Just need to vent a little.

Gabriel

Gabriel

G-League
Well I'm about to graduate high school in less than 2 weeks and it feels like I'm not ready, being that I'm still only 17 till' November. I am also still looking for a possible summer job but have gotten no luck thus far. I would really appreciate any assistance or direction as to where I should/could apply. Also, I am just curious and want to know what is like for you guys growing up and graduating high school? What did you do upon graduating and did you worry as much as I do?
 
No luck with previous leads, eh? I know Barnes and Noble in North Natomas and out in Roseville are currently hiring.




I took a year off from school and worked like a dog straight after high school. BIG mistake. I've been struggling with my finances, school schedule, and dealing with big time life decisions that I'd made during that time ever since. My advice: If you have a means of getting through college without having to work, take it and run like hell. These next two to three years will be the most important years of your life. Easily.



Also, the Woodland Wal-Mart is hiring for their remodel team.
 
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Honestly? Just enjoy life and find ways to keep yourself motivated. The next four years or so of your life will be some of the funnest.

(sorry, I'm about to go on a rant here :-/)

Have fun while you're young and can get away with being immature. I'm only 24 and only been graduated from college for a year and I already miss it so much. I say this because I know when I was young I shooed aside all of the old folks telling me "these are the best years of your life." Hopefully you'll accept it from a guy only a little older than you and appreciate the little things more before the cold grasp of boring and long work weeks have taken hold of you. It's amazing how you truly don't know what you've lost until it's gone.

I worked my *** off from 18-23. I was on one extreme pole (the other being partying all the time). I studied day and night and graduated from cal poly in ME top of my class and currently run a law office (don't ask). I've set myself up to succeed, but the honest to God truth is that I regret not having the fun I could have been having out at parties making an *** of myself every once and a while.

My point? If you can get a college degree without having to dedicate yourself to working, while maintaining a good gpa, and still enjoy yourself, that's the best route to take. Don't stress out too much. Life is meant to be enjoyed.
 
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Interesting contrast between those two posts, isn't it? I'm 26, married, one kid, recently unemployed, looking for work after an eight year gig with good pay, been in college since 2002...

I have had to pay for everything: college for me and my wife, food and shelter for my family, two cars, the list goes on and on.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't look to grow up too fast. Try to maintain a positive outlook and take advantage of any opportunity to better yourself that comes along. (Any stable and sensible opportunity, that is).

:D
 
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ryanandty said:
Interesting contrast between those two posts, isn't it? I'm 26, married, one kid, recently unemployed, looking for work after an eight year gig with good pay, been in college since 2002...

I have had to pay for everything: college for me and my wife, food and shelter for my family, two cars, the list goes on and on.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't look to grow up too fast. Try to maintain a positive outlook and take advantage of any opportunity to better yourself that comes along. (Any stable and sensible opportunity, that is).

:D
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Completely agree.
 
I would echo the general advice that you should study and go to college, and grad school if you want. You know how all the best basketball players have these monster work ethics? Do that, but with school. :cool:

Beyond that, it is somewhat difficult to give good advice to someone still so young. You don't need to have your life all mapped out at this point. But as general advice, get out there and be productive! The only way you'll ever figure out what you like to do is by trying out lots of different kinds of work and jobs. Economy is tough right now, but you have a long road ahead of you, so don't stress too much.
 
I'm almost 60 and I think I would have done some things differently. Problem is you don't have the advantage of life experience to make the decision in the first place.

The world of college was too different back then. There were still reasonably-priced, higher education options. I did have the benefit of going to college with only some very limited part time work.

The only things I regret a little?

One, that I didn't take better advantage of all that is available in college. Not the social scene particularly, for me, but just the amazing variety of interesting subjects and people available. I actually miss having that much time to read and learn about anything. The plus was having people around to discuss all those things. I did learn a lot about myself and others by delving into the subjects I studied, too.

The second slight regret is that I didn't take more time to relax and enjoy being and doing. Not just in college, but when I was younger. (Still have trouble with that, but not as much.) Unfortunately I got the "much too serious" and "overworrying" genes. Hard to relax and enjoy, when you feel guilty that you "should" be doing some work/chore or other.

I guess I'd say, if its financially feasible at all, I'd go to college sooner rather than later. The older you get the more complicated it trying to go to college. Besides, college can enrich your life so much its worth it. (Not every class, but many.) If you can't go now, though, its never too late.

If I hear about or see any likely job opportunities, I'll let you know, though.
 
I can't offer any advice like those above, but I am in a similar situation so I do know how you feel. I'm 18, 19 next month, so I'm young and not exactly sure how my life is going to turn out (yet!). My plan is to try and get the balance right. Have fun but don't leave out the work part.

You only get to be young once. Don't stress too much. In a few years we won't have any excuse to do dumb stuff that we might be able to get away with now! Party and do all the things young people do, but don't overdo it. In other words, be smart.
 
I think too many people focus on the partying and being crazy in college - you don't want to know how many folks I saw drop out of college because they lost focus on why they were there to begin with.

You are there to learn and grow as a person. Sure, have fun. But don't let that get in the way of getting your education and setting yourself up for good grades and a good job. You can always drink a beer with the guys on weekends, hard to go back to college and get that degree after you have flunked out.

Really, just be smart and keep the goal in mind. I saw too many people that could be at a bar at 6 am on St. Patrick's Day but couldn't make a 7:30 class. Idiots.
 
Warhawk said:
I think too many people focus on the partying and being crazy in college - you don't want to know how many folks I saw drop out of college because they lost focus on why they were there to begin with.

You are there to learn and grow as a person. Sure, have fun. But don't let that get in the way of getting your education and setting yourself up for good grades and a good job. You can always drink a beer with the guys on weekends, hard to go back to college and get that degree after you have flunked out.

Really, just be smart and keep the goal in mind. I saw too many people that could be at a bar at 6 am on St. Patrick's Day but couldn't make a 7:30 class. Idiots.
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I agree with this. Taking some time off first, or even going the CC route, may help to give you some time to party and have fun before going into school.


Also- with regard to working during college- DON'T. I did this myself, at one point working 20 hours per week while taking a full load of classes. This may make you feel more responsible now, and having extra cash is nice, but it will make your grades suffer. I've seen some studies that bear this out- and it's kind of obvious- more work = less time to study = lower grades. It's better to take out more loans (NOT private loans, get federal and live frugally) and not work a job than take out fewer loans and work PT. The added GPA points can make the difference between different graduate programs and jobs. $8/hour is not worth more than the return you would get studying/having more down time.
 
captain bill said:
I agree with this. Taking some time off first, or even going the CC route, may help to give you some time to party and have fun before going into school.


Also- with regard to working during college- DON'T. I did this myself, at one point working 20 hours per week while taking a full load of classes. This may make you feel more responsible now, and having extra cash is nice, but it will make your grades suffer. I've seen some studies that bear this out- and it's kind of obvious- more work = less time to study = lower grades. It's better to take out more loans (NOT private loans, get federal and live frugally) and not work a job than take out fewer loans and work PT. The added GPA points can make the difference between different graduate programs and jobs. $8/hour is not worth more than the return you would get studying/having more down time.
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I agree that it's not good to work too much and go to school at the same time.

I know working some amount is a reality for many students. If you have to work, focus on summer jobs. I had a cousin who not only worked summers, but actually had to take a year off after her junior year to work and finance that last year, but she was determined to get that degree.
 
Yeah man just go to school if it's financially possible. If you can get help from your parents or financial aid then just do the school thing and maybe have a part time job. And not just for the money. Having a job is great for meeting people and improving your social life. Just take things as they come. Your mentality and views on life will change dramatically by the time you're 23-24. I sure was like that. I didn't really go to school. Went for a few years part time after HS and stopped 4 years ago. My family owns a couple restaurants and I'm an investor in one of them. The money is good but the stress is not ;). I've always had such a big obligation to the restaurants that it affected me going to school and letting me do things that I really wanna do like vacations and just getting away in general. So I say don't worry too much about money and just get your degree and have some fun. Remember, school is not just about getting educated, it's also a great life learning experience that I regret not taking part in. Good luck.
 
I have a bit of a contrarian view on going to college "just" to go. First, let me say that I did gruaduate from the UC system and I can't say that I exactly regret my time there or my degree. Certainly, if your professional ambitions(teaching,law,medicine, etc) require college and maybe post graduate education then try to go as soon as possible.

However, some of the most successful and happy people I know did not go to college. They found a niche in life and pursued it. Some work in real esate other are technical people who have more or less trained themselves. Having a degree just to have one does not make sense to me. I grew up in an era where many people believed the only path to success was a four year degree(minimum). Bill Gates, Michael Dell are just some examples of people who ditched college and last time I checked they are doing okay...

Pursue what you enjoy! If it requires college that's fine, if not that's okay too! Life is short, pursue what you love! Also, take advantage of your youth and relative lack of financial burdens while you can. I'm not advocating irresponsibility, I'm saying the life experience is just as important as economic theory and mid evil history.

Good Luck!
 
And I see it a little differently. Even if I'd ended up doing something that didn't require a degree, the education enriched me as a person. It helped me to question more, analyze more and generally just made me a better and more well-rounded thinker.

For me it just enhanced critical thinking and developed my already excellent writing ability. I learned how to do deep research. How to focus on what I needed to do to get answers and how to formulate my own theories based on research and supported with rational, explanations/arguments.

I would not go to college just to get a degree, if all you want is to say you have one. Howver, if you are open to the idea that it could change you or enhance who you already are in positive ways, that will be reflected in every aspect of your life, then it is certainly worth it.

I also, know people that have been successful without a college degree, but that is rarer and rarer in an increasingly complex, technological world. Not only that, it is the exception to the rule. College improves your chances to be successful.

If you had an idea right now for a career you'd like to pursue, that won't require a degree, then go for it. Something like a construction filed. I have a cousin who is master cabinet maker who makes very, very good money. It didn't happen quickly, though. It probably took more years to learn hisa trade than college.

But if you can financially manage it, then college will help you in many ways that will never be useless, no matter what you decide to do with your life.

People who work first, might end up being better able to focus their college plan. Work has a way of helping a person to be more disciplined, more organized, work hard, withstand pressure and generally be more mature.

Finally, I will say this. Few decisions we make in life are completely irreversible. Not going to college now, doesn't mean you can't ever go.
 
You will quickly realize how good true friends are and your priorities will change very quickly you can also apply for financial aid using the FAFSA
 
fafsa.ed.gov

Fill out the forms, apply for aid, get federal student loans (which is NOT bad debt), take yourself to community college, speak to a counselor about an ed plan which would enable you to do an upper division transfer into a university.

You can receive CASH aid in an amount that would equal what you would earn at a part time job all year. Roughly 5,000 to 9,000 a year at a CC, way more at a university.
 
Just wanted to say thank you to all who replied to this thread and your feedback/experiences are very much appreciated. I'm going to apply for some financial aid and now I'm only a couple weeks from graduating. Haven't found the job, but still looking.

well growing up seems like a hard thing to do, but that's life. No point in pouting about it, just enjoy the times that make life worth living.
 
If you are able to go to college, go. Get some kind of degree. Because....

Here's my friends story...Very successful in the insurance business for the past 27 years. Worked her way up to litigation manager. She never went to college, even for a day!
Her company was taken over by another last year. Long story short--because she never went to college...she was deemed not qualified for her own job that she has held for 20 years! She had to take tests and interview for even a claim rep job! People that were under her were suddenly more qualified to be her boss....and guess who they wanted to lead the class on litigation management???

A lot of companies just want to see a college degree, even if it's not in the field they're hiring for.
 
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