<prompt> Human: I have 3-4 semesters left of college and am taking a year long break due to personal circumstances. Ive noticed a decline in my grades this past semester due to certain events that were out of my control. I realized that if I were to continue to take courses as is my grades would continue to drop. Currently, have 8k in loans and am working towards an Engineering degree. I also have 4k that I must pay before I can enroll in August This is my 1 priority in terms of paying off after rent I pay about 320 in rent per month which I think is relatively cheap. My parents have been paying for 100 of my expenses since I enrolled but starting March since Im no longer taking courses my parents dont know. Ive kept things private as they will want to know about my personal circumstances and thats something Id like to keep to myself Id like to at least start paying for my expenses on my own. Im generally pretty frugal when it comes to money and save where-ever I can. cooking meals at home compared to eating out etc. Would getting a minimum wage job be the best course of action in my situation? If this is the only option I have in my situation I will without a doubt start looking for a job. Ive applied to paid co-ops and internships and have 2 interviews around April which is really far away and still not a guaranteed spot.Other than my half-completed engineering degree I have a lot of experience in various CS languages about 5 years working on school projectsclassespersonal projects Is there a possibility I can do anything with the CS even though I dont have a computer science degree? I apologize if this is a little off-topicIve been trying to look at everything objectively and trying to take responsibility for my personal finances without being a burden to my parents.appreciate all the advice I can get.  <response>: I would advise taking a good, hard look in the mirror. Whatever your personal circumstances might be, you are risking your future and setting yourself up for much, much worse circumstances. Deceiving the people who are paying for your education is never a good idea. Leaving school is risky - a lot of folks leave with the intention of returning, but find distractions along the way and never return. If you decide to go this route, I would suggest looking for a right now job such as a server in a restaurant or Uber driver. Work this job while looking for something more stable with better pay and benefits such as a line worker in a factory. If you want to try your hand in the tech world, you might try looking for software support specialist positions. 15-30hr, depending on your location. Usually, they will ask for a degree, but apply anyway. 