A Young Man Wants to Know if He’s Wrong for Refusing to Quit School

It can be a tough decision for young people to decide if they want to go to college AND if they want to go through with finishing their education.

But the young man in this story from Reddit’s “Am I The A**hole?” page is in a different kind of predicament regarding college.

Let’s see what happened.

AITA for refusing to quit school?

“I (M20) live at home while I attend our local university.

My dad always told me that I could live at home for free as long as I was in school – that was the reason I choose my local university instead of others where I was accepted. I am working a full-time job (working about 50 – 55 hours per week – so a nice amount of overtime) while I am on summer break from school.

I also have a side-hustle that I do year round that brings in some money. I’ve been paying my dad about $500.00 a week as well as paying for the internet, buying some groceries, and treating us with take-out sometimes. My family (dad, step-mom, step-brother 8M, step-sisters 6F and 4F) are really struggling right now. My dad lost his job in March and while he is working, he is making a lot less than he used to. My step-mom is working part-time in the evenings.

Anyway – I am due to quit my construction job the third week of August and take a week off before classes start. Dad came to talk to me – he said that he doesn’t want me to quit my job. That he needs me to keep working and bringing money in. I said no – there is no way I can work there and go to school. He said that I should take a year off of school and that “my family needs me to step up”.

Here is where I might be the a**hole – I told him that his wife and her kids aren’t my family and I’m not sacrificing my future for them. I helped them all summer – but that was all I would do. That’s when the argument really got heated. He called me a selfish a**hole that didn’t care about anyone.

He said that if I wasn’t paying rent that I couldn’t stay here. I told him he was an a**hole for trying to make his own son support his wife’s kids when he couldn’t. He yelled for me to get out – so I did.

I talked with my maternal grandparents and they helped me figure out a plan. I went back to the house – Dad and I didn’t speak. We didn’t speak for the rest of the week. When Friday (payday) gets here Dad shows up to tell me to transfer money to his account. I told him I wasn’t giving him anymore. He tells me I don’t have a choice.

I told him that I do – legally I am a tenant. If he wants to kick me out he has to give me 30 days notice in writing. I am going to use that time to save up and buy a car. My grandparents said I could stay with them – but where they live I will need a car to get back and forth from campus. He said he’d “throw my s**t out the window”. I told him if he did I would call the cops. He stormed out of the room.

So that is where I am right now. I’m living at home (I did pack up a lot of stuff and took it my grandparents to be safe). Dad did give me notice to leave in writing – and I will leave once I am no longer working construction. I have to stay at the house because my buddy who gives me a ride to the job site lives 2 blocks away – he wouldn’t pick me up if I moved to my grandparents now and I need the money from the job.

AITA here or is my dad?”

Here’s how folks reacted to this story.

This reader said that it sounds like the man’s father isn’t keeping up his end of the bargain.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Another person said that the price the father is charging is WAY too steep…especially for his own son.

Photo Credit: Reddit

This individual said that they think this guy is definitely getting ripped off…and this is coming from someone who lives in Los Angeles…

Photo Credit: Reddit

Finally, this Reddit user said that it sounds like the dad is more interested in reaping the benefits of his son’s potential future earnings than he is in being a good father.