The-J
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(meta post) What we need, as a forum and as a community, is a guide to help people make big decisions like this.
Wait a minute... we actually totally do have that. (WOW) The Weighted Average Decision Matrix (WADM) is a commonly used tool that has been adapted by MJ to help people make large decisions.
So here are your choices, Alex:
Then, come up with what I like to call "lifestyle criteria". These are things you care about that would be different if you decided to take one path versus another.
Some sample criteria: expected cost, proximity to family, expected salary, opportunity to travel, expected fulfillment, ability to build a business while doing it, expected likelihood of failure (lower number = higher likelihood), access to women to meet.
Ultimately you're going to want to come up with these criteria on your own. Come up with LOTS of them, the more the better.
From there, you rate each decision with respect to each criteria on a scale of 1 to 10. Then, add up all of the numbers. The one with the highest score wins, even if it's by a slim margin.
This exercise will take several hours if done thoughtfully.
But that's not the end. The last thing you're going to do is close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen to your gut feeling. Does your gut feeling match the score? If so, congrats: you've chosen a path for the next 4-6 years.
If not, then get out of your chair and do something else for a bit to take your mind off the decision. Then come back to it. If your gut feeling hasn't changed, then let your gut decide. If it has, then let the highest number go.
"But two of my decisions have the same score!"
Add more criteria as a tie breaker.
Now, OP, are you going to ask Internet strangers to help decide your life's trajectory for you, or are you going to use this very powerful tool that's in the damn book in order to blaze your own path?
Wait a minute... we actually totally do have that. (WOW) The Weighted Average Decision Matrix (WADM) is a commonly used tool that has been adapted by MJ to help people make large decisions.
So here are your choices, Alex:
- Forego college and work a job while learning a specialized skill
- Go to college with the intent of learning a specialized skill barred by an education requirement
- Join the military (SF i assume means special forces)
Then, come up with what I like to call "lifestyle criteria". These are things you care about that would be different if you decided to take one path versus another.
Some sample criteria: expected cost, proximity to family, expected salary, opportunity to travel, expected fulfillment, ability to build a business while doing it, expected likelihood of failure (lower number = higher likelihood), access to women to meet.
Ultimately you're going to want to come up with these criteria on your own. Come up with LOTS of them, the more the better.
From there, you rate each decision with respect to each criteria on a scale of 1 to 10. Then, add up all of the numbers. The one with the highest score wins, even if it's by a slim margin.
This exercise will take several hours if done thoughtfully.
But that's not the end. The last thing you're going to do is close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen to your gut feeling. Does your gut feeling match the score? If so, congrats: you've chosen a path for the next 4-6 years.
If not, then get out of your chair and do something else for a bit to take your mind off the decision. Then come back to it. If your gut feeling hasn't changed, then let your gut decide. If it has, then let the highest number go.
"But two of my decisions have the same score!"
Add more criteria as a tie breaker.
Now, OP, are you going to ask Internet strangers to help decide your life's trajectory for you, or are you going to use this very powerful tool that's in the damn book in order to blaze your own path?
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