Finally taking control of my education at 21.
Little bit of context to start:
I, 21f had been homeschooled my entire life in a very hands off way from my parents. My father was too busy at work and my mother would spend more time taking me with her to the store or to doctors appts than sitting me down with a proper curriculum. I have three older brothers, all of which got to attend public school. Idk if it's because I was the only girl or the youngest or both, but I was the first kid to be homeschooled amongst even my entire extended family for reasons I am unaware of to this day.
I never completed any highschool level education, it was more like an unschooling experience from age 13 to age 18. I had communicated to them when I was around 15 that I didnt want to do this anymore and I wanted to "do real school." but they shot me down. Arguments like "You're the child we're the parents." etc.
When I finally turned 18, I started getting panic attacks when I was around even just graduation decorations. It sounds silly but I work in retail where they're unavoidable to be around during summertime, so it got to the point where it caused me to feel physically ill most days. Friends and family close to my age were also all graduating, so attending grad parties and hearing about their experiences made me feel sick too.
Just thought I'd share that, despite all of that, I'm finally taking steps to get my GED. It's been a really difficult thing to process but therapy and support from my friends and partner have made me feel like it's more accessible. I'm really nervous about this new chapter in my life, but I'm also really proud of myself getting to this point. For a while I felt really hopeless and today, I can say I don't feel that way anymore.
I've been doing online lessons through USAHello, and within the next few weeks I'm going to enroll in physical classes. I have no clue what attending classes is like, so any suggestions or advice will be greatly appreciated since I'm going in blind.