Did I mention I have the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia and earn $230,000 per year, if I am willing to sign a two year contract?
Tax free!
Been their, didn't do that. It is no longer all tax free. The first 91,400 is and that is only if you are outside of the US for 330 full days out of the year (pro-rated if the 330 days is spread between two calendar years). And the rest is taxed at the higher tax bracket. At the time I had the opportunity, too many Americans were dying in those situations.
Reading through this thread has been interesting. It seems that on the one hand, people want to believe that college is the golden ticket. And on the other hand, some say it is a waste of time.
Personally...I find it to be good idea, but it needs to be taken in it's correct context. Continuing education is never a bad thing. But taking the attitude that having continued your education makes you a better candidate for a given situation over that person next to you that has no college is a mistake. That other person may have other qualities over the college grad.
Yes, there are jobs that require college. And there are also jobs that do not. To think that you HAVE to have college to succeed is wrong thinking. But to think that college can't be used to help you succeed is also wrong.
College is a great stone for putting in a foundation to build success on. But there are a hundred other stones that need to be used as well. And missing any one of those stones will not necessarily spell disaster for your endeavor...even if it is the college stone that is missing. Disaster is more likely if you are missing many of the stones and/or you can not manage those you do have.
Anything you can learn in college...you can learn outside of college. Some people that I know, whether they have been to college or not, do not seem to understand that. A great deal of what is taught in college was learned outside of college and was put in colleges to teach it to people at a greatly accelerated pace. But this comes with drawbacks as well. There are instances where professors put too much of their own incorrect inturpretation into the material they deliver. And that only serves to make things worse.
Also, to me, this "accelerated" learning really is not faster. Colleges are businesses like any other and they push unnecessary courses on students in order to make more money. This has the effect of taking a great deal longer to learn information that is actually needed to succeed in the individual's endeavor. Most positions that take a 4 year degree can probably be learned on the job in one or two years of actual implementation. Any profession can be taught on the job. It ends up being a matter of whether it is reasonable to take the time for it. Many fields benefit from those going in to it having gone to advanced schooling first. But the truth is, MOST lines of work still do not REQUIRE college. And many that do could actually go without the requirement if the leaders were willing to train. But that is considered to be bad business.
I have heard both business owners and employees alike voicing the opinion that going to college is a form of paying dues to show how much a person wants a job more than another person. And to me, this is a very narrow mindset. It has merit, but very, very little and should not be very high on a list of qualifications.
Another of the stones I was referring to before is the individuals opinion of what success is. For some, success is not attained until they have the power of Ted Kennedy or the wealth of Donald Trump. For others, that feeling of accomplishment is more about feeling that they have made a contribution in an area that is closer to their heart. But for everyone...NOBODY has the right to tell another person they are or are not successful because the other person does not meet their opinion of success.
My own opinion is that my success is in keeping my family housed, healthy, and happy while I am setting an example for my kids that I can be proud of. I could not be proud of what I am teaching my kids if I am working the underhanded practices that are common to attain what Trump or the Kennedys have. But I make a great living (over 6 figures) doing something that I can show to my children helps our nation by improving the infrastructure and in turn, making day-to-day living for the people who live here more manageable.
