Rant: I have no license albeit I'm in the process of it. Coworkers only found out I walk to work (not that I'm licenseless). I got hella judged today and now I feel defeated.
Hey guys, I'm just here to rant. This ain't that special.
For context, I’m 25 and currently in the process of getting my driver’s license. A lot of people hear that and immediately wonder, “How does that even happen?” The short version is: life. And I don't exactly think it's all that crazy.
My home life growing up wasn’t great, and I basically got pushed out at 18. I had my permit at the time, but I was in college surviving mostly off financial aid and whatever money I could scrape together. It was paycheck to paycheck, constantly. I couldn't afford lessons. I was hyper independent out of HS and probably could have found a friend, I didn't. I kick myself in the butt over that but I can't change it. Even if I passed back then, I wouldn't be able to afford a car note, or a car outright. Or insurance. Or gas. Or maintainable. I forgot about getting a car, managed, and got through school.
After graduating, I wasn't able to save money much due to breaking my leg, which set me back a few thousand dollars. It wrecked me financially for a while and honestly took a toll mentally too. I spent the next couple years barely staying afloat.
Now, awesome news: things are finally more stable. I have a decent job, I can actually save money, and I’m in the middle of taking driving lessons. They're going great. I’m finally getting it done.
Issue: People are now finding out I don't drive and I've been getting hella judged. And out of fear of being judged I have been beating around the bush. It's been stressing me out and eating me up.
Want to make it clear, I've never lied on applications or interviews about driving. Job is not at risk. Every job I've had it's just never been asked and never come up because a lot of my work in the past was remote. Even the one I'm at now.
People just kind of assumed I had a car and a license because most adults do. Maybe I've given people the impression? I've been in a car and driven before so it's not like I shy away from all car conversations. At the same time, it's embarrassing and not something I actively bring up, either. Idk.
But today, it came out that I don't drive to work. That I walk. That's it. Not that I'm licenseless. Not that I'm carless. That I walk to work. I got hella judged. And I'm embarrassed. And I'm worried now it's gonna come out that I'm licenseless at some point. I'm not really a good liar. Even if it was only a fib and justified, I don't think I can keep it secret like that if people pry. And then if they find out...
What's infuriating is that I'm only a little over a mile from work, so even if I had a car, I’d probably still walk a decent amount of the time. But somehow my coworkers have turned “this guy walks to work” into the most shocking thing imaginable. I stg I could get raided by the feds and raise less eyebrows.
Meanwhile, I’ve never missed work, I show up on time, and I’m actively fixing the situation. I’m not doing anything wrong. Anyway, hopefully I’ll have my license within the next month. And at this point I almost don’t even want to drive to work afterward purely out of spite.