[azzkicker]

!!!NORTH DAKOTA or the military... It be BOOM times in the oil patch. Housing is tough, but find a job that will put you up at the man camps. Search google for north dakota oil jobs and whatnot...

Summer is rolling around so make sure to be there before all the southern guys come back up after leaving for the winter. I plan on looking for a oil field job soon. After years in college, grad school, working at a corp job doing ASICs/FPGAs paying less than 70k, I hear its pretty easy to make +100k in the oil fields. Just make sure you are "mobile". I won't be slack work but you will be able to bank enough money to go to school. I hear of plenty of college age kids working the summer in the fields and end up staying in the fields( not going back to college). If I where you, plan on working a year or two, saving up a "pile of money", and then working on some degree. Remember, you will be a old man in tech by the time you get your degree and what will reduce your chances for employment. Tech is a wicked mistress!

.... If not, look at Udacity and the other MOOCs.

[azzkicker]

Update: I also forgot mentioning looking at getting a two year degree from a technical school in electronics/medical electronics. There is a massive shortage of two year degrees level skill workers. That's what the real crying of "shortage of skill labor" is all about. I have two cousins making "serious bank" by servicing medical imaging equipment. They make my high tech engineering degree salary look like peanuts. Both of their employers (siemens and ge) treat them like kings (training, benefits, continuing education, job security, bonuses, promotions). Their education was cheap and they made "real" money right out of school. Do the coding on the side as a hobby or slowly have someone else like the company you work for pay for your education.

Too many people what to live the Silicon Valley lifestyle. If you can get into a top 50 school and are backed with some family wealth, you to could do it. But if you think you are going to be the next 'zuck'... you are going to be in for a rude awaking. Remember that zuck was from a well to do family, super smart, and went to an ivy league school. Most Silicon Valley companies only want people like him. The rest of us do not get to play in the big game... Life is tough. Get use to it. You will be happier.

[nonamegiven]

I'd leave the military as a last resort, just above stealing. Not unless serving your country is your undeniable calling. And if you've got any doubt, then it isn't.

I say that, having joined the military after high school because I had no clue what to do with myself. And for me, at that time, it turned out well.

However, the US hasn't used its military for anything good or honorable since World War II, except possibly the first six to nine months of Afghanistan. If you join the military you'll likely have to kill someone for no worthy reason, or you'll have to order someone to do it. For fucking Wall Street, and so whoever's President at the time doesn't have to take Viagra.

Fuck. That. Shit.

Don't waste your soul.

(Apologies to any veterans or family.)