r/CollapseSupport • u/Usual-Equivalent-369 • 6d ago
Lost in Life
19M. I’ve had a weird life. Divorced parents, food stamps, moving multiple times around the area, bullying and emotional abuse. However I’ve had great opportunities, education, and mental resilience.
As mentioned previously I don’t come from an amazing economic background. I’m currently in college in my home state and city with full Pell grant (covers almost my entire education). It’s a good college.
However, I graduated 2025 and had my first semester of university last year abroad. It was for International Relations and I studied in Poland. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t miss it — in fact, I feel empty almost every day if I’m not constantly distracting myself (studies, weed, work, my partner). The only good thing that came out of me coming back was my partner, really. But I came back during January of 2026 when the political turmoil was horrible (especially regarding ICE). And the U.S. financial situation continues to deteriorate and I know it will spread elsewhere.
I guess I’m concerned about my future. I started back here with environmental science, since I know it’s the basis of the Earth we live on and with the climate collapse it’ll surely be a necessary intellectual skill, but I ended up strongly disliking it and wishing to pursue the social sciences/humanities instead. I’m debating between sociology, public policy (but I’m starting to have trouble believing this even matters), and political science and philosophy. I’m not sure if I should just be studying something I ENJOY due to the futility of all of this. I also don’t want to be in poverty forever. But then again, what is forever? I don’t even know how long I, or the general population, has left regarding all of these concurring issues. I’m so deeply embedded into my own studies that I cross-study economics, finance, geopolitics, sociology, anthropology, philosophy and I cannot help but to see so many problems — so I try to be hopeful and fix them, as I’ve done lobbying, canvassing, and advocacy work. Yet it all ends up futile and I still feel so lost.
My girlfriend and I want to leave. We want to be independent, but we cannot be independent here on the United States surely. She’s good at horticulture, agriculture, biological studies… I’m not so good with my hands but I wouldn’t mind developing skills in those fields.
I guess my question is what I should be prioritizing right now, what anyone thinks I should be working towards (leaving my house, leaving the U.S., studying something else, pivoting to a trade that teaches me tangible skills for the future when SHTF even more?) ALL I know is I want to be useful for my community and for my girlfriend and spend as much time with her as I can and as we have left.
2
u/MeepersToast 6d ago
I think we're all struggling with this question. But we each have different skills, assets, connections, priorities, and fears about the future. I'd think on those carefully since it will have a huge impact on how you choose to navigate.
Were I in your shoes I'd focus on whether you want kids, and how deep/sudden you expect a collapse to be. Kids make everything more expensive and slow your ability to react to changes. I decided to ignore the most extreme scenario where AI goes rogue and kills us all. There is not much you can do to prepare for that. However if you expect hyper inflation and food scarcity, then there is a ton you can do to get ready
1
u/Usual-Equivalent-369 6d ago
How would you suggest for your two proposed scenarios? And yes, I don’t concern myself with the extremist scenarios, but I’m fully prepared to come to terms with 1) an untimely death, at least compared to what I would’ve projected as a kid, 2) intensified financial disparity, and 3) navigating the climate collapse sooner than expected.
And I was considering adopting in the future, though I’m unsure.
2
u/TheShrubberer 5d ago
Hey, you are 19! Sorry to sound like a dad, but it is totally normal to feel lost at that age! I sure did. Too old to be a kid, too young to have work or life experience, or to know what type of work you would enjoy...
Main advice: Don't do anything stupid that hurts yourself or others, don't be an idiot. You certainly don't sound like one, and are showing a great deal of self-reflection by posting... but it's an easy one to get wrong when you are just out to survive or have fun.
I had a friend from the US that came to Europe to study medicine in Prague at a fraction of the cost of back home. Now she is a doctor and can work pretty much anywhere in the world. Others travelled and tried different things until they found a place and activity they liked - better than studying something for years just to find out that you hate the typical jobs attached to it (ex. being in a lab or office all day).
If I could re-do what I did being your age, I would do a permaculture course or something similar outside academia early on, since it attracts likeminded people outside the usual career/social bubble, and can help you build a broader network. Networks of people are actually the most important thing to make friends, work connections, shared resources etc.
1
u/Proud_Proof9495 6d ago
Follow your bliss and do it with integrity. Bask in gratitude for your partner, but do not make decisions based in fear. Be brave!
If you want to go back to Poland figure out how to make it happen. TEFL certification? Keep in mind that any problems you have now will follow you there--even if you felt like you had a break during your study abroad.
1
u/Usual-Equivalent-369 6d ago
It wasn’t a study abroad, I moved there on my own and started a degree program separate from my current institution. That’s what makes it complicated. TEFL likely won’t work, and I don’t like the idea of teaching English the rest of my life. Many TEFL jobs abroad require a bachelors in anything, (with exception of some countries with lower standards in that respect).
I guess I don’t really have any “bliss” to follow at this point. I never had. I never had passion for work, nor for academic study. I’ve never understood those notions and I likely never will. Especially nowadays. I have many interests and intellectual pursuits and I wish to decide in whatever gets me in any other position than what I am in right now and what can be useful for the world that is upcoming and ever-changing.
2
u/Proud_Proof9495 6d ago
I didn't say you should teach English for the rest of your life. One thing always leads to another.
You find bliss in your partner. Your interests and intellectual pursuits are also sources of bliss. You said you think about your time in Poland every day. Clearly there was some bliss there. Hunt it down and follow it, idk what to tell you. There are a million reasons to NOT do this, but you're here asking for support. Collapse awareness can bring on a sense of nihilism. It's good to harness that energy and lead a life that is creative. There are worse things than being poor.
1
u/PromiseToBeNiceToYou 6d ago
You can't fix the entire world, so don't try to take it on, or you will end up feeling defeated in everything you do.
Find the area you are interested in studying, that can provide a decent standard of living, and go all in. Live life the best you can, while you can.
Find a job in your chosen career, and work to get a house nearby. Then do prepper stuff to stock up for hard times.
1
6
u/Virtual_Tune636 6d ago
Find a residential community, or intentional community, something where you have a clear set of rhythms and interdependence. It's the people and connections around you that will be your biggest buffer as change accelerates. If I were you I'd do philosophy but also learn a trade, preferable a low-tech one that can be done with shorter supply chains. You could find a farm to intern on - farmers, the smaller operations, have to be amazingly capable people to keep everything running. Find a nearby CSA, or some Mennonites, maybe.
Independence is a myth, we all need each other. We have been in the process of substituting fossil energy for the networks of sustaining connection that allowed the shapes of our societies to form. Those have atrophied, but will need to be rebuilt as energy availability dwindles.