College or Work? The million dollar question...

I have not heard what you want Long Term?
Work backwards my friend. Where do you want to be in 10 years and so on?

Degrees can be awesome or degrees can be useless depending on the person and the degree. If you are truly interested in something and college is going to further that into a career, then I say go to college. For my brother this happened to work out great as a mechanical engineer. Me... I hate school, authorities, and jobs, so needless to say I passed on class. I can remember 5 years ago having to make that decision. My family all wanted me to go to school, but I wanted to be self made. So that's the route I took.

Once you figure out exactly what you want, create a plan and stick to it. Fail as many times as you can, as quickly as you can. You'll be there soon enough, just make sure to enjoy the ride!

Do what you want to do and don't regret a thing brother

I am going to a community college honestly, I can't go to the community college here where I live because it doesn't offer anything computer/business related.

I've done the research and talked to financial + school counselors...

Hi YouTubez, First of all I want to apologize for what's going to be a lengthy post. I can't PM because I am new but wanted to reach out.
I appreciate your post and you being willing to admit that though you aren't happy with your current situation, you are not quite sure which direction in which to move toward. You have received a lot of food for thought- for and against college. I would just say to be wary of the extremes such as "You have to go to college in order to make anything of yourself. " or... "Screw College, it's not worth it. " All in all, the choice will have to feel right in order to be right for you.
Let's look at your options-
Option A-Hold off on the college idea.
Pros-
You could save some money up in case you do eventually go to school.
You can take the time and find out more about what you'd like to study and what you could do with a certificate, 2 year through graduate degree options in those fields.
It gives you a chance to become more sure about an area of study.
You may even become successful enough at IM where it changes your educational priorities.
Cons-
You hold off but then do nothing else to improve your situation and you stagnate.
You hold off because you decide you can't start until you make $X amount, but you never make it to that goal and waste year after year.

Option- Go to College now
Pros-Gives you a definite timeframe and goal.
May (nothing is guaranteed) furnish you with employability options.
Cons- Like most things, there will be a "price" to pay. Money, Time and other sacrafices.
You may still come out and have difficulty getting a job.

There are many pros and cons on both sides of the argument, that was just the beginning. If I were you, it seems like its a great time for information gathering before making a commitment either way. Keep an open mind and talk to a couple college programs that interest you. If you start with a two year college, find out if those program offer 2nd year paid internships in the two fields that interest you. Here is how you can gain experience. An entrance counselor can even show you which courses could apply to either or any degree. (You can start with those courses first and then change your mind on which degree to follow and no time or energy will be wasted. ) Find out if you can go part time. You could then IM part time as well. You can even apply for financial aid and get an idea of what loans AND grants you qualify for. For the option of not going to college, seek out info for your game plan. What are the ways you plan on learning all you can to make yourself successful? (Being here is a great resource! ) How are you going to live as you are working your way on this path? Network as much as you can and surround yourself with successful people and reminders of your goals. (BTW If you get the chance look up S.M.A.R.T. goal making. )
By doing this recon work, you can still hold off until you decide the time is right (or not). Having this info will lessen the chance for regret later on.
I wish you luck on your journey. I went back to college later in life and became a college instructor. You would probably think that I would be pushing you toward the College door but nothing would be farther than the truth. Simply put, I don't think college is for everyone and I know a college degree does not define success. Please don't think me cliche when I say that only you have the right to define your own success and only you can choose the paths that are right for you to take, to achieve it. Take care-Cayla

farfetchedmoney said:

there is a difference between a goal and a dream or a goal and a wish. I figured most people here would know the difference but apparently not.

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Wait, you mean the world doesn't agree with your opinion? A shocker! Somebody call the police, the army and Bob Spongebob!

Shits and giggles apart, it 's your lucky day - I 'll take 2 minutes to educate you.

A goal is the end game, the gratification of a big wish. You are confusing it with the strategic estimates. A goal has to be "unrealistic" to the external viewer.

William Lloyd Garrison was being "unrealistic" when, in the 1830s, he set as a goal the immediate emancipation of the slaves, something completely out of reality at the time. His strategic realism was that he did not expect his goal to be quickly reached. To quote him,

Urge immediate abolition as earnestly as we may, it will, alas! be gradual abolition in the end. We have never said that slavery would be overthrown by a single blow; that it ought to be, we shall always contend.

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jazzc said:

My take without knowing your specifics - if you are a person who knows what his goals are, go. College isn't about knowledge, you 'll never use most of the shit you 'll "learn" there anyway. College is about learning how to learn and of course the piece of paper you buy from them. So, why go? Because it 's hard to make your own curriculum without guidance and it 's even harder to get good guidance. But that begs the question - do you have any idea how you 're going to monetize the degree?

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I quoted jazzc because he/she -- sorry, don't know your gender jazzc -- has provided some exceptional info -- you may or may not realize it OP, IDK.


Consider this: University teaches you how to think, which is what helps you to be 100 percent independent -- whether in IM or a corporate job.


Otherwise, IMO, you are like one of the 100s people on this forum posting questions about how to make money online or like the 100s of people trying to find a corporate job to support his/herself. You become needy and desperate, hoping to capitalize off somebody else. Fuck that. Learn how to think for yourself and be independent.


My opinion is that somebody who went to college has many job options. He/she can take a corporate job. Or, he/she can think for his/herself, find an opportunity in the business world, and capitalize on it. This could mean take a method on BHW and twist it for your own good and figure out that Elysian mystery of making $xx,xxx monthly online.


Sure, there are folks without a degree who can do that, but I think college prepares you to think, be an entrepreneur, and accept the consequences that are associated with running a business yourself.


I know that I would not be able to be self-employed without going to college. Yeah, I'm biased.


That said, everybody's situation is different, and I don't know yours completely because there's not enough info in your post.


However, I will say this: You may be able to get started at community college close to you and transfer out to a 4 year school. There's no shame in that. It's cost effective and your education won't suffer as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort to learn.


You can do IM (or work a regular job) and go to school and pay your bills even if you live alone. I know first-hand it can be done. It's hard, but it's possible. If you choose not to go to school and try and make it big with IM, good luck.

learnquick said:

You can do IM (or work a regular job) and go to school and pay your bills even if you live alone.

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I agree! You can do both if you work hard.

college then work

Being well-educated will get you the million dollar.

the C option could be graphic design. that's what i got my degree in and it served me very well after i taught myself programming.

my advice: go to college and bartend part time. bartenders make a lot depending on the bar. i know bartenders who make $300-500 in a weekend. if you're tough you could also try being a bouncer. i guess the point is, look for high paying, weekend jobs. a waiter at a higher end restaurant also could make a lot in tips.

i know a lot of the stuff in college seems like a load of bullshit, and it is. but some of it is not. just avoid classes that are titled like "reflections on multiculturalism in modern african society". also, you will make connections that will help you for your whole life. i got to do a lot of really cool things, went to greece, scotland, worked on a native american archaeological dig, got with some hot women, and partied (in my first two years, after that i got serious).

PS: look into scholarships if you've got decent grades. i know people who have gotten a full ride.

PSS: i took as many classes as possible at a community college that would transfer to a university. i saved a lot of money that way, and i still got the same degree

Get a degree. Even if it is just a piece of paper and not relating to what you may do later in life. You need every feather in your cap you can get in the world today and it may come back to haunt you if you do not show you finished something. Take it from someone who did not finish.

A trade under your belt is a viable option as well. Something you can fall back on should you ever need.

Work \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/