# Housed up for a long while, so, maybe school?



## CelticWanderer (Mar 3, 2019)

So, at the start of last year I tore my ACL working trails in cali and had to get reconstructive surgery, wound up back in Georgia and am still recovering. Doc says it can be up to 13 months before I can do something like trail work again. 

In the mean time ive been thinking about how my body probably isnt going to hold up against constant travel. I also really wanna work in forestry, but theres alot i need and good lord i am tired of picking up shit min wage jobs thay offer no challenges. Bout to be cleaning a bowling alley for a living. 

So, im thinking about school and wondering how many of yall did the college thing. 

Right now im torn between residential electrician and engine repair. Just tech courses. I feel like automotive might be good cause ill learn a ton about cars and i plan to eventually live in truck/van as i work forestry jobs. (knee allowing) id like to learn something i can use in life outside of work as well as have decent paying jobs.
Im 26 and just tired of struggling so damn hard. Ive got 3 grand set aside for school from Americorp programs and probably qualify for some finacial aid, might even get close to 10 grand if i buy out my workmans comp claim, so i might be able to get away without going into debt or at least very little. 

My friends are all kinda saying yes to all my ideas, and im just really freaked out about going to school. 
I feel like this community is full of smart, honest people so, wonderin what yall think of all this??


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## Tude (Mar 3, 2019)

Good idea - keep the brain active hehe - I'm from a business side of the college side but it would be interesting to hear from the maint/tech kind of people to chip in on what they think. I know at my community college they go into electrical and hvac work plus automotive.


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## roughdraft (Mar 3, 2019)

go for it but dont settle for taking on debt. know yr worth and maximize your leverage

remember that you can always educate yourself WITHOUT going to college

i went for 5 years right outside of highschool and coulda done a lot better. you'll be at an advantage maturity wise at your current age. 

finally you are thinking correctly with the programs that interest you. a lot of the forestry programs are fucked. i graduated from one. you'll do better with the most practical, these mechanical fields. even though you enjoy the nature. just my 2 cents. mechanics and electricians do well.


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## Oddy (Mar 3, 2019)

roughdraft said:


> go for it but dont settle for taking on debt. know yr worth and maximize your leverage
> 
> remember that you can always educate yourself WITHOUT going to college



Can't claim to know much about the schooling system over there, or the specific areas you might want to study in, but I totally agree that there are ways to progress and educate yourself without going into debt. Speaking as someone who when to university, got a degree and a whole lot of debt; it's not always the best option. It doesn't guarantee you a job or better pay down the line. That's not to say it's a terrible idea, just get a feel for all your options first. All the best to you!


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## Matt Derrick (Mar 3, 2019)

all i got out of college was a bunch of debt and a generic degree I'll never use (liberal arts). i did my own schooling (A+, Network+, Security+ Certs) and immediately qualified for way higher paying jobs. i think either community college, online schooling, or specialized training is the way to go over going to a traditional college. it's much, much cheaper and you'll get the skills you need without all the bs that's involved in going to college.


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## Deleted member 21003 (Mar 3, 2019)

CelticWanderer said:


> Im 26 and just tired of struggling so damn hard. Ive got 3 grand set aside for school from Americorp programs and probably qualify for some finacial aid, might even get close to 10 grand if i buy out my workmans comp claim, so i might be able to get away without going into debt or at least very little.



They'd probably give you the pell grant



Matt Derrick said:


> i did my own schooling (A+, Network+, Security+ Certs) and immediately qualified for way higher paying jobs. i think either community college, online schooling, or specialized training is the way to go over going to a traditional college. it's much, much cheaper and you'll get the skills you need without all the bs that's involved in going to college.



Yep! Taking a few courses then getting certs is the way to go. I did that with welding


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## Maki40 (Mar 4, 2019)

You can learn everything you can learn in school on your own. The internet is your friend especially youtube. Theres a youtuber who is a mechanic, lives out a van, and carries all his tools around with him. Great way to go making money as a traveling mechanic. Maybe even just get a job as an entry level mechanic somewhere and get paid to learn.
Too often school is a scam where they teach you bullshit that isn't real world practical and then charge you an arm and a leg. Plus, too often people go to school for years on whatever trade/subject to only realize afterward, they hate that line of work.


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## CelticWanderer (Mar 4, 2019)

Matt Derrick said:


> all i got out of college was a bunch of debt and a generic degree I'll never use (liberal arts). i did my own schooling (A+, Network+, Security+ Certs) and immediately qualified for way higher paying jobs. i think either community college, online schooling, or specialized training is the way to go over going to a traditional college. it's much, much cheaper and you'll get the skills you need without all the bs that's involved in going to college.


yeah, mostly looking at 2 semester tech certs, but honestly i dont know anything about higher education or what my options could be outside of tech school. Might look more into networking/programming,seems like maybe theres jobs you can work remotely? i just wanna learn enough to start working.


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## CelticWanderer (Mar 4, 2019)

roughdraft said:


> go for it but dont settle for taking on debt. know yr worth and maximize your leverage
> 
> remember that you can always educate yourself WITHOUT going to college
> 
> ...





Maki40 said:


> You can learn everything you can learn in school on your own. The internet is your friend especially youtube. Theres a youtuber who is a mechanic, lives out a van, and carries all his tools around with him. Great way to go making money as a traveling mechanic. Maybe even just get a job as an entry level mechanic somewhere and get paid to learn.
> Too often school is a scam where they teach you bullshit that isn't real world practical and then charge you an arm and a leg. Plus, too often people go to school for years on whatever trade/subject to only realize afterward, they hate that line of work.


ha, traveling mechanic sounds cool. I would def have to take a course for that though. A 2 semester thing aint that bad. I dont know the first thing about cars, as ive never had one.


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## Tengu91 (Mar 5, 2019)

Certs are the best way to go. Have you considered TEFL? It stands for "Teaching English as a Foreign Language." You can do a lot of the courses online with some of the better ones charging anywhere from $900-$1,500 USD. You'll be certified to teach English as a second language in non-English speaking countries, even if you aren't bilingual. Some places will even offer to help you get your overseas visa or help you find institutions that'll sponsor you (that's what a lot of the $1,000+ courses offer). You can still travel, you get to live abroad, and if you end up in a place with a low cost of living (like Thailand, for example) you can save up pretty easily. I'm looking into it myself. I have a cousin who got his and now he lives full time in Spain, with the only Spanish he spoke before going being what he picked up in 3 years of high school Spanish (he's incredibly fluent in it now, of course). You could do that for a bit and use it to pay for your automotive dreams. Either way, best of luck and I hope your knee heals soon!


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## Alaska John (Mar 5, 2019)

Ever think about getting your EMT B cert? 
Where I am at it's only an 8 month $1750 course with $400 worth in books and supplies maybe cheaper for you 

If you haven't used the Pell yet add that 5G to your 3 G and you could get a 2 yr Paramedic A.S. they start out about 40,000 a year and they are needed EVERYWHERE


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