College vs Military?

abdada · 2016-02-22T01:04:30+00:00

Both are what you make of them.

I didn't go to college because I figured 4-5 years at $30,000 a year (back in 1992 wages) meant I would be losing about $260,000 of my money to college where I'd leave with no guarantees. Mind you that $260,000 is 1992 dollars. I bet it's $350,000 nowadays (I have no idea what college costs today).

So I put that money and time into buying real estate and starting small businesses.

Glad I dodged the bullets I did -- most of my friends who went to top ranking schools are still in cubicles in their 40s.

But if you can make something of either military or college, great. If you're a slacker now, you'll be a slacker there, too.

machimus · 2016-02-22T05:40:35+00:00

Okay, I have first hand experience with both cases.

If you can reasonably afford college, do it. Don't go to a community college unless you're just starting there and plan to transfer over. Don't go to an overpriced school either though, racking up a lot of college loan debt will handicap you. Make sure you choose a useful and lucrative major like STEM or business.

If you can't reasonably afford it, join the military but choose your service carefully, do your research, and get the GI bill.

If you want to join the military regardless wait till after college and get a commission.

psyflux · 2016-02-22T11:22:41+00:00

Both. Find out what your state provides you as a veteran in so far as college tuition. Did four years and returned home to a full ride at any state school. At the same time the GI bill was sending me $2k+ monthly checks which I used to cover rent/car/booze/etc.

Yes, I was older than 99% of everyone at my grade level, but I also had my shit straight and was already trained in several areas of IT which is how I made grades without trying.

redolas · 2016-02-22T01:32:41+00:00

Don't do college. It's not worth it. You lose 3 years to learn, other 3-10 years to pay back your credit by working in a bar, hoping for the miracle job that never comes.

Don't do military. It's not worth it. You essentially give your life away for the next 3 years. And then what? You're back to square one.

Figure out what you want to learn. google best paid jobs. See what you like. Learn it. There are tons of resources. Find it online, find a workshop, find a course, find videos, find books. A lot of it is free on the internet. Some courses you pay, but the price is still lower than college.

Find an apprenticeship. And read Mastery by Robert Greene.

Title	College vs Military?
Author	Revolution2016
Upvotes	7
Comments	6
Date	February 22, 2016 12:58 AM UTC (10 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/46ybhj/college_vs_military/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/college-vs-military.161079 https://theredarchive.com/post/161079

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