Life Decision

[cookster]

So im seriously considering not going straight off to college out of high school. At first i was thinking i would get some sort of job, kick around, shoot the shit, etc. But i\'ve been looking at some other stuff. Im considering volunteering for this group in Nepal.

http://handsforhelp.org.np/index.html

I want to eventually become a teacher and i think this would be a good experience.

Im not really shure as of now and i\'d like some advice possibly from the older/wiser members. Thanks

 

[Itchy]

Not old or wise, but... man, do i want to see Katmandu! Eh, i did a year of college straight out of high school... waste of a year for me. But being you want to be a teacher you HAVE to get those degrees and credentials. Wow, i\'m a lot of help, huh?:duh:

 

[Nelson]

Well, I\'m neither older nor wiser, but I\'m in the same situation as you are...

At first, I was thinking about taking a year off school, maybe doing some travelling around the U.K. and/or doing some work to save up for university.

On the other hand, I\'ve started thinking about going to university straight out of school. The place I\'m considering has an interesting Co-op program which lets you alternate work terms with school terms; you get work experience in your field of study, and generally make far better wages than if you wre part-timing at a grocery store or something. It pays well enough that I can basically pay off my tuition as I go, and the degree is only extended by one school term.

I was also considering doing Canada World Youth after I graduated, which seems like the kind of program you\'re thinking of.

It\'s basically boiling down to whether I wanna git me some enrichment first, or whether I want to graduate at age 24 with a degree, and have my party/travel-time then.

After that, it\'s off to law school for me. That is, unless my mom can get an intervention up and running first.

Errmm, anyways, I doubt that was any help at all....self-involved rambling, more like it.

 

[Trevor]

You only get ONE shot at life, so take every opportunity you get (ok this may vary a little depending upon your beliefs, but you probably don\'t wanna risk it that you come back as a worm...)

Speaking from experience, its a good idea to take a year out after school before college or uni. You\'ll be that little bit older and if you do something like your nepal thing, have a whole lot of life experience.

If you do go straight to college, at the very least, MOVE OUT OF HOME! Seriously, get off those apron strings...

Another important point is this sort of thing can look really good on a CV especially if you make the most of it, it will make you stand out from the crowd.

I went school, uni, PhD, postdoc, postdoc and its burnt me out mentally, really should have had a break in there somewhere... ah well, live and learn

 

[supervike]

if I knew then what I know now...

I went to College straight after high school. I never made it past my sophomore year.

If I could do it all over again (which if my mad-scientist theories pan out, I may I would definately take time out and see the world. Join one of those organizations, maybe even the military.

College will be there when you return. Broadening your horizons may change what you want to do with you life.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Travel. It will probably put college into a much clearer perspective.
Look before you leap though. Dont quote me on this but I seem to remember that Nepal or the areas surrounding it can be some very dangerous territory.

 

[ipaintminis]

this may sound against the grain....

but I loved going right into college.

I couldnt have imagined it any other way.

but going into the teaching profession, i love school.

so it may different for you...

 

[Whyspyr]

I took the road less traveled and didn\'t go straight to college-I travelled! lol I spent about 5 years in the UK and Europe. When I did come back and start school I was very focused-I had seen a lot more and done some living and realized my life was going to be a WHOLE lot better with a degree. So I finished my degree in record time with a 4.0 Some people just really need to go out and live on minimum wage for a year (or 5!) and get a few things out of their system before they start College. I tended to be the oldest person in my class but that was not such a bad thing-I found my profs took me far more seriously than some of my class mates.

 

[Itchy]

Shawn R. L.\'s correct. The capital (Katmandu) has been captured by rebels and retaken by the local government many times in the past few years.

 

[No Such Agency]

Originally posted by ipaintminis
but I loved going right into college.

I couldnt have imagined it any other way.

Same here, if only because I was still used to doing school work. God help me if I\'d taken a year off to \"find myself\" (eg. backpack through Europe enjoying the beer, cathedrals and frauleins) and then had to go back to school! But I actually had little impetus to do something else, I was eager to get to university where I believed Life Would Be Better (it was).

 

[Ogrebane]

Well I definitely qualify as older but wiser Hmmm maybe in hind sight. I never went to uni I joined the military and was always going to go to uni one day. I never did and I regret that. I tell my kids tho to take 12 months of before they start uni so they can kick back for a while cause once they start uni I expect them to finish (Well I will be paying for most of it). So my advice is go travel for 12 months but stay away from the dangerous spots. Good luck.

 

[Trevor]

Another thing is, uni has to be the WORST preparation for a \"real\" job ever. I had a year when I had 4 hrs of classes a week, that was it! Talk about easy... I think you\'d probably be better off travelling, at least then you can\'t kid yourself you are working

I\'m pretty sure we were supposed to do some reading or something, but I seem to remember roleplaying, MtG, wargaming, clubbing and drinking took up far too much time for any of that, pretty remarkable I actually got a degree! lol

School is much better training for 9-5 work.

 

[vincegamer]

if I knew then what I know now...

I\'d make a lot more mistakes.

Anything you do between high school and college is deferred earnings. That means you will have to work harder or longer after college.

That said, earnings is only one measure of life, and not the best one.
Experience the world we live on, you\'ve only got one shot at it.
Besides, as you get older and/or sicker, you will not be able to do this type of thing.

 

[Starfall]

Do it.

My sister was in a Paraguay for one year. She said it\'s an experience you won\'t forget and that will broaden your horizon.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

[quote
Anything you do between high school and college is deferred earnings. That means you will have to work harder or longer after college.
[/quote]

I don\'t agree with this..Ive met more millionaires with 10th grade educations and more working poor with Doctorates than I can count. Your earnings are based solely on what you do with the education you have. Education can come from more places than just a college class room. As for skipping a year, statistics are beginning to show that students who take a year off and gather their thoughts tend to focus on college better and graduate in 4 years with good grades, where students who go into college right out of highschool with no direction tend to either drop out, change majors many times and take the 4+ year plan to finish..

Id say take the year, see the world if you can do the over seas program and figure out your goals in life.

 

[Legacy Account]

Agree totally DFD.

Deferred earnings my arse. Live your life while you are still young and unfettered with the shite that comes with getting older - mortgages, partners, kids, jobs.....

The missus has more bits of paper and letters after her name than she knows what to do with and still earns FA.

It\'ll give you time to consider what you want to do with your life as well. Making the right decision about courses is pretty important....

 

[vincegamer]

Originally posted by Dragon Forge Design

I don\'t agree with this..Ive met more millionaires with 10th grade educations and more working poor with Doctorates than I can count.

I stand by what I said and this doesn\'t disagree at all. If you start working after 10th grade, you have approximately 6 years of extra working time on the average college grad. College is also deferred earnings, i.e. you aren\'t making money. People do it because for most people by getting the degree they can start at a higher income and potentially rise higher. I\'ve known a couple millionaires who didn\'t need college, but for most people it\'s key to greater earnings.

students who go into college right out of highschool with no direction tend to either drop out, change majors many times and take the 4+ year plan to finish.

As a 4+ person (I only switched majors once, between 3rd and 4th year, best decision ever as I began dating my wife during my 5th year) I say there\'s nothing wrong with taking time to figure out what you want to do. I should also point out I worked several years at low wage odd jobs after college before figuring out I wanted to be a lawyer. Starting a career in my mid 30s with 2 mortgages already and now gobs of student loans means I have a lot of catching up to do and I\'m already half-way to retirement.
Besides, cookster already implied college was a definite, just an issue of when.

Anyway, I just think cookster should judge his own priorities and realize that a year volunteering is a year not earning/saving for retirement.
I in no way knocked the value of his option, and I think I encouraged it. Just know the costs.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

I think we all agree that enjoying life to its fullest is whats important..Adding things like education, serving ones community are all benifits. As to earning income or entering life with debts.. we all have them even me.. but I have to ask others like I ask myself now..all thoughs things that I bought and charged..did I really need them? I for one know I got my self into debt do to a sheer amount of stupidity .. but hey I had fun while I was doing it.

As to earning a income.. this only applies to viewers in the USA..tonight on 20/20 its about people who had nothing, and who made fortunes with ideas and hard work like the founders of Costco, eBay and other companies. I intend to watch as it should be interesting.

 

[finn17]

Take a break..

It really pays to make a conscious decision to get off the educational \'train\' and have a look around before getting back on again.

Just make sure that you don\'t do anything that will close doors for you..the classic ones being getting heavily into debt, getting married, getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant.

 

[petey]

Well I\'m seriously considering becoming a traditional Buddhist monk for 6 months at least when I finish my A-levels

Dont laugh