Plea for guidance.

[Sym]

Hello.
I recently exited the United States Army. I now have a free ride to basically any school I could possibly want to go to.
The problem is I'm afraid of picking the wrong school or major or... wrong anything really.

I really enjoy how Steve talks about how getting a traditional job is for suckers, that really resonates with me. I would like to get an education where I could start applying what I am learning to support myself as I continue to study. I don't care about making exorbitant amounts of money, at least not right away.

I am totally independent right now; no marriage, no kids, no job that I wouldn't drop in a heartbeat if I could discover my true calling. Is there a method for doing this?

So I have this GI Bill, waiting for me to make a decision, if only it could be easy!

If you could have four years of school paid for, what would you take?

I plan on attending the conference in January of '12.
Any advice or communication would be oh so appreciated.
Thanks for reading!

[Clint Cora]

Most college education programs do not really train you enough initially to also make any money from what you learn unless it's some type of apprentice trade. There might also be opportunities to be a tutor for say high school students or younger. But aside from that, I can't think of any major that will allow you to directly apply course material to some type of part time job at the same time.

The thing about college is that it teaches you to think and research as well as to develop some other useful skills while on campus. I assume that you already have good discipline training from the military so you would be ahead in that respect.

Don't worry too much about getting into the right or wrong major for now because you can always change and these days, most people will be expected to change their careers a few times during their working lifetimes anyway.

[Sym]

I'm not super concerned with the supporting myself part, the Gi bill pays a living allowance as long as I'm taking classes.

[splok]

Imo, go the computer science route. Getting a good foundation there will enable you to pick up a ton of skills that will both qualify you for a lot of well paying jobs (as jobs go) as well as enabling you to create your own products. A lot of people might suggest the business route, but that just trains you to work for someone, not really to work for yourself (or to create anything yourself), even if the program throws around "entrepreneur" in it's marketing. However, while you're in school, it would be good to take a few extra business classes while you're there.

[Coach Trish]

Hi Sym,

I'm new here and didn't really intend joining but saw your question and hope I might be able to help.

I'd say you're in a good position at the moment in terms of the fact that someone other than you is willing to pay for further education. As you're seeming to do, use your choice wisely.

I wouldn't just go with trends in terms of choosing your subject especially since you've mentioned wanting to discover your true calling. Ask yourself what your deepest desires are and what naturally flows out of you. At the time of doing my MBA, I never knew how much it would benefit me later on even though it taught me little about marketing online or as an entrepreneur. The other skills I learnt such as leadership, researching, questioning for my vocation were priceless.

Take a course you can get your teeth into, participate with all you have and more importantly, see yourself doing what they are teaching.

All the very best!

[pianoperformer]

None of us can answer for you. It is all about what you are called to do and what you are interested in.

The greatest thing that comes to mind in this situation is just to say that there are no wrong choices. You will doubtless benefit from anything you choose.

I would begin by choosing the college that you are most interested in first. Nearly any university has enough majors that you won't be limiting yourself just by choosing where you want to go. So start there, and later on you can choose the major, or remain undecided if they have that option for the first year or two.

[Alen]

Exactly. None of us can answer this for you. I will use this quote from Ayn Rand's book The Fountainhead again:

"If you want my advice, Peter, you've made a mistake already. By asking me. By asking anyone. Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?"

If I were you I would start by analyzing my hobbies, books and news you like to read, exploring your interest. Once you find out what you really like you will know which school to choose.

If you like business - entrepreneurship is not a bad option. There you will be thought how to think creatively and how to create new things/projects. And it still leaves you a ton of other options after you've done with the school.

[itybiz com]

In terms of a major, I think that needs to come from you. I would suggest you take several general courses in the first year to decide what you're good at and enjoy.

I've found that a good understanding of journalism will you write clearly and concisely, which a hard to find skill and one that will help you stand out. Business courses will also give you a lot of personal financial knowledge even if you decide not to pursue it. I would also seriously suggest computer courses as well to strengthen your overall knowledge and ability to stand out in a tough job market.

After that, it would be up to you to find something to concentrate on. I think you should definitely end with a diploma because a list of classes won't get you anything on your resume, which I personally don't think is right, but employers want to see a completed school.