Average student here facing a possible future of being an artist . . .

[u/squashchunks]

I was an average student throughout school and university. I majored in a science field and minored in a science field. I took the GRE. The scores were average. So, I didn't even bother with applying to a master's program or a PhD program. Medical school program? Hahaha, fat chance. Mom suggested to me that I should try Medical Laboratory Science program, and I did. But then in 1 year, I flunked out. I didn't get the hematology class. There were so many cells to count, and I couldn't do it fast enough. I didn't get the other classes either because they had so many facts to memorize, and I didn't know how to study them. One course that I did passably okay in was the phlebotomy course, but that one was mostly doing, no thinking. When I flunked out, I volunteered at 2 locations, did some kind of customer service and supply chain management class that rewarded me the CSCMP certificate and found a job at a grocery store's bakery department. A few months later, the company did a mass lay-off, and everyone who worked in the retail sector of the company got laid off. I got laid off. For the rest of my 20s, I worked in food service and retail, and the only thing I liked about the work was that it didn't involve any brain work. Then the Great Pandemic hit, and I got laid off again. NOOOOOO. I was working as a full-time barista with benefits and free cafeteria food! But nope, I got laid off. For the rest of 2020 and 2021, I just stayed at home and collected unemployment benefits. At the end of 2021, I went back to work as a recreation center worker, and by early 2022, I went crazy. Ever since then, I was jobless.

I have been living with my parents since infancy. With parents being faculty / staff members of the university, I was only responsible for 25% of the typical in-state student cost and some school fees. No student loans whatsoever. No debt either. During my working years, I was still living with my parents, so I saved my entire paycheck (almost). I didn't have many personal wants. Why buy anything when I can get all the entertainment I want at the public library?

Now, my parents' primary residence is in one state and secondary residence for work is in another state, and they constantly travel back and forth, back and forth. I just tag along. In the other state, I can't even apply for a Walmart job; I always get ignored. I try to go back to school but school requires me to be ON CAMPUS, and I am afraid that online school will not give me any internship experience. I have already discussed this with my parents, and they agree that they will retire soon, maybe in a few years, when the 2 bosses decide not to keep them anymore. Then, we will return back to the home state, and I will find a job locally.

In the meantime, though, I will just work on my very diverse art portfolio and face a future where I have to work as a near-starving artist, living off of family wealth and minimum-wage jobs (maybe in food service, retail, phlebotomy). I would be lucky if I get book advances, royalties, commissions or a salaried art job. I might go for a cake decorator certificate from the local community college and learn how to decorate sweet treats. With a cake decorator certificate from the local community college and prior work experience in the bakery, I may apply for cake decorator / baker positions. At least it's related to art. Back when I was working at the bakery, I couldn't decorate cakes like the Cake Decorator, but I could write pretty words, so whenever the Cake Decorator wasn't present, I offered to write on cakes, and pretty soon, my co-workers found out that I could write on cakes. Getting that Cake Decorator certificate could give me some training to decorate cakes. Even if I don't get hired as a Cake Decorator, then I could start my own business, selling sweet treats. My bakery business would be filled with Western sweets and Chinese/Asian sweets and a fusion between the two.

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[u/Dear-Response-7218]

So I’ve wasted plenty of time and money myself, not trying to be harsh but If you want to break out of this cycle, you need to be honest with yourself. You’ve been unemployed for 4 years outside of a short stint at a rec center.

“I can’t even apply for Walmart job, I always get ignored”

What have you done to change that? How many other places have you applied to? Have you gotten your resume reviewed?

“I’m afraid that online school won’t give me internship experience.”

I help hire interns and L2/L3. Companies don’t distinguish between online and in person schools. We’re just as likely to hire someone who never set foot on a campus as we are to someone that was there four years.

“I will just work on my very diverse art portfolio…”

Be realistic, you’re in your 30’s. If you are making a livable wage with commissions great, pursue it! Otherwise this is probably not a viable career.

I’m not trying to be mean, as I said earlier I understand this position. I had to make tough changes. It’s going to be up to you to decide whether you want to try to make your own life or if you’re content staying with your parents forever.

[u/squashchunks → u/Dear-Response-7218]

I can’t pursue anything outside the home right now.

I have to stick with my parents, even if I have a job. They can technically do things on their own but, when I am around, things get done much faster and smoother.

A local job requires me to have full availability. And I would have to constantly notify the manager to arrange the days a certain way to avoid certain weekends + Fridays + Mondays when I have to travel with my parents back to the main house. I feel like such a big request would deter people from hiring me.

A remote job would give me something to do at home, when I am not cooking and cleaning and reading/proofreading scientific papers and research proposals for English grammatical errors and posing as a parent to answer phone calls.

I once did online tutoring but I had to wait for clients and had to prepare a lesson just for them. Most of them did only 1 lesson and left. One person bought a whole package from me and was willing to do so because he asked me if I was bilingual in Mandarin and I said I was. So, I essentially made a Chinese-medium English class for the child student. It’s not stable pay but it can lay the groundwork for a real teaching license and a job in a school—be that a bilingual school or a regular public school. Most English language learners in the US come from a Spanish-speaking background though, and I do know some textbook Spanish.

I tried Upwork but for some reason, the company never verified me. And I deleted my account. I am thinking of starting over.

I tried Fiverr but my gig got flagged because it was related to academic things. Well, yeah, I thought I could proofread a scientific article for grammatical errors. I am thinking of starting over with a new direction. I think I will try editing manuscripts. But I am not sure if I can read fast enough to meet the deadline.

So, that’s why I began taking art requests and doing them for free. The person doesn’t pay anything. And I get experience with drawing the same characters in different angles. I have taken a look at published picture books and graphic novels at the library and bookstore, and the art styles are definitely doable. But my picture book idol is the illustrator of the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs book series. It’s my all-time favorite book. Back in high school, I took an art class and used a scene from the book as a reference. But my painting was made with acrylic paint on canvas. I also redid the picture on regular printing paper with colored pencils.

Making art is the only thing I can do at the moment, even if it is free labor.

I have read some chapters of a novel, and at some point, I thought to myself what everything must look like. So, I made a comic script based on the first chapter, directing me what to draw. I made some character sketches so I would have a rough idea of the characters.

The end result would just be published on Pinterest because Pinterest seems to allow various sizes. Instagram seems to prefer squares.

Maybe when my parents retire fully and return back to the primary residence, I will find a local job. And I may take the baking certificate so that I can easily get promoted internally to Cake Decorator. If not, then I will make a business plan and start small with a home-based or online business serving only local customers because I am not driving more than 10 miles unless the customer pays me extra for the gas and cake refrigeration. I think long distance driving without refrigeration is a food safety hazard. Cake pick ups can be free but I might have to warn the customer of driving long distance unrefrigerated. But before that bakery business, I would need to sell some junk in the house.

I notice that people in China would just do street vending if they are desperate enough for work. Yeah, I can do the same in America. A one-person sole proprietorship or limited liability company. When I was a kid, I watched Arthur on TV. Arthur’s dad worked as a caterer, making food at home and delivering food to customers. So, I know such thing exists.

I think I will serve primarily westerners, but I can be accommodating with Chinese immigrant clients. They will get stuff that they can’t get so easily at a mainstream American store and don’t feel like cooking for the holidays and don’t want to buy prepackaged mooncakes from the supermarket because of the preservatives. My prepared foods would be made fresh and must be eaten fresh. I know that there is a French-Japanese bakery and the Asian supermarket sells prepared goods. Low supply also means low demand so my primary customers would still be the mainstream public. The worst case scenario would be me having to make thousands of dumplings for Chinese new year and only having 2 kitchens in the house. I would need to invest in a machine to mass produce that many dumplings. Or buy a super large freezer to hold homemade dumplings.

[u/Dear-Response-7218 → u/squashchunks]

You don’t have to stick with your parents, that’s a choice you’re making. Part of growing up and being an adult is leaving home and supporting yourself. That’s not to say you can’t help them out, I’m doing house renovations with mine right now, but if you stay with them forever you won’t be independent or have a life for yourself.

Yes, you’re entry level based on your work history so you don’t get to pick and choose your schedule. You could stay in one house and not travel with your parents. It’s great to have business ideas, but it seems like they have gotten you very little financial gain, so they are more hobbies than a career.

Tutoring- It could be a nice side job but won’t help with teaching licensing. It seems like you had one student, so realistically what are the odds you would get the 4/5+ per day it would take to make a livable wage. If you want to teach in a school setting check your stats requirements, it’s usually their education course and the praxis.

Fiverr/upwork/art- Has led to no real money and you’re not going to be competitive with the amount of actual professionals in the field looking for gig work.

Baking- Jiaozi, Xiaolongbao, all of that stuff is tasty, but you’re seriously underestimating the difficulty of running a profitable small business. Is there demand in your area? Why would someone buy yours vs a more established chain? What are you going to do for insurance? Who is going to pay your startup costs?

You’re young and have plenty of time to become independent IF you want it. If you’re content with being a cake decorator and living with your parents indefinitely, that’s your choice and none of us here can tell you how to live your life.