Dunno if you wanna read this, yet here I go:

No.

You were stupid. Choosing to not change it would “keep” you stupid. But you’re jealous. You’re angry.

Take your rage and put it into work for you - you can shape your future, although not your past. In fact you’re doing it right now, whether you want lt or not. You just have to make sure that you don’t have to post the same thing five years down the line.

Thankfully with education, it’s never too late to learn!

Maybe you can’t get a 16 year degree and do something like very specialized medicine, but you can still visit a library, watch some helpful online videos, read online journals, and take college courses.

If your goal is to just learn more, even in the US, you don’t have to pay for many college courses and can “audit” a course which is where you sit in on it and get to experience it just like an enrolled student but you don’t get credit for it towards a paid degree. The education part of it is still there and you get to take in all that information just like any student paying for tuition.

At the college I went to, we had people of all ages going. I was an 18 year old going to classes with other 18 year olds, 20-30 year olds, and 40 and above even people with graying hairs and clearly with some grandchildren. It’s never too late to learn and go back if you want to.

And to get a good job to be “successful” (if that’s the kind of success you’re referring to), you don’t necessarily need a degree. A lot of people with degrees today are in a bad situation because they have school debts and not a great paying job. Trades are great professions that don’t require degrees, are in high demand, and pay very well. There are other careers similar to them.

You probably shouldn’t look at others when defining success.

While I’m all for education, I’d keep job/career at a healthy distance from that definition too. Sure, some people find meaning in their work but most of the time it’s just a thing you have to do to enjoy the rest of your life.

Find people and activities you enjoy and hold onto them.

Look for this book.

“Discover What You Are Best At.” Linda Gale.

Should be in your local library. After years of banging my head against the wall I finally found a job I liked doing and was good at.

Shame is never a good motivator, the opposite in fact. The world is a huge bit fucked up, right now. Don’t internalise it, my friend. I’m in the same boat, I get it. Instead of looking at the glass half empty, in heindsight, what you missed, look at the other half that’s there, what do you want, what do you like, give it a go. Focus on the forward motion. Shit sucks, those are absolutely valid feelings, it’s not a fair system and we should be able to live to basic comfortable means, it’s not ok that our survival is held over our heads, at threat to produce for the capitalist class. All the feelings you feel are real and valid to feel in this oppressive system! But fuck letting them win. (Them being the oppressively designed capitalist system whereas and within the rules keep changing, anyway).

There’s no rules, everything is made up. Write your own story, in your own way.

Are you too old to become successful? I’ve had friends go to college in their 40’s and get good paying jobs if that’s how you describe successful. IMO it’s a mistake to think you’re too old to improve your life

I had tons of school and did well and worked professionally and now I have been unemployed for over two years in my 50’s. I did very well on standardized tests. My father never finished junior high and retired with like 3 pensions. everyone should not have to achieve the hieghts of academia to live decently. things are effed up nowadays.