[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Interesting.

When I was 18, education was considered incredibly important to my family. At the time it opened doors to all kinds of possibilities that NOT going to college kept closed.

I couldn't become a doctor without a degree. Couldn't get a decent job as an engineer without at least an associates degree. Couldn't be a teacher without a degree, couldn't even be a police officer without going to the academy - which required more education. If you wanted to work for a newspaper, the owner of the paper would pick the person with the degree EVERY TIME over the person without one, all other qualifications being equal.

I had the choice: I could either go to school and my parents would co-sign the loan and invest in MY future by footing the bill for school expenses that the loan didn't cover -

Or I could stay at home, abide by their rules, get a job, and pay rent -

Or I could move out, abide by the rules of society, get a job, and pay rent.

I chose college. And after my first semester, I worked anywhere between one and four part-time jobs until I graduated with honors. I paid back my loan in full 11 years after I graduated, and from the time I was 16 and 30 days of age (the minimum required to work in my state at the time) until two years ago, I worked almost continuously barring vacations and injuries. Even when I didn't "have to" work for a living, I worked, because my parents instilled a strong work ethic in me. I didn't need the Armed Forces for that. Education was the opener of doors, and service to others was - rather than a contractual obligation via the Armed Forces, was just an expected part of being a human being.

When I graduated, I was then qualified, and educated, and had the opportunity to CHOOSE which kind of career I would go into or whether I would CHOOSE to continue studies for a career that required more education. Society didn't impose that choice on me. No, I didn't become a doctor, or engineer, or teacher. But it was because I chose not to - not because I wasn't authorized to try.

No Navy necessary. No risking my life necessary. No obeying orders no matter what necessary. I didn't have to give up my freedom, to attain my freedom. I only had to allow new thoughts and ideas into my mind, and embrace life as a never-ending education.

Nice post.