Perhaps.

Join the military.

__________________

dont do that, haha

__________________

Got something against joining the military?

__________________

+1

__________________

Any real reason why?

__________________

well, in my opinion, there is more in life than joining army, nothing against army itself but, i think knowledge is way more important than obey of what your country told you...i know there are actually more than ''obeying'' but, its my opinion

__________________

Trying college is a good idea, but in that time you should actually make a commitment to giving it all you have while you're there.

I would highly recommend trying most of the ideas listed here (looking for jobs, giving it some time) but the army is not a good thing to look at out of high school. There is so much more that you can give a try, really.

__________________

I think anyone who doesn't know what they want should join the militay, instead of being a waste of life living in your parents basement hogging all their funds...or working a low paying job that really won't get you anywhere anyway... or go to college and don't take it seriously and end up dropping out and wasting thousands. Go Military. That'll put ya on the right path. Don't listen to Bob, he's Canadian. Haha

__________________

join a cult

__________________

i was talking about this with a friend, just last night. one of our good highschool friends is in the army right now. he joined because he didnt know what to do after we graduated, and he hated/hates school. apparently hes "finishing" his term soon. he said he doesnt have much of a choice now, and is expected to go to school. i dont know all the "benefits" of joining, but other than those, it seems like he wasted his time. hes back in front of the school doors, and doesnt want to walk in, anymore than he didnt, 3 years ago. IMO, his brothers situation is worse. his brother went for a term in the navy, then he came back to live with his mom. he works at a local call center, making little more than my other friend did when he took a temporary job there. i think the problem (if seen as such) is that sooo many fucking people are joining now. im assuming the benefits arnt even half of what they used to be. and finally, i have a different friend that joined the navy too. he said that one of the biggest mistakes hes ever made, was listening to that random recruiter that told him everything he "thought he wanted to hear".

i have absolutely no patience for the recruiters ive had the discomfort of conversing with. do they not know the meaning of harassment? i literally had to tell this guy (on like the 6th call he made to my house) "im not joining the fucking army. EVER. dont call. dont ask. and i cant stress this enough: fuck off. *click*" it worked.

this is what little ive picked up on, over a few years. and i think there is a significant difference in joining the army because you want to fight for your country, and joining the army because you dont want to go to school... which is exactly what was just suggested, above.

Thats the army.

__________________

you know, its only a matter of time, thats why i think there is more than joining military.

Exploring, working with a low paying job are 2 important experiences to try, so college is.

Instead of doing what your governement want you to do, do what is more important for you, ill try the job, traveling and then college.

__________________

Ok unless you are in the military go ahead and assume you have no idea what it is about or teaches you.

My dad was in the marine corps for 20 years and until i joined i didn't know anything about it. (even though i most certainly thought i did, and all my friends in similar situations thought as well.)

The military teaches you so much about living a productive life that to say "it teaches you to do what your country asks" is about as fucking stupid as it gets.

It teaches you responsibilities, discipline, people skills, team work, compassion and comradery just to name a few. It doesn't just teach you them you are forced to learn them. But not even just learn them but to understand their value.

The vast portion of the population fails to learn these things as they start their careers and its very apparent that college doesn't teach you these at all. Maybe tiny bits of some of these but hardly like the military does.

The military forces you to grow up and see the world as it really is. You afraid to follow orders? Do you really think that when you get a real job you don't abide by the SAME rules as you do in the military? Appearance, timeliness, cooperation, and FOLLOWING orders given to you? Hell its even more difficult in the civilian world cause alot of times your performance is much higher in evaluation than a government job.

I can tell you from both worlds cause guess what i've been in both, you learn more about life in 1 year of the military than all 4 years of college.

There is a reason why active and former military looks down at the general populace. Because they're nasty, stupid, and ignorant. Its not too common to find people who pick up good habits over time.

This isn't the appropriate thread to be discussion personal afflictions with these choices. Hes looking for things that are going to positively move him forward in life. Why limit him? Thats the same stupid fucking attitude california seems to have with this extreme liberal stance of removing recruiters from college campuses. Give them all the options, their pros and cons and let him decide. Stop fucking deciding for him.

Community College
4 Year university
Getting a basic entry level real job
Military
Union jobs

Any others?

__________________

Probably the best advice on here

__________________

true. it still is an option that is good for some, and better for others. it just so happens that i know a few who it wasnt so great for, but they chose it anyway (and then shortly after, came complaining to me about it).

two weeks after that highschool friend joined, he told me that he had said to himself "holy shit, theres a war going on". like he hadnt even considered that, before getting in... which is pretty ridiculous because did he not just ignore the sole purpose of the army? i said "i could have reminded you of the war, but i thought you had that much covered...".

in my last post, it possibly looked like im just trying to bash army/military/navy or whatever, but im really not. ive just never really vented on how irresponsibly hasty some of my friends were about it.

and TM, im sure there are some great personality benefits that i wasnt considering, and many people really do need that. im not so sure about that whole 1 yr of military>4 years of college, life business. you learn about THAT life. "life" isnt the same for everyone. and that life certainly is not for everyone.

The post i did wasn't intended for you so much, rather venting on anti-military ideas based off of bs information.

You are absolutely right. There are definitely people, ALOT of people who jump into it without the information of what they're going to be doing and end up hating it.

Its not for everyone. It is an OPTION, a very good one that shouldn't be thrown out without proper information.

I agree with your last statements, but i there are alot of good civic and responsible personalities that are gained via military that you just simply won't get in college.

The only reason i get heated over this is I personally know what happens in the military and i know how that some people find it great, and others not so much.

Needless to say having military background on your resume is very big. It in alot of ways is equivalent to a 4 year degree, especially if you know how to swing it that way. (this is one of the things you learn about the real world, that you don't learn in college, and thats how to really represent yourself and give presence in a job interview)

__________________

lol exactly.

__________________

fixed that for you.

tm is right about the military. it will teach you a lot of valuable things that you can and most likely will carry on with you into the civilian world as well as your personal life.

part of the reason i decided to join is because i was doing the post college office job thing and it wasn't really doing it for me. not only was i just getting by..i wasn't really moving forward all that much either in a number of areas. the sad part about it was that i was comfortable enough that i didn't really push myself to make any big changes.

now i'll be making more money than i ever have before, i'll have full health insurance..something i haven't had in years, i'll learn about all kinds of things that i can apply to later jobs after i get out or retire, and also will be able to do and see things that most people never get to experience.

it's definitely not for everyone, and i'd have even laughed at you if two years ago you'd say i'd be doing what i'm doing now. it's up to the individual to decide..i'd be lying if i didn't say i miss how my life used to be. as of right now, i've sacrificed a lot of freedoms i had just under a month ago. fortunately, it's only temporary and i'll regain many of those freedoms once i'm out of the initial training.

If you don't know what to do, i'd go to college and figure it out from there.

__________________