So, I'm coming to TAO for my life decisions.

[Tama Drummer]

Heh, not quite. More, I'm just looking for some opinions, kinda like a "what would you do."

So anyway, I'll be 20 next month, live at home, and work full time at a factory. My original plan was to work till I can pay off my car and get a good bit of money saved up, then head off to college. Well, in a few months I should be able to pay off the rest of the car so really I could start school next year. But now I'm not sure...

I still have no clue whatsoever as to what I want to "do" for a living, which is why I held off going to school in the first place. As for my current job, I actually don't mind it too much. The money's not bad, and the benefits are very nice. My dad's worked there most of his life. The work itself isn't horrible either, and I can transfer to different jobs within the company if I don't like where I am. So I'm kinda nervous about jumping out from what I'm doing now to go to school when I still don't know what I want to do. Plus, I'd basically be dumping the band if I went to school, which is one of the things I look forward to every day.

At the same time, I'm afraid if I wait longer, I'll settle in and be more tempted to simply buy my own place and continue my current job as opposed to heading back to school. I guess this is why a lot of people say not to wait a few years after high school...


So yea. I dunno, I just felt like typing this up tbh. I haven't had much time to talk to people IRL.

[Realist]

What do you actually do at the factory? Are you getting valuable experience? I think it's dangerous to have neither a degree nor skills; it'll make you more vulnerable if something bad happens.

[Tama Drummer]

Assembly line work, and some machine maintenance. Yea, nothing I could really take to another job I guess, unless I moved to another factory...

[burnout-278]

well maybe, just take a couple online classes, keep the job. no reason to rush moving out of your parents house.

[ScytheMan]

Could you go to college part time where you live? Maybe take courses online? That way you can keep up what your doing and still get the degree(or start working towards it).

[DOCTOR DEVICE]

i think a compromise would be some kind of tech school. i know about 4 in my town alone, so i don't think it'd be too challenging to find a local one. if that was the case, you can still keep up the band practice (i assume?) while learning more practical skills like Realist said.

/2 cents

[Trojan]

How many years do you have in and how many years does it take to get a pension?
Night school at a community college + online courses.

If the pension idea isn't what you are shooting for then why settle and wait longer than you planned?

[Toledo 13]

Hey Tama, this is a really tough decision. I think you need to ask yourself if you would be truly satisfied with living your life the way it is now, working this factory job for the rest of your life. I wouldn't factor your band too much into the equation, I realize music is probably a big part of your life but you can't let a band get in the way of your future. Music will always be there and there will always be people to play with (and I'm sure you can still keep in touch with your band members). If you are happy living your life the way it is for the rest of your life then live it up man. But if you think you might feel you're at a dead end sometime in the future then get your degree. Whatever decision you make I wish you the best and I hope life treats you well. Rogue Bandits for life. :cool:

[CPC]

I'm taking a break from school myself. I'm working my 3 jobs and I plan to go back at some point but as for now I'm happy as is. If you are happy doing what you are doing, be aware the college is always there for you so long as you have the desire to be there. If you have your future planned out then the power to you to do what you want. And as far as not knowing what you want to do with your life, well, that's part of what college is all about, is directing you towards things that interest you to help you answer the question. Working in the factory will not be able to do that for you.

[Caboose]

A man in my graduating class had almost 19 years of post-secondary learning under his belt. We teased him and said he was a "Professional student", and indeed he was. One of the smartest people I've ever met, photographic memory to boot.
Granted his father had a nice job with an oil company in Western Canada, so he never had an issue workingn for a year or so to bank up some money for his next class. He finally found his knack with Graphic Design, he was really good at it. But I have a feeling he was good at just about everything he did, I haven't heard from him for almost a year and a half now so who knows what he's doing now.

He was a married man who trailed a lot, he always said he never felt societies pressure to "do" something.

[meat.eater]

Right now is a good time to be going into college. When you get out in four years, the demand for college degrees is going to be very high. I kind of wish I was a year or so younger because of that, it's going to be more difficult to enter the job field in the next two years than the years after those.

[CPC]

Right now is a good time to be going into college. When you get out in four years, the demand for college degrees is going to be very high. I kind of wish I was a year or so younger because of that, it's going to be more difficult to enter the job field in the next two years than the years after those.

Ironic that I was just talking to you 2 days ago about the same topic haha.

[2xfire]

This really reminded me of this http://www.tacticsarena.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19768

:) lol

[Soda]

Become an MMA fighter.

[MokoToko]

I hear tech schools are a waste of money.

[Jeffery]

I hear tech schools are a waste of money.
Depends on the level of brains and what kind of tech.

If you're into Cosmetology, tech school is right up your alley.

[Godmic18]

Find a good college with solid programs in the fields you are even remotely interested. Get your feet wet and you'll find something to do. Just make sure you find a GOOD college. There are so many shite ones out there.

[The Butcher]

Unless you are going to be a famous musician, the last thing you need to worry about is your band. Your life/career trumps band practice any day.

[BrutalRage]

Summed up as: School now or later?

The real question is, why do you want to go to school? Don't go to school simply cause social pressure tells you that you should. You need a reason. And it certainly would be cheaper if you focused on something.

My philosophy is not like many others when it comes to schooling after high school. I hate debt. And I don't need a lot of money or stuff to be happy. But I do enjoy working with computers - programming, building them, fixing them, network setup, system administration, etc. I find it fascinating, and that is what I wanted to do with my life. So somebody should get whatever schooling is required to get a job in the area they love.

Is your passion in music? I relate. I write music. I used to be in a band. I sang and played for that band, and I sang in church choirs. Eventually my love for computers replaced the time I spent in music. But what if music was everything for me? Same principle applies. If you want a job that requires schooling, then go to school. If you want to expand your understanding of music so that you can contribute more to your band, get schooling. You can learn a lot through teaching your self, but schooling is... well... very educational. It shows you things that you might not find under your own efforts. In your shoes, I wouldn't mind doing menial labor as I pursue my true passion. Cause it isn't about money or having lots of stuff.

[A-99]

You're going to be doing something 40 hours a week, over 40 weeks a year, for probably 40 years of your life unless you change things around, so you better damn well like it. If you're doing something remotely academically related you will need a BA. That's the bottom line. A BA is now barely the minimum to get many jobs.

As to now or later, I would highly advise now. It is so much easier to complete school now while you still have somewhat of school-centric mind. If you try to go back in say, even 5 years, many issues will come into play namely motivation. You would likely have a job in 5 years with comfortable pay to get by and think you don't need any more. But if you want to support a family, you most likely will need more. Also the thought of going back to school when you're older will be much less appealing and I can guarantee that. A BA is needed for almost anything, and even if you wanted to be say a fire fighter like myself, those organizations are specifically looking for young men that are educated. The kind of degree does not matter, but the fact that they have secondary education (degree in something) and experience does.

As to having no clue for what you will do with you life, that is completely normal and as a matter of fact good. If anyone has their life planned out by 20 years of age (which is still very young) I would be (and most career planners are) concerned for you. You are still maturing and many things have yet to come into play.

I'm only 19 and I'm taking online tests to view my skills/values etc and actually am meeting with a careers person yahoo to discuss my major as I don't know what to do. Knowing what you will do at 20 years of age is extremely premature. You have a whole life in front of you. Now obviously, you can't be too carefree as nothing good will come of that, but you should be aware that it isn't too bad to not know what you're doing yet. As others have said, stick with what you love, and something will come out of it, like music. Best of luck.

[R G]

I hear tech schools are a waste of money.


I wouldn't say that at all. I know there are some tech schools that open the door for alot of successful people.....and alot of tech schools do a very good job of job placement....really just depends on the individual and what you are looking to do.

[Hoolwath]

I did not know what to do since I finished high school when I was 17 so I applied for a lot of random colleges in my state and abroad with different subjects(mathematics, management, economics, law) to see where I can get, but in the end I got everywhere so that did not help much. So I let my parents pick for me since I had no idea what I wanted to do and all I cared about was the college life and having enough money to have fun. So I did not go abroad, but stayed in my state because that means I have more money and I moved to a different city which is situated 90 kms from my parents house. I picked law in one school and economics in other, but I had to drop economics because the state was no longer willing to pay for it and paying for it myself would be expensive.

Maybe you can work something out like I did, let people with more life experience give you advice. Just make sure you do not find yourself 15 years later made redundant with barely any education and useless job experience.