college degree=freedom

[hamdizzel]

i think im going to tough it out and get a college degree
its 4 years of hard work for a lifetime of beautiful woman true friendships great food,
and culture? im on bored besides i could major in the english language
i need alot more study english is a tough cookie even though i speak it perfectly.
but is that all you need? a 4 year degree A TESOL/CELTA ceriftcate and your set
to go wherver you like?

by the time i finish i would probebly be around 24-25 still young
and fit for the ladies out there


what do you guys think?

[globetrotter]

i think im going to tough it out and get a college degree
its 4 years of hard work for a lifetime of beautiful woman true friendships great food,
and culture? im on bored besides i could major in the english language
i need alot more study english is a tough cookie even though i speak it perfectly.
but is that all you need? a 4 year degree A TESOL/CELTA ceriftcate and your set
to go wherver you like?

by the time i finish i would probebly be around 24-25 still young
and fit for the ladies out there

what do you guys think?

Good plan. At your age you have the benefit of time and doing it. Tough it out, spend as LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, do NOT get student loans, get it as CHEAPLY as you can and then move on.

No one cares where you went to school, what your GPA is/was or if you graduated Summa/Magna or Cum Laude. Do not go for the name brand school crap. It doesn't matter and is a waste of your money.

Your only concern is to make sure that:
1) It is competitive, in that it requires the SAT or ACT for admittance. They may not require an SAT above 800, but they need to have it as an entrance requirement. Many nations check this - if they require the SAT to get in. Not on the SAT required list, not a legit school to them.

2) That is is a legit accredited real university.

3) ESL employers like you to do it on campus. No distance learning. Many employers don't care but MANY DO. Elminate this glitch and do it on campus, get your id and KEEP IT so that you can show it to future TESOL employers. Many countries think ONLINE==SCAM and NOT LEGIT.

[The_Adventurer]

What do you actually want to do?

Do you actually desire to be a teacher, and to teach English? There are many ways to travel and get women. Why spend four years to get a piece of paper, so that you can travel to work in a job unless that is what you really want.

Remember, guys like Bill gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison and many more are doing fine without that piece of paper.

[hamdizzel]

YES i want to travel and meet beautiful woman
but i can't seem to get past the immigration process
you need a college degree for a work permit.
and im kinda scared i mean i have never ventrued off into
the unknown before with just good will and faith

[The_Adventurer]

So what you're really saying is that you want to travel and meet beautiful women. Spending four years in a University, getting a degree and teaching are, right now anyway, the only means you can see to achieve that. But you want to travel and meet women, not study and teach. Maybe you should do some research and see what other means to the end you really desire are available. Find others who have done it or are doing it. Ask questions. See if there are other possibilities.

Also be sure what countries you want to go to. Not all countries have the same requirements, and in some, those requirements may do you no good. I think you should exhaust all possibilities before assuming there's only one way to achieve what you want.

[FuzzX]

Good plan. At your age you have the benefit of time and doing it. Tough it out, spend as LITTLE AS POSSIBLE, do NOT get student loans, get it as CHEAPLY as you can and then move on.


wish I had done that 10 Years age

I disagree with you globetrotter... I'm doing the Bachelor of General Studies with Athabasca University online (Open University in Canada) and I've got alot of great reviews about the program. It is accredited by both Canada and the US.. I'm taking almost all science courses though, I find self study 100x easier. You gotta remember that american/canadian universities are just filled with independent liberated feminists waiting to jump down your throat. The reason I'm staying away from the Brick and Mortar is that I can see myself getting in a lot of trouble very quickly in that type of atmosphere. Also I want to work a fulltime job and not have any student loans ever again.

Here is my advice ham: Take your TESOL FIRST... try it... if you love it, go back to the US in a year and pursue the degree.... or pursue it online while abroad. You might hate teaching... don't get me wrong, it can be a ton of fun for the right person but I've seen people get up in front of a class and break down crying or completely freeze up altogether and quit the next day.

I made the mistake of taking a year long course in Policing before I tried the job... turns out I hated it and had just wasted $14,000... If I had tried it first as a volunteer, I never would have went into policing at all. So theres lots of places like I suggested that will take you without the degree... try it first, see if you can hack it, then go for the degree..otherwise you are just gonna spin your wheels.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

Wrong. A college degree does not equal freedom. Financial wealth equals freedom.

I have a college degree myself, and it can be the means to financial freedom IF you play your cards right. I know many jobless college grads with mountains of student loan debts and they would agree with me.

The best thing to do is to open up or buyout a small business and run it better than the previous owner. Buy several others than sell them a profits. Small business is the best means to wealth in this country, and you do not need college for that.

College will open your mind to new concepts and to a life of learning more and more, those are great but do not necessarily equate with freedom or wealth.

Start investing small amounts every month starting NOW, and you will be wealthy in the long run, with or without a college degree.

[FuzzX]

I think he's talking about it in regards to teaching English.... which it is freedom but only so far as immigration is concerned.

HAM YOU CAN GOTO A LOT OF COUNTRIES WITHOUT A DEGREE... I've been doing it for five years. You don't NEED a degree for at least 20 countries and you can do the tourist visa work around that most people use. Go to Argentina or Mexico to start (No Degree Required).

I think of it as freedom from asian jail personally... otherwise I would never have bothered with a degree at all. AND I'm tired of these other bitch ass teachers telling me how much better they are than I am and that my methods suck cause I don't have a degree. After I get settled I'm buying a CELTA franchise and an ESL school and sh1t is going to go down MY WAY. The face of the industry is going to change drastically.... Anyway... I just thought I'd come back and tell ham: if you are going to go, make sure you do something useful like computer science, medical science, math... something useful... you can use at home when you want to return for a year or two to save some more cash.

If you really just want to bang chix, teach english and enjoy life then like I said.. become a trucker or get a trade, take the TESOL, work a year or two... save some $$$ and leave... it's that easy... I want a degree because I've wanted to introduce my own way of teaching in asia and its a huge pain in the ass to do it without one.

As far as having a small business goes... you gotta do something you really like. I have 2 small businesses on the side and they cost me almost nothing to run and very little to get started. The return is like 10x what I put in... as stand alone jobs they wouldn't work though. BUT remember expat, not EVERYONE is cut out to run a business or be an investor... it's also a really good way to lose a lot of money FAST if you don't do your homework first. My first venture was to buy a hot dog stand... that didn't work out so well as I ran into massive problems with the city trying to get by regulations and red tape... a net loss of $5000. If I had done my homework, I would NEVER have invested in that... The second one I got going was twisting balloons and doing mascot stuff.. I blew about $1700 on all my gear and after doing about a year of parties, found out that the mascots generally weren't requested and were really hard to work into events and parties.. I made the same amount just twisting balloons... net loss of about $1200... but the balloon twisting has been pretty lucrative and really easy to setup on the go.

So no matter how you look at it: education or business is going to cost you money...

I can't really speak for the US but as far as Canadian grads go... most people that are 'out of work' are just lazy.

[momopi]

i think im going to tough it out and get a college degree
its 4 years of hard work for a lifetime of beautiful woman true friendships great food,
and culture? im on bored besides i could major in the english language
i need alot more study english is a tough cookie even though i speak it perfectly.
but is that all you need? a 4 year degree A TESOL/CELTA ceriftcate and your set
to go wherver you like?
by the time i finish i would probebly be around 24-25 still young
and fit for the ladies out there
what do you guys think?

You can go abroad while attending college, look for study abroad and exchange programs.

Some colleges have very strong study abroad programs, such as this one:
http://www.happierabroad.com/phpBB2/vie ... php?t=7201

If your goal is to simply go abroad, you can also look for employment opportunities. Jobs abroad aren't limited to teaching English. Check on-line job postings for oversea jobs and see what skills are in demand (and where).

Many US companies also send employees abroad. At my last job in the financial industry, I was sent to Asia office every couple of months, and several of my coworkers were transferred to offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Geneva, etc. The company paid for training and college education up to MBA too.

At my current job, I'm busy making QC/QA documentation & videos, and will be sent to Shenzen next month to oversee a new assembly plant. I'm the only employee at this company who can speak Chinese, so that was a big plus for me. If you like to study foreign languages, that may open a path to careers abroad.

========================

Instead of thinking "how can I afford to attend college and go abroad", think "how can I get someone else to pay for my college" and "who will pay me to go abroad". When attending college, look for companies that offer educational reimbursements. When looking for a job, look for companies that will pay you to go abroad. It's your time and money, use it wisely. You're only young once, so don't waste your youth.

Scholarships are better than student loans because you don't have to pay it back.

I did get a student loan at one point, but only because the interest rate was 2.48% and it was just too good to pass up.

[hamdizzel]

terrance I also have a stomach to feed, and need a place to sleep every night
its not free by any means i need to support myself teaching English would help...
but its not enough i want to be financially FREE so i don't ever never worry about money again
but i'll teach English if it pays the bills

[hamdizzel]

i'll chill in mexico for a while good place to start cheap plane ticket
will get my feet wet there and see whats up once im settled and little more experienced
in teach english and travel then i'll hit the big leagues and head somewhere far
like Russia or Argentina

[ladislav]

I have heard a few stories of college drop outs that went on to become millionaires. But its seems that had other talents and/or were in the right place at the right time with the right idea. But I have heard and seen thousands upon thousands of struggling non degreed miserados as well. And these are the majority, And the number of poor people among those with a degree vs those without is far less.

My personal experience- a college degree in the right subject field gives you more options and a better safety cushion to fall back on. Without a degree you still have options but fewer. Online degrees are usable but many schools in Saudi do not accept those. So, if Saudi is not on your list, you won't have too many problems.

Small businesses are a gamble, in my opinion. I've failed at quite a few and lost many precious months/years +money. Plus go ahead and check the prices of those "small businesses". 30K minimum for a dingy store in East LA. Small my a$$. Anyone here with that kind of money lying around? And then you have all these smiley ads for franchises that are 8-9K but do they really work and will you make as much money as teaching ESL in Saudi? Some will, most won't.

My MA in TESL did give me the opportunity to enjoy lucrative military contracts in the Middle East as well as to get easy university positions in Asia. Some non-MA holders and even some non degreed people got into those as well, but I had a better chance and still have more choices than people without a degree. Does it equal freedom? Again, if you do things right and manage to accumulate enough cash. If freedom means more choices, then , well, yes, they do that as well.

At the same time, I would equal any kind of a "blue collar" license such as that of a mechanic, electrician or a plumber to a college degree. It gives you many job options. However, it is not easy to get those jobs abroad while with an ESL degree, a huge number of countries will open doors to you. Also, if you are non degreed and work as an ESL teacher for some mickey mouse school, you will run into all kinds of wackos and sick puppies with criminal histories. Having a degree moves you into higher ranks and you associate with people who are more educated and well behaved than an occasional smelly sicko who is on a sex forage in Thailand.

Plus, in my case, for someone, to whom English is a third language ( not even a second one) going abroad and gallivanting with cute Asian gals only became possible through an American degree ( and citizenship, but that is another story). Without it, I would have just become some immigrant mom and pops shop keeper. I do not have special talents that I have been able to develop, am sloppy and forgetful by nature and do not really have a business sense. I did not believe it until I saw how incapable I was and how many years I 'd lost with all these projects. But my college degree helped me, a person with average intelligence and ability to live a dream life. It's worked for me. I can't say much for other people but I would say- yes, get it!
College degrees in the right discipline greatly improve average people's chances of becoming successful. For those super smart and super lucky they are not necessary but for us regular people, they improve prospects immeasurably.

[MrPeabody]

I find the below site below which offers an online TESOL course for $190. Does anyone have any comment on this?

http://www.tesolonline.com/

[momopi]

i'll chill in mexico for a while good place to start cheap plane ticket
will get my feet wet there and see whats up once im settled and little more experienced
in teach english and travel then i'll hit the big leagues and head somewhere far
like Russia or Argentina

Hamdizzel, you have a priceless asset that most of us don't: youth.

To put it to perspective, at your age you can probably get an erection and do it 3 times in a row. By the time that you're 40-50, you'd probably be reaching for viagra for round 2. Unlike some people, you haven't blown your youth in sexual frustration, and end up hating and blaming everyone else for your problems like an angry kid.

You only have your youth once, so spend it wisely. You can use your time to pork a lot of girls, get a head start on your education/career, or find some balance between the two. College is a great time/place to get girls, utilize dorms and student housing as much as possible -- there's always some party or social event to join. And in worse case, if you flunk out of the college social scene, you know where to go to get easy sex from forums like this one. If possible, look for study abroad options too. Day-time classes are better to meet young college girls than night school.

Make sure that you understand your choices, and why you made them. There are consequences to every decision and you need to take responsibilities for them. Don't be afriad to take low-interest student loans if it'd get you where you want to go (but don't blow the $ either).

No matter how much wealth, status, or fame you acquire in your life time, you can never be young again. Don't forget that.

You're young and horny. Go forth and fornicate your way through college!

[hamdizzel]

your right but i guess im getting rushed by my parents its not right for them to do this
i should have time to pick and choose and make decisions. so i think
my first goal would be leave this house away from these people
who keep rushing and stunning my growth as a man. be in a place
where i can think freely and weigh my options sure teaching english is an option
but why not get more? it should not be my ONLY choice.
but its a sick world we live in you can't just hop on a plane and go wherver
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