boy, talking about decisions! alright, need some advice. i am faced with this dilema of either starting college full time in august or starting a job this summer, what would some of you all do or advise?

for the specifics of the situation, i am 30 years old, just out of the military last august after 9 years in. i havn't worked since, i have a nice well paying job waiting for me right now($30 an hour starting) but it takes me out of town alot which i don't like which in turn doesn't allow me to go to school part time even.

or i can just live poorly and use my GI Bill and go to school to get my degree and get a job doing something more in tune in which i want, which i don't even know yet.

or try finding a decent job that doesn't require travel and go to school part-time, which will take longer to get a degree.

i guess the thing is......if i can get a job that pays well, is a degree so nessasary for me not to go? i would hate to realize i made the wrong choice a few years from now.

plus the money can come in handy right now, but i would hate for current greed to cloud my thoughts for a succesful future.

this is a prob my wife and i are debating about everyday, any advice is welcomed. thank you.

 

$30/hr is a lot to give up. It isn't greed, either. You have a family to support and you need a job, correct? College is something that you decided to do- for your future. Even though $30/hr is a pretty good living, is a degree something that you want?

For me, the degree is important for the aspect of my personal pride, my goals. I could probably get a decent enough paying job to not need the degree, but I want the Sheep Skin, so I continue to go- 2 classes at a time. I am currently enrolled in Strayer University, which allows me to do all my classes online (asynchronous, which means I log in and do the work and take the tests on my own schedule). They treat military very well; I have not paid one dime in tuition (Navy still has tuition assistance, and Strayer has what they call the military scholarship, which pays the remainder of the tuition not covered by TA). When my annual TA allotment runs out, I will use my GI bill, and Strayer will still cover the rest. This is my 3rd term and my only expenses so far have been books.

 

I'd suggest furthering your education in something that you want/like to do. It sucks doing a job that you don't like even if the pay is good....

 

The longer you wait, the harder it gets.

Find a way to do the college as fast as you can to minimize down time.

$30/hour is great, but in many cases, without the degree, you "top out" in some organizations and can advance no farther. (right or wrong, that's the way it is...)

Besides, if the US is to maintain leadership in the world, we need engineers, scientists, chemists, biologists, software and computer experts, and business managers to turn things around and keep them going.

We don't need more lawyers, so if law school was in the plans, stick with the $30 per hour, please.....

 

Well, I'm currently doing both. 25 and single though. I went to college full time right out of high school at a place that offered a co-op, or work-study program. Basically, it was 6 months of school, then 6 months of class. One of those worked out real well, and I opted to take it, as opposed to hoping the job would still be there in 6 months. I now take classes at night, 2 a week.

My schedule is: gym by 6am, work by 8 until about 4 (on the nights I have class) and then I'm home by 10, 9:30 if I'm lucky. It's a lot, but like I said, I don't think I have the obligations that you do. It gets to be draining, but, in order to get all of the credit hours in in one class, it needs to be long (4 credit hours = four, one-hour classes a week or 1 four hour class). Now, they're night classes obviously, and all of the students in the class work, and some of our teachers work during the day as well, so sometimes we'll have an easy term because everyone wants to go home, but not always. I started in the Fall of 1999, and I think I should graduate by the Fall of 2007 (don't forget to count a few terms of re-do's...I pledged a fraternity and mis-prioritized for a bit ) If you're going to do it, be prepared for the long haul in some cases.

There is also something called E-Learning at Drexel. It sounds like a sweet deal, especially for the traveller since all you really need is a laptop, but I did hear that some of them can be kind of intense.

 

If your dream is to do a job that requires a degree, get the degree.

 

Not an easy one, is it? Put into perspective, $30/yr in E Tennessee is like making $65/hr out here, after you factor in cost of living. The hard part is figuring out a job with a degree that'll pay as well- in that part of the country.

there's always PlanB- work for awhile, save your pennies, and do a mid-life career change. I'm seeing a lot of that going on, and it's not that bad of a deal. just something else to think about.

 

I say get your degree. Once you have it, no one can ever take it away. That can't be said about a $30 job.

 

I was in a similar position some years back. I had just left the Army after just over 9 yrs (Sound familiar so far?!!). But I had actually left the Army to go to college, so there was no dilemma. I can't tell you whether to get the degree or not, but if you're motivated to go to college now, go. Once you end-up in a full-time job it may not be that easy to go back to school. Get a degree in whatever you want, it may or may not have anything to do with what you finally end up doing. You will learn far more in college than just what your degree is in. In fact, most of the credits you'll need to graduate will be core classes and have very little to do with your degree. But I guarantee you that you will come out with skills (and a degree) that will make you much more employable and put you in the running for higher paying positions.

 

Get the $30/hr job and take distance learning classes...maybe one class a semester which should not wear you out.

I just got the chance to get a bachelors degree last fall that goes with the PTech degree I got.

Right now, I have to weigh working 12-hour rotatings or find a job or two to get me through another year.

I sure don't want to work at a plant forever and I want to get my degree done ASAP, but there aren't a lot of $20+/hour entry level jobs out there, so if I turn down anything...it's getting tough to find flexible jobs that pay well enough to get me by.

I had talked to my department chair and she even let me know that I would have been able to do school while working offshore, just as long as I check in every so often. Of course, I didn't get the okay from my boss (he did a 180 for whatever sudden reason) to go to school to get my Mate's license, so I'm back on land.

 

Having "finished" college myself (twice, now!), I'd normally vote in favor of a degree....but I'm thinking, take the $30/hour, study what you can when you can, and save some of that back for when the job runs out and you can go to school full-time. Just make sure you save part of it....

 

To me bird in hand is hard to turn down. With wireless technology now even if you do a lot of traveling you could still do online courses. It would be hard, but probably worth it. Some companies will also help with expenses. By taking the schooling you would be keeping your options open yet for advancement within the company. If the job would later go south you would still be in a position to use the GI bill help with you education and hopefully you would have made a effort to save a set amount of that $30. an hour for hard times. If you are the type that can set yourself goals that you will make yourself do the courses and continue them then I would think that it would work for you. I would rather be making good money and maybe take a little longer getting the education than scrape by and get an education. However it all depends on how bad you think it would be and what is right for you. Have you talked to the company about what they might do to help with expenses or maybe working with you to be able to take a local course, or what the chances of advancement would increase with the education?

 

An education is something that no one can take away from you for sure. However the money ($30 per hour) is not bad either....I have a college education, and just between us....I have never made that kind of money. On the other hand my sons have made a lot more money than I ever did. One got a good job with some college education, but the other had little....Of course he started at the bottom and worked his way up....which was the way he wanted it.....Tough decision....It is a decision you have to make for sure....Maybe take it to a higher power....Good Luck....!

 

thanks for the responses, and this is a tough decision, i approached the company program manager(the person hiring) today and expressed my concerns about the situation. he shot back with $38 and a real nice 2006 f350 6.0 as a company truck. but then we got down to talking and understanding my concerns the company is looking into a co-op? type thing he said, pretty much they will see if they pay me to go to school for a few years till i get my degree then i am obliged to work with the company 3 years after graduation. they pay $16 an hour while going through school and my retirment and insurance start right away. i have to pay for the school though.

but thats is where i am at with this company right now, i have to go over there tomorrow for some more talking and more official talking.

jeez, decisions decisions!!!!!!!! it was an easier decision to join the Navy!

 

That's serious money there..... and a degree isn't a guarantee of better. I like the both option.