SHOULD I PIONEER OR COLLEGE?

by stillAwitness 93 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  JustTickledPink

  You're 21, you can take all the time you want but you will probably still get your degree when you're 25 or so.

  I used to pioneer and was told the end was coming so not to bother with college, so here I am 30 years old and I hope to be finished with my degree in Business Administration when I'm 32 yoa, but I always think AT LEAST I'M GOING! At least I will get my degree, at least I will have a job... unlike the people who are still working menial jobs and pioneering thinking the end is around the corner.

  We all have to face reality that we have to support ourselves, when you get to my age and turn 30 you will think about buying a house and trust me the pioneering business isn't that lucrative that you're going to get a house out of the deal.

  Keep taking classes, something will inspire you and you'll figure it all out. Just keep going!
• 

  defd

  Stillawitness

  It is simple. Get an education. Go to school so that you can SUPPORT yourself. While doing this do not put Jehovah SECOND.
• 

  kid-A

  GO, GO, GO, and dont look back!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 

  M.J.

  Remember the wise counsel back in 1971 from the Watchtower Magazine,

  ***

  g71 6/8 p. 8 Second Thoughts About a College Education ***

  In days gone by, college did help many to find better positions. But times are changing. Many jobs today that do not require a college education pay well. They enable a person to acquire a trade that can be used in many places.

  Until recently it was made to seem that a person working with, his hands was not doing dignified work. He was not considered really successful. But many so-called ‘dignified’ college graduates and professional people today wonder where their next meal is coming from, while carpenters, plumbers, clerks, electricians and others who have a trade and work with their hands have jobs. Some garbage collectors are currently making $10,000 a year.

  It is no shame for a person to learn a trade and work with his hands. Indeed, these days it is getting to be the practical thing to do. That is another reason why some parents now have second thoughts about this matter of a college education. They choose to channel their boys and girls into more useful trades in high school where such things can be learned, at least in part. After graduating from high school, they may continue briefly in a trade school or get valuable on-the-job training. Then they qualify for a trade and avoid the anguish often suffered in executive-type positions.

  Parents who are Jehovah’s witnesses have another very sound reason for channeling their children’s lives into useful trades. They know from fulfilled Bible prophecy that today’s industrial society is near its end. Soon it will be given its death stroke by Almighty God himself. (Prov. 2:20, 21; 1 John 2:17) After that, in God’s new order a reconstruction work will be done to transform this entire earth into a paradise. (Luke 23:43) Trades of many types will be very useful then, as will skills in agriculture and homemaking. So by guiding their children away from the so-called ‘higher’ education of today, these parents spare their children exposure to an increasingly demoralizing atmosphere, and at the same time prepare them for life in a new system as well.
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  Cellist

  I'm in agreement with the others. College! By the way, welcome.

  Cellist
• 

  ballistic

  Blinking heck! You still have the choice? If I had a time machine I would go back and change what I did. I pioneered.
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  lucky

  Definitely go to college. I started college when I was 21 after 3 years of pioneering, too. I graduated when I was 25, and even though I felt really old at the time, I think being a few years older was actually a benefit, because I was a bit more serious and wasn't taking college for granted. I didn't have a declared major when I started and I didn't know what I wanted to do for my first year and a half of college, but I tried to take classes that would apply to any major and I didn't take too many electives so that I wouldn't be too far behind when I did figure out a major. I talked to other students in my classes and asked what their majors were, and when I found one that seemed interesting to me, I volunteered half a day a week for a semester at an organization that did what I was interested in and tried it out. Once I made up my mind, I was able to finish up with my newly chosen major on time, got a job right after graduating, and eight years later, I'm still happily employed in my chosen field.
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  setitstraight

  Hi, The brothers have never changed their position on schooling. Kingdom was and continues to be number one priority, (Matt 6:33). If you need to go to school to support yourself then the Almighty knows that...the important thing is to always put him first and he will sustain you.
• 

  rebel8

  Hi OP. I just read your profile and it sounds like you're already well acquainted with the reasons not to pioneer.

  I left the org when I was a little younger than you. My dream since being a little child was to go to college. I was finally able to do so when I was 24. I started at a community college where there are lots of adults, so I wasn't out of place. Then I transferred to university the next yr--I was older than almost everyone there. It was a little wierd but cool too, kinda like making up for lost time in some ways.

  Now I have a Master's degree. College is SO worth it. It is not a guarantee, but even if you don't end up using your studies in a career, it broadens your perspective and enriches your life. I can go on and on about it....it's worth it!!! Don't give up!

  Feel free to PM me if you want to chat.

  
  
  Oh, and P.S.--I was a regular pioneer back in the day. Seriously, looking back, I truly regret those pioneering days as a total waste of time. What did I accomplish? Annoying people who didn't want to be preached to, 99% of whom were not home anyway. Impoverished myself and skipped getting decent/necessary medical care because I didn't have health ins. Delayed my saving for a house, retirement, etc. My career is years behind others because I started late. And for what?
• 

  Rooster

  I thought we were already in the "New System". In 1972 I found myself according to the "Sect" in the ''new system''.. Faith, just have faith, it will get you a well paying job. Ha HA. GO TO COLLEGE..