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Starting your own business is a big risk. This is also merely a chance to compete for entry. Joining the military is not only a physical risk, you are also joi

Starting your own business is a big risk. This is also merely a chance to compete for entry. Joining the military is not only a physical risk, you are also joining an organization with a pyramidal structure: you may not get that promotion. Getting educated seems like the easiest thing to do, because it's a continuation of what most kids have done. Maybe it suffers from the same pyramid issue, but it's not obvious to all the kids.

nradov 4y ago
What's your point? There are no guarantees in life. Those other paths are no more risky or less straightforward than going to college and then trying to get a professional-managerial corporate job. Starting a small contracting business is hardly a big risk. Capital requirements are fairly low to start picking up small jobs. In my area the ones who show up on time and do quality work are constantly busy. When those businesses fail it's usually because the owner had some kind of personal problem (substance abuse), or because they gamble on real estate development and overextend their credit. As for the military, anyone who stays in 20 years and follows orders without screwing up too badly will earn promotion to at least E-6. They can also take college courses along the way, and will get pretty good retirement benefits. Adults have a moral responsibility to tell kids that there are options other than going to college. Make it obvious. There's certainly nothing wrong with going to college for many kids, but it shouldn't be the default path just because they don't know what else to do.
csa 4y ago
> Joining the military is not only a physical risk, you are also joining an organization with a pyramidal structure: you may not get that promotion. It’s not that hard to get promoted to a level that can get one to a decent early retirement (e7 or o5). - Be moderately intelligent. Not genius level, just enough to past the various tests in your MOS and rank. If one is on the threshold for not being able to do this intellectually, it will usually be apparent early in one’s career. - Be fit. Some people get lazy on this point, some get injured, but it’s usually an issue of personal motivation (or lack thereof). - Minimize fuck ups — drugs, DUIs, run ins with the law, etc. Sometimes these are overlooked, sometimes not. Better not to risk it. - Make sure to make time to go to all the right “charm schools”. Sounds silly, but sometimes you have to fight for it. > Maybe it suffers from the same pyramid issue, but it's not obvious to all the kids. I very much agree with this. There is a very distinct socio-economic pyramid in the US, and most people don’t really understand what they need to do to move up the ladder. It’s not as easy as going to an elite school. There is way more to it, and I think that surprises a lot of people when they are middle-aged and realize that they didn’t really understand the rules of the game.
- deleted 4y ago
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nradov 4y ago

What's your point? There are no guarantees in life. Those other paths are no more risky or less straightforward than going to college and then trying to get a professional-managerial corporate job. Starting a small contracting business is hardly a big risk. Capital requirements are fairly low to start picking up small jobs. In my area the ones who show up on time and do quality work are constantly busy. When those businesses fail it's usually because the owner had some kind of personal problem (substance abuse), or because they gamble on real estate development and overextend their credit. As for the military, anyone who stays in 20 years and follows orders without screwing up too badly will earn promotion to at least E-6. They can also take college courses along the way, and will get pretty good retirement benefits. Adults have a moral responsibility to tell kids that there are options other than going to college. Make it obvious. There's certainly nothing wrong with going to college for many kids, but it shouldn't be the default path just because they don't know what else to do.

csa 4y ago

> Joining the military is not only a physical risk, you are also joining an organization with a pyramidal structure: you may not get that promotion. It’s not that hard to get promoted to a level that can get one to a decent early retirement (e7 or o5). - Be moderately intelligent. Not genius level, just enough to past the various tests in your MOS and rank. If one is on the threshold for not being able to do this intellectually, it will usually be apparent early in one’s career. - Be fit. Some people get lazy on this point, some get injured, but it’s usually an issue of personal motivation (or lack thereof). - Minimize fuck ups — drugs, DUIs, run ins with the law, etc. Sometimes these are overlooked, sometimes not. Better not to risk it. - Make sure to make time to go to all the right “charm schools”. Sounds silly, but sometimes you have to fight for it. > Maybe it suffers from the same pyramid issue, but it's not obvious to all the kids. I very much agree with this. There is a very distinct socio-economic pyramid in the US, and most people don’t really understand what they need to do to move up the ladder. It’s not as easy as going to an elite school. There is way more to it, and I think that surprises a lot of people when they are middle-aged and realize that they didn’t really understand the rules of the game.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]