elian gonsalez

I'm entering my senior year in high school and the college talk is at high intensity. At EVERY family gathering, and during every dull moment during a conversation someone ends up asking me what i'm doing for college. I probably get asked 10 times a week- "Any Plans for college?" Then I realize..

i have absolutely no idea what, or where i'll study.

Correct me if im wrong, but college seems to be where you choose what you'll be doing for the rest of your life. Most people just end up working from there on in, in the same city, in the same field until they die. This bothers me quite a bit because frankly i dont want to choose the rest of my life at this point in time.

Then one day i came across an interesting idea, and told it to my parents to get a rouse out of them... and because i was actually interested in how they would respond. I told them that instead of going to your average 4 year college, i would take the money that i have saved up, and take out a loan just like i would for college, but then i would take this money and i would travel to as many different places in the world as i could go. I would meet as many people from various professions, various cultures, and various walks of life. I would develop my perspective on the world, and grow up a little bit. I would stay away from tourist crap and my american stereotype and try to get to meet and enjoy life with as many people as i could. The problem is, afterwards, i'm not sure where this would land me... I'm a pretty smart guy and i can teach myself quite a bit... but it seems like this trip would be crazy enough to get my eyes open to life and possibly find a good niche to make some $$ in too....

...am I nuts?

Corneo

How do you plan to make money if your basically travelling every where?

elian gonsalez

well that would be temporary... i would have enough to keep me funded until the end of it

afterwards, who knows, id probably find a job

tiltedbc

Nice idea but it's nothing new. "Blowing the wad" of your parents cash and going into debt isn't such a great thing when it's over with either. Debt is a form of slavery if you really think about it. Avoid it at all costs! (nice pun).

I'd suggest... pick out a short-term learning program aimed at a specific job that you can do anywhere in the world. Hairdressing, cooking and bartending are just a few examples but there's plenty more. The key point is that you can get the training and into a job in less time than college will take, plus you'll have some skills to take on the road with you. After you've worked at least 6 months to develop some noticable skill...

Then you go travelling and learn about life. I met a couple from Australia that were travelling all through Europe and working as they went. They'd show up at each hostel and announce that they'd cut hair for $5 and make enough for their stay. They did pretty well from what I saw over a span of about a week in Greece. Eventually you'll burn out on that lifestyle and want regular sex and a nice car...

Then you can come back and go to College and get the degree for a "real" career making the big bucks. Now is the time to invest in an education because maybe you'll know what you want to do. Use your "back-up" career to help finance your college education besides the dreaded loans; cut hair at night and tell stories of your amazing adventures...

Stare At The Sun

When you go to college, you'll meet plenty of people, and experiance plenty of things.

In 20 years, you'll be happy you went, thats what I keep telling myself anyways...

shakran

Well there's two possibilities here:

1) You're lazy and don't wanna work - ever.

OR

2) You know already that being chained to a desk job would suck and can't imagine spending your working life doing that.

If it's 1, then go to a vocational school and find something easy to do that will let you earn a living.

If it's 2, then go to college, do NOT declare a major - just take core courses - and make sure you take a course in every subject you might possibly have an interest in. You might be surprised where it takes you. I started out as a music major, but graduated with a journalism degree, got a job shooting news for a TV station, and since that first day I have yet to feel like I'm working when I go to work. You've just gotta find that job that you LOVE doing and you'll never work a day in your life.

onetime2

Well, your assumptions about what people do in and after college are a bit off the mark. The average worker can expect to change careers something like 3 to 5 times in their lives. Just based on the number of friends I had in college I will say that 1 out of every 2 or 3 students will change majors during their undergraduate course of study. If you throw in how many changed when they went to grad school that number probably becomes >2 out of 3.

You are far from locked into anything in or out of college. Travelling certainly sounds good in principle but in practice it is unlikely that it will help you get a job or support a family (if those are future goals for you).

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elian gonsalez

thanks for the replies,

tiltedbc- Interesting idea, i'll give that some thought.

shakran- I dont mind working hard, if its worthwhile work. I worked construction for my grandpas company last year, being payed zero for 10 hour days, just because i respect him enough. I think i'll probably do something along those lines.

ForwardtoDeath

I was thinking of the same thing for a little while, but then i realized that while it may be fun and may have been a great experience, college would have more benefits for me in the long run. I have no clue what I want to study or major in, but isnt that the point of college? To experiment with different things and find something that interests you. Also, most colleges give their students the option to study abroad, so you can go almost anywhere in the world while in college and have a similar experience, I would look into that if I were you.

stonegrody

Go to college, man. You'll meet plenty of people and you will still have time to travel and learn new things later on. You don't have to decide what you want to do with your life right now but it would be good to continue your education while you still have the momentum. Sure, college isn't all fun but it will pay off in the long run. 4 years now for a lifetime of better opportunities.

TM875

You do realize that no one -NO ONE- will hire you for a "worthwhile" job without at least a bachelor's degree. It doesn't matter how many awesome countries you visit, how many friends you make, how many thai prostitutes you pick up...you will not make over $40K a year without a degree. And that's just in today's world. By the time you get to be 25, I doubt anyone will hire you unless you have a Master's.

Dude, I've known a couple of people who've done what you just described. One is a produce clerk at a local supermarket. The other, he's still in the mail room. Suck it up, go to college, and deal with the reality of life.

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Kid_Karysma

I have a degree in Engineering

or

I saw the Eiffel Tower


Who would you hire?

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Sargeman

How would you take out a loan if you have no way of paying it back. Or are you saying that your parents would take it out for you?

I don't agree with tm875 that "NO ONE" will hire you without a college degree. I don't have a college degree and have been working for this government job for about 7 yrs now and I make more than 40k. I started off at the mid 30's.

But if you really wanna do some travelling and exploring and get a "trade" there's always the military. That military experience is worth a lot to many employers.

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Cynthetiq

not so nuts... i do know of a few people that did that AFTER college.

How old are you? While I'm not a college grad and I make a good living and have a good job, I'm lucky. I do have other non college grad friends who don't and weren't so lucky.

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TM875

Sargeman, did you start in the military? I was amiss, I forgot to mention that the military is also a very good and quite acceptable alternative to college. However, speaking the way this kid did, I doubt that he really would be willing to follow such a course.

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alkaloid

You said you don't have any idea where or what you will study. A lot of college Freshmen feel that way, and that doesn't prevent them from going. If you want to travel, you can travel during summer break, or take a semester or two off.

How are your grades and test scores? What kind of colleges can you get into if you decided to go? Did your parents go to college? Many people I know were so well embedded in the system that they simply could not fathom life where one does not go to college.

Meier_Link

Unless the college money they will give you and what you have saved will get you at least 4 years of traveling, I'd go to college. Once you're out of college you'll really have to start working and face the world. Why rush it?

rukkyg

If you travel around the middle east (dodging weapons fire and suicide bombers), you might end up with a pretty good job in clandestine servies with the CIA or NSA. Of course they want a bachelor's degree too.

Sargeman

Yes, I did. I was an electronics technician on a submarine in the Navy. When I posted resumes and filed job applications many wanted either some kind of bachelor's or masters degree or 5 years of military experience. Unfortunately, I only had four years of actual on the job experience.

That's okay though because I got this job in my hometown and make a pretty good living at it.

Refineries are also pretty good jobs if you are fortunate enough to get one. After a couple of years of working there many make over $20/hr and get lots of overtime.

However, all that being said, I definitely recommend either going to college or going into the military. You can also go into the military after you get a college degree and you will be in as an officer. More money, more responsibilty, but more benefits of being an officer.

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la petite moi

Nwlinkvxd's dad only has his high school diploma and he makes nearly 200k a year. (And he wasn't in the military.)

Anyway, I agree with all these guys that you need to just tough it out and find something in college that appeals to you. Try a small community college first and find some classes you like. Then go on to the big school (university) to get your Bachelor's degree.

micah67

I second la petite moi's suggestion: community college. You can get your GE classes done with for a fraction of the price and expose yourself to many more options for a career. Keep in mind, you don't have to lock yourself into a career now - many people I know got their degree in one field only to go on and work others. My dad, for example, got his degree in Poli Sci. He got his doctorate in Geography. I was a Theater Arts major (TV/Film). Now I'm a Unix sys admin... Diverse exposure is the key.

I'd strongly discourage you from doing the world tour at this point. It sounds like fun, but think of the long term costs. An option would be to study abroad. Many universities offer a study abroad program where you spend your junior year at a university in a foreign country. My sister went to Denmark and ended up meeting her husband-to-be. (She came back to the States to finish her senior year then went back to Denmark where she lives to this day.)

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Locobot

skip college for now, that's my advice. Don't waste your time though. See if your church sponsors mission workers, that's a great way to learn a language and get tons of real world experience. The downside may be that they expect you to evangelize all the time, depends on the church. Learning to teach english as a second language is a highly marketable skill in basically any country (including USA). So many people go straight to college these days that it's good to differentiate yourself.

braindamage351

I've been to the major European cities, and believe me, it's overrated as hell. Paris is a fucking craphole. There's just one really good area around a river that they recycle in movies. It's nice in that one spot, but it's not worth the money. London is better, but it's still not really worth the difficulty. Unless you go to England you'll be spending a long, long period of time not having a real conversation with anybody, and spend the whole time feeling like a fish out of water. It really is a terrible idea.

tiltedbc

After thinking about it a bit, I've decided you MUST travel and learn about life for awhile. There's really no other way for you to appreciate what you have when you get back plus this may be your only chance to have sex with foreign girls. Yeah I know that sounds harsh, but think about it for a few minutes. Are you gonna go travelling and screwing around when you've got a wife and 3 kids? Is that fair to them? Think of the children for gods sake.

I've travelled around the world quite a bit and went to Paris. Hooked up with a girl from Berlin and had a very romantic time walking along the wide pathways in the park and then up to this famous church with steps where people from around the world hang out and meet.

I loved the city (despite all the French people) and would highly recommend it along with most other cities of the world. With the right attitude, you can enjoy just about anything in life and it's never been hard for me to enjoy travelling.

A quote I heard once is:
on their deathbed, nobody says "I wish I spent more time at the office"

It's up to you to enjoy things in life. Not your parents or nosy relatives who need to monitor your life for fun. If you dream of seeing the world, make it happen.

sailor

Very true, and I agree--by all means, get out and see the world. But dont blow your college savings doing it. Its shooting yourself in the foot. Look at studying abroad, or just get a job while in school and save like a maniac so you can take a year off after college.

Basically, blowing all that money travelling the world, while fun, is a very bad idea. There are other, more sensible ways to travel.

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xepherys

TM875- That's simply not true. That just goes to further the idea that college is required. I've lived quite successfully through to 27 without college in the IT industry making from $36,000/year (low) to $58,000/year (high). Saying NOBODY will hire you is like saying NOBODY will just jump off a building and crash to their deaths. It may not be a LOT of people, but some people still will.

Elian- Go to college man. Despite what I said above, the losing out on experiences and such can be a bummer in the long run. I'm just applying to school again, mostly because I want to go into research where you are more likely to need a degree. School can be a great thing if you let it. Take your studies seriously enough to get by and figure out what you want to do, but not so seriously that you can't live it up and enjoy life.