Saturday, March 3, 2018

Thinking about going to college

It's that season, at least for high school seniors.  College is expensive as all get out.  A four year degree can cost $100,000.  Uncle Sam will loan you all that money, but you have to pay it back.  Declaring personal bankruptcy won't get you out of your college loan.  Most of us go to college to get a degree that leads to a good job.  This only works if you graduate.  If you don't graduate, you get nothing, except debts. 
    Time to ask yourself, do I have the stick-to-it-tivness to make it all the way to graduation?   How do you feel about schoolwork, really?  Does doing a term paper seem like fun?  Or a hateful torment?  Is reading a good history book fun? Or utterly boring?  How is your high school academic record?  College work is about like high school work.  If you are just scraping by in high school, college will be four more years of the same.
     Instead of launching into a doubtful college experience right after high school, think about doing something else after high school and then doing college later.  Think about enlisting in the armed services.  You will learn a lot of useful stuff, the GI benefits after I left the service paid for my electrical engineering degree, and employers like to hire veterans.  Think about getting a job, just about any kind of job.  After doing kindergarten followed by grades 1 thru 12 schoolwork can get old.  Try a change of pace by working.
   For that matter think about skilled jobs, welder, electrician, plumber, CNC operator, electronics tech, machinist, long haul trucker, lineman, heavy equipment operator.  They all pay well, as well as most college degree jobs.  If working with your hands in appealing to you,  give it a try. 

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