JW83, of course, not every JW sister didn't pioneer to get a mate, I didn't either but was accused of it often. But I do know that a high percentage of young JW brothers and their parents encouraged them to look for a fine spiritual sister = regular pioneer. I would say about 55% of my contemporary sisters did and was very similar to sisters looking for Bethel brothers or MS/elders to marry. One sister even set her sights on marrying a CO.
The point I was hoping to make is that pioneering for spiritual reasons was not often the goal of many regular pioneers.
Regular pioneering usually limits the association with people on the job too and theoretically puts you in the company of "spiritual" people. Actually, my pioneer years afforded me a closer look at the gossiping, back-stabbing ways of so-called mature JWs in the congregation just like my closer association with Bethel was eye-opening.
This admonition to pioneer is aimed at the parents of these young JWs, many who were of my generation and missed out on further education and are paying for it now, who never saw the promised END in 1975 or in 1984 or 1994, seeing the end of the 1914 generation.
But I have seen and continue to see parents (including elders/MS) do an end run around this "admonition" from the WTS including their dupes, the COs/DOs. They have their children live at home and go to a local college, they have them select a major that doesn't require sciences that might advance evolution or philosophy. They make sure their children make most of the meetings (except for finals) and many even regular or regular auxiliary pioneer. It helps if the father is not a JW because as head of the house, WT policy makes it his right to "order" the child to go to college.
It may be though that your parents will cave under. I suggest then that you work with your guidance counselor and take the initiative to plan for grants, scholarships, and loans to get you through school. Many non-JWs have little or no financial support from their parents. You may even qualify for more not using your parents financial status. Of course, they may threaten to kick you out; plan for that too, is there a non-JW relative that will support you in your choice.
And if you weren't able to make your own way, it is never too late to go back to school. There are still monies out there for older, returning students. Most colleges/universities have a department dedicated to that or a tech school may have guidance counselors for taking college transfer courses and financial resources.
Blondie