Are any of you on here not living the dreams you had as a kid because of the "no higher education" rule?
I was a born in JW and remained one until the age of 25. By my late teens I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I'm about to write a lengthy history explaining why I'm not currently in the carreer I wanted, so you can skip this boring story and just comment if you want to.
I was raised to be a loyal JW and since birth already had many goals chosen for me. When I was around 8, I had the dreams all the kids had. I wanted to be a fireman, or a police man, or a doctor. Until my parents told me "fire men risk their lives and life is sacred" and "police carry guns and God hates violence" and "doctors won't be needed in the new world". They told me to choose something simple like carpentry because "we're constantly building new Kingdom Halls and in the New World there would be lots of construction."
I personally believe that we should all choose our carreers based on what we are inclined to do as a kid. Some kids like fixing stuff, others like building things, others like sports...but as for me, I still didn't know what my inclination was. It's hard to develop a taste for something when you're locked up inside unable to explore the "evil world of Satan" outside. I couldn't have worldly friends and I couldn't have friends at the Hall seeing as how there weren't any. The few kids in the Hall had their cliques already and turned their backs on me when I approached them. So without friends, I adapted and became a loner. I got to the point where I welcomed solitude and peace. I still do and I'm the happiest when it's just my wife and I alone.
So being alone in my room all day, I started drawing and and just getting creative. I would get bored and play videogames and watch movies. Then WT articles came out saying the dangers of videogames and movies and music which was the cause of many an elbow nudge to the ribs from my parents during the meetings and asking "Are you taking notes?". I'm not allowed to play outside with worldly kids and now they don't want me to stay in my room either? I ignored it all and played even more videogames. But then I started getting very interested in the behind the scenes of video games and movies. Even more interested than the games themselves. I loved the art dept. in the studios! People getting paid to brainstorm ideas for characters and enviornments. Also ideas for stories. As a kid, I loved drawing and story telling. I wasn't much of a writer, but I attempted to create my own comic books. I drew them and wrote them myself. Finally I found my calling. This, I figured was my inclination.
In my late teens, I told my dad I wanted to study computer graphic design and he was all "Perfect! You can be an architect drawing blue prints on the computer! Or you can be a web designer!" I said "uh, no I was thinking character animation for games or CG for movies". He just said "Videogames, huh?" Then he chuckled a bit. He looked dissapointed that I'm still thinking of games and haven't matured yet to create a more serious goal. I mean seriously, you would think I just told him I wanted to be a rodeo clown or something! He didn't say no, but he kept lecturing me on how the entertainment industry is the Devil's main tool to distract people from Jehovah. A guilt trip put upon me to make me choose something else. He wanted me to be a technician of AC units, so I gave in.
I tried it for a couple of years and then I dropped the course after failing one very expensive semester I wasn't willing to re-pay to re-take it. Now I'm in my mid twenties. By now I could've been working on my carreer with a college degree, instead I'm working at a regular low paying job with a college debt. Oh well, it could be worse I guess. Nevertheless, I'm still living a very happy life. I still draw from time to time and maybe one day I can make it my job.