what to even go to school for?

I second the folks that say try the military. Where else can you work for 20 years and get retirement?? Not to mention VA benifits. It might sound like a pain, and you will have to follow rules and regulations, and do what people tell you. And be available 24/7 for whatever...but....lets see 19 years old, at 39 you can retire. Have a pension and have plenty of time to start a second career if you want one.

Best deal going.
ALice in Virginia

__________________
There is nothing any worse than an angry little old lady, they've had a lifetime to learn all the dirty tricks and people get upset if you hit them!

I absolutly disagree. I figure that the lack of a degree has cost me $10K-$18K a year whether or not the degree was in recreational therapy or business. That is just the way my company and many others work.

I disagree also about not getting on wiith it - you're 19 and need to get on with things. Realize that nothing is set in stone. While I work as an engineer, I do things completely different that what I specialized in during my formal education. You need to create options for yourself.

One area I might differ with others is that of the military or any state/federal employment, only b/c our country will be facing enormous pension obligation deficits in the future. I'd not count on any form of defined benefit retirement plan from employer. So what I'm saying is, don't base your decision on the belief that you'll definetly be able to retire in 20 years with XYZ pension benefits, b/c that will very likely not be the case.

I wasn't aware that $15-$20/hr was bad money. Heck, I'd be THRILLED if I made $15/hr, and I've been in my field for quite a few years.

You can get mad about us "criticizing" all you want, but you are the one that seems to have more excuses than solutions. My son, at 15, knows what he wants to do, but also knows that he needs something to do while he builds up a career. So, he's carving 2 years out of his life to get an associates in Auto Mechanics (like you, he loves working with his hands). Then, he's gonna work in that field while he builds up his skills in his preferred field.

You have to just decide what you want and go for it. If you follow the money, you're gonna find yourself potentially miserable. If you follow what you really want to do, you can find the money as long as you drop the "I can't, It doesn't, It won't"s and use some determination and willingness to do it.

travis91
You ever heard the expression that "in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"?
It is absolutely mandatory to equip yourself with either some education or with experience. Look around and see others that are living a lifestyle that you think is suitable for yourself. Then look at their background. To live that lifestyle you will have to earn an equivalent salary. Prepare yourself to do so! If you were not born into privilege and wealth prepare to make some sacrifices. I read menus from right to left for so long it is hard not to do so still today.

__________________
Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Yes, I agree, there is no guarantee about you will be able to retire in 20 years. However, even with doing the initial hitch, he could get some training, some educational benefits, and time to maybe get an idea of what he would like to do. But in the mean time, getting a pretty steady paycheck, getting out on his own, and seeing something of the rest of the world. Better than just moping around, thinking there is nothing to do.

__________________
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons...for you are crunchy and good with ketchup!

A diesel mechanic making $15-20 per hour is much better off than a burger flipper making minimum wage. No great paying job comes without investment in education and skills - and very few good paying jobs. I have a bachelors degree, and am working in a totally different field than my degree area - but I wouldn't haven't gotten the current job without the degree. The only job where you start at the top is digging a hole.

Have you stopped to figure out the cost of living on your own? Rent, utilities, groceries, medical, gas, car, car insurance...Your folks are offering a good deal - they're paying you room and board to go to school. You ought to consider it. Sometimes you have to start the journey, even if you don't know where you're going.

Then you might need to expand your search area.

Farm hands are in demand, but from what you're saying, the pay is probably quite a bit lower than you'd consider.

__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Me neither!
Assuming only 40 hours per week, that's $30-$40K per year!!

Good grief. The median household income in this country is $52K and that usually means more than one person in the house is working and has a few years of experience.

__________________
~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Try HVAC.
If I had to do it over I would have done so.
In the late 70's I trained to be a tool and die maker. While I'm still making good money at it, the writing is on the wall...manufacturing is drying up in this nation like a herd of Wildebeest's migrating on the Sharangheti.... I feel like a western cowboy in 1907.
Since then I have earned two more degree's and now I teach History classes online as plan "B"

Always have a "Plan B"

Lots of great advice here that comes from the years of lives being lived and different experiences. Only you can decide what is right for you. I lived for many years 2 blocks from a university. Watched many, many students walk by my house day and night. Heard bits of conversations, saw the international display of clothes that were worn by students from all over the world. Talked to many of them and was fascinated by the different languages and attitudes. College opens a window on a world that is full of possibilities.

You do NOT need to know what you want to do with the rest of your life when you start college. The first year or two is mostly basics. It is a time of learning about yourself also. The last two years of the basic 4 year college will take you into your specialty. For that you may decide to go to a different college that specializes in your chosen field. By then you will have met people and learned a lot. Some careers don't fit into that pattern, but most do.

If you and your family will have a hard time financing college there is a LOT of financial help out there. Government help, scholarships, grants, etc, etc. Do not let lack of money keep you from going to college. Your HS should have counselors to help get information for you. Also your local college should have help for all of that also.

If the ag type schools appeal to you, a car or bus will take you to them.

And those trade school skills have some real good points also. Shorter time in school, and the pay can be very good with some of them. The dental hygienist that was mentioned before - $30 an hour to start around here and very great benefits. I am sure it is more in some places and it is something that you might chose your hours to work.

...................If you possess a gift(understanding) for math and science your choices are only limited by your imagination ! Hydrology is a very interesting combination of geology , general engineering and civil engineering ! Hydrology is the science of acquifiers , their geology , their source of potable water for farming and supplying water for our citizens . Surface water science leans more too civil engineering but involves hydrology as well ! , fordy

One of my instructors at Nashville auto diesel college before he retired and became a teacher was making 100k a year in the 80s. He started at $1 per hour in the 60s. You have to start somewhere. Find what you like and do it better than everyone else.

SpaceCadet - I hear you and agree 100% - I just wouldn't pick the military or a government job solely b/c I thought I'd be able to retire in 20 years with set benefits. That said, I think there are great benefits to the military if you do it right - squirrel away your pay, take advantage of money for schooling, learn technical skills, travel, etc.

Also, regarding college - I'd go to community college for the first couple of years and get the basics out of the way there. Truth be told, you'll probably learn more and have a better experience than at a big university. When I took chemistry 101 I was in a lecture hall with a couple of hundred kids. Many of the intro. classes were taught by graduate students which, unforunately in this country, means that English is most likely their second language ... You won't find that at a community college.

As an aside, the reason that the majority of graduate students (at least in engineering) are foreign is b/c very few domestic kids want to put in the time and get the advanced degree. If you have good grades and are a US citizen, you are set as many of the projects require those working on the project to be citizens. I was able to get through graduate school on research assistantships which paid for my tuition and gave me a monthly stipend. Not much, but enough to pay for rent, books, food (lots of oatmeal and raman noodles ...), etc.

The military will help you figure out what to do!

No decent mechanic would turn a wrench for 15/hr. If they will, its because the labor rate supports it and so does the local economy. Get a job, get an apartment, go to community college, get off you butt.

Yep good to have a plan B Son's plan B is Spanish teacher plan C open a do jo

Here are a few websites that might be of some help, they give info on salary,education needed, etc. :

http://www.jobs-salary.com/

http://online.onetcenter.org/

Good luck!!

__________________
Please take the time to watch this video about Cerebral Palsy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0mrs4fpRv8

One of my good buddies took an interesting career path. He grew up the son of a carpenter (very talented) and so he learned a lot of the basics during the time he was in high school, and for a while after. Then he went to college and became an English major. During the summers he would still work with his dad and continued learning carpentry skills. When he graduated from college he couldn't find any jobs in his major so he became an outstanding chef in Arizona. While in Arizona, he took a civil service exam and became a paramedic/fireman. What was great about this is as a fireman, you work 24 and are off 48 (or something like that). He was able to continue doing a lot of the reading (and writing) he enjoyed, and on his days off, he was able to spend some of the time doing some carpentry work. He eventually (and still is) the fire chief in a small Ohio town. Oh and his carpentry skills also helped, when he bought an absolutely gorgeous home (3 story) and did a lot of the improvements, and then because of his wife's health, they were forced to move to a smaller one floor plan but he got in and out at the right time and made a handsome profit in his realty deal. I wish my carpentry skills were good enough to market them. Seems like an enjoyable way to work with wood and produce custom cabinetry, staircases, etc. I think there will always be a demand for top notch carpenters.

__________________
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow the fields of those who don't."-Thomas Jefferson

How about a career aptitude test? That might be helpful.

__________________
Robin