<prompt> Human: Okay, so I am going to lay it all out there. I have been drinking a little bit, and have always been wondering about posting here with my problems. Now I am going to pull the trigger. If help comes along, it is immensely appreciated. However, it feels good to get it off my chest. So...I am 30 years old, I live alone, and I have been a career server thus far. This is not by design, when I was 20 I committed a felony of theft by deception for stealing shoes from a store I worked at. Along with that is a couple driving under suspensions, 1 DUI 8 years ago. I finished probation, no prison time, nonviolent felony. Along with that, my current credit score is 515. 65 of that debt is schools loans, the other is cell phone, cable, and electric . I havent filed taxes in 8 years. I recently called the IRS to handle this, and they sent me a package to file with 3 of the years to labeled as to little to file a claim. My total available cash is under 1000. I do have a legitimate career path as a roof salesman for a company my brother owns, however I havent fully embraced it. I do have interests in Web design, and programming with c. I never graduated college, quit sophomore year in 2005, if I went back I was told Id have to start over again for my best interests, GPA is pathetic from lack of care. I do feel like its pointless to finish school if I cant get a job anywhere because of my past. So serving was a profession I found that I could make a decent amount of money without my background effecting me. I have a problem with bad decisions and commitment, so I have honestly without any exaggerating worked 30 plus serving jobs. Oh yeah, Im single with no kids. So my goals are to have own a home, and begin saving for my retirement. Thats it. I dont want kids or a marriage. Not like plan for worst case scenario...no kids..no wife. What can I do? Am I stuck in the serving, independent contractor roof sales industries because of my history? How can I invest with such little cash on hand? What can I do to be a home owner with such poor credit and a criminal background? I was told to let some debt go because after 7 years it disappears. Is that true, or should I make the effort to clean up all debt regardless of year and amount? Should I file for bankruptcy? Is there any point in finishing college? Im willing to upload any documentation that could help those willing to understand.I dont want to live a lavish life, just one a single man can life comfortably. TL;DR 30 year old career server with less than a 1000 cash who has pathetic credit score 515 and committed a nonviolent felony years ago who wants to invest, own a home, and save for retirement..needs help.  <response>: What can I do? Am I stuck in the serving, independent contractor roof sales industries because of my history?The world is what you make of it. No one is stuck doing anything.First figure out what it is you want to do. For example if you have an interest in web design, pursue that. Think about what your hobbies are and try building a portfolio of sites based around them. Then use that portfolio to try and get some independent contracting work from others who need sites done. How can I invest with such little cash on hand? You cant and shouldnt. Before you even think about investing you need to get your taxes and debts under control. What can I do to be a home owner with such poor credit and a criminal background?Poor credit can be fixed. To do so you have to start paying your debts on time. I was told to let some debt go because after 7 years it disappears. Is that true, or should I make the effort to clean up all debt regardless of year and amount?There is a statute of limitations on debt. It varies from state to state. If you have debt that is past the statute of limitations AND they havent sued you for it, then yes you can consider letting it go. Bad marks typically drop off your credit reports after 7 years. This is probably the 7 year figure youve been hearing about. However if you have judgements against you for the debt they can be renewed and will continue to show up until they are satisfied in some way. Should I file for bankruptcy?That depends on how much debt you have. Student loans are also very difficult to discharge via bankruptcy. Youd be best arranging some free consults with bankruptcy attorneys to discuss your options here. Also, bankruptcy will wreck your credit for another 7-10 years. Is there any point in finishing college?It depends. You quit with a terrible GPA, so college may not be for you. Furthermore, youre not finishing it from the sound of it youd be starting over. However, if you need some sort of training in order to have a marketable skill in a field that interests you...well...there may be a benefit to getting it.Lastly stop drinking. I dont know if you have a drinking problem or not, but you mention drinking before this post and have a DUI. It also costs time and money you could be using to try and straighten your situation out.If you do have a drinking problem, you need to get help and fix that first. 