# College



## BetterNot (Mar 11, 2014)

I am currently a Junior in High School and am starting to look at colleges. Really don't know what I want to go into right now, but I am leaning towards something in Chem or Bio. I am a huge skier and kayaker/rafter and want to continue doing that, but I also want to go to a school that has a great education. Don't really want to go out of state (Colorado), but I could be talked into a place in Oregon or Washington.

For some questions that I have are:
What are some colleges you would recommend looking into?
What are the colleges you went to and how did you like it?
Do I want to go to a school with a great education and give up my lifestyle for four years or do I want to continue my life style and go to not as good of a college?
What colleges have a good skiing and kayaking community?
Any advise you would give me?


Sent from my LG-D851 using Mountain Buzz mobile app


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

Well, since you're in Golden, Mines... You'll get good opportunities at both CU & CSU if you want to stay front range. Western State & Mesa would treat you right as well. CO Mountain College might not have the robust science you're looking for. Ft. Lewis would be good, but might as well be out of state at that point. 

My $.02: You can play when you're NOT in school. Gap years, semesters off, after graduation, whatever. It took me quite a few years to dig myself out of the hole my undergrad GPA put me in. I could have spent just as many years raft guiding and ski instructing and not had to double up that time with re-taking courses just so I could get accepted into my grad programs. 

Okay, my $.04: Don't go out of state unless your parents are willing to foot the bill, and even then think about in-state and having them give you a down payment on a house. UO, OSU, UW, WSU, and a plethora of other schools in the PacNW have great recreation nearby, but as someone who is just barely getting close to paying off my student loans, a low-priced, high-value education is the same as a huge pay raise immediately on signing the contract for your first "real" job. 

My CV: BA English at Michigan & 4-year rower, MS human physiology at Oregon with a lot better GPA, MD at CU. Worked at UW in Seattle for a couple years as well. And my Utah raft guide license is still current.

Good luck!


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Good advice from asleep.at.the.oars. If you're going to be in school, hit it hard and apply yourself at it, manage your time well, keep up with your work, and you'll be able to play "enough" and still get good grades, learn lots, and get into a good grad program if that's what you want. Doing school half ass will have a lot more lasting impact than missing out on some fun and committing fully to school while you're there.

You can get a great education at Mines and you can also be a slacker and do just enough to get by just like anywhere. If you are thirsty for it, you can get a great education just about anywhere if you really want it enough and aren't afraid to go talk to and work with those old guys called professors.

-AH


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Stay in state your first 2 years and work mostly towards your GEs for an associates degree. If during that time you find exactly what you want to major in and are motivated and disciplined....Great, plow forward. If not, you have an Associates and can take a gap year or two if you are largely motivated by recreational pursuits. With an associates you can transfer to most universities and focus on your major requirements. Some colleges actually reward transfer students with scholarships if they have some non-academic life experience. 

Many students change majors a few times so focusing on Gen Eds is a good way to get required credit and explore options in the relevant departments; most degrees require the intro classes that often count as GEs anyways. Chemistry and Biology are rather intensive degree fields to invest in so getting your feet wet early is a way to explore your commitment and interest. 

If you do take gap years realize you will likely be paying for education on your own, unless you have extremely lenient parents. But some people need that time (I needed 8 years) before they are ready to commit to a degree and its growing costs. On the other hand, if you are motivated and committed getting a degree sooner than later pays off in economic dividends (like hundred or hundreds of thousands more lifetime earning potential). All depends are where you are in life personally. 

I dropped out my first go round after my scholarships expired. While it was emotionally right for myself if I had paid more attention and just gotten my Associates I could have saved myself $20k+ when I went back to get a degree in my mid-twenties. I only needed a handful more credits to get there but I didn't. Live and learn.

Best of luck and good on you for appraising yourself and options.

Phillip


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## oarboatman (Jul 20, 2006)

Mesa, wasted st, ft liquor. It's all about balance. You will miss some long trips but day trips close to home will rep your head in the game. Do at you c to capitalize on your breaks.


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## Ninja_Nico (Mar 28, 2013)

Mines has an awesome kayak club that I've been lucky enough to be apart of for the last 4.5 years. Also, plenty of kids who ski all the time. I don't feel like I had to give up much "lifestyle" at mines. Definitely focused my free time towards boating and skiing and tried to not waste time just partying (not that party is a waste of time!). The school definitely isn't for everyone though. PM me if you want


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## GAtoCSU (Apr 18, 2005)

CSU if you're going into the science fields. Go to the best, most affordable college that you can get into, which if you're in Colorado will be CSU. Are you interested in medicine or research? Don't plan on staying with a BS in those fields if you want to be able to afford anything good.

BS Cell bio UGA
MS Cell and molecular bio CSU
MD MCG

Lots of schooling


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

I would say get your associates through CMC and then go to Mines, Ft Lewis or CSU. I got my associate of science through CMC and it was much cheaper than going straight to a University...


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

Don't go to college. If I had taken my college fund and bought gold I'd be a rich man today...


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## QuietHunter (Jun 8, 2010)

Some great advice on here.
Consider Ft. Lewis for the first two years to get your generals out of the way and do so at a less expensive rate. All credits will then transfer to CSU to complete your major. I know many who took that approach and saved many thousands. Also, Durango is a great outdoors town for helping to keep your "feet wet" in boating. 

Mines is a fantastic school, but not for everyone. Think of what your academic aptitude and goals are.


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

Restrac has it right. I would only add that until you are sure you know what you want to do when you grow up, pouring money into a college education can be a tremendous waste of time and money. Getting the basic courses out of the way is a good plan while you figure it out.

I spent four years getting my degree, worked in that field for 3 years and walked away. I went into a different field that didn't require a degree and never looked back. I wouldn't trade the college experience I had for anything and my degree has helped, but the point is, a lot of students have managed to bury themselves in debt without a clear picture of what they want to do or how they will pay for their education.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

As a follow up to what I posted above, I'll agree with what folks have said about taking your basic intro courses ("survey courses") at a junior college. At the larger state universities often these intro classes are taught by professors who may be more focused on getting tenure and on the "publish or perish" treadmill than teaching 250 freshmen about chemistry, calculus, or biology. 

Another tip - for each of your intro courses, go pick up an old edition of the basic course textbook by a different author (discontinued used textbooks may be available for pennies per pound). When you get stuck studying a concept, see how the other guy explains the same topic - this will probably be just what you need to understand it and move forward. Also, the textbook industry is a notorious racket, you may be able to get by with the 8th edition (purchased for $5 at a bookstore clearance sale or off campus) even though your class is using the 9th edition (available for $120 used) it's probably all the same material but just arranged in different sections with a few pages of new material you can get from your classmates if you even need it (did I say textbooks are a racket?). Keep an eye out for textbook clearance sales and check local used bookstores around and off campus.

Good luck!

-AH

BS, Geology, Univ. of Alabama
MS, Hydrogeology, CU Boulder


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

If you do have your heart set on a school not in colorado I would strongly sugest you start looking into the WUE "western undergraduate exchange" scholarship.. It is only available to you as an incoming freshman but can make out of state tuition very affordable.. I had this scholarship and would not have considered going out of state without it.. It is valid in most of the northwestern states. I am from oregon and with the WUE i was able to go to university of montana for less than I could have gone to Oregon or Oregon state..


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

There is a lot of great advice here, but mine differs a bit from most of it... to start I did the junior college thing, but never did get an associates "degree" I had college credit from highschool as well as several different junior colleges and nearly all (90% )transferred when I finally went to a "4" year school. The associates degree is nice because it's stand alone and may get you a job without further schooling but if you plan on finishing at a 4 year it's really not necessary. I went to Portland State, Central Oregon Community College, Mt Hood Com. Col. and graduated from Montana State with a BS in Geology. 

I took time off and slowly progressed through school. I feel the education you receive in the classroom is of secondary importance in undergrad. What you really get out of a degree is the nuts and bolts of a potential career. What you really get out of college is the ability to learn, question the status quo, think for your self, adapt, ask good questions and listen to unexpected ideas. Employers hire graduates because they've learned how to listen and are trainable, not really because they know everything already. I'm sure I'll catch a lot of flak for this idea but I learned a hell of a lot more about life while in college than I did about rocks. I'm not saying to go to Party U, skip class and ski and boat all the time but balancing a healthy amount of recreation with work, school and partying may teach more about your self and what you NEED to do than anything else. Go to class, study, learn but also get out, explore. 
While monetarily it may make sense to stay in state (and I second the WUE idea, didn't work for me but did for many friends) getting out of state, away from your folks, friends, preconceptions is a huge part of the life lessons you should get in college. If I had it my way I would require all college students to spend at least a year out of state/away from what they grew up with.

As far as majors, the one thing I'll say is you'll probably end up somewhere other than chem/bio... it's just the odds. There are a lot of really great disciplines out there and you may not realize you care for them until you get a little more depth than you get in HS. I totally agree with getting your survey courses early, theoretically that is where you'll find your true passion.

The other really valuable thing I picked up on was once you get on campus pay attention to peoples opinions of professors, try to take classes from the really passionate ones (and they will almost always be the most difficult classes). They are the ones that will truly touch your soul and get you excited about learning and illuminate your path. Taking pushover classes will just make you hate school.

That's my $0.99.


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

school is a joke, live a good life and forge your degree. that is what people do these days.

It is all who you know, not what you know. live a life YOU enjoy, even if you think that means to go to school.

It is way to expensive and its called a career not a job, because you will spend your life working.

think about it, or fall in line.


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## Airborne2504 (Jul 11, 2008)

Get a good education. Do well in school. When in school focus on school. Get your degree(s). Doing well in school will set you up for success in getting a good paying job/career with great benefits and vacation/paid time off, etc. Which, in the end, will fund all of your hobbies/passions/sports/etc. .. By getting a decent job/career this will set you up for success later when you want to switch careers by having a good career reference(s).

I did Active Duty Army for 4 years after high school and then got out and used my GI-Bill benefits to pay for college.....maybe explore the military options to help pay for school? Even the Guard/Reserves- learn a skill/trade through the military which they will pay for, use that skill to land a decent job while still being a full time student...etc. Many routes you could go with this option which can also set you up for success.

Lastly, if you don't go to college, use the money you would have taken out in Student Loans, and instead take out a Business Loan and start your own business (LLC.). If you're successful, well, --> GOOD THINGS. If it fails, the money you lose IS NOT any of your Personal Assets, and now you have REAL WORK Experience that employers will love seeing on your resume. There's quite a bit of research and credible interviews you can find on this if you decide to look into this route.

You will hear, or you may have already heard this saying,; "C's get Degrees." This is True, however this is a horrible mentality to have. Education is expensive. And in the end, most of the time, C's do not get you a decent job/career.

Take care, and good luck in whatever you decide.


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## KSC (Oct 22, 2003)

Complicated subject. Maybe I'm some kind of elitist snob, but I agree with elkhaven that college is much more than just getting a degree to launch your career for the least money possible. Making connections with people and immersing yourself in a community of people that are thoughtful and trying to define themselves as you define yourself, as well as cultivating your mind, is a much more important part of it. 

Also consider that you can take solid performance in any undergraduate program on to graduate school and largely redefine your career. I.e. I know people who went to small liberal arts schools but decided they wanted to do university level scientific research and were able to make that transition by going to a large research institution for their graduate work. 

Worst case, even if you were stuck in a place with no skiing, boating, I guess if you took your summers and breaks and focused on fun, you'd still be doing pretty well on an annual basis. 

Anyway, I'm sure it works for some people, but I don't personally like the advice of go to community college for a couple years and then transfer to keep your costs down. I would pick a place that would expose yourself to new and diverse ideas, a place with solid academics and a place with a student body that reflects the kind of person you hope you'll be. I know I (I think like most people) am heavily influenced by the ideas and attitudes of my peers.

But it also depends on you and where your motivations lie. It's not a one size fits all world.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

I guess I recommend cc first because a lot of people jump into a university just to realize its not right for you. Randaddy and Bob's comments are valid and should be considered. I only got an associates, but I am only a couple years away from owning my own, well established, business and I am quickly establishing a flourishing photography company, and secondary education has helped me in no way. Recently I have put substantial investstments in precious metals (totally different topic) because I feel they will see substantial growth in the next 20 years...

Honestly it depends on your priorities.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

I agree with others that a college education is as much about what you learn in class as what you learn outside class, but if all you are picking up is what's out of class you are spending a lot of money doing it. You could easily pick up entry level jobs in interesting sectors or move to a locale that would challenge your world views pick up the life experience points without the 5 or 6 figure debt. With that in mind I would look for degrees that are marketable not just interesting. If you can't find a marketable degree to pursue take the time/energy/money and invest in experience of both the life and career variety.

I did not make deliberate choices going into school but it all kind of worked out for me in the end. My school situation allowed for 100 days on the slopes every year thanks to marginal night skiing in Pennsylvania. I have some fond memories of those nights but nothing epic. It got me through the day to day. 

Now I have a cush office job, 5 days a week on the hill, 7 days a week (if I want it) on the water from april-nov a nice paycheck/benefits office with a view etc etc etc. 

My head is broken and I needed the outdoors time to make the grades and keep the motivation. Others could buckle down and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. 

There's a ton more to say but it's crazy to think at 18 y.o. you will have a real handle on how you want your life to turn out. Take a look at the various pieces of advice, see what makes sense and try to follow that. If it's not working try something else.


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## Caleb125 (Oct 25, 2012)

I'm in a very similar situation as you. I am a high school junior looking into college. I'm thinking of going into either film or product design and would love to stay in Colorado but am also looking at schools in the PNW. Do any of you guys know of colleges in CO that have good film studies? So far Colorado College has been the best one ive found. Also do you guys know of any people that went into film and if so how successful of a career path is it? I am interested specifically in adventure film and photography on the side.


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## BrianK (Feb 3, 2005)

College isn't everything, but that doesn't mean that it is worthless. College didn't pay off for some of the people in this thread, but it does pay off for many. There are a lot of paths to/definitions of success. College is just one path. As mentioned you may be able to find better places to invest time and money than college. However, you can also find many worse places to invest time and money as well. Hindsight has the benefit of never being wrong. 

Also, I'm fairly confident Randaddy is illiterate which is why college didn't pay off for him. That, and the fact that he went to the University of Wyoming which is a college in only the most generous sense of the word. 

To answer your question, if you want to paddle during College, you should go to the PNW or the South East. You can come home to Colorado during summer break and get all the paddling Colorado has to offer. Also going to a different state is good for college, different places have different types of people and different ways of looking at things which is basically the whole point of the collegiate experience.


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

You need to look over the Poverty Boating thread.

Or just build up all the student debt possible.


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## TapStyx (Aug 28, 2010)

All good advice on here. I enjoy reading them myself and reflecting back when I was your age. You have heard this before but you have so much ahead of you chief! That's a great thing! Take advantage of it. Chemistry and Biology are fascinating areas. I'd suggest expose yourself to everything and anything that interests you before you head out to the towers of academia. You know, you could be a designer and creator of the next generation kayak, hypalon, paddle shaft, etc. ...Or, you could be the next person that discovers a factor Xa inhibitor for patients that have atrial fibrillation. My point is that it's hard to figure out what you want to do once you've turned 18 and society expects you to have it planned out. Take full advantage of these posts and advice, people are happy to give it, and keep seeking your passion. If you do decide the college route hit it HARD just as you would in the rio. Play hard too. Best of luck chief!


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

BrianK said:


> Also, I'm fairly confident Randaddy is illiterate which is why college didn't pay off for him. That, and the fact that he went to the University of Wyoming which is a college in only the most generous sense of the word.


My mastery of the English language cost a small fortune - even at such a humble institution.

Now I'm learning my second language, Spanish, from a free app on my phone. It's proving to be far more effective and useful than anything I did in college. 

It's all about what you want to do and how you want to get there. I recommend the Spanish app, a solid part-time construction job that doesn't drug test, a slutty girlfriend a few years older than you to teach you A LOT, and your kayak.


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

And a van. You're going to need a van.


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## waterismyfriend (Mar 30, 2012)

I really enjoyed the flexibility of taking courses both at CU Boulder and CU Denver. They both have some great professors in Bio and Chem though I leaned to the Denver campus for most of those classes. You may also want to start talking to some of the in state raft companies to learn about guide training. You'll end up on the water 90 days a year, something the rest of us posting comments only dream of or remember as the best times of our lives... Best of luck to you!


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## BetterNot (Mar 11, 2014)

Thank you guys all! The reason why I posted this is to see other's people's input. And I got lots of different suggestions. Mostly either "Find the place where you want to go and study your ass off" or "Don't go to college and start your life out the way you want to live." Anyways, I got most of my questions answered but I still got some. If I do go out of state, what are some good one's that you would recommended me looking into that are in the Pacific NW? And, What are some scholarships that you guys know about?



> Another tip - for each of your intro courses, go pick up an old edition of the basic course textbook by a different author (discontinued used textbooks may be available for pennies per pound). When you get stuck studying a concept, see how the other guy explains the same topic - this will probably be just what you need to understand it and move forward.


 Really good advise there, might just go ahead and do than when/if I go.



GAtoCSU said:


> Are you interested in medicine or research?


 More towards research but medicine does interest me.



> If you do have your heart set on a school not in colorado I would strongly sugest you start looking into the WUE "western undergraduate exchange" scholarship.. It is only available to you as an incoming freshman but can make out of state tuition very affordable


 Will definitely look into that! Thanks!



> I agree with elkhaven that college is much more than just getting a degree to launch your career for the least money possible. Making connections with people and immersing yourself in a community of people that are thoughtful and trying to define themselves as you define yourself, as well as cultivating your mind, is a much more important part of it.


 Completely agree with that. Back to some of my original questions, What college's do most boaters and skiers look into? It's not as fun by yourself 



> You may also want to start talking to some of the in state raft companies to learn about guide training. You'll end up on the water 90 days a year, something the rest of us posting comments only dream of or remember as the best times of our lives.


 Don't worry I have! Already been through guide training and stuff. Currently safety kayaking for one of them in the summer! I am a OEC Technician and have taken a couple of Swift Water Rescue classes, so I do know what I am doing. I hope . Have to wait till I am 18 to legally guide commercially. I also looked into pro ski patrolling which is an interest, but I just am interested by Bio and Chem a tad bit more than those two.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

BetterNot said:


> Thank you guys all! The reason why I posted this is to see other's people's input. And I got lots of different suggestions. Mostly either "Find the place where you want to go and study your ass off" or "Don't go to college and start your life out the way you want to live." Anyways, I got most of my questions answered but I still got some. If I do go out of state, what are some good one's that you would recommended me looking into that are in the Pacific NW? And, What are some scholarships that you guys know about?
> 
> Really good advise there, might just go ahead and do than when/if I go.
> 
> ...


 Ski patrolling and river guiding sound like a lot of fun, but they come with a price...taking what you love and making it your job. It's a strange kind of immersion that suits some perfectly but many burn out. The real problem is those jobs become lifestyles and if you tire of them it can be really difficult to get out. Your instincts are telling you something, trust them on this and you can always fall back on mountain bum jobs if school sucks. It's much harder to go the other way.

What are your grades like, what schools can you get in... that may be important or it may be immaterial if your a smart bastard. If you're grades are so-so it may be worth looking at what schools you can get in that are in areas you're interested in. 

As far as schools there are some great ones. Montana State is perpetually ranked amongst the best "outdoor" schools (made that term up cause I can't remember the real term). I came here planning on going back to Portland and within a year couldn't envision my self ever leaving. I'm more of a fisherman than white water guy but for me this place is heaven. World Class fishing in every direction. There is some good boating (limited I'd guess vs Colorado) but plenty of good kayakers around so they must think it's ok). As far as skiing, it really doesn't get much better, sure you may have more places to go in CO, SLC or Tahoe but there are no crowds, epic skiing and the snow is every bit as good as Utah. 

In reality there are good schools in just about every big "town" in the west. Most have skiing and boating near by. Perhaps you should think out side those two activities? After all there is a lot more to life than skiing and boating and I'm speaking from experience, I've done both one way or another for a living.


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## garyherballeaf (Feb 2, 2014)

Caleb125 said:


> I'm in a very similar situation as you. I am a high school junior looking into college. I'm thinking of going into either film or product design and would love to stay in Colorado but am also looking at schools in the PNW. Do any of you guys know of colleges in CO that have good film studies? So far Colorado College has been the best one ive found. Also do you guys know of any people that went into film and if so how successful of a career path is it? I am interested specifically in adventure film and photography on the side.


Not sure who originally made the statement but: "Do what you enjoy and you'll never work a day in yor life"


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## garyherballeaf (Feb 2, 2014)

BetterNot said:


> I am currently a Junior in High School and am starting to look at colleges. Really don't know what I want to go into right now, but I am leaning towards something in Chem or Bio. I am a huge skier and kayaker/rafter and want to continue doing that, but I also want to go to a school that has a great education. Don't really want to go out of state (Colorado), but I could be talked into a place in Oregon or Washington.
> 
> For some questions that I have are:
> What are some colleges you would recommend looking into?
> ...


CU CSU Mines. Lifestyle? (none better than college).  Lots of pretty ladies to date. What you learn in college / university rarely determines ones career choice. However, it will flush out all that crap they tought you in the first 12. Rise to you potential and stay off the dope. MJ is a potential killer.


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## T1112 (Mar 10, 2012)

Some good advice for sure.

I am going to probably play the other side of the card. The advice about putting your head down and focusing on school and then play later is probably really good advice, advice that I probably should have listened too but I didn't. Don't get me wrong I did fine at school and graduated with a BFA in Design with a triple minor. But I was an art student so well it was easy.

What I did do was have one heck of a great time. I will say that again a HECK OF A GREAT TIME. I understand all the advice about working hard now so you can play later but I guess for me that only holds true if I could know for sure I was going to live to an old age. Like they always say we could die tomorrow. If I do die tomorrow I am going to be very thankful I had the experiences and the friends from over the years. Sure not going to be thinking about what I did in school.

After school I did something even more stupid and started my own company. 11 years later it is going strong but I am still broke. Same situation on that one, I didn't really get set up financially to be in a great spot but I had some of the most amazing times over those years. Traveled the world and got to work with friends in 30 countries. 

So point is really consider what you want out of life first. To some living a more reckless just see how it goes style sounds crazy but to others that is exactly what they need. At the end we all have the same outcome so really think about what you want to remember when the end is near. 

I have a young son and I think about this stuff often because I wonder how I will deal with this topic. I am not going to let him be a bum or worthless person and hopefully teach him about hard work. But I am also going to try and inspire him to live his passions no matter what it takes. Maybe those are conflicting views but I think balance is important. I am also going to try and make sure that as he grows up through 1-12th grade that he really thinks about the experiences he is having. Try to help is actually figure out what he likes, what his passion is. I think that is lost in our current school system. Not saying every 12th grader should know what they want to do, just saying that we should do better to get kids to realize that what they are doing is sampling options for the future.

Finally, DO NOT spend a ton of money on your school unless you have a ton of it. Stay in state, get a degree and like what another poster said get to know people. The people you know is worth 10 times your degree.


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

A friend quit is job as a smokejumper.
It wasn't a good career job but it paid well with the overtime.

He used his degree to go to work for the State. Wildlife job.
He gets to do some of the neatest things.
Dropping fingerlings from a copter into wilderness lakes. Turkey stuff too.

May I suggest that for a river person a career that doesn't pay real well but puts you on rivers etc. 
Making a difference in the wild should be considered?


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

College was freaking awesome....I may have missed out on some boating time but there were many other things I had lots of fun doing and wouldn't change it for anything. I had to pay for it myself, but it was worth coming out with no loan. Contrary to popular belief, one does not need to sell their first born to go to college.

Go to school now and it will pay off later. With the very few exceptions, the peope I know who did not get a degree are having a harder time now 10-15 years later and don't have much time to "play" anymore. Ok, the richest person I know is a multimillionaire and has only his GED...but he also has no time to play either.

Having a degree gives you a better chance of affording the time and $$ for such a hobby. After that it's up to you to keep the work/life balance in check. THAT is where most people fail regardless of their degree, job or financial situation.

Granted as T1112 said, you could die tomorrow...but sometimes you gotta take that risk to reap the rewards later. When you're young the risk to benefit ratio (in this situation) is heavily weighted in your favor. You can live life like there's no tomorrow after a few years and you have the time and $$ to do so properly.


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

Most Western Universities and Colleges offer some sort of OUTDOOR PROGRAM.
No fee other than individual trip expenses. Share gas.
In the basement of a student union building.
Go sign up and get to do everything possible local. Plus big trips on occasion.

I'll venture that the bigger schools have safe quality leadership and that you can start with people that are natural teachers.

My experience was that one does not even need to be a student. While I had gone to OSU I found that later when I lived in Eugene the UofO's Outdoor Program was excellent.

=======

There is the possibility that going to college will get you out even more.

Great way to sort out the crew you want to go with too.


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