When I was growing up I wanted to be a surgeon. My parent's didn't have near enough money to even think about college so I graduated early and went into the USAF as soon as I could get in. 11 months delayed enlistment, and I was finally able to get in. Graduated basic training the day I turned 18. In the 10 years I served I took as many CLEP and DANTES tests as I could - they were free and I'd get the afternoon off :) . The Air Force stopped me when I tried to get them to let me take the nursing DANTES test. In all that time I took all of the CLEPs, and somewhere around 25 DANTES tests and passed them all. I even got 6 credit hours for French (5 years after I took 1 year of it in high school). I've been told by a dean of admissions at a DC area college that I would be either late 3rd year or somewhere in my 4th year of college if I took a few tests and wrote a few papers for life experience credit.
I had the old GI Bill as well, but I never used it when I got out - there wasn't really anything that could help advance my career at that point. By the time colleges caught up and offered degrees and/or certs in my field I had no desire to go since I had been working in my career for at least 15 years by then. I went from never making over $25k per year in the USAF, to 6 figures when I got out and have been at that level for about 25 years now. I have never taken a single in-person or online college class. If you are wondering, I have been a very early pen tester, UNIX and mainframe administrator, developer, worked with very early IDSs and IPSs, and now I work both nuclear and refining cyber security.
Anyone can do this if they have the desire to learn, and the aptitude. Parents - you don't have to send your kids to some prestigious university (unless it is required like for medical or legal). They can do very well by reading, or taking web training, or even tech classes at places like SANS. They could even go to a trade school or a community college if they do need some extra help before they start out on their own. None of my employers in the last 25 years cared that I didn't have a degree. In fact I'd wager that now many of them probably prefer that younger people do not have one thanks to the woke and entitlement atmosphere that tends to surround recent graduates.
Just my 2 cents (probably 5 cents now with inflation). Hopefully it helps someone.
When I was growing up I wanted to be a surgeon. My parent's didn't have near enough money to even think about college so I graduated early and went into the USAF as soon as I could get in. 11 months delayed enlistment, and I was finally able to get in. Graduated basic training the day I turned 18. In the 10 years I served I took as many CLEP and DANTES tests as I could - they were free and I'd get the afternoon off :) . The Air Force stopped me when I tried to get them to let me take the nursing DANTES test. In all that time I took all of the CLEPs, and somewhere around 25 DANTES tests and passed them all. I even got 6 credit hours for French (5 years after I took 1 year of it in high school). I've been told by a dean of admissions at a DC area college that I would be either late 3rd year or somewhere in my 4th year of college if I took a few tests and wrote a few papers for life experience credit.
I had the old GI Bill as well, but I never used it when I got out - there wasn't really anything that could help advance my career at that point. By the time colleges caught up and offered degrees and/or certs in my field I had no desire to go since I had been working in my career for at least 15 years by then. I went from never making over $25k per year in the USAF, to 6 figures when I got out and have been at that level for about 25 years now. I have never taken a single in-person or online college class. If you are wondering, I have been a very early pen tester, UNIX and mainframe administrator, developer, worked with very early IDSs and IPSs, and now I work both nuclear and refining cyber security.
Anyone can do this if they have the desire to learn, and the aptitude. Parents - you don't have to send your kids to some prestigious university (unless it is required like for medical or legal). They can do very well by reading, or taking web training, or even tech classes at places like SANS. They could even go to a trade school or a community college if they do need some extra help before they start out on their own. None of my employers in the last 25 years cared that I didn't have a degree. In fact I'd wager that now many of them probably prefer that younger people do not have one thanks to the woke and entitlement atmosphere that tends to surround recent graduates.
Just my 2 cents (probably 5 cents now with inflation). Hopefully it helps someone.