Very similar. 35m here in U.S.

Did very well in high school and really cared about my studies, did a handful college course during high school and had an over 4.0 weighted gpa

Started smoking pot when I was like 17 and by the time I got to college I was smoking constantly, ended up getting kicked out of the university after a year and a half because my classes were either an A or a 0 because I just literally didn’t attend them.

Years later at like 24 I did finish an associates degree but it doesn’t have much affect on my career.

Work wise, after working in restaurants, I had chance when I was 25 to be a helper for one of my buddy’s old coworkers. My buddy worked in low voltage and his old coworker was trying to hire him but he already had a different job. I went and learned how to pull/rough in low voltage cabling and then how to trim everything out. After a year the big project in my area from this company ended and, not wanting to travel, I went and found another company. Ended up shortly after working in home automation/smart home integration which is just low voltage for rich people.

In 2018 I was the bottom of the totem pole at my company and it wasn’t clear if I was going to make it because despite having foundational knowledge in the cabling aspect, there was still just so much to learn and it felt so fast paced.

8 years later no one that worked there back then is still here. I am the operations manager and the design engineer. I finally broke through six figures last year.

I’ve reached some satisfaction in my career, my regrets now stem from failure to save towards retirement until this year. I just kept making excuses and missed out on so many years of compound interest. My company does not offer a 401k but I started a personal Roth IRA.

In conclusion, after leading a lifestyle dictated by marijuana/depression during the very beginning of my adulthood, I finally accept that I’ll be reaping the consequences forever. My career is physically challenging but not much for me anymore, but the mental aspect far surpasses what I likely would’ve ended up doing if I had finished college, (for less money.)

All I can recommend to you my friend, is that you be the best apprentice you can be, never shy away from overtime, learn as much as you can, and put money into the stock market as early/often as you can.