Served 6 years in jail..

Up until the point when I was 20, my life was great, I had been achieving every goal.. when I turned 21, everything was still great.. but after that.. next next 6 years.. when the ressesion started to hit, back in 2008 then is when my life went down, lost job, drop out of college, lived in the cheapest place in town, everything was just consistently bad.. and that is why I feel like these 6 years felt like I spent them in prison. Then DACA comes along, and now I started to pick up again, and I feel like I am 21 again, only with the sad story that 6 years went down the toilet.... no I was no in jail for 6 years, but it sure felt like it.....

basically the best years of my life, the entire period that people would die for to live again, completely gone, skipped, wasted...

I hear you on that, from 2008 till daca life was a huge uncertainty. I was literally just wasting my time every day, for almost 5 years. It does suck to see people you knew during school, how much their lives were changing and not be able to do anything about yours. But you know with these next 2 years I think a lot of us here will change.

I agree. I definitely feel as if I am playing catch up with my peers. We had to put our lives on hold for a long time.

I don't think I can related to you guys in that area, when I was finished high school, I got into school again, finished in 4 years and the bam that same year, DACA gets announced. I obtained my license from a state that still offers to illegal aliens, for some reason, my school did not count me as an international student so I was not paying out of state tuition, but I was still working my ass cleaning abestos and whatnot at night to pay off school, so yeah those were 4 tough years

I feel you man, life right after high school was rough. Thankfully had parents who loved and cared for me, though my situation was bad I kept telling myself there were people out there who had it much worse.

Still couldn't shake the anxiousness and even jealousy I had about other kids my age being able to do whatever they wanted. I literally just stayed at home all day doing nothing other than finding odd jobs here and there on craigslist. Sucked seeing kids who failed in every aspect of their lives, throwing away their rights to work and drive and whatnot, at that time I would have given ANYTHING to have an opportunity to finish college, work and drive.

As one of the older members in here, I can also relate to you. I felt like my life was put on hold for the longest time and just now I'm starting to get the chance to develop myself. I always pictured myself as a young boy frozen in time with the world just passing by.

There was always that glimmer of hope with the DA that never seemed to materialize. Although I've been able to graduate and start developing my career, I feel like I'm much behind my peers who at this point are getting married and having good salaried jobs.

While DACA arrived much later during my timeline, I suppose I'm still lucky to be covered under it. Many dreamers that have been here waiting longer than me never got that chance.

Yup, welcome to my personal hell The only year I felt normal in the US was when I was 10 years old and would ride my bike to school. Everybody else rode their bikes to school back then too (80's was a crazy time) and I was still technically considered legal because we had parole papers from the INS (yes kids, that's what it was called back then). Life was good. I even got me a library card! I wish I appreciated that year more but I was kind of mopey on the account of not seeing my dad or brother since they were still stuck in the old country and all the uncertainty facing us with no money living with an alcoholic relative who fortunately wasn't around that much.

Really when despair started hitting was when I was a sophomore in HS and my friends were starting to get driver's licenses and I had to come up with excuses why I wasn't getting one...and again after graduation when I knew I wasn't going to go to college. I did eventually do both after moving but once again, towards graduation when everybody else was going on job interviews, I kind of knew I was going to be screwed.

Let's hope Biden is right and the POTUS is going to do a heck of a lot.

Brother, cheer up.
In my opinion, nothing is a waste in life. My case is very similar to yours.
Yes, I did waste a lot of time doing stupid idiotic things that normal people don't do but even those wasted time made me to become who I am now. All the things that I could have done but I couldn't do without an identity, I compacted every single little things that I couldn't do and stacked up in me. Now I have a proper temporary document all that energy is being released. Meaning now I have what I wanted, so its completely up to me to make it happen. There is no time to waste any more because we are legal for a given time. Tighten your belt, get motivated. Look around you. There are people in their 50's who regret their wasted time, but for us? I think its way too early brother. Let's work this shit and get on top.

Yep, exactly how i felt from 2008 til last year. DACA had been around for almost 7 months and I finally applied. I had just felt so down for so long, didnt truly believe what DACA gave at first.

We all have to start somewhere, I'm 24 work in fast food for now.. I feel like I'm a teenager starting working with no experience but It is a job and I am happy to have it . I am able to Drive legally, such a great feeling as well. I do think about the 5 years lost but not much I can do but enjoy what we have now.

Hear hear.

I grew up in a small city in minnesota where there wasn't much to do and anyone with any ambition or common sense got the hell out as fast as they could. After I graduated high school I spent a few years playing MMOs, walking dogs, mowing lawns, and delivering papers while my peers went off to college, met people, and started lives. In that time I made a few acquaintances, but the lack of money, a lack of ID, and a lack of transport really put a damper on my social life and really stunted my social skills. Basically I kind of existed in a state of breathing, eating, and sleeping.

Eventually I moved to Texas and started going to college, but 60-90 minute commutes each way, every day and working for my family to pay for school made it hard to participate in any sort of social activities without money, id, or transport - there were friends here and there, but not much.

So... now I graduated, I've got a degree, a car, and a job... but a decade of practically no social growth or relateable social experiences has left an already introverted person even further withdrawn from people. I feel like I missed my chance to be young and stupid, and see things without the bitter cynicism that permeates my every day. Some of it is just the inherent way that I am, but a lot of it has to do with having been constrained in the ways that we can all relate to...