Education and Careers

Many people think that a college education is the only direction in which a high school graduate can go if they want to have a successful career without deciding to enter the military and spending 20 years in a military uniform and hope that you will not get killed in some foreign conflict...  of course, this is a biased opinion...  and, there is nothing wrong with a military career and perhaps the safest place to be is in the AIR FORCE and doing something on the ground...  like a mechanic...

However, if you decide that college is where you want to go...  then consider this advice...  Go to a Community College for your first two years...  

Reasons:

1. Much cheaper
2. Your first two years are BS General Ed courses

PLUS - if you happen to live in TN, your first two years are paid for by the Government of TN as a thank you for living here.  Talk about cheap...

Now, that you have your first two years out-of-the-way, any damn college in the nation (including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) is likely to accept you for your 3rd and 4th years because the competition is less...

SECOND PIECE OF ADVICE

After you graduate, look for a job up North...  and yes, it is much colder up there than in the South but the wages and salaries are much higher as is the cost of living...  however, if you are not butt ass ugly and stupid, you can live relatively inexpensively for the first 10-12 years...  now, you are about 35 years of age...

Transfer or relocate down South...  Take your over-priced home and sell it and buy the same size house for 1/2 the price and save the rest in a tax free retirement account or open up an account in the Caymans that is not subject to US taxes.

Once you relocate, your salary may drop a little but you will still be making more than you really need, especially in East TN where the cost-of-living is 15-21% less than anywhere else (on average) in the USA...

ALL IT TAKES IS A LITTLE BIT OF FRIGGIN' COMMON SENSE AND PLANNING...