Greg Wischmeyer ⋅ Buchanan, MI Recreation Vehicle Industry Association ⋅ 36 years experience

Sorry the commercial diving didn't work out. I got 21 years of it in and it's a tough way to make a living. you have to be a diver for the passion of u/w work not for the $. There is money to be made after the first few tendering years. if I were to do it again I would go for a trade like electrician. Or one of the other trades. skilled labor is in short supply. Power plants, aeronautical, construction industry needs people and the pay is good. Btw Global out of Seattle seams to be hiring now and then. Good luck. Greg I now dive for fun again and really enjoy diving with my daughters both are advanced and one is rescue.

Seth Lynch ⋅ Plano, TX Hewlett Packard ⋅ 15 years experience

Andrew,

Those 'no name' companies are where a lot of millionaires and very well paid employees live, so don't sell them short because you haven't heard of them before. They are also the places where leadership like yours can really shine with or without a degree. You are more likely to toil away at a <$60k a year job in a Fortune 500 than in a smaller or regional company.

For an undergrad degree, it sounds like your focus should be around a skills based versus liberal arts undergrad. That means majors like engineering, business, healthcare. Take a hard look at systems engineering. With your background it may be a good way to showcase your planning and logistics skills already learned.

Another path is to find a company that hires a lot of prior service for first level supervisor/ operations jobs and use them to pay for your undergrad. Companies like Scheider Trucking hire prior service as dispatchers, maintenance supervisors, etc. They have educational assistance packages for their employees and if you have the right skillset, you can move laterally and up quickly.

Biggest thing to keep in mind if you do go back to school is picking the right school. Get into a competitive school. Competitive schools graduate competitive people. Don't pick a school just because it's easy to get in. You may learn a few things, but not get the network of people you need to get a job.

Final piece of advice. If you are looking for a path to much higher earning power, you may want to look at getting into a trade then build from there. A few years learning the plumbing or electrician's trade would put you in a great position to go out on your own and build your own business. Learn the trade first then take some community college courses in entrepeneurship to learn the finance, accounting, and marketing skills you would need to grow a business.

Christian Grant ⋅ Raleigh, NC Pace Global, A Siemens Company ⋅ 13 years experience

Andrew,

Thanks for your service. I offer two pieces of advice. First, embrace the paratrooper mentality. The ability to drip in on a situation, assess it, construct a plan, execute it to achieve an objective and then move onto the next mission is a valued skill set. It requires structured and unstructured problem solving, effective communication skills and the ability to relate and influence others. Executives need folks with these skills.

Second, there are differences between universities. I would focus on two aspects when deciding on a degree because in many ways degrees have commoditized yet employers still require you have one. Focus on a degree that is in demand like engineering for example. Second, look at the university's alumni network. If you choose a degree in demand that will lower the hurdles to good employment and the network will likely increase the velocity of your career.

RLTW,
Christian

Nathan Haffke ⋅ Omaha, NE Signal 88 Security ⋅ 20 years experience

Andrew,

I have two degrees, an MBA and a BBA. I am not actually sure if I needed them to arrive at the same place that I am now. Many times I've wished I could get back the money I spent to do my own business.

College isn't a bad idea, especially if you are a lifelong learner. And it might help you get a better job... maybe even more than 60K a year. The problem is that a job covers only part of the equation... the income part. What it's missing is the equity component. There's no real cash out for retirement. Not to say you can't be wealthy if you save and work for years, but why work so hard at chopping trees with an axe, when you can rent a chainsaw and then sell the wood when you are done?

If you are teachable and trainable... and you can follow a system (which most vets can) then you don't have to be an expert in sales, marketing, accounting, finance, etc... skills you might think are critical in starting your own business. The right business will have systems that when you crank on it... all of the critical items get done by the system... not by you.

Take a look at where you really want to be financially 5 years from today, then 10 years from today (specifically). If you can attain that with a career then start the college application. But if it's clear that there's little chance to get where you want to be at $60k a year then find a business with systems that fits who you are and go for it!

Nathan