If your employer is paying for your classes, take advantage of that. Even if you aren't sure what you want to do right now, you can always take general courses that will transfer to a 4-year college and apply towards most degrees. 2-year colleges will have a list of their courses that will transfer. My wife spent 2 years full time at a community college...but she didn't get a degree. She only went there to rack up credits that would apply at 4-year colleges. She later transferred to a 4-year school and got the same bachelor's degree I did...but she spent half the money doing it.
A college degree isn't mandatory, but there are still many companies out there where you will hit a brick wall without one. I've worked with lots of smart people who were competent at their job. But because they didn't have a degree, they were often passed over for promotions and advancement. Sure...there are exceptions to that, but having that piece of paper will open up career opportunities that otherwise may not be available.
Originally Posted by
Loren
DO pursue your education now, while you're young...
As a fellow "old" guy...I agree 100% with this advice. Get in school now. Going back won't get any easier as you get older. Life gets in the way and it's just easier to kick the can down the road. You'll be in your mid-40s before you know it. Damn...I sound like my dad trying to talk sense to me when I was 18.
All of that being said... If you're going to get a college degree, get it in something "real" that you can actually use to get a good job. I won't name some of the worthless majors I'm thinking of so I don't offend anyone. And don't be afraid to MOVE to where the jobs are. There are some places in the country where there just aren't that many jobs in certain fields. And quite frankly, some places in the country are just way too expensive to live! I started out of college on the east coast. My brother went to California. We both found that we could make nearly the same salary in the mid-west...but with a much lower cost of living.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)