mtbriles 0 #1 August 4, 2009 So i have already made the decision but i would like to hear other peoples opinions. I had the money to either go to college in the fall or pay for jumps all the way to my A liscense and some for a good rig. Now what would you have done with that $$$$$? School or Skydiving?Why not? My direction in life is up...then down again REALLY REALLY FAST!!! Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. D.S. #55 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrewEckhardt 0 #2 August 4, 2009 QuoteSo i have already made the decision but i would like to hear other peoples opinions. I had the money to either go to college in the fall or pay for jumps all the way to my A liscense and some for a good rig. Now what would you have done with that $$$$$? School or Skydiving? Go to school, get a good job doing something you like, and have enough money to pay for all the jumping you want even after you stop working in 40 years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiverbry 0 #3 August 4, 2009 Not what you want to hear I bet but....I would have choose school.Then ya could have gone on to get a better job and made more $$$$ to pay for skydiving. The sky will always be there but and education is something you need to take advantage of when you're younger. After graduation all the money would be yours to jump with plus you'd have a degree Bry-------------------------------------------------- Growing old is mandatory.Growing up is optional!! D.S.#13(Dudeist Skdiver) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 800 #4 August 4, 2009 Not a fair poll really... I'm at the other end of this issue... I don't want no more learnin'!!!! Gimme the sky! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaH 0 #5 August 4, 2009 I voted for school. Be yourself! MooOOooOoo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dks13827 3 #6 August 4, 2009 Michael, well you arent to old to make your plans evolve........... at some point you will realize that you must be able to make a decent living no matter what your interests are. I dont blame you for not wanting Junior College english 101 classes again. There are many tech and / or business things you can do, in about a year. Also military has many great things. Cop, MP, fireman, ATC and on and on. talk to your dz buddies and get ideas. xray tech.. nursing...... computer networks,, etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cocheese 0 #7 August 4, 2009 Life is too short to be sitting in a class room pretending to listen to someone who couldn't make it in the real world. Go start a small business then go jump to blow off some steam. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Caitlin89 0 #8 August 4, 2009 Seriously? If you need to ask this question, you may as well skip the school thing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnDeere 0 #9 August 4, 2009 Quote Seriously? If you need to ask this question, you may as well skip the school thing You might want to try reading! Quote So i have already made the decision but i would like to hear other peoples opinions. He was was looking for opinions on what other would do! But you did give him your smart ass opinionNothing opens like a Deere! You ignorant fool! Checks are for workers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tuna-Salad 0 #10 August 4, 2009 why make the poll on a skydiving website when you know what everyone is gonna choose to begin with?Millions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GLIDEANGLE 1 #11 August 4, 2009 Quotex-ray tech.. nursing...... computer networks Do you mean to imply that these don't require college? Rad Tech and Nursing most certainly require school... lots of school. Not only that... admission to those programs is very competitive, so one needs really good grades to get in. Yes, there is a lot that one can do without a college degree... but those don't happen to be.The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtbriles 0 #12 August 4, 2009 Quotewhy make the poll on a skydiving website when you know what everyone is gonna choose to begin with? Well i sure as hell didnt see it being this much of a split.Why not? My direction in life is up...then down again REALLY REALLY FAST!!! Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. D.S. #55 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tuna-Salad 0 #13 August 4, 2009 I should check results before posting. I was expecting many more to say skydivingMillions of my potential children died on your daughters' face last night. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #14 August 4, 2009 QuoteQuotewhy make the poll on a skydiving website when you know what everyone is gonna choose to begin with? Well i sure as hell didnt see it being this much of a split. Remember that not everyone on here is skydivers who started at your age. Many of us are people who started well after our schooling was completed and can appreciate the benefits of an established career with solid work experience/skills that (at least in many cases) started with college and/or graduate school. It gives us the flexibility to support a nice lifestyle that includes skydiving. Personally, I like the fact that I don't have to scrimp and save and spend every extra penny I have on skydiving, and I like the fact that I can comfortably afford to travel to skydive. I have the cashflow to keep jumping my current canopy while my new one is on order, because fronting that kind of money isn't really a big deal for me. That's not to say there aren't plenty of people out there who have achieved similar or greater financial comfort without college degrees. But you really shouldn't assume that everyone here came to skydiving at the same point in their lives as you are."There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 800 #15 August 4, 2009 There are also PLENTY of non-skydivers. A tandem or three does not a skydiver make. These folks will see this different from jumpers. IMO Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #16 August 4, 2009 Go to school. The sky isn't going anywhere. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #17 August 4, 2009 Quote There are also PLENTY of non-skydivers. A tandem or three does not a skydiver make. These folks will see this different from jumpers. IMO Ya had to open *that* can of worms? "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtbriles 0 #18 August 4, 2009 im not assuming that we all started at the same age. I realized from another thread most people start when they are finishing college or already graduated. Its tough for me to make this decision at this age no lie.But i feel i made the right choice for meBriles Why not? My direction in life is up...then down again REALLY REALLY FAST!!! Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. D.S. #55 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyrider 0 #19 August 4, 2009 Simple, take a look at all the successful people of Skydiving , You will be hard pressed to find one without at least one degree! Damn few Skybums make it , Smart people have a solid background to fall back on to! BTW, I am one of the drop outs...Never even finished Highschool.....Thankfully, I married right , I can make a existance with my hands, but my wife makes a living! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,446 #20 August 4, 2009 Quote Remember that not everyone on here is skydivers who started at your age I did start when I was in college. It was an easy decision to finish school. It meant that I can skydive 30+ years later, while being able to choose when and if I want to teach, do tandems, rig, or pack. Note that I've done all but the tandems at one time or another. And I even majored in sociology Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kmills0705 0 #21 August 4, 2009 I definitely recommend school. I made my first eight jumps while I was a junior in college. I couldn't really afford to jump so I stopped until after I graduated and had a really well paying job. What is your plan when your money runs out and you have an A license in hand, a shiny new rig and can't afford to jump? Thing long term...Kim Mills USPA D21696 Tandem I, AFF I and Static Line I Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tolgak 0 #22 August 4, 2009 There is no question. You have the opportunity to get an education, you take it. Besides, a job can keep you jumping at a moderate rate while you're still in school, even if you're paying for rent and transportation and all that "life" stuff.Dropzones are terrible places for inspiration. What does one think when one looks up for a sign only to see a bunch of people falling? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #23 August 4, 2009 QuoteSo i have already made the decision but i would like to hear other peoples opinions. I had the money to either go to college in the fall or pay for jumps all the way to my A liscense and some for a good rig. Now what would you have done with that $$$$$? School or Skydiving? One alternative option is to investigate is doing both. Pay for skydiving and take student loans. Until retirement, in the greatest liklihood, you will not have as much free time as you will during school. The trick to making it work is being savvy and luck of the current market rates versus rates after you’ve graduated. Student loan repayment is deferred until at least 6 months after you leave school/graduate. (Can be deferred longer term if you go to grad school, post-doc, or get some fellowships.) If you’re savvy, you can ‘consolidate’ at a *very* low interest rate & take advantage of incentives like electronic deductions to pay, say ~2%. (Or you could.) Up until 18 months ago, an ING savings account was providing a higher rate of interest (>4%). Interest rates will come back up. Will they be back up there when you graduate is the financial crystal ball question. In order to make it work financially, you’ve got to be willing to manage actively your money/investments and choices/expenses wisely. Instant gratification value and other considerations of shiny new gear versus adequate, safe used gear, etc are a different mental calculus. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SivaGanesha 2 #24 August 4, 2009 QuoteSo i have already made the decision but i would like to hear other peoples opinions. I had the money to either go to college in the fall or pay for jumps all the way to my A liscense and some for a good rig. Now what would you have done with that $$$$$? School or Skydiving? The advice I was given when I was very young (I'm now 43) was that I should finish what I start. Good advice but in your case I think finishing what you start means you should get your 'A' then go for your degree--not the other way around. Both are important but since you have two jumps--clearly with the intent of earning your 'A'--you should finish earning your 'A' before accepting admission to college/university. You definitely need to do both but since you've already started working towards your 'A' I believe that--for now--college/university should be worked around skydiving and not the other way around. Once you're done with your 'A' you can reduce the priority of skydiving a bit, still make some jumps, but focus on your degree without being in a rush to get the higher licenses. You've set a goal in skydiving and you've started working towards it. You need to finish that goal. College will always be there."It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 220 #25 August 4, 2009 Quote You've set a goal in skydiving and you've started working towards it. You need to finish that goal. College will always be there. Yeah - that reminds me of a time when a guy I knew was under a new canopy . . . flew great he started a 270, yeah - he knew he was low, but he wanted to finish what he started . . . We felt the impact from over 100 yards away underfoot - he lived, barely, but will never be pain free until he dies.I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
