Introductions and Disclaimers

Hello, my name is Jia. Let me take a second to introduce myself since most of this book is just the information section of my brain in written format. Just to give you an idea of what my background is like, I was raised in a rural town in the Midwest of the United States. My dad worked in the central administration office for my public school district and my mom ran a horse stable. My childhood was often inside empty classrooms after school hours, covered in dirt in a field with horses, and occasionally on the lot of a circus. I have two younger siblings, both of whom share my love for reading and writing.

For those who don’t know, our advice is often based on our mindsets. Every aspect of an author’s identity can impact the things they write. I am not really any denomination of religion you would know, so I think as long as you agree to do good in the world this advice is for you. I was also born and raised as a girl, I say this because being a woman has really changed the things I experienced and the ways I was treated.

I am writing this in my last semester of university, a mere few months away from getting a bachelor’s degree in communications. If we had to break me down into the very bland and 2-dimensional labels it would be the following: 21 years old, female, queer, chronically ill, neurodivergent, oldest daughter, former gifted student, and a word-nerd. This means I am not the authority on all things life.

I have been asked a lot why I am qualified to give advice. I do not have a degree (but this is being written in my last semester of college) and you will not find a bunch of quotes from other sources. I am not a professional life coach. I am not writing any of this, expecting you to do exactly as I did. Please use your own judgment, do not blindly follow in my footsteps because I am chaos and what works for me may not work for you.

I am writing this for all those high school seniors who feel overwhelmed by everything, the parents whose kids are moving out and they feel unprepared, and for the young adults who are already out in the world but need some support. Wherever you are, whoever you are, this is a safe space.

Think of me as your big sister who has done it all and lets out a frustrated sigh before going into a long rant. Think of me as your way-too-prepared friend who always just seems to know everyone. Think of me as your eldest kid who survived high school and college and is offering some feedback on how it all went. Or think of me as that crazy know-it-all word-nerd from the internet who just pays far too much attention and needs to purge all the information from my mind.

Oh, and Rory? Ollie? This is for you. I think in every step of my life, I will feel the urge to write down how things work and what went terribly so you can learn from my mistakes. Plus, if I put all the advice in one place you can just read this and avoid talking to me.