How do you spend money if you want your source of income to be from your investment? Sell your shares? or dividends (which is very very little)?

Dividends definitely. you can also consider selling the capital used for your stocks if there are sufficient gains to offset them.

Learn to live simply. Eat at home more. Look for entertainment and activities that are free. Jogging at East Coast is just as healthy as jogging in the gym. Be frugal, but not stingy. Our investments aren't meant to provide income until we are quite a few years down the road. Drawing from them now would only negatively impact your wealth building.

At your age and situation, you shouldn't be aiming to derive any present income from your investments. For that, you'll need a job.

For future income, you can put aside some % of your income first into some growth ETFs (e.g. tech, china, biotech, green energy...) then once you've accumulated enough to match your annual salary, start skimming from that pot and every month add to an income portfolio (dividend-paying stocks or etfs) for future dividend income. Dividends yields may be small now, but in the longer term, they snowball.

If your initial capital is small like $5000, a 5% dividend yield will give you $250 per year. You are better off working part-time. You can earn $250 in a week or 2.

If your capital is small like $5000, learn how to pick stocks that is safe and can grow faster like 30-50% a year. That would give you $1500 to $2500 returns a year. But dont take it out yet, let it continue to compound. Also, you continue to work and add on to your capital to compound somemore.

One day you managed to accumulate a $100,000 portfolio, a 20% gain would give you $20,000. You can then decide to spend 5% of it by taking out $5000 and continue to compound the rest.

When one day you managed to achieve a $1,000,000 portfolio, a 10% gain would give you $100,000. You can then decide to spend 5% of it by taking out $50,000 and continue to compound the rest.

You get the picture, if your portfolio is small, dont have to think about spending money through profits from your portfolio because there won't be anything left. Your goal should be to build a sizable portfolio. All the best!