What to do after you age out of care?

I have never been in your position, but I did want to offer you some advice as a current college student. When you apply for financial aid (grants, scholarships & loans) most programs award funds according to your income. If you have no/little income you will get more aid than someone with a generous income. While I was doing my undergrad I recieved a few grants and took out student loans for the rest. The loans were more than I needed for tuition and I was able to use the extra money for books and expenses since I couldn't work full time while going to school full time. You WILL have to pay back the loans after graduation, but grants and scholarships do not get paid back. Education is KEY for a good career. Kuddos to you for wanting to better yourself! I suggest you go to your local community college and speak with an advisor. Sounds like you could use a mentor and maybe they can help you find one. You can message me if you want more advice on college resources. Good Luck!

Check city-data.com's forums.. You might consider applying in other cities that have stronger job markets. Make sure you look clean-cut and professional when interviewing- maybe Youtube videos on how to dress and what to say/not say during your interviews. If there's something you have a passion for and your past is applicable, share it. (Such as did you participate in Boys & Girls Club or anything similar as a kid? They may have an opening for you.) I hope you find something soon! Try indeed.com, monster, etc. and even Craigslist.

I haven't been in your position exactly but I aged out of the foster care system and faced it alone. I was able to find a job at a cafe for minimum wage and did take independent living courses so I had that going for me. I said something that I think makes a difference, your friends were able to get jobs by contacts. Where I live it's not too hard to find a job but it is a good job. Most of the time you need to know somebody. As a foster kid I didn't know very many people and there was that stigma of foster care that others seen. The biggest thing that I can tell you is too work hard and be the best person you can be. Others will see what you've been through, see how hard your trying, see how respectful you are and it will pay off. That's how I got my cafe job ([URL="http://www.imafoster.com/2011/08/stigma-of-being-foster-child.html"]you can read here[/URL]) and that's what helped me get my current job. My girlfriends sister's friend is the head of a call center and kept telling me how polite and respectful I was. She offered me a job selling storage units (random I know) but now at 25 I was able to triple my pay, I own my own home and I don't have any college education. I wish I had "the answer" but it's really hard work and a little bit of luck. Be willing to do any job and do it 100%, present yourself well to the people around you and someone will want you to work for them. Keep your head up and push to be successful!

Hey Namimoon, I read your post and know how overwhelming all this can be.I was not in Foster Care, but my a-family indicated I was 18 and they would no longer care for me. Whatever I wanted I would have to get. There were veiled threats of sending me to the streets.At that time discrimination was rampant. I was from the north and living in a southern town. All the jobs had been saved for the local school kids waiting to go to college. No matter what I did interviews were barely polite before I got shown the door.The only job I could find was working in a shyster loan company. I worked in the office during the day, and at night I searched for delinquents in what was then the ghetto.I saw it all from dealing, prostitution, drugs, to attempts at spousal violence. I kept that job for 9 months knowing that somehow I had to find something better.I had a love of medicine and wanted to know where I fit in. As a result, I joined the navy.I learned a trade and it provided an opportunity to establish a career.Being female, Im unsure if you would want to give a few years of your life to the service. But this is one way to learn a trade and establish what career you may want. You will have 2-3 years to decide.I wish you the best.

Fill out a free application for federal student aid (FAFSA). As a former foster child, you will qualify for a federal grant for tuition, which can be used at a variety of community colleges and trade schools. What are you interested in? Business? Computers? Cosmotology? A community college is a great place to start. You may also be able to find student employment, shared housing, etc. by talking with an adviser. Also, never rule out jobs because they're not what you want to do. I'm not saying this is you...but I have known people who won't apply for fast food jobs, customer service jobs, manual labor, housecleaning, whatever just because it's not exactly what they want to do long term. However, these are the jobs with the highest turnover (and therefore the most openings). The reality is that you will need to work a less-than-preferable job to gain work experience and build your resume. Apply anywhere and everywhere. You may get 100 "no"s but all you need is one "yes". Take the job, any job...then keep applying for one that you'll like better. Another option is Job Corps, which I believe is available for youth through age 24. They provide job training and placement, while giving you housing & food and even a little spending money. I have heard mixed reviews about job corps. I believe that you would get out of it what you put into it.I really sympathize with your situation and my heart goes out to you. You have it in you to succeed. You can't control what has been done to you in the past, but you can control whether you let that dictate your future.