Peter - 24 years ago I graduated from HS and my parents had my college picked out and paid for. That was not what I wanted to do. Instead I wanted to do something that was for me...something I was interested in, so I joined the Air Force. I won't try and pump sunshine up your skirt and tell you I loved every minute of it, because like all things in life, there were some really bad days and sometimes life is just hard, even if you're doing something you love to do. Actually, I think the tough days are tougher because you love it so much. It's easy to block out a bad day at a job you hate, because you aren't emotionally invested in it, and bad days at a suck job aren't that unusual. It's when you work your guts out at a job you love and suddenly have everything go to heck in a handbasket when true character is formed.
I spent 23 years in the Air Force and would do it again if I had to make the choice tomorrow. Am I a college grad? No. Did I get rich? No. Did I sacrifice some things here and there? Yes. Am I a happier person for doing it my way? Yes I am.
Follow your dream, do whatever you can to make it work, and do not loose sight of your goal. You might not get rich, but I tend to count riches in happiness, not dollars and cents.
Good luck whatever you choose to do.
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