Hello fellow anons I came here today to ask for some help about my future. Currently I'm a couple of months away from graduating High School and am absolutely terrified at whats next. My family keeps reffering to it as "The Real World" and that I should be prepared. Problem is I look at me and my family as absolutely pathetic in every way and I don't trust their advice on going to college. All of them are college graduates and all of them are making less than 15$ an hour so I cant really take their advice seriously. I still consider college sometimes, but the more I reach my graduation date the more it feels like a scam. Is this just burnout and should I just go for it? I have taught myself to program games with Java but Iv'e reached a wall and don't feel like thats going to lead me anywhere but its a potential source of income. Also, what are some things I should be aware of before I solo this? I appreciate every bit of help. Thank you.
Scared of "The Real World"
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I guess I'll just die.
I'm in the same shoes as you, the difference is I'm not anxious about the "real world", my advice is get a job to get a clearer picture about the responsibilities you'll face in the future, and understand that if you spend your money like a fool you'll just be doomed to live the wagecuck life, if you can call it a life.
I'm taking the entreprenureal path, I don't think I can go through another 4-8 years of any education system, I'm sure you can make some nice dough by getting a good degree, it just seems easier to me if I were independent.
I'm 17 btw, so you don't really have an excuse for not getting a job.
good luck.
Go to college otherwise you're at a disadvantage compared to literally every other kid your age that is getting a degree
Degrees dont define your future but what you do with it will.
That isn't entirely true. College isn't for everybody, and only 1/3 of people in our generation currently have a college degree. Not everybody has the capacity or financial means to go. Op, I recommend the following:
- Write down the things you like to do, and ways you can monetize it
- Develop new skills and connections with people
- Start off at a community college (And file a FAFSA) to see what a university has the potential to offer you
- Scroll through majors and minor programs
- Join the military, so you get the GI bill which pays for a state school education, and sock away money while you are serving.
- Learn a trade, get an apprenticeship
- Start a small business
You're young, and now it the time to try and fail. Save up some money, find out what you want to do, and then actually get to it.
I highly recommend you do not go to college if you aren't sure you want it. It's a great thing to do if you a) can afford it as a luxury purchase and just want to network with other rich people or b) have a clear career in mind that requires college.
I'd recommend you take a gap year (or more, I'm glad I took all four of mine) and figure out what you want to do by process of elimination. Odds are, you'll find something that you're suited for and either go to college then, or decide you like something that doesn't require college.
Nice trips. I do like the idea of the gap year just to test the waters, but im worried that by that time I could have made something of myself by going to college and made my parents proud and all that jargon. Then again, I don't think I'm cut out for College as far as my motivation goes. I will see into it it, and thank you all.
Thanks m8. I do plan on developing a sellable game within a year so I'll see where that takes me. The military was also at the top of the list of where to begin my life, but it feels like a huge risk. Overall I just want to be financially stable as soon as I leave. I do appreciate the help once again.
This is good advice although I'd put a trade higher on the list, ahead of community college. A trade can get you good cash flow with minimal/no debt which is invaluable when you're young because it allows you to start investing right away. Only pay for college/university if you're certain it's what you want to do. And ensure there's work in that field. If you don't know what you want to do, take up a trade/keep yourself busy. You'll find your priorities quickly
life sucks unless you are making money online
work, part or full time for a year, all while living at home and saving a fuck ton of money
then when you find something that needs a college education you will be grateful
seconded
watch this video before you decide anything
I've been there bro.
DO NOT go to college. Find a profitable line of work that does not require a college degree and get in there. The military might also help you if you can get a good spot with the Navy or Airforce.
good luck man, don't spin your wheels in college if you're not interested in it. Its a big mistake.
now that I'm in the real world I realized that college let me stay out of it for a while longer, even if I completely hated college
the real world is a bad, miserable place and my cushy job out of graduation doesn't prevent me from being exposed to that
>you will never live in the US and make 100k as a fucking plumber.
Here we just have Poles.
This is a business and finance board. I'll assume you're interested in getting a job in a business and or finance field.
You have two choices.
1. Go to college and get a worthwhile degree. Expand your network (join finance clubs, attend networking events, compete in finance competitions), get summer internships at a fortune 500 company or a bank, and then graduate with an offer to work at one of the places you interned.
2) Learn a trade, work in your trade while at the same time teaching yourself how a business functions and what goes into starting and operating a business, start your own business.
These require putting in hard work. So if you're not up for that then just be some smelly hippie.
Speaking from experience; Military service is a solid plan.
-You'll get paid to attend a technical school
-You won't have much in the way of expenses while you're in, so you can save/invest a lot
-You'll have the GI bill's education assistance available if you want more schooling after
-They make it easy to work on a degree while you're serving
-It'll round out your resume with some real-world experience
-You'll likely do some networking with potential employers while you're in, which can make finding a job easy when you separate
Go with the Air Force and get a guaranteed job title before you sign anything. If you want a clearance, go with a computers/comms/crypto field.
don't do this, a college degree will definetly get you further easier, just get a degree in computer science, since you seem to be interested in programming.
Trade school. Male 25$ an hour while learning to invest or saving to pay cash for college.
speaking from experience, military service is only good when you have the social skills to get ahead.
being a soldier in america is a different story however, you get paid full salary and have officer level of benefits compared to a country with mandatory service.
As someone who has apparently already been to ``the real world'', I'm going to go ahead and tell you that going to a university and getting a degree isn't ``the real world''.
First of all, your parents are making $15/hour because they chose a shitty degree like art and didn't or couldn't capitalize on it.
I went to college, and by the end of the next semester, I'll have a STEM degree. I'll be making ~$100,000 a year in NYC. That's ``the real world''.
Going to university is about not making stupid decisions. It sounds like your parents made stupid decisions. Don't be like your parents. You should go to university, just don't pick a stupid degree.
>program games with java
Don't expect to get a job in game development. That field is extremely competitive, and you work shit hours for shit pay.
Since you apparently already know how to program, read these books: "Programming Language Pragmatics, 5th Edition", and "Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd edition"
As an extension, be aware that in technology dominated fields, your position may get usurped by foreigners. The key to avoiding this is:
Specialize in math-heavy forks of software engineering. This means security, algorithms, machine learning, data science, etc.
The more math is involved, the more valuable you are as a software engineer.
You can also work for the military-industrial complex. These, by law, cannot hire foreigners. Getting into these companies, which are almost exclusively aerospace, like Lockmart or Northrop, have very high standards for their employees. They want 3.5 GPAs (they say their minimum is 3.0, but don't believe them), it would be a BIG help if you already have a security clearance. That shit costs them $100,000 just to check you out.
So, if you want to go this route, do what the guy earlier said, and join the military and get a security clearance.
Gave up about three minutes in.
> Guy is breaking his back, working too much
> I make good money, but kids these days make more doing 'computer jobs' working less hard.
> WTH is wrong with this generation of kids?
> MUH GENERATION IS GREATEST GENERATION
Yeah, enjoy your pension filled with back-aches while, by your own admission, smarter people earn more by doing less