| d21lewis said: I didn't go to college. I graduated, joined the air force, broke my leg, and just went from job to job. Now, I work at a nuclear power plant. No credit card bills. No loans. No car payments. I own my own land. I can put away over a grand in the bank every month and still do whatever I want to do ( just got back from Disney World on Saturday morning).
My wife also didn't go to college. She manages apartment complexes and she makes great money. She doesn't even have to help me pay bills. My friend went to college to become a lawyer. He worked at Wal Mart until he was almost thirty until he finally graduated. Now, be works at a bank. Wtf!?! Meanwhile my ex's son graduated Clemson college to become a chemical engineer. He's traveled waaaaaaaaaaay more than me and makes as much, if not more than I do--but he's got a lot of debt, too.
So what's your story? Did you go to college? Did it help or hurt you? Was the experience and knowledge worth the price of admission? |
(Coming from an underprivileged American who was out of high school in 2010, right in the middle of our economic crisis)
I opted out of going to college and immediately joined the work force - started at Jamba Juice, saved up enough for a car and landed my first real "job" as a lube tech at Lithia Subaru. Climbed my way up through the rankings there, gained a ton of mechanical knowledge, and packed my shit and took another step up; this time as an oil refinery operator (which is very similar to your line of work according to one of my coworkers from the Navy). I've been there about two years and just gave them my two week notice like... Last week. I've been able to wipe out my debt in the time here and am prepared to move forward with a different career in mind - high voltage line man for PGE but it will require a 4 year stint at IBEW to become a journeyman electrician.
College is definitely not for everyone and you don't need it for success, it just boils down to how self motivated you are. Too many of my friends will end up stuck with their job because they're afraid to make any leap in order to better their standard of living, but not me. I'm excited for my debt free future and feel deep down that I have no regrets about skipping out on school loans.
