Continuing our student loan series, we invite you to ask yourself if college is the right choice for you, especially if you're not sure of what you want to study. We also look at different types of intelligences, fields that don't require a degree, and the importance of finding a mentor in your field of interest.

In this episode:

• Is college the best learning environment for you? [1:00]

• Why finding a mentor is so important [4:30]

• Why it’s OK to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life and why you shouldn’t dive into college if that’s the case [7:30]

• Start with discovering your true interests [12:00]

• What the reality of a job looks like versus the ideal [14:00]

• Different types of intelligences require different learning environments [25:00]

• Why statistical averages do not apply to the individual [25:00]

• Why there’s no shame in technical schools and apprenticeships [27:00]

• You don’t have to go to school to get educated [30:00]

• Why one school isn’t really that different from another [37:00]

• Military service is a good option to pay for school [39:00]

• Some fields do not require a degree [47:00]

• Why knowledge has nothing to do with education [52:00]

• Why it’s so important to know what you want to do for a career if you are signing up for debt [55:00]

resources:

The Hechinger Report, U.S. News and World Report. 3.9 Million Students Dropped Out of College With Debt in 2015 and 2016

Meredith Kolodner and Sarah Butrymowicz, PBS News Hour. How students with school debt but no degree get stuck in ‘purgatory’

Laurence Kotlikoff, Investment News. Harvard vs. plumbing school? You'd be surprised

Social Security Administration. Education and Lifetime Earnings