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to be or not to be the best you can be
I'm a 20 year old just out of high school last year who decided to "take a year off" which is a deceptive way of saying do nothing for a year for most as it was for me. Now I'm faced with actually pursuing an education and future career. I have considered at length joining the army recently and have only hinted a few times at it to my family and friends. Up until a year ago I was quite dedicated to writing and becoming an English major in attempt to write for a living, but since that time, I have lost all passion for the written word and I really hunger to work in a more hands on manner. I've been accepted into a fairly prestigious college and have some, now inconvenient obligations to friends and family to go. I hope from this post I can get some advice, insight on the two options and find a way to approach this problem in the manliest way possible. Thanks chaps!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shane on -
Unless you've taken money, you have no obligations to go to school. You're a grown man, do what you want.
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Permalink Reply by Trenton Willman on -
I've taken money from my grandparents for the last five years with the understanding I would go to college afterwards.
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Permalink Reply by Rick Shelton on -
It's simple really, you made the deal with your grandparents and you need to live up to it. That's the only manly way to do it. Go to college, get your degree and THEN join the military. You'll be 24/25 when you're done and still below the cut-off threshold for military, which is 36 last I checked.
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Permalink Reply by Preston on -
Based on what I have gleaned from the info have have shared, it doesn't seem like the Army would fit your personality. College can be a good place to try things and figure out what fits you. ROTC will give you a taste (very small) of the military if you want to try it out.
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Permalink Reply by Euan Milne on -
Go to college and join some of the clubs there, there will surely be some that cater for what you want in terms of hands on activities. Also, remember it is your life so if it doesn't seem like it's working out at college then you can leave, you are not obliged to stay!
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Permalink Reply by StaggerLee on -
Why did you lose your passion for writing? Is it really loss of passion or intimidation because it is a tough row to hoe?
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Permalink Reply by Trenton Willman on
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I suppose it could be a bit of the latter. I just didn't write for a long time, then when I tried to pick up the pen again it just didn't flow like it once did. It became more of a chore.
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Permalink Reply by StaggerLee on
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No matter what you do, parts of it are going to be a tedious bore. If you need to crank out a simple booster story; no pressure, any topic, any length, and no big deal if you start and don't finish, consider submitting to this site.
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Permalink Reply by David F. on -
Advice is as follows.
Go to school.
Picking a Major - Go to school take the science level prerequisites. What I mean by this is if they have physics for non-science/engineers or physics for engineers take the engineering one. Find what you enjoy working at and is interesting to you. Skip the” find a passion for your work” idea. Take a hard look at the different disciplines. Accounting may end up being good, or Engineering or some Science. You don’t have to love it but you must like it. Base your choice on four things.
- If that major leads most commonly to careers that can support and provide your whished for lifestyle. Doctors make bank but work long hours etc.
- Your interest in the subject. You simply need to enjoy it enough to put in the hours to know the subject.
- Your GPA capability in that major. GPA is the first filter does not mater if you love the subject if your GPA drops you out of HRs candidate list.
- Recruiting at that school for that major. Do good paying employers come to your school to recruit for that major.
GPA is the first filter - Big advice from a lesson I learned the hard way. Your GPA is your biggest test. How you manage to get and keep as close to a 4.0 is a major factor in starting your career. After the first job not so much but for the first job it does.
Work at it like work - You took a year off. Good for you. So Man up, approach school like a job, put the hours in. Learn how to study if you don’t know. Use the professors office hours. I used to calculate how much tuition was paid for a class as a whole to remind myself that the professors job was to help me learn. Note they are not teachers, their job is to help you learn.
Learn it - It is up to you to teach yourself. If you can’t handle a required subject get a tutor. Also if you can handle a subject Tutor, it helps solidify your knowledge.
Debt - If you can minimize your debt great! But the debt is a loan from your future self to allow you to make money later. Don’t waist it with bad grades and don’t waist it with a degree that will not get you the money to pay off the loan later.
Recreation / Travel – Summers are a good time to travel the world if you can afford to. During the school year pick a time of the week to not study etc and actively enjoy that down time. Not laze about, go out on real dates, play games etc. I did historical reenactment.
Stress Management – Have and use a day scheduler system, on line or paper whatever but make it your master guide for the week. Schedule gym time to work off the stress or court time with friends. I did Yoga and Rowing.
Military – If you want to go military do that after college and go ROTC, you go in as an officer and you have a degree to fall back on if you don’t like it.
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Permalink Reply by Trenton Willman on
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Very helpful. Thanks a lot.
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Permalink Reply by Jess Levens on -
Join the Army as a journalist. I served as a Marine journalist, and I loved it. It really catapulted my career after the military too. The training you will get will put you almost halfway to a bachelor's degree in journalism, and you can go to school for free while you're in. Afterward, you get the GI Bill, which is AMAZING post 9/11. You will LOVE it.
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