My career future

Hey, there. I am currently 21 and in community college, soon transferring to a university. About a month ago I quit my part time job. I have been heavily into sustainable alternative products, such as bioplastics and recycled paper. I have been all over the internet looking for a product consultant that is not a complete scam and charging me so much for something as simple as a batch of disposables! Look, I get it, labor cost and mass production costs are quite a lot. But as I said before, most firms I have encountered are scams and have attracted complaints. No sources online will inform me on how many successful brands, such as Ecotools, have been able to even start. I can't help but feel so jealous and worthless everytime I see someone making art, or a makeup brand, or even a musical career. I have a lot of ideas, I have some money, but literally no one will let me try or give me a chance.

i have no idea what it is you're looking for, or what it is you wish to do. A batch of disposable - what? A chance at - what? Do you want a job? an internship? Do you have an invention and you want a prototype? Prototypes are expensive and often there's a minimum to buy. No business is obligated to operate at a loss to give you "a chance." For someone alegedly concerned about the environment, it's pretty funny you're not aware that recycling paper is about the filthiest, least environmental process around, considering the chemicals and amount of water involved.

...really? What are you being a jerk for? I kindly came here to get help and you are commenting on the kind of products I want produced?

Hello New Girl: I appreciate your concern for our environment. I am very concerned myself, and the future of all that's alive (and will be alive) on our planet doesn't look good. I wish someone did give you (and other young people like you) the chance to make it better. I have no business experience so I wouldn't know what to suggest to you.. except in general, to say: THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX (because what's in the box: conventional/ traditional thinking and practices- is destroying our planet every single day. Amie

Thank you, Amie :) I won't give up. I was just mostly bummed out because I wanted a hobby and be creative, but in a good way. But glad to find someone like-minded.

You are welcome, New Girl, I am glad as well. It's understandable that you will feel bummed out from time to time, but whenever you feel discouraged, frustrated, overwhelmed, take a break, go for a walk, distract yourself and then, when calm and somehow refreshed, return to your quest (finding your career future and helping the environment) in a one-step, one-day at a time basis, patiently, resiliently. Amie

Informing you what YOU posted being bad for the environment is being a jerk? I care about the environment, too - and have for longer than you've been alive. One category I don't promote is "disposable" anything because - - harvesting raw materials and using energy to make something for a one-time use is bad for the environment. I'm not a 'jerk' for knowing that as a fact. You still have said little about what your goal is (job, internship, you have an invention, etc) Your subsequent post seems to imply you want a profitable hobby. I DO have a suggestion for that: If you are clever, artistic and creative, it's possible to upcycle old clothing into things that are artistic and wearable. If you can take discarded or thrift store finds and make them into something special to sell, you may be able to make some money. The market is not large (not everyone wears clothing like that) and you can't mass-produce anything (because your raw materials aren't consistant). But there will be SOME people who'd love the idea. The same concept could be applied to home decorating and maybe used furniture. Where I live, "transfer stations," formerly known as "dumps" often have a shed, lean-to or building where residents of the town can leave or take usable, but unwanted things (broken bicycles, non-working lawn mowers, stuff like that. I met a couple guys who picked up any bicycle they could and fixed it up for neighborhood kids. A friend of mine pulled a lawn mower out and put it in the back of his car. All it needed to run was a new spark plug. So if you want a hobby that may be profitable (I guessing, it's not clear) there are some ideas. Comparing yourself to others will almost always be counter-productive. There will always be someone richer, more artistic, more talented, have better editors for their youtube vidoes - you get the idea. Good luck.

I'm sorry, I said that because I felt I was being made fun of. So to specify, the disposable I was working on is party cups made from recycled soft metals (check about the brand Ball, that sells similar products, in case you need to know what I'm talking about). And I may be naive, but there are a crap ton of aluminum scraps, and only about 60% get used! So i thought there should be an abundance. There are many other creative things, which do include some of your upcycling ideas. I've been seeing many people online doing very creative things like making paint out of expired eyeshadow, making erasers from recycled rubber, so much more. And I hope to be this active someday. But thank you I'll keep trying definitely.

Hello again New Girl: In this post I will be standing up for you, and for what is Right (against what is Wrong)- in the context of your thread. I am doing this not only for you, New Girl, but for me as well, and for anyone who may be reading and benefiting from this. On another thread in this website, I recently shared about the childhood (and onward) abuse that was dished out at me by my mother. She screamed at me for hours, calling me names, humiliating me any which way, and hitting me. She started her attacks by accusing me of having said or done things purposefully to hurt her feelings. When I tried to explain to her, best I could, that it wasn't true: that I didn't at all have bad intentions against her, she didn't listen to me, she didn't apologize for screaming at me, etc., she didn't back down from her aggression against me. Instead, she kept the aggression going and even upped it. She got even louder, more accusatory. The result: I backed down, I stopped standing up for myself. Instead, I quietly looked down at the floor, head lowered, defeated, until she got her anger out of her system. She praised me, telling me: "the only thing I like about you is that (when I scream at you, etc.), you look down at the floor and say nothing". My mother's impulsive tactic is a common one among aggressors: they accuse their victim so to justify the abuse, and when the victim stands up for herself/ himself, the abuser does not back down but keeps the attack/ aggression going and even increases it, until the abused assumes the submissive position. The abuser, seeing that the abused has assumed the submissive position.. stops the attack: mission (to WIN at the expense of the victim) has been accomplished. In your original post, New Girl, you shared that you are 21 (only 2 years removed from being a teenager), soon transferring to a university, heavily into "sustainable alternative products, such as bioplastics and recycled paper", and looking for a way or ways to incorporate this interest into your "career future". There was nothing offensive in your original post, no evil intents, no disrespect, no aggression. It was an honest and sincere original post. Oldmainer responded to your original post impatiently and aggressively: "I have no idea what it is you're looking for, or what it is you wish to do. A batch of disposable - what? A chance at - what?... For someone allegedly concerned about the environment, it's pretty funny you're not aware that recycling paper is about the filthiest, least environmental process around..."- - Oldmainer was very annoyed with you for (1) not presenting your objectives more clearly, (2) for not being aware of the harm she claims that recycling paper presents to the environment, and she accused you of not being honest in regard to your concern about the environment (she chose the adjective allegedly: "for someone allegedly concerned.."). Again, there was absolutely nothing wrong with your original post. When Oldmainer replied to you accusatorily and aggressively, she was in the Wrong, and you were in the Right. Your response to Oldmainer's attack: "..really? What are you being a jerk for? I kindly came here to get help and you are commenting on the kind of products I want produced?"- an honest response. You stood up for yourself and for what is Right. Oldmainer's response, next (... will she consider that she may have wronged you, will she apologize and stop the aggression?): "Informing you what YOU posted being bad for the environment is being a jerk? I care about the environment, too - and have for longer than you've been alive..."- - No, Oldmainer did not express any consideration that you, New Girl, had a point, and she did not apologize for having been indeed a jerk to you (just as you said she was). Instead, she kept her aggression going, accusing YOU (in capital letters) for being the one in the wrong, and presenting herself as superior to you, in years, education and being Right. Your response to her: "I'm sorry...thank you"- in the face of her continuing aggression, it was you who backed down, you who assumed the submissive position. Next: crickets, no response by Oldmainer (no expressed reconsideration of her aggression). Why am I writing all this? Because although Oldmainer's advice to upcycle old clothing may be valuable to you, her bullying you into submission is harmful to you. I want you to notice when people do this to you and to others, and I want you to effectively stand up for yourself and for what is Right: to do your part in healing humanity and not encourage (by omission or commission) a dog-eat-dog world. I mentioned in the beginning of this post that I am doing this not only for you but for me and for anyone who may benefit from reading this. As to the latter, maybe.. just maybe Oldmainer will benefit from this, maybe others. As for the former, this is how I am helping myself: although I expect Oldmainer (based only on her input in your thread, plus projecting my mother into her) to attack me in all capital/ loud letters, accusing me of bad intentions, of doing wrong to her.. of abusing her.. using what I shared here and elsewhere against me, etc., I am doing what I know is Right in the context of your thread. I am practicing courage because I want to do this again, in other contexts, regardless of the unpleasant consequences to me. I understand that I may very well be banned from this website, and I am prepared for it. I also understand that this post may be deleted.. before you get to read it, New Girl, and it saddens me. Amie

Awww thank you Amie, I highly appreciate your kindness. I'll say that I just tend to get offended easily lol and maybe there where no bad intentions. Like when you talk to someone in person, you could understand whether they're just being jocular and light hearted when they criticize. But through online it's hard to tell. Anyway, I am really sorry about what happened with your mom. I really hope you eventually stood up to her and are living in peace.

Thank you, New Girl for your kind words and empathy, and you are welcome. I did eventually stand up to my mother simply by having no contact with her, ten years of it. Standing up for myself generally has been very scary for me: I either never did with most, and at times, I over-did it with some. In my last post to you where I volunteered to stand up for you/ for what is right, I don't think I overdid it. But I was almost sure that I will be banned from the website for that.. after I'd be called names and humiliated (that was my experience with my mother: abuse followed by the silent treatment). I am surprised it didn't happen yet.. maybe it will not happen. That will be nice. I hope to read from you again anytime, on any topic. Amie

Oh no worries you did not over do it, you needed to get something off your chest. I also felt I might have been kicked out but shouldn't care. And glad your mother is out of your life

Thank you, New Girl. I think that you are a GOOD PERSON and it makes me smile typing this. It feels good to interact with good people!

You too, you made me smile a lot!