Life needs a bit of time to solidify and coagulate into something. Try to focus on the things your love and care about. They tend to be what your life becomes (bikes ended up being a big thing for me but I have friends that did music and drugs and cars and fashion and they love those things too)

Cant really give advice but try to have stuff happen to you. And stick with what you like.

Maybe move somewhere cool!

I have a few thoughts if you care to read them. One, you're too hard on yourself. So you're lost after some poor choices...who the fuck isn't? It's not like you lost your moral compass. You're still a good person. Two, what is your passion? What would you love to do with your life? Just settling for a job, while understandable when you need to pay bills, is not how you want to spend the half century of your working life. You ought to work towards a specific goal of that dream job, and if you don't know what it is....Three, why not fuck off around the world and have some fun experiences until you DO figure it out? Backpack from Vancouver to Galveston, hop a freighter to Marseilles, work for a while picking crops or slinging beers in Europe, blog about it, hitch hike in a battered Land Rover through Marrakesh to Essouiara and learn to surf, sleep on the floor of a hostel or under a canopy of stars, then take a rickety train through Asia Minor and on to SE Asia to volunteer at a wildlife conservation project or clearing forgotten landmines, then kayak from Malacca to Hormuz until you find a place you can put ashore and read Thoreau or Churchill, before heading to a music festival in Kazantip.....the world's your oyster my friend. Get out of your own head and LIVE!!!! The answers to everything else about becoming a wage slave will become abundantly clear if you take this voyage....what have you got to lose?

From the sounds of it you're still young enough not to be giving up so soon. I know it sounds harsh, but the reality is that very few people really have it as easy as it might appear from looking at them. Some people did get lucky, but most of them just stuck it out, and when something wasn't working they tried something new. The old catch 22 where you need experience to get the job but they won't hire you without it has been there forever. Not new, trust me. As for expecting an employer to train you on a program needed for the job, well good luck with that one : ). It's up to you to do the research about what skills you need, and then do the work to get those skills. Employers are too busy trying to make a buck in a worldwide competitive marketplace to have time to train people on basic computer skills, and yes, knowing how to use spreadsheets is pretty standard nowadays. Go to night school. You don't have kids, you're living at home still, so what's your excuse? Sorry but I left home at 16, had kids in my early 20's, and went back to school while raising several children and managing a household AND working. So, trust me if you want something you need to put in the work and stop expecting society to take care of it all for you. Consider yourself lucky enough that you actually CAN live in your parents basement and take advantage of that little luxury to get your rear in gear kid. Good luck.

I feel for millenials. I graduated from university 15 years ago, and it was MUCH easier to get your foot in the door for jobs back then. Not to mention that rent was half the price and tuition was a third of the price that it is now. There's no question that it's far more difficult to transition out of low-paying work currently than it was a decade or more ago.

I recommend going on Indeed and creating a job search in a field that you're interested in. Keep track of jobs that you would enjoy doing, and figure out what they have in common (education, software, skills). Seek out hard-skills training in these specific areas, and at the same time try to build your network by keeping track of businesses and organizations that you'd want to work for. Follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn; go to their events. Browse GoVolunteer for opportunities specific to your field - volunteering is not only about building experience, it's also about networking. Be relentlessly thorough, creatively communicative, and proactive. It may take time, but you'll get to the place you want to be.

I wish you all the best. Thank you for venting these frustrations that I'm sure many of us share.

and health - some 'rich' people don't have that and may wish more than anything for this. Try very hard to get OUT of the habit of comparing yourself to other people - you will NEVER be happy with yourself when you do this, and you don't want to waste the next 25 years beating yourself up. It is challenging for this generation - your generation has an uphill climb to a life that seemed so easy for the hippy generation to accomplish - because TIMES were different. Make your mind a fun, pleasant intellectual, colourful place to be by changing your focus. I tell you this because I don't want you to be like me - with a very dark mind that came from a quarter of a century of comparing myself to others and beating myself up over things that were beyond my control. I had a two decade long career and it didn't work out. Think of yourself looking back - and please try and create good thoughts about yourself and talk good to yourself.

I admire what these other commenters have said, and they've said well. After reading your post, I must say, you are a very strong writer and thus, a strong person. Scheme about a few things, doll up your resume ("fake it till you make it" ?) and just start applying for the jobs that YOU want. You may have to start low on the ladder, but companies and businesses can tell when someone is enthusiastic about their doings and ventures and will be able to hear it in your voice. Maybe, then, they too will want you on their team.

The education system is a gate keeping filter system. Aside from certain degrees like engineering and trades work, most degrees out there offer very little job opportunities even for the most driven and passionate. What your degree does is tell employers that this person has been put through the ringer and can handle deadlines and pressure to a certain extent. Most employers could care less about the papers you've written or the grades you got. When they see a degree, they see someone who has handled themselves in a tight spot. They don't even care how you did it, just that you did. I graduated with a masters degree in English yet I am an Operations Manager. My degree did nothing for my job prospects. It was a combination of extremely hard work, being willing to start from the bottom and some luck that got me to where I am today. I know this is generalizing but I just find people today want it all now. Unfortunately, in the working world, that does not happen. You got to earn it and sometimes, it sucks and you get screwed over, that's kind of how it works. Some people are fortunate enough to have things work out for them but most of us have to earn it. Such is life. We all make poor choices, just keep pushing forward. Don't compare yourself to others cause in the end, what does their life have to do with yours. Sacrifices will have to be made in the end it all about what you make it to be and how you bad do you want it.

I would recommend looking into career-focused community college programs. I did a two-semester program at Douglas to be a legal administrative assistant and was able to get a job right away. It turned out not to be for me (and my health got in the way, so I'm currently not working), but there are other options too. Just take a look at what's available at Douglas, Langara, VCC, etc.

i totally praise you for sticking it out and expressing what many... many...many people are going through nowadays;i myself feel lost in life,space'n time.Although i've had a hard life 'n feel lonely many times,i feel lucky to have kind mom,sis & younger brother who are caring&accepting of me lifetime Asperger-like behaviours/social deficits.I'm extremely appreciative of me family/financial situation, thanking my amazingly kind & loving family and friend(s),numerous doctors, many bank advisors &everyone & God for all that i've and am.You will be fine,i promise you :)I love all the beautiful,helpful & kind people who posted the wonderful ideas.Beautiful!At this point in time,we all need to be kind,compassionate &loving to ourselves,guys & gals alike.Being sensitive to our own needs and accepting ourselves 'n others (all the good, the bad and the 'ugly' parts(btw,'ugly' doesn't exist)) isn't whimpy or weak or stupid or effeminate:it is wise and the way of the future of all.Please pat yourself on your back as it is a very sensitive time in the life of everyone: we need to take care of our own needs by tender-loving-care for our well-being.I myself have severe anxiety/fear disorders,sometimes struggling with overwhelming thoughts of disaster,all of it just stories i make in my head to give me more fear 'n anxiety (ANTS).I've decided this morning to take care of meself better than i have been:taking baths,doing fun interesting activities 'n exercises i enjoy,listening to music'n videos i enjoy that make me sing&dance&laugh to feel good inside,eating more fruits 'n vegies'n seaweed snacks,watching more comedy on cpu/tv,going outside by myself to enjoy playground monkey bars (i'm 47yrs), Kits 'n Sunset beaches & English Bay & Stanley Park more often to be in nature: saying kind,smiley greetings 'n giving needed help to 'strangers' 'n tourists whom may need help navigating Lord Stanley Park.Mostly i'm in the apartment by myself listening to fun and upbeat music to calm&cheer me: some->'Happy'Pharell;'We all need Love'Dominic Troiano;'Safety Dance'Men without hats;'Cake by the ocean'DNCE;'Good for You'Selena Gomez;'This Love'Taylor Swift;'Celebration (of life?)'Kool&The Gang;'Shake it off' Taylor Swift;'Unwritten'Natasha Bedingfield;'I am a wild party'Kim Mitchell;'Walk of Life'Dire Straits;'You are the Sunshine of my Life' Stevie Wonder(ful)Unconditional <3 for you

I agree with Quixotic. A good way to travel cheap is to sign up on WWOOF (stands for world wide opportunities on organic farms)...You travel and stay for free on these farms, properties in return for help with whatever they need...great way to save money on accomodation and food, plus you usually stay with other people so it allows you to make connections. You can choose any country to go to.

If you are not into traveling, I recommend going back to school - like vancouver career college, or other private colleges that usually have shorter programs with internships at the end. You go to school for a year and then get to enter the workforce through the internship. If you do good you get hired. That's how I got my job 5 and a half years ago.

Don't give up! Follow your dreams instead of trying to fit into the stereotypical lifestyle of others. Good luck!