TheCoinKid
Hero Member
I was raised in a small railroad town. My father-in-law took a job at the railroad at age 18 and worked his entire life there as a master mechanic. He made a good living for his family, had good benefits, and had a good retirement plan. He also lost most of his hearing in the shop and had a partial permanent disability for an eye injury from a shop accident. The railroad left town when he was in his 50's, and he was very bitter (and quite frankly, scared) that they had left him "high and dry." All was forgotten (along with most everything else) when he was soon after diagnosed with the early onset of dementia, which is sometimes associated with acute hearing loss. In his later years, he liked to talk about the "free money" he received each month from his railroad retirement, when in reality it was anything but free.
My current next door neighbor spent his career as a BNSF railroad man and retired with considerable wealth. He's in mid 70's, healthy, and travels the world. He also has a college degree.
My parents had college degrees, my wife and I have college degrees, and my kids have college degrees (one is a doctor). Admittedly, I'm biased, but I can say with certainty that we're all better off from the path we took. Certainly not the case with everyone. I have a cousin that went to a trade school and is very successful working for a private space program. There's plenty of other examples of success without college already mentioned in this thread.
At 17, I would say that you're already ahead of the curve. You're planning your future and you're soliciting advice. You seem driven and quite focused. Great accomplishments are made by single-minded, focused individuals. Being too focused also limits your horizons. Keep an open mind, don't limit yourself. Your opinions and goals regarding careers, education and family will most certainly change with time.
You're going to get plenty of advice on your future, not all solicited. My best advice is this: Respectfully listen to the advice of others and absorb all the information you possibly can, then MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND. Let no one person or experience sway you.
Good luck.
My current next door neighbor spent his career as a BNSF railroad man and retired with considerable wealth. He's in mid 70's, healthy, and travels the world. He also has a college degree.
My parents had college degrees, my wife and I have college degrees, and my kids have college degrees (one is a doctor). Admittedly, I'm biased, but I can say with certainty that we're all better off from the path we took. Certainly not the case with everyone. I have a cousin that went to a trade school and is very successful working for a private space program. There's plenty of other examples of success without college already mentioned in this thread.
At 17, I would say that you're already ahead of the curve. You're planning your future and you're soliciting advice. You seem driven and quite focused. Great accomplishments are made by single-minded, focused individuals. Being too focused also limits your horizons. Keep an open mind, don't limit yourself. Your opinions and goals regarding careers, education and family will most certainly change with time.
You're going to get plenty of advice on your future, not all solicited. My best advice is this: Respectfully listen to the advice of others and absorb all the information you possibly can, then MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND. Let no one person or experience sway you.
Good luck.
Last edited: