I've been doing some thinking lately, since I am 21 now I think it's about time I started looking for a job and made plans to move out of my parent's house and start a new life. Despite the fact that I qualify for scholarships, college seems like it is more trouble than it is worth these days because of the economy, so I figure since I at least have my High School Diploma and no criminal record there will be a good variety of jobs out there available for me, even if they don't pay a lot and require hard work. Of course when I do move out I will have to learn how to live cheap so that I can put my money towards important things like groceries, bills, and a new place to live. So even though I love video games and always will, I don't think I should be dedicating as much of my time and money towards them anymore.

I'm really thinking of selling my Xbox 360 and games for it, even though I probably won't get much money I have other reasons for it too. There's really not that many new games these days that interest me very much anymore, with the exception of Bethesda's Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. However the problem with those kinds of games is that they take way too much time to enjoy, and if I'm going to get a job and work I won't be able to spend very much time with those games doing things like exploring and customizing my character. I will need games that are quick to beat and can be enjoyed in just a short amount of time, in other words the kind of games they really don't make anymore for the current consoles (unless they are a download). A lot of the old systems like the Playstation 2, Xbox, and GameCube have those kinds of games that I loved, and I still have a few GameCube games (Resident Evil, Resident Evil 0, Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) and a couple of old Xbox Games I bought to play with my Xbox 360's backwards capibility (Fatal Frame, Morrowind, and The Sims 2). Since those systems and games are very cheap now, I figure I could sell my 360 and use the money towards buying either a GameCube or an old Xbox (or both if I can afford it), and whatever extra money I have left I can use towards buying the old games I still enjoy for those systems such as Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4 (all for GameCube) and Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 4, and Fatal Frame 2 (all for Xbox). I may even find some games I've never tried before that I may like, and I know this great video game store called Trade n Save which sells all sorts of really old games and systems in great condition.

So I have figure that is what I'll do, but first I have to actually get a job and find a place to live. I've already contacted two of my teachers from High School and my old boss from my part-time job at a Funeral Home and they said they would be more than happy to be used as references for me, then I have to start filling out job applications, do interviews, and find a job that I'm not only qualified to do but is close by and safe to walk to (since I have no car).

So anyways I guess the reason I made this topic was to see what people think of my future plan? Does it sound good?

Go to college. An education, in my opinion, is priceless.

The amount of money you'll make, and the amount of jobs you could undertake will vastly multiply with a college education. Unless you happen to make it big as some sort of entertainer or inventor, in which case, I guess it doesn't matter.

I can understand wanting to get away from the parents, but you could just live in a dorm for a while (some schools even make that a mandatory thing your first 1-2 years). Many schools even help you get a job lined up before you graduate, so you'd be good to go there.

Yeah.

gamecubes cost like ￡15 so you don't really need to sell anything to get one

The problem with college is that it takes a lot of time and money to invest in, and a lot of people who go to college never actually make it anywhere because of the high costs and the preassure of having to either pass or fail and spend money to start all over, which these days most people can't really afford to do especially if they come from a poor family like I do. One of my teachers in high school already warned her students that college really isn't the best choice for everyone these days, and that it is more important to graduate high school with a diploma so that even if you can't get the best paying job, you will at least be able to find a job in most places. I know I've waited a really long time to actually start job hunting, but that's kind of because I was originally all set to go to college but due to the fact that my family had to move to another state to take care of my grandfather who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease I just really havn't been able to get enrolled in a school anymore. I think it would be better to just go ahead and get a job that way I can save enough money to start supporting myself while my parents are taking care of my grandfather.

Anyways back to the selling my current console issue, I'm not really planning to sell it because I really need the money for a GameCube or Xbox, I'm mostly doing it just to try and get rid of my 360. I figured if I replace it with an older but cheaper console I won't have to worry about spending a lot of money on new games and DLC, I can just go out occasionaly to buy cheap used games that I can play during my free time. Plus I kind of miss those old games they had for those systems, I find them to be more enjoyable than the new games they have now that seem to focus more on the graphics than the story or gameplay.

I think that's a good idea.

That is a great idea. I personally recommend getting a PS2 simply because it has the Jak series, Sly series, and Ratchet and Clank. Another thing you can do to sate your video game needs is emulators, so if you have a laptop or cool phone you can download N64, SNES, Gameboy (all varieties) and other emulators. The best part is you go into this knowing what games are good and great for the systems.

That's absolutely ridiculous. How could you possibly think that, instead of learning how to manage your time better, you should just throw all your most loved games into the trash and force yourself to play shorter games because, what, you think that's what working people do? Just because you'll have a job doesn't mean that you wont have free time, and just because you'll have to spend 3 hours a day on a longer game instead of 10 doesn't mean you should just say "screw time management, if I can't play for 10 hours straight it's totally pointless!" No, that's infuriatingly stupid. You're acting like becoming a working advlt means that your life is required to svck and be completely devoid of enjoyment. That's not how it works, regardless of what you've convinced yourself of. If you buy a PS2 or Xbox just to play 2 hours of a shorter game per day instead of 2 hours of a longer game that you actually like, what's the difference? Sure it takes more days to beat it, but last I checked people generally play games to have fun, not to beat them, throw them in the closet and go on to beat the next one.

Once you actually do get a job, even if you make minimum wage in a month you'll have enough money that selling your 360 for the $100-$150 you'll get will seem like a very poor choice. Unless you have bills you absolutely must pay immediately and selling your 360 is the only way to pay for them, then do not sell your 360. You can get a PS2 or Gamecube for less than $100 and with a month's pay you can easily afford it.

The reason I sound so angry is because you sound like you're giving up. You're giving up on college, giving up on the games you enjoy the most because you think you wont have enough time, and setting yourself up for a depressing job and a depressing life that you seem to have convinced yourself is the only option. The wise thing to do would be to do nothing until you actually get a job. It may take weeks to find one in this economy, and once you finally do find one, evaluate how much free time you have between work and sleep and manage your time properly. Just because you may only have 2 hours to play games doesn't mean you need to find games that can be beaten in that amount of time. If you can't even manage your time well enough to squeeze in some enjoyment in your life then how will you possibly be able to manage your time enough to fit in things that actually matter?