Should I go back to get a degree?
I’m 26, and after I’ve had time to gain some real life experience, I realize I want more out of life in regards to work. My original plans after high school were to enlist, I scored a 91 on my ASVAB and then as I went to sign the papers to be a Navy Nuke I realized I didn’t want to lie about my ADHD and past MH struggles and risk DQ’ing so I stepped back.
I could’ve went back to college which I started in HS but I didn’t want to waste taxpayer money paying for my school if I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted (FAFSA likely would’ve paid, as well as grants for coming from a single parent household and being an Eagle Scout).
Thing is, I still don’t know what I want. I’ve worked landscaping, restaurants and now retail (just got a promotion to a supervisory position) but I’m realizing that I do not mesh well with large corporations, and I eventually want out into something more fulfilling.
I have about 80k saved currently, so I’m unsure of how much that will affect the OoP costs of tuition, and I’m not sure if I should invest it into education with the current risks in the markets. I come from a lower class background in northern Appalachia so these conversations aren’t really safe with my family imo.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, except pushing trades. Substance Abuse Disorder runs in the family and seeing my blue collar family suffer from addictions to cope has left an impact and how I personally view the work.