Need VERY HELPFULL advice for a friend, thanks Options

[supra12big]

I am posting for a friend, heres his story from him.

Ok, i am debating something right now, and looking for some advice on what i should do. Heres the story: (Right now i have to only pay for my car insurance and car loan= $320/month plus my credit card bill) I live in michigan and im 19, my dad had lost his job back in december and hes flying to go to an interview in san diego as we speak. Now if he gets the job i am debating whether or not i should move down there with my family, or stay. The thing is, im not sure if i can support myself....i took out a 5,400 dollar loan about 2 months ago to buy my $11,600 srt4 and i pay $215/month for insurance. I work partime @ $9.45/hour and i am going to community college full time (so i dont make that much but i plan on working 2 jobs in the summer). If i do stay i have a good freind that would be able to let me stay at his house (if not then im defenitely moving to cali). I really dont want to start a whole new life over there and i would also have to sell my car if i moved there. Basically if i stay, i would have to finish paying my car off, pay for school, all my necessities, and i dont know about health insurance or what? For car insurance, i am under my families plan so i dont know if i have to be taken out or whatever. Im looking for advice with people that had to do something like this on their own, so looking for some MATURE help/advice. What would you do? and let me know if theres other stuff i need to think about living pretty much on my own.

thanks people, its a hard time right now.

[GriffGirl]

One thing to consider about moving to California is that the employment rate in Cali is very bad right now, and also you'll need to be there a year in order to establish residency to go to school as a resident; otherwise, your tuition will be through the roof. You WILL get a $2500 tax credit for completing 4 years of college though, which is nice, but it's even nicer if you're not paying out-of-state tuition rates.

On the other hand, if you stay, basically you'll be soaking off someone else. I personally think that's really lame. You're old enough to get a full time job and live independently. Get roomates. Whatever it takes, but living rent free and mooching off of someone else is hardly responsible. It looks to me like your best bet either way is to sell the car for as much as you can, and learn how to live like a grown up. At 19 you're old enough to start branching out and living more independently. Now if you can get yourself a full time job AND make car payments AND pay your share of rent, that would be the best case scenario. I realize you're going to school full time, but honestly, and not to be a b1tch, but tough sh1t. Suck it up and man up. I did it when I was 19, I worked 6 days a week and went to school at night 5 nights a week. It's hard, and you'll be exhausted and have almost no life, but it's WELL worth it in the end. Plus, at many schools, evening classes cost less than the exact same classes during the day.

I for one know that it would get pretty old pretty quick if I was helping someone out by providing them a place to stay until they get on their feet, and they were living rent free but able to make their $400 a month in car payments and a credit card bill. Just make sure that whatever you decide to do, you're doing it honestly and with dignity and that you're not taking advantage of anyone, or you could wind up out on your ass with much bigger problems than this one. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide. I know moving across the country is a really big step (I did that one, too, but I was 25 when I did it)