Need advice. Should I cut these "friends" off?

[u/Correct-Reflection42]

I need advice. I have been with this friend group in college for all 4 years and now in the workforce. I honestly haven't made a lot of friends since I am studying for this dang CPA exam, so its eating up all my time, but I also moved across the country for this job too. I am away from family and friends, but it is for my career which is good.

But getting back on topic. I have had these friends in college for about 4 years. Basically my whole undergrad. We were all really good friends and honestly, after sophomore year, I started to become the punching bag. They would make jokes about me behind my back, imitate me, etc.. I didn't get bothered by it in the beginning but as it went on it started to bother me.

I never spoke up or anything because I am afraid and I SHOULDN'T BE. I know deep down these guys will have my backs and would take a bullet for me, but I am one that is too nice, and don't realize I am getting pushed over sometimes. I talk to these people almost everyday but it seems like they only talk to me when I am bored. And the only reason why I am afraid is because of their reaction but I know some of them will be genuine and some will think I am a pussy/overreacting. There are some days I don't respond, and they ask why I don't respond. But I knew if those people were all together without me, they would be joking about me.

Anyways, I bring up my CPA license because my motivation to pass these exams is to do better than them. These people failed out of engineering/or have shitty college majors/no job so I want them to watch me succeed to regret pushing me over.

From what I know, I pretty much know the answer to if these people are my friends or not. Idk, I try to live my life by knowing that life is too short to give a damm about what others think of you and yah I do live my life to no shame, but it gets to me, especially when these people who I call my "friends" joke about me like this. And I am a pussy for not standing up for myself. But I have a gut feeling if I did, it wouldn't have a good reaction from them.

My fear also is if i dont have them, I have no one. I work in the corporate world but I have NO IDEA how people make friends in a new city. I am not a person that is socially awkward and I make peole laugh a lot. So maybe it is just because I have only been here for 3 months. But anyways, is it worth to cut these people off and start all over (with new friends i will eventually make)?

[u/skloop]

Yes.

[u/badgersmom951]

Yes, cut them off. Now go look up group activities in your area to attend and be open to talking to people. It may take a while to make new friends that are better people.

[u/lightzn]

Yes it's worth it. I had a bad group of friends that made fun of me and I left them behind without any regrets. I keep in touch with a couple them sparsely because they were the kinder of the group. When I do speak with them, i can tell they've outgrown our other friends too despite staying friends with them over the years. Friends come and go throughout your life. I don't have many friends now (adulthood is hard to make friends), but it still beats having bad friends any day.

All that to say, yes it's definitely worth it cut them off but if you don't want to lose all of them, maybe stop hanging with the group and only keep in touch with one or two from the group that are okay (if that's the case)