if you were in my shoes.....

[Bassboy1645]

they say a college education is important and all but the simple fact is its getting harder by the day financially...I only have 38 dollars left to pay for phone bill, utilites, gas and food until summer comes and I go to work....I work at school the max hours im allowed but its 70 dollars every 2 weeks....everything is saying to me that I should just drop out and go to work at a mediocre full time job doing something I went to college so I wouldnt have to do.......

But I have probably several thousand dollars of hunting and fishing gear and As much as I dont have the heart to get rid of it....what would you do if you were in my shoes??....

I cant find a job cuz there are none in ely and I just dont know what to do right now!!! I worked and saved soo hard in highschool to buy my truck and boat and the few guns and all of my fishing gear that I have...I just dont know of I can even think about selling that stuff! its my whole life!!!

[DinkADunk]

I wonder if MS (more S) or PhD (pile higher and deeper) will make it through the word checker?

[merganser]

Sandmannd has a good point. I joined the Navy after high school but, the only sand I saw was on all of the tours I took when we had shore leave. Granted, the hotel I stayed in in Tel Aviv has since been blown to pieces, but standing at the pyramids in Egypt was pretty cool. I hunted and fished all of the time when I was in high school and did not have enough money to pay for college. So, I did my duty and served our country and let uncle sam pay my way. Most of the guys I was in college with were struggling to make ends meet. I had a duck boat, a fishing boat, a motorcycle, a pickup truck and a Honda Prelude... I didn't have to work every spare minute I had, in fact I went fishing 3 or 4 times a week during college. One Wisconsin game warden didn't believe I was in school 'cause I was always out fishing. So, stay in school if you are already there, and if you are pre-college aged, give the military some thought. The Air Force and Navy won't put you in Osama's cross hairs. I think the important message that everyone is making is that no matter what it takes, stay in school/go to school and get your degree. If you want the truth, school is cheap.... It's getting married and having kids that is expensive...

[Bassboy1645]

I knew college was goign to be expensie and as a junior in highschool the national guard was a great idea...except I cant pass the hearing test at meps...I was born almost half deaf audio grams put me 25% loss in each ear...I kinda wished I woulda cheated on the test it would have been easy! but I know asmatics who cheated through the meps process and the army looked up medical records from when they were little and discharged them. My lil bro is army reserve at 17 yrs old....he got in trouble when he was 12 for smashing pumpkins on halloween...it wasnt ever on his record supposedly but uncle sam wanted to know about this little detail....

But on the goodnews I was able to double my work hours at school and that was a big help for me...but now i hafta go to work so i can afford to keep my stuff..

[Lusid]

School first, toys later.

I'm now 24, 2years out of college, with around 23k in school loans, the after years of when you repay your loans isn't all that bad. I graduated in accounting, got a job in a week when i looked lol, i did take a 3month vacation after school And i buy random fishing gear every month np.

lusid

andy

[CapnJack]

 Originally Posted By: cold one sd

It can be done later if things don't work out at this time. I became an Electronics Technician when I was 58 years old. I guess an old dog really can learn new tricks. Going back to school as an old coot can be a bit trying though. An education sure can't hurt ya.

I hear ya COLD ONE. I've been a cabinet maker for the last 26 years and I just got back from Autocad class. A little intimidating at first but now I'm having a blast!

[fisherdog19]

Stay in school, you'll be glad you did. You have the rest of your life to get better equipment, and enjoy life. Finish school, get a decent job and enjoy your money.

[ChuckN]

Bassboy-

You sound a lot like me when I was a student in Ely. I can definitely relate! I didn't have much....little money, no boat, no truck, but I did have an old beater snowmobile and a car to get me around for adventures in Ely. That's all I needed, but really, I was there to concentrate on school and finish in 4 years.

I reached my goal, finished school rather quickly, I worked hard and found a great career shortly after graduation. It took some time to buy the toys I wanted, but looking back today, there is great satisfaction in the route I took.

You are on the right track. It sucks to have to consider selling possessions, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Keep your head high and stay in school.

[CJH]

Stick to it. I managed to make it through a very expensive college with very little financial aid/scholarships (about the same as you). Take out the loans, work every hour you can, and don't throw your money away. (I worked 30-40hr + per week my senior year) Study hard, buy a case of cheap beer with your buddies every once in a while and you should be good to go.

Sell the boat, as you won't have time for it if you truly commit yourself anyway. I never went on a spring break or anything, since I couldn't afford it. But its a sacrifice you have to make. I now have a house, nice truck, get to travel (including fishing trips), a great wife and a kid on the way, and life is good.

Make the sacrifice now and you will be rewarded when you are done. You will have time to do all the fun stuff later, including things you never thought you would be able to do. And hopefully, you will be able to help your kid out when its there time, which is exactly what I intend to do.

Good Luck!

CJH

[Down Deep]

This is a great time to be young and ready to join the job market. In MN over 45 % of the jobs will open up in the next 10 years. These jobs are not at the local mall or ice cream shop they are in health care, government, education, senior management, IT and all the skilled trades. The future is bright for the young person who can see the future and prepares.

Forsaking training and a bright future for a few grand worth of gear and a gas hog truck is very short sighted and self-defeating. Whack the gear down to a fishing rod, tackle box and canoe and buy a 30 MPG 10 year old car. Stay in school and be prepared to reap the benefits.