At a crossroad in my life

The best thing you can hope to learn at any college or university in the United States is "how to learn/research" and think for oneself. We should be doing this in high school, but we don't, and that's why we're heading toward idiocracy. I can't say that it would be a bad idea to get the fuck out of Dodge, but I think any ex-patriot who is being honest with her/himself would admit that every place has its pros and cons. Here's the thing. The United States is a cultural, if not literal, imperialistic tyrant. I think you'd have to go someplace very remote and sparsely populated to completely escape the "system", and it's anyone's guess for how long.

Debt it slavery. Student loan debt is slavery, but you're already in the "system". $10,000 might not seem like much, but to someone who is truly, genuinely, on their own and looking for any kind of work just to feed oneself, $10,000 might as well be a million dollars. I know, because I've lived it. It literally took me over a decade to pay off the debt I incurred for a B.A., but I've never regretted getting that degree - not for the degree's sake, but for abilities that education gave me. People will poo-poo certain majors, call them impractical because they literally don't pay off immediately. I think by now, most people understand that the myth of getting a degree in order to find a great job, right out of college, is just that, a myth, for most. But like most things in life, you get out, what you put in.

In my experience, there are two types of college students. Students who go to college to "network" and those who go to "learn". Fraternities fall under this network category and fall at one end of the spectrum, student who live in computer labs and libraries, and who allow themselves to be tortured by sadistic or apathetic professors by making it their sole purpose in life to win their approval and live and die by their GPA are at the other end of the spectrum. Here's what happens: the "networkers" rely on nepotism and ass slapping to get positions they are not qualified for and the "learners" get entry level positions, if they're lucky, and typically work beneath incompetant "networkers". But there is a very narrow path to avoid both of these and it essentially means no sleep for 4, 6, or 8 years. You network like a maniac and you learn like a maniac - and you can be your own boss, and then you can be miserable in that pursuit as well. Most people don't have the stamina and the process will likely turn you into a psychopath (in fact psychopathy may be a pre-requisite), but the world will see you as a success, if you don't succumb to a breakdown at some point during or after the marathon.

My advice:

avoid as much debt as humanly possible - learn to live on little to nothing and you'll never go wanting.

avoid starting a family prematurely or altogether, because the direction we're heading is not compatible with "the family unit",

become obsessed with knowing more about everything than everyone around you, regardless of the method in which you attain that knowledge.

avoid falling in love with or fearing your own imagined future, because no matter what you do, it won't look like anything you can hope or fear.

avoid taking any advice freely given on message boards (or any where else for that matter) without first consulting your own critical mind and capacity for reason.

 

I agree with you completely, our high school "educations" are ruining this country. I, myself, am a graduate of public school as well. Public schools don't foster any kind of real learning or thought, just a bureaucracy designed to make the American youth malleable and stupid with totalitarianism and conformity at every turn and "teaching" them useless things or downright propaganda that would've made Hitler shed a tear. I don't expect to find Utopia anywhere, but I do hope more people will realize how poorly this country is being operated and that it can only keep getting worse from here if we don't take a serious look at what's being done to the future of this country, because it's in public schools right now. I'm sure someone as yourself understands my disdain with the state.

I think a lot of the way I feel is that I had no idea I was a slave (another thing I wasn't "taught" in public "school"). You go to school and you get told the slaves were freed in the middle of the 19th century, and that slavery is illegal. No one could be a slave in America anymore, right? I think that's been the biggest shock and the one I've had the hardest time dealing with, the fact that I was sold into debt slavery by my own government. I think that's the part I'm struggling with now is that the whole world is being enslaved and I really don't know what to do about it, or if anything can be done about it, just that I want to do something about it. In that sense, it doesn't make much sense to run, as the whole world is operating on America's Federal Reserve IOUs (another trick of the slave trade). I can run from the actual debt, but what will America's imperialism mean for the world 20 years from now? 10 years from now? Even 5?

You brought up a very good point about the two kinds of college students, and how they each achieve success. I'm fortunate in the sense that I am a member of a fraternity and have a large network and somewhat relevant work experience operating it, while still having a good understanding of the material I study. I've really busted my ass for the last two years, and I hate the idea of it being for naught or taking me to an unhappy place in my life. I know some posters have judged me as someone who already made up my opinion, but some of those same posters are the same people advocating me to take an approach to life that isn't an option to me, to just live and accept the situation placed in front of you, but that isn't who I am, or who I intend to be. I really wish people had more faith in God and in themselves that they could be all they aspired to be as I do.

I think that post was more in line with the original post and it's given me a lot to think about. Thank you for your time, I think that was the counter-perspective I needed.

 

the system sucks old hairy goat balls

you can try to live outside the system, but it's very hard to do. unless you are planning on defaulting on your debt, you're going to have to plug into the system

you can try to do a plugged in but not so bad job,

or you can try to make a shit load of money and use it to change the system

keep in mind though that many people who try to change the system end up getting changed by the system


maybe see if there is another school that will give you a scholarship

you can go to grad school in law or business with a ba in philosophy

if you've got debt though, you might be forced to sell your soul to the system. happens to lawyers all the time

 

I did Philosophy for a while when I was at Uni for the first time. Interesting but essentially useless unless you want to do a masters and doctorate and are really serious about the whole thing. My advice to you is cut your losses if you are unsure where you are heading. Work and save up your money and life experience, you should find out soon enough what you want to do with your life. I don't mean to sound harsh but yes the system is flawed but continually blaming that won't help you. Decide what you are going to do with your life and work towards it. If you think the system suck, then try do something to change it. We all want to run away to some other country and have a fresh start where the grass is supposedly greener. Truth is it isn't greener anywhere. Unless you have a rock steady plan to make something of your life abroad, stay where you are. It is easier to make something of yourself within the country you were born.

You will figure it all out, don't worry. Let go and follow your heart. Just don't forget to consult your brain along the way!

 

I like this idea..

I went to uni for a year and studied journalism in 2009, I didn't like it at all and dropped out. Always had the intention of returning, though not to finish that degree. I played around with a few ideas since then - the one that stood out for me was International Development and Aid. I thought I would LOVE to do it, still do, but honestly, after finishing my degree, what choices of employment would I have? I don't think that money should be the one motivation for choosing whatever you choose, but you must be realistic.

So now I want to do English + Teaching, aiming at becoming a highschool teacher. I am passionate about writing, and this direction of study will hopefully offer me a 'secure' job future, and allow me to do other things I want to do as well (volunteer+travel overseas like I would guess I would be doing with a development+aid degree).

When you're paying for education, you should be paying for qualifications that get you PAID in the long run. Can you defer uni in the USA? If so, maybe defer, work for a year, think about what you want to do, then go back? You can study philosophy in your own time, for free or for very cheap (books, etc?). I read a tonne of books under the "New Age" section, but I would never think about persuing that kind of thing as a career. I just think they're fascinating and let me think about things in a different way.

Just as a side note, if and when I go back to school, I'm planning on doing a unit on philosophy.

 

I stopped reading your retort about a paragraph in. I'm not really sure why you created this thread. From your original post, you made it sound like you were unsure of your university path. It seems as though you were just needing somebody to reassure your college path for you.

Studying philosophy is sort of ridiculous. There are almost zero career opportunities that run parallel with it, except teaching the subject, which you would need a whole lot more education to do so.

I would recommend a more practical degree. If you're wanting law school, political science is definitely not the only major that will help you get there. Do you know what kind of law you're interested in?

Again, I don't give two hoots what you major in. I think you're young and will probably kick yourself when it comes time to pay the loans back, especially considering that life only continues to get a whole lot more expensive as you age. You're probably not thinking about it now, but one day you'll likely want a wife, who will want a wedding, a reliable vehicle, a house, vacations, IRA, KIDS. While making money may not seem like a big deal to you now, the likeliness of that changing are high.

Anyhow, best of luck to you.

 

There is nothing wrong with philosophy, it is a fascinating field. Youre better off following your passion than selling out for money.

 

Practicality and money isnt the ultimate solution. To me, legacy is much more important. I can name a handful of physicists, a couple of lawyers, some mathemeticians, and a few medical doctors. But the people who are most commonly listed as major influences in peoples' lives are philosophers and writers.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwaFkPMdlY"]Dust, Wind, Dude - YouTube

Seriously, no one will pay you for that. Do you know any rich philosophers? Besides, there are plenty of crazies giving it away for free. :2thumbsup: