Stuck in a dead-end job because of obeying anti-higher education policy?

by nvrgnbk 49 Replies latest jw friends

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  sammielee24

  I thought I should just put my own dose of reality in here. Yes - as a direct result of the Watchtower, myself and all of my siblings did not further our education. Remember too, that it wasn't just the belief that they taught us, that education was not desired or needed, it was combined with all the other brainwashing we endured in warning us of the peril to our lives if we associated with the world in any way. One was not separate from the other. I also know of many home schooled kids, further isolated, who never entertained the thought because of such complete indoctrination into the faith - they could not comprehend doing anything not approved by the Watchtower.

  The reality is, that while it's wonderful to go back to school to learn - and yes, now I find time to do this - the odds of getting a good paying job in a specialized field are much greater when you are young. Going back to school at 55 while working full time extends the amount of time needed just as it would if you were 30...however, completing your education at 60 and trying to find a job is much harder and in reality, you are at least 20-30 years behind the financial game. Your earning potential is less overall. Ageism exists in our society and presents a real challenge as well. So I believe that while its great to say 'its never too late'...I think the term is relevant to learning but most of the time is minimally applied to acquiring the finances needed to support oneself in old age, the older you get. samieswife.
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  LongHairGal

  It is true that many who heeded the WTs bad advice of not going to college are screwed. Some got lucky, maybe because their father ran a business and they inherited it so they can make good money without having higher education. Other older ones were lucky because they got hired by a company and worked their way up and their lack of college never became an issue (until now, maybe). It also depends on where in the country you live because there are more jobs in some places than others. Where there are fewer jobs, they tend to use college as a filtering factor to weed out too many applicants.

  As far as going to college in later years, if you have the desire and physical stamina, hey, go for it. Maybe, with a struggle, you will be able to get into the field you want. This may not be what some people want to hear, but, there is a reason people should do things in the right time-frame, such as getting your education when you are YOUNG. It may not be impossible but it will be damn hard to get into the field you want at an entry level when you are a "certain age". Possibly if you "know" some of the right people you might have a better chance than if you just go in "cold" with all the other young recruits because the reality is that you are competing with all the young people. Again, I am not saying it is impossible, I am just saying it is damn hard. And, as Sammi's wife says, you are decades behind in earning power. This is the hard reality.

  Thank the religion for this.

  LHG
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  nvrgnbk

  Thanks for the great response.

  1. Congratulations to all those who overcame the brainwashing, albeit late in the game, to get their education.

  2. Congratulations to all those who are about to do the same. You inspire me.

  3. Regards and sympathies to all who have suffered from this arrogant and highly irresponsible policy.

  P.S. I was at Bethel for about three or four months when we were blessed with the "new light" about college being an option to consider due to the changing work situation in many countries. I wanted to throw the microphone I was so dutifully handling through the wall. Even more amazing to me is the recent return to the old hard-line stand.
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  nvrgnbk

  Sorry for going off topic but I gotta say, zenpunk, that's some mighty fine rum you've got there. No wonder you graduated with a 4.0. Congrats.
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  Hortensia

  sammielee's wife (is that who did the post?) was right - it helps to get your education when you are young, because it's not just the education that counts, it's starting at the beginning and working your way up in your field, which takes time that you don't have if you get your education late in life. However, I have to say that income isn't entirely tied to college education. Income is also tied to having a useful or desired skill. Useful, like carpenters and plumbers and so on, or desirable, like massage therapists. Massage therapists in our area, which admittedly is an area really dense in resorts, make about $45 an hour, and their education is measured in hours, not years. Six months in a massage school can give you a useful, desired skill that actually does good as well. And then you can afford to support your children and pursue your dreams of higher education or learning to play the piano or whatever it is you want. I really hope this isn't seen as an advertisement - I just want people to know there is more than one way to make a good income, in spite of having very little education. Get a grant or loan from the government or find a school that takes payments (many of them do) and learn how to do something that other folks will willing pay $50 an hour or more for. I am the product of a vocational school and it has made a wonderful difference in my quality of life. Also, read an interesting book titled "Your Money or Your Life."
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  nvrgnbk

  That's good and practical advice Hortensia. However, I'm not only thinking in terms of income. I'm also concerned with something that challenges the intellect and provides the social interaction so important to those exiting a high-control group like the one of which we were a part.
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  Hortensia

  yeah, I get what you mean. One of the things I got out of going to an admittedly bizarre vocational school was a social life, something that hardly exists in the org., and exposure to a wide variety of new and different ideas that challenged my beliefs. I got to roam all over the universe of thought, something I suppose that you usually get when you are young and going off to college and meeting new and different people. I just had to wait 20 years!
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  uwishufish

  When I hire people education is a factor for any position. My belief is that if you have the staying power for a 4 yr degree, hopefully you get the picture.
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  sass_my_frass

  FACT: if you're younger than dead, you've still got a chance to get a degree. Start now. Enrol as soon as you can. I wish I could turn the clock back too, but it's not impossible to study as an adult, and I'm three units into a bachelors degree. Blaming your JW experience for not getting an education will become a worse excuse as the years pass.
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  nvrgnbk

  Sass M.F. -Thanks for being so frank. One could tend to wallow in self-pity about the whole thing but, as you say, no time for that. Thanks again.

  Hortensia- Glad you were exposed to some cool experiences at school.