Thread: Which Path Would you Take?

After coming up with all the facts now, I must decide in 6 hrs my future and fate.

1) Working with a growing company as research/development officer
pros: free trips, training, will pay 50 k in 5 yrs, 100 k in 10 yrs, nice home, free items
cons: this becomes my life, 12 hr shifts, I must take care of the aging guy, never get the wealth

2) Going to college in my state
pros: free college
cons: I am not sure 1 is better, and college is worth it. Nothing better going on.

3) Leaving state
pros: adventures of a lifetime
cons: aging, and might make huge mistakes, no degrees

Lights,

In business I have one cardinal rule ... If I must make a decision in a hurry, then I pass on that opportunity. It is like Ben Franklin said, "Haste makes waste."

I am not a big fan of college, I don't think students get their money's worth. They consume 4- 5 years of their lives and often come away with no marketable skills. Worse, they often get a lot of "ivory tower" ideas that work against them for a long time.

One thing I have observed in life is when we limit our choices, we limit our possibilities. You only listed three choices. You actually have hundreds of choices. You just have not come up with more than three. I would rule out choice #1. It commits you to a life which will become a rut in a hurry. Limited income, lots of stress and boredom.

If you go to college and truly work to educate yourself - not rely on the college or the professors - then that might be a wise decision. Bill Gates, Michael Dell and Mark Zuckerberg come to mind with folks who did not let their college get in their way of making a fortune.

Again, I think you make a mistake in assuming that a degree is necessary for success. I know plenty of folks with PhDs who are not very successful. I also know a few high school drop-outs who are very wealthy. I do not believe there is as strong a connection between formal education and financial success as most people think.

You should also realize that no matter what happens, if you start down any of those three choices there is nothing that says you are stuck with them. You can and should be constantly evaluating your life and making choices on the best information available at the time. You do not have to get tied to your past choices.

What I normally advise people to do is to decide who you are before you decide what you want to do. There is a saying, "Be, do and then have". Decide on who you want to be, what you stand for, first. Then do what is in alignment with who you are. Then worry about having things. Most people focus on having, doing and they never answer the question about who they really are. As a result they lead a very disappointing life.

1. Don't work for a company - you have a life to live, and the entire world is waiting for you. Do not sell your time, no matter the K's.


2. Don't go to college - it wasts time and energy. It puts you on a trail that you don't control. It teaches you things you will probably never need in your lifetime. In the end college will split you out with a paper - in many situations a wortless paper.


If you really want to take college – HACK IT! You really don't need college and degrees - you need knowlege and experience. Here's what you can do:
- Choose a discipline you want to be ubermensch in, be patient and careful, take time.
- Read related internet - everything - you can do it, and in the begining - yes you won't understand. Do not worry - keep reading and understanding will come to you.
- Go to town where is located the best college of your discipline, you can find there a roof over your head and any crappy job for a living.
- Find every information about your college - are there any readings in your discipline that you can enter freely, is there a restaurant where people of your discipline eat, do they have a sport club, what they do on weekends, where they go to cinema - BE THERE - meet those men accidentially, let them know your face. In the end find a good situation when you can post them a question that they will find interesting - even by e-mail. If you work well and the question is enough high-level - you got a fish on your hook. You'll know what to do and some day they will invite you to participate in some project. Be a contact they can use when they need some help – do not be another student.


You will save the college fees, get some close contacts with experts in your discipline (that kicks forward), and save a little money from crappy job – other students are leaving colleges with a mortgage on their necks and little idea what next.


3. Do not leave state – leave your continent! Take a trip of a lifetime – you can really live and work while shifting places. It will require you minding out new things and often stepping out of comfort-zone. Do it and do not be afraid of mistakes – you will learn from them. After a few years of traveling like that you will be easily doing things that others never dream of.

Only you and you alone can decide. We don't know you, what you can do or can't do, so cannot give you any usable advice. We also don't know your age, so it is tough to know anything.

Why does it need to be either, or?