I am 23 years old with steady full time employment, and was considering leaving the work force to rejoin the world of academia.
Honestly, it's mostly in hope of meeting like minded people who share my love of thinking and literature.
Is this enough of a reason to consider leaving my job?
(I already have a house which i have rented out which is paying for itself, so financially, I don't think I'll suffer too much)
what's wrong with the like minded people who share your love of thinking and literature here on Veeky Forums?
I think he wants real people, like friends and stuff
Honestly, nothing.
But life is more than reading and sitting on your computer talking about books.
If Veeky Forums had some sort of mason-esque clubhouse, I'd be down every weekend. I just find it so difficult having reading/writing as a leading interest, because it's so difficult to find people who share something like that, especially when you're talking a specific literary scene and not like ya trash or asoiaf ect.
how do u have a house at 23 years old?
To make a long story short; hard work and steady saving.
I left home at 19 because I wasn't getting along with my parents, so I spend a little time at a friends place, but eventually figured the $70,000 I'd saved would be better off in property, as apposed to hands of the bank, so I bought my first house. Which at 20 years old, is pretty scary. I didn't even know how to get my gas/electricity connected.
It's sort of an indescribable experience to sit in the middle of an unfurnished, dark, lonely house and think -- like, fuck -- I've just spent every cent I have, and incurred a debt that I won't be free of for at least the next 20 years of my life..
It was quite a few weeks until I knew I hadn't made the biggest mistake of my life.
>suckered into a mortgage at 20
I want to crack a joke, but honestly I just feel bad for you. Still, I wish you the best of luck with paying that off.
>stay with mom
>don't have to buy food
>don't have to pay electricity/water
>don't have to pay a rent
>don't have any expenses
>salaries are stacking up on bank account
>make smart friends
>realize you were happier with the retards
>retards won't take you back
Dont listen to this fags OP i bought a house too at 24 (a year ago), mortgage and all, in the same position as you are, searching to join a group of more-or-less like minded initiates, If shit doesn't work out gonna sell this place and move to the countryside.
How the fuck do you have a house at 23?
>go to florida
>put 20k down on a 100k house
>you now have a house
>figured the $70,000 I'd saved would be better off in property
lmao
wait but how did you save 70000 by the time you were 20?
If he had been making $30k a year since 16-17 and put 2/3 into savings it might be possible.
but I'm betting inheritance
If you're thinking about going to College, make sure it's for a field that pays decently well. Otherwise you just took out another mortgage that's not going to return your investment. It's not worth dedicating the rest of your life to an uphill struggle.
I went into English at an expensive private school for two years. I was too young and stupid to understand how cancerous and bloated some academics really are. So in general, I think you made the right choice. Your generic English course is full of students who are useless and sycophantic to the professor, or well-meaning but generally unoriginal. This is true of any class, sure, but in STEM courses you don't have more than half of the course time dedicated to discussion. You'll lose a lot of illusions about how intelligent your peers are when pressed for their opinions.
If you go through with this, the most you should dedicate to your interests is a few English or Philosophy courses for fun. Philosophy is hard as hell at a certain level, but you'll be engaged. Probably this is where you'll meet people you'll like. Half of them will be obnoxious, the other half will be interesting and genuine people. Otherwise just join your school's literary publication or hang out at Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor's Society) meetings on campus.
Again, don't go into the humanities.
Do not think uni is synonymous with learning.
Take a person who started with the greeks and took a path through the romans, national epics, theology, and then moved into philosophy proper. A person who reads 2 hours per day, every day, and shitposts about it on here.
VS
a Uni student, who is an individual being attacked by a system. The student may have goals, opinions, and a will to actualize these goals and become a better human. The student would normally build opinions based upon learning, until such a large amount of knowledge would assist in the formation of something special, that persons true self. But in uni, you get one opinion, one way to go, and teachers that explain everything. I noticed this starting in HS, one in twenty teachers would engage in the Socratic method, play devils advocate, encourage thought, but the others would just spew their shit, telling people what to think. Instead of assigning the kids an epic and telling them to find meaning, the teacher would read an abridged version aloud, and then TELL the kids what he or she thought in meant.
That is not learning, it is indoctrination. It is the education system moving away from the education of the individual, and moving towards the indoctrination of the mass. Suddenly we dont read Aristotle because he did not like women, or Kipling because of the white mans burden. Heart of darkness is too racist, and military history is all about men so thats out too. From what acquaintances tell me, university is even worse.
I read it all. Wealth of nations and the communist manifesto. The way of men and the feminine mystique. I came into the world of learning as a child with no knowledge, and now I only know enough to know that I know nothing.
So, if you think you can put up the money, go for it. Im not going to tell you not to do something just because it is against the beliefs I have formed, however I would like to strongly advise you to keep your mind open. Question everything, no matter how accepted it is by others. Continue learning on your own as well, and perhaps you will find a good teacher and have a wonderful time.
And dont let school get in the way of your learning.
Implying anyone here either reads or thinks.
If you are dissatisfied with your education and surroundings, college can help, though it's something you'll need to put effort into. You kinda have two options.
OPTION ONE
Win a super strong scholarship or financial aid to whatever university you're admitted to and don't worry about it too much.
OPTION TWO
You have to pay a significant amount of money, but you put everything you have into getting into a high-paying field afterwards.
Paying real money for college and not busting your ass is for the very rich or very foolish.
MC RIDE OUTSIDE YOUR WALMART
YOU COME OUT YOUR SHIT IS GONE
I live in Australia, and minimum wage is fairly high. I was a barista in a pretty successful independent coffee shop, and by the time I was 17 I convinced my boss to give me $19 an hour. I earned 200-300 on school weeks, and like 600-850 during holidays.
I didn't have to pay for much at home, except for board as soon as I started working which was between 80-100 a week depending on my age.
But also, tfw you earned more as a 17 y.o kid working in a coffee shop, than you do at 23 in an office.
Fuck, this is really good advice.
Thanks user.
>Honestly, it's mostly in hope of meeting like minded people who share my love of thinking and literature.
I completed a whole English degree and didn't find any. It's like as soon as class lets out nobody gives a fuck about reading anymore.
>using high school as an analogue for graduate studies
Someone knows nothing whatsoever about how different academia and expectations get at higher levels. If your thesis is unoriginal, regurgitated lectures from your prof, you will do poorly, and possibly will no get a degree. Just fug
That said, to OP: do not go in debt for graduate studies. Only go to fully funded programs. The market is so over-saturated you may not find a good job with it, so the debt wouldn't be "worth" it.