• NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    Having a rough upbringing is no excuse. I also had a rough upbringing, and im an engineer now. You choose to try to make your situation better, or you don’t. The world may deal you a shitty hand, and if the issues you face are systemic, I can see it holding you back. But, it sounds like this guy is a poor white kid. They love to give out scholarships to poor white kids, its literally what got me through school.

    It sounds like your friend is just not the brightest crayon in the box. Kind of hard to pull yourself out of a shitty situation when you don’t have a lot going on upstairs.

    • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      He can be smart when he applies himself. He just struggles to apply himself. 1 hour of effort in a day is a full days of hard work to him. I agree you can’t just blame your upbringing, at a certain point you have to your own life into your own hands.