What should I do with my life????
 

Ok I have a big decision in my life that I need some input on. My friend offered me a job at Best Buy World Headquarters. Currently I am going to school for Industrial Networking/PLC's I already have an associates degree in computer science. My friend wants me at the end of the Semester (December 18th) to drop out of school (I would still get all my credits from the first semester) He says I can start at $35k a year. What I am going to school for can potentially start at anywhere from $50k to $75k a year. I live with my friend in the same house so we could car pool and it would be easy to go from back and forth. So what should I do? Take the job? Or finish up my schooling? Thanks

Stay in school. Instant gratification won't last as long as doing it right.

Let's see, easy money now or delayed gratification. It's tougher than it sounds.

There is a lot to be said for starting in the corporate world early. You have an offer now, there is no guarantee you will have any offers after you graduate.

However, you started school expecting a better opportunity when you finished. I think it depends on how much you still believe in your original dream. If you now think your chances are better getting an early start on the climb up the corporate ladder, but from a lower starting rung, then go for it. Otherwise, stick to your original plan.

echo boco...

I totally agree with boco and peetster, finish up school now -- it's gonna be much harder to go back to school once you're working. School's a lot more fun too, and 35k may sound like a lot right now but it's not that much at all in the IT & networking industries -- you can do a whole lot better, especially once you have that degree. So I'd say definitely stay in school....good luck with whatever you choose!

Education is your best bet.

When you finish you will have a nice shiny brand new dergee that you can hang on your wall...


Then go get a job at the Gap.

Stay in school. By the time you graduate, the economy will be in much better shape and you'll find a job that pays more than a measly $35K per year. Be patient, Grasshopper.

Stay in school for sure.

Maybe you could get contract work from your friend so you could work as well?

What's more, with the economy on the rebound, the job market will be heating up bigtime by the time you're out of school. A degree that promised $60k would have been a JOKE three or four years ago--there's not a chance you'd have gotten hired. But that's headed for a turnaround, and getting yourself educated to hit the job market in a year or two sounds like smart money to me.

I would do both...take the job and take a few credits on the side. Even if it took you an extra year it'd still be easier to have cash flow early in your life to establish yourself. Just my opinion

Yes, of course, you can do both, just as Holo said.

You will be replaced in the job by a lower wage employee.

With schooling, you become more of an asset - less of a "tool" ;)

I think you know what to do ...

Here's a little worksheet to help you make this important decision:

1. Is your name Bill Gates?
2. Is your friend's name Paul Allen?
3. Will this opportunity give you a chance to entirely redefine the technological landscape of the world and make you proportionally wealthy as a result?

For every "yes" answer, give yourself one point. If you have 3 points, then you should definitely drop out and go for the job.

Otherwise, for the love of all that is right in this world, stay in school!

i am a college drop out because of a situation similar to yours...

there are only a few people from my circle of friends that have salaries that surpass mine. however, since i don't have a degree there are certain ceilings that i have learned i have to accept, such as becoming a vice president, since most positions require an MBA at least.

if you can, take the job, and continue to school either via correspondence program or on line. If you can fit it into your schedule, take ONE course a semester. It may seem like it's going to be forever until you get your degree, but it's more than not going at all.

Every year, I hem an haw about returning back to school. Earlier in the year, I finally took an online course for Project Management, and hopefully I will take more courses in the future. But it's at least a start after 13 years of not going to school.

35,000 sounds like a lot of money....it's almost the media income of a US Household (43,000 according to census records) Think about what lifestyle you want to live ultimately. If you want you wife to stay home and raise a family, or own a certain car, have a certain size home, travel, etc.

Finish your schooling. $35k may sound like a lot right now, but what happens when you no longer work for best buy? Chances are you will not work with one employer until you retire. That does not happen anymore. Sure, you'll have some experience but no degree. You will not even be considered for many good jobs unless you have a degree. The short term money will make your life worlds harder in the long term.

The thing to with the deal is that if I did get the job I would have jack shit to do with my money besides gas and $233 a month for rent (minus insurance cellphone bill...) My friend who works for there started at 35k a year and now is up to 47k a year after only two years of working there. The thing that gets me really interested in this job is the idea where I can climb up the ladder really fast. I sorta want to get the job just so I can start saving up money.

What happens when you loose your job, quit or decide to move on? You will have difficulty competing against people who have both the experience and the education. Your lack of a degree would put you at a serious disadvantage.

If you do drop out of school, you might look into something like the university of pheonix to continue working towards your degree while you work. This will be a lot of work though.

What would you be saving the money for?

To take the job now is to condemn your future. Anyone who tells you otherwise has highschool or less ...

Look: being educated is the trend right now .. and because of this trend, any decent job in the future will _require_ that you have some formal post-secondary education.

Think of it as investing in your brain.

I would go to school and than go for the big bucks.

I think that settles it, really. You don't need this money now. So why get it? You seem to be in a financially stable situation. Getting an education will help to guarantee that for the rest of your life. This job will only guarantee that for the duration of the job.

Anyways,....

Take the job. One reason. You'll be pissed when you finish school and find out your boss has half the knowledge but makes twice the money. Besides school is always there. Make some cash,gain invaluable experience not to mention the contacts, and do what you do.

I think that settles it.







.

Stay in school. You said yourself you dont need the money.... Sure, you have this job, but when get fired/layed off/quit, then what? No one will want to hire you because you will have no degree.

I also think you should go back to school, because it will increase your long-term income and job stability, and because you don't seem to have any pressing short-term needs.

Eh, if you get a chance to work at the best buy world HQ, i'd go for it, you can always go back to school, and you could probably move up on that chain very quickly. Also, you could attend 1 night class or something, best of both worlds. And you still have an associates degree. Also, 35k is nothing to laugh at! I'd go with the job myself, best buy isnt going to go away(bankrupt) anytime soon, so its secure.

It'll be harder to learn when you're older. School may always be there, but your brain won't.

$35K is peanuts in the United States. Even $50-75K is not really a lot of money. Comfortable living, yes.

And then there's what other people said... what if you find you hate your job and quit? Nowadays it's hard to get any decent job without a degree.

School is, imho, your best bet. It gives you more choices later in life too.

i think you should stay in school.
finish what you start. its good for the soul.

I'd only recommend the job if you were using it as a bridge to financial security for the remainder of your education, plus some real-world experience that enriches your education. Long-term, it's a dead end; past a certain point, all advancement will go to the guys with the degrees. And like others said, the money only sounds good because you're young and have zip living expenses. If you want to make anything of your life, those expenses won't stay low.

Well i have finally made a decision and I belive it is the best of both worlds....I looked at my next semester schedule and I have tuesdays and thursdays off...so I could part time and when I graduated I could probably work full time.....I'm gonna apply and see what they give me for options...from what my friend told me they are extremely flexible which makes me very happy...and if i work my ass off i can prove my value...and if I only work part time that would still look damn good on a resume...

If I where, which I'm not. I would just get a good job make up some money then go backt o school full-time!

Thats what I did. But if you find yourself out of school more than a year chances are you wont go back.

I agree with Sho Nuff, the older you get, the harder it is to get back into school. Do it while you are young and you will thank yourself for making the right decision. I am thanking myself now for getting through school, just wish I went straight into a Master's program back then.......now it is difficult to set time aside for it because of new responsibilities and such....

Good luck!

I agree with the work and school group. If you are at "corporate headquarters", it would suggest that you would get benefits - health insurance, etc. Most large companies have tuition reimbursement plans also. Not only are you making money, but they are paying for you to go to school.

Good to hear that you are taking the job part-time.

finish school. You'll be much happier and the job will be there when you're ready.

My old boss said it best to me a few years ago.

"The days of working for one company for your whole life, and retiring with a gold watch are over. Today, the name of the game is building a resumé impressive enough that when you find yourself looking for some reason, you won't go hungry"

When you find yourself looking in a few years, what's going to look better on a resumé? Dedication in a mid level job, or a degree/diploma? I'm not saying the education is worth more than hands on experience in the real world (I don't think it is, but that's another story), but like it or not that's what many employers like to see, and look for first.

If you don't need the cash today, then don't let your studies fall behind. That degree or diploma is worth FAR more on your resumé in the future.

Yeah patience is the key. You may regret it if you don't go back to school.

I would go get the job. I figure you can pull in the dough and bank a lot of it. Put as much as you can safely away and you can use it for house downpayment later or retirement, etc. I would get the full-time job. If you can get a 1/2 time job and still maintain a full course load then I guess that would be ok. I would only get the full time job if you promised yourself, and didn't go back on it, that you would take 1/2 course load continuously until you got degree. There are many online degrees from good universities. 9-5 plus 3-4 hours each night and you would have decent job, lots of savings and degree in a few years. Jobs are not growing on trees.