage. After asking about a further raise I was told I’d set a bad precedent and everyone on minimum would want a rise which really makes me feel valued. I’ve been isolating with covid this week and it’s really given me time to think about how miserable I am so I’ve decided to go back to college. I’ve done the math and figured up how much I need rent and expense wise to get to September (because I still live with my parents due to a housing crisis and they’ve agreed to put me up and pay one college tuition per lifetime so I’ll be set once September comes). I can’t print out my notice since I can’t leave my room but just editing it here and knowing I’m going to hand it in soon and knowing there’s a good chance I can get into one of my dream courses has me walking on air. Wish me luck.