great topic.....
At 23 I was lost also with nothing.. Bumming off my girlfriend (now wife) meal ticket at Jester just to eat. Barely making it at UT almost quit but forced myself to finish with low GPA. I am now a ME going on 19yrs at Lithonia Lighting. I have design lighting for HPS, T12, MH, T5 and LEDs. My stuff is hung all over the place Lowe's, Home Depot, Empire State, toys r us. All I can say is enjoy life, hang in there, be good to your supporter, and do not feel bad if your job does not pay well. Just try to do the best you can and don't stress over $$ to much.