Should I go to college?

[uncivilize]

I've taken on the burden of student loans and am working toward a master's degree. I have no intention of paying that debt or giving a shit about what I do with my degree. I just love learning

This has definitely crossed my mind, but student loan debt never goes away, even in bankruptcy. Not a big deal if you plan on flying under the radar for the rest of your life, but if you ever get a "legit" tax paying job, they will garnish your wages, hold your tax refunds, etc. My dream is to own land, but if you own land that you haven't established as a homestead, they'll take that too.

I've considered trying to pimp the student loan system though. Basically, the cost of attendance estimates for financial aid/loans are based on a standard American way of life, but with my experience traveling/being homeless, I live insanely cheap, and can accept the student loans with great terms (better than most home, and definitely any loans I might get for bare land) that I'll just bank and put down on land when I'm done. It would only work well though if I can get sufficient grants, scholarships and tuition reductions through financial aid.

 

[Thoreau]

I've taken on the burden of student loans and am working toward a master's degree. I have no intention of paying that debt or giving a shit about what I do with my degree. I just love learning

Great! What are you mastering on?
And not paying your debt is the right thing to do, i mean, do you know where money comes from? Never in my life have I seen such a stupid thing that goes against all areas of logic thinking and racional though, honestly, i dont see anything humanity as done that goes lower than this.

 

[Mouse]

to me, it's imaginary money.

I'm Mastering in Art. I want to teach one day.

 

[Mouse]

I plan on keeping my loan payments in check for as long as I'm in school. After I'm finished, I couldn't care less what they take from me. garnishing, tax returns, whatever. If they want it, they'll have to steal it back just like I stole it form them.

 

[Driftwhistler]

I'm in community college right now. It's a bullshit school with a bunch of lovable people running around inside it. I'm going for free because I don't make nearly enough money to get me through school without going into debt, I hate having numbers hanging over my head whether I plan on dealing with them or not. I guess if you want to go to college, do it. If you want a degree so you can pursue some specific career, do it. I'm planning on sticking around long enough to finish this semester so I don't have to pay back FA moolah. After that, I'm out.

If you want to learn for the sake of expanding yer mind: Audit classes, or just sit in on classes if you just want to learn but don't want to/can't pay. Some profs will even let you participate in class discussions and do some homework if you reaaaally want to. A lot of colleges, or a vast majority, really, want you to take a bunch of bullshit classes before you can take the ones you want, or even the ones you actually need for your degree.

El diploma. It's just a fucking piece of paper that says someone else taught you things you could have learned yourself. The deal with taking classes is that your prof might teach you things you would have skipped over or missed by yourself. But I guess that's why I read books--because while I may want to skip hunks of a section because I already know it, I still have the oppurtunity to learn something the author knows but I don't. Plus I can take 4 years or 2 days to read a book. You always have to go to class, or at least do the homework. Or whatever.

I'm totally opposed to going to college for the sake of learning and 1000% opposed to going for the "experience". You experience new shit every day. Chill. You can learn anything anywhere, anytime. If YOU feel like it's the right thing to do, get a degree. try and get financial aid (if you can in Portugal), poke around for a while and see what you're really interested in. Don't pay for school until you know it's gonna be worth it. I know so many people that are incredibly well-read (and by society's silly standards, "intelligent"), who have never been to college, or never finished, or didn't even graduate highschool. The system will break you down, try to fail you, leave you in debt and with a sore sphincter, but maybe you'll get a degree out of it. is it worth it? Fuck college, get a library card.

I could rant about this for hours..

 

[Tude]

Dude - it can't hurt at all. Even moving up in my college (yep, I work at a SUNY 2 yr college) - I NEED a 2 yr degree - well to get off of basic civil service test stuff anyway).

 

[Thoreau]

Ty for the discussion, it always helps to discuss. Listen to all, follow none.
So im probably goin to take a gap year, to see what I really want, its confortable to go with the flow but I want to be able to execute the things I believe in.
Search for what I really want, experience freedom, wich btw sometimes you just dont know what to do or where to go, or what you want.

On a related note:
Today I presented a lecture at the school auditorium about freedom, since yesturday was the 25th April, Carnage Revolution, wich is the fall of dictatorship in 1974, all with no kills or civil war, so you see anything can be attained. The presentation went awkward at the first minutes but then It got really well, ive shown clips from the film ''network'' and we began discussing. AS you know Portugal is now a protectorate in the hands of the IMF and world government, a test tube for how long can people take crap.
And the discussion went on some very important points about freedom and for the first time in long, I saw real freedom in speech and surprisingly alot of teachers agree with me and my theories of how terrorism is just a false flag, how currency is manipulated and how the power is in the wrong hands. It was something magical in wich i am very pleased with myself to have the guts to do that presentation-debate in front of alot of students and teachers.
And believe me, alot of them, even teachers, have anarchist views of the world, with the values of mutual aid and sustaintability. Things may just started to change.

 

[uncivilize]

meh

 

[kennacoconut]

Definitely! Go to college! You remind me of myself when I was your age XD (two years ago...)

Seriously, though. I thought everyone in high school was so programmed and brainwashed.... in college, the people just get better. You'll find people who remember how to read and are talented and who know what's up... Even if not for the education, it's the experience. Plus, you can still teach yourself while in college.

I love college and I am so happy I've never taken a break (not even summers) because I've accomplished a lot and have learned more about myself than I did in 8th-12th grade put together.

PS- I'm in the US, and college is expensive. I've managed to go two years with no loans... but that will change very soon. Do your best =]