u/Desperate-Sleep-6302

I’m not sure what made me think ab the chapter 31 VR & E. I got rated 90% disability a few months ago. I started college in the spring using my GI bill and now I’m using it again in the fall. I’m trying to be a teacher to shift away from the 12 hr rotating shift schedule of this engineering career field at the garbage power plant I work at. I’m going full time so I can get the housing allowance for a student on Long Island, NY.

Should I apply for the chapter 31 benefit so that I can use that in spring of 2027 for my final semester for my associates so I can use my GI bill on the back end for when I go to a university? I’ve looked at LIU post and they have the yellow ribbon program so even if I use the gi bill it’ll still all be covered as I’ve done extensive research before I planned to apply when I’m able to. I’m really trying to grind this out to be done as quick as possible but I have to keep in mind that I need to get my masters as well as it’s required. I’m on track to be done if I keep the same pace to be finished by fall of 2028.

I’m just curious if I should be using the VR&E while I still don’t have a degree or I should apply for it later on when I have to get my masters if I need to if the GI bill runs out.

Summary: Broke up with my gf because i felt like I couldn’t give her what she needed from an emotional standpoint. It’s been a topic of convo about 2-3 times in our 5 months together and with my semester of 4/5 in person classes coming up and minimal sleep opportunities again I just felt like I didn’t have the emotional capacity for a relationship

25M and 26F. This was my second relationship since coming out of the Navy two years ago. I’m currently in college and working full time. I’m a power plant engineer at a garbage plant and I’m going to school go change careers so I can have a more family friendly lifestyle and get away from the 12 hr rotating shift work.

I started in the spring taking 5 classes and continued into the summer taking 2 each semester. The summer, the first 6 week condensed courses I was working from 5pm-5am and going to class from 7am-2pm. I was only getting 2 hrs of sleep that entire span. It did something to me mentally. With the fall semester coming up all my classes are in person just because that’s the way it is due to what I have to take. I just have an opportunity to change my life for the better and I feel like this is what i have to do.

Did I want to break up with her? No not really. But I just couldn’t give her what she needed emotionally. I became distant, wasn’t complementing her and I just felt angry and aggravated a little bit every time she brought this up. I was on a family vacation in Aruba for the last 5 days and I just told her I’m just so exhausted mentally that it’s just hard for me to express myself. It’s always been a challenge for me to open up to people. I never told her this because I never felt comfortable but I did touch on it briefly last night because it was something I felt like I had to share: my dad used to treat me really badly and I never felt like I could open up to anyone. It’s always been hard for me, growing up I was this angry kid who couldn’t express himself, bullied to the point I wanted to do some permanent things to myself growing up. After high school to get away from all that I joined the navy. Lately the last few months it’s felt like I’ve been back in the navy just with the way I’ve been feeling mentally.

I’ve been so fed up with work, tired from school and I just haven’t been emotionally available to her. I really did try my best to try to open up. But I feel like since now my first relationship ended last year, internally it was just hard to trust someone w my emotions again due to how that ended. I know that’s called projection. It’s hard cuz I thought I was past that and I’ve talked it out with my therapist (I met her at the office she works at). But I guess since I just “haven’t been taking care of myself” with the amount of work and sleep I’ve had for myself I just couldn’t support a relationship.

I thought I had a good balance schedule wise and how I would make time for us to do things when I had off. We’d hangout 1-3 times a week. I have Thursdays and Fridays off with a 4 day weekend every other. There were times tho where I’d randomly get called in tho and it would br when we’d hangout so I’d have to go which would make me mad.

I really liked the time I had spent w her and I thanked her for our 5 months together. My mom wasn’t a fan of me doing this but I’m just in my own way I think as she said I don’t have to be taking so many classes while working full time but the thing is I just want so badly to escape this life I have that I just feel obligated and it’s just something I have to take Advantage of considering the navy pays for it all and also pays me for housing allowance too.

I wish things would’ve been different man. If I had the proper time for a relationship I feel like this would’ve lasted a while. I just couldn’t get over the issue I had about my emotions even tho I was trying my best to. This was our 2nd time having the conversation on my emotional availability so I just felt like this was the appropriate thing to do. I sacrificed the last 5 years serving in the navy and didn’t date cuz I didn’t have time to. I got out and started feeling really good about how I was feeling mentally. I had to put my personal life on hold for my early 20s. I just don’t know when it’ll be “my time”. She said I was really good in having those hard conversations and wasn’t a yeller. I also told her both of my parents were yellers growing up and I maybe also feel like that has played a role with me in how I express myself or fail to do so. I just don’t believe in that philosophy even during the smallest issues. She felt seen and heard during that aspect. She really liked the dates and times we’ve hung out but it just came down to me not being able to give her what she needed emotionally.

This just sucks. My mom had asked me “do u think she’s worth taking less classes? Is she worth it?” To that I answered “idk”. I guess that answered the question. I’m just trying so fucking hard to change my life rn for the better. I just want to get away from my career field as fast as possible. I just feel like a failure at this point in my life. I want a relationship and I like being in one but if I can’t be there emotionally it’s just not fair

25M. Got out the navy 2 years ago today. Currently I’ve been at the same job since I had when I got out at a garbage power plant. I waited 1 full year and decided this wasn’t what I want to be doing with my life (engineering and operating). Now I’m working full time and going to school full time to try to get my bachelors in health and phys ed in 2.5 years.

I think im miserable and I just don’t want to admit it. It’s not the school work. It’s my job. The people are insufferable and I’m just growing tired of this job entirely. I just can’t stand working with blue collar people. I thought it would be different outside the navy. I’m not someone to cause issues at work. But lately I’ve been on the verge of just having this “I’m about to crash out” type of attitude at the smallest possible thing. I hold my tongue but tonight really set me off the edge and I did talk back a little.

I’m trying to stack my money from my job, GI bill BAH and my 3rd income all together so for when I have to quit (earliest I can probably quit is early summer/late spring of 2028). I just want to save as much as possible before I quit to student teach. I also want to buy a rental property as well. I’m just so determined to get this done but my gf when I was on the phone w her expressed that I seem miserable and dread my life.

Last summer and really up until a few months ago I was in a really bad place mentally. I recently got off an SSRI I was taking and I do feel better. I went from 158 back to my 195-200 range. I’ve been off the Zoloft for 3 months now. But I recently I’ve just felt so angry at life. I just want to be done w this engineering stage of my life. I’ve been working the rotating shift work of 12+ hr days since I was 18 and now that I have an avenue out (GI bill for college) I want to get it done as fast as possible.

A lot of vets have told me to just live off the GI bill. I live on Long Island. It’s just not possible to be that comfortable in an expensive place. That’s why I wanna continue to work and have 3-4 incomes while I get my school done. I wanna set myself up the best possible way there is for that transition. I’ve also decided when the time comes for me to quit I’m not “putting in my two weeks”. I’m just gonna quit and walk out. I don’t need this place as a reference. My co worker said he would be a phenomenal reference and to put him down so he can boost me up. Ik that’s wrong of me to do but I’m just at a stage right now where I just hate this job and want to burn bridges

This site retro locker keeps popping up on my Insta feed and wanted to know if anyone has gotten anything from that site. I’ve never heard of it

If not, any suggestions on cheap sites to get some on?