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I joined the Navy out of high school and later worked for various defense contractors and management consulting companies in conflict zones doing IT and development related work. I normally made around180k- 250k a year when downrange. I never attended an ugrad universitity, but worked with and shared the same title with colleagues who boasted top 10 MBAs when working for a large management consulting firm in the emerging markets.
Admittedly, I have a an inferiority complex and feel ashamed when savvier people boast about their elite educations.
I am smart--was accepted to University of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon out of HS but could not afford to go.
I was injured in Afghanistan and received a substantive insurance pay out.
I am not quite 30 and was accepted at Columbia, Stanford, Brown, and Harvey Mudd. I accepted an offer and paid my deposit at one of the aforementioned. I am now having second thoughts.
Is it worth it to me to spend 25% of my net worth on three years of education at this point in my life for a BS or BA? I just bought a house in Vegas and don't know how having a degree will further my vocation.
I think you should go through with it. Check it off your list of goals. It's good to have an elite education in your pocket for when you need to pull it out.
I joined the Navy out of high school and later worked for various defense contractors and management consulting companies in conflict zones doing IT and development related work. I normally made around180k- 250k a year when downrange. I never attended an ugrad universitity, but worked with and shared the same title with colleagues who boasted top 10 MBAs when working for a large management consulting firm in the emerging markets.
Admittedly, I have a an inferiority complex and feel ashamed when savvier people boast about their elite educations.
I am smart--was accepted to University of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon out of HS but could not afford to go.
I was injured in Afghanistan and received a substantive insurance pay out.
I am not quite 30 and was accepted at Columbia, Stanford, Brown, and Harvey Mudd. I accepted an offer and paid my deposit at one of the aforementioned. I am now having second thoughts.
Is it worth it to me to spend 25% of my net worth on three years of education at this point in my life for a BS or BA? I just bought a house in Vegas and don't know how having a degree will further my vocation.
If your only reason for going to college, in particular an elite school, is jealousy, than you might be better off not going. Largely, a college degree is just the key that opens the door to the first job or two. In some instances where you want to college will matter later in life, but you answered this when you wrote: I normally made around180k- 250k a year when downrange. I never attended an ugrad universitity, but worked with and shared the same title with colleagues who boasted top 10 MBAs when working for a large management consulting firm in the emerging markets. You went somewhere without a college degree and worked alongside those with college degrees.
Then again, you never know. College could give you some new ideas.
For what you do or want to do, is a degree just as good as an "elite" degree? I would go to college, however I wouldn't worry about going to an Ivy institution unless it was essential.
The thing is, I am not going to a commuter school but a residential college. I feel odd being a 30 year old sophomore.
I got lucky. I had a skillset (sorta) and a security clearance and was willing to go where most people would not so I got paid for it.
I was unlucky in that my hand got blown off in an explosion in So. Afghanistan. I am lucky in that I had a good private insurance policy.
I guess if I went to school I might do something completely different than being systems admin. It's a lot of money to sit in a classroom and write papers on Kant.
Well, obviously there is no practical reason for going back to school. It's a luxury for you. You just have to decide if that's something you want to spend your money on. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer to this one - it's just a matter of whether it is worth it to you or not. Some people would buy an expensive car, travel the world, put it all in an IRA, whatever. School is just one more thing you can buy with your money, and since your reasons are personal, only you can say if it's worth it or not.
I think you should go through with it. Check it off your list of goals. It's good to have an elite education in your pocket for when you need to pull it out.
Unless its actually necessary to further his career goals, just no.
Making $180-$250k before 30 is pretty fricking amazing, especially without a college degree! What makes you want to get one now?
I went to a decent state school for undergrad, and am only prestige ho'ing it up now because law is an unusually prestige-obsessed field, and I'd be immensely lowering my chances at getting a market-paying firm job by going to a lower-tier school. Few other fields match that extreme, especially on the bachelors level.
Last edited by ElijahAstin; 08-19-2012 at 02:26 PM..
I don't think any education is wasted but I don't see the point of a prestigious school just for the sake of bragging rights. At the age of 27 I went back to school to finish my degree and stayed on to get MBA. No elite school but a good one I could afford and I'm glad I made the choice I did.
Now if this prestigious school offers a course of study you can't get anywhere else then maybe it would be worth it.
If you are a single man it might not be an easy decision to make but if you have a family I think it would be a very easy decision to make. If you are single do you plan on a family sometime in the future? That may make your decision easier to think about.
I can understand your feelings for wanting to get that basic education but it sounds to me like the experience you have under your belt will more than make up for the lack of a degree from an elitist school. I think you also need to factor in non college costs like housing, social life etc. Around elitist school might be too much burden financially.
ETA: people who boast about their elite education are not any more savvy than you- just trying to impress. Don't let them fool you. They are just as insecure as anybody else, if not more so.
Well.....Seems we are similar in many ways. I was in the Army got the clearance got out (at 23) and do the whole OCONUS warzone thing and turn 30 in Feb 2013. Been making 6 figures since. At the time all I had was a AS degree. I JUST got my BS in IT. Not from a elite school. I really don't need a degree in my field.....and as you know IT certs usually hold more weight then a degree. Of course a CCNA might not but a CCNP/CCIE/MCITP would or a CISSP.
The reasons I wanted a BS was mostly personal. And the reason I'm looking into a MBA is mostly personal. GI Bill paids for my schooling so I've never had college debt. I really don't think a elite degree would better serve you. Go to a good state school and get it all for a discount.
Fun fact...in Texas if you establish residency and have ran out of GI Bill money the Hazelwood Act foots the entire bill. Not trying to push TX on you but it has tons of bases and government work so you should be able to do well there. And houses are cheap too.
and later worked for various defense contractors and management consulting companies in conflict zones doing IT and development related work. I normally made around180k- 250k a year when downrange.
You planning on going back downrange? Because you won't make 180K-250K doing the same work in the US. I worked with IT contracting extensively both in CENTCOM AOR and the US. You'll make about 1/3 (worst case) to 1/2 (probably best) of that downrange figure in CONUS. The pay was for the danger, not necessarily the skills.
If you aren't planning to undergo the danger again, at your age, I'd go for it. Downrange may never be available to you again-but a degree from a top school will *always* carry some level of prestige and open some doors.
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