What would you do?

[slammin.e28]

Open a car wash. SRSLY. Make more $$, open another. SRSLY.

I am Jewish....therefore, listen to me on matters of finance. Fuck school. Make $$.

[cale]

$40,000 isn't enough to buy much long term happiness so forget buying shit, maybe travel a bit on the cheap and then use that to help you get a job you actually like. It doesn't have to be school, but those kind of funds are enough to help you possibly move or help you get through a period where you're useless to an employer. In short, keep that in reserve if possible.

[B Randon]

i was 18 had around 60k, was going to a school. took my cash and helped out my mom, bought some things and saved the rest till i bought my home when i was 20

[EndreM]

Money wont buy you happiness. Unless you got tons of it.

Use the money to get more money, don't waste it on stuff you don't need or stuff that only last a little while.

Use them for something that will get you more, for example school, investing, learning something useful (like welding, reupholstering, etc).

I had some money, and I bought a shit ton of E30's. I was happy, but now I'm broke. I don't regret any of it, 'cause I had a good time, but if I spent it in a smarter way, I would have a lot more of it.

[slammin.e28]

Money wont buy you happiness. Unless you got tons of it.

Use the money to get more money, don't waste it on stuff you don't need or stuff that only last a little while.

Use them for something that will get you more, for example school, investing, learning something useful (like welding, reupholstering, etc).

I had some money, and I bought a shit ton of E30's. I was happy, but now I'm broke. I don't regret any of it, 'cause I had a good time, but if I spent it in a smarter way, I would have a lot more of it.

...and thus MORE e30s! Maybe it's good to run out of money at times, if this is the case! ;)

[325ix]

Put into my retirement fund and start that early.
Then go to college.

This is exactly what I was going to say. You can travel after you have a good paying job.

[EndreM]

...and thus MORE e30s! Maybe it's good to run out of money at times, if this is the case! ;)

Exactly!

If I didn't buy 6 normal E30's I could have had two E30 M3's.

Hopefully OP will learn before he runs out of money.

[matthugie]

There are a good number of people here saying college is a bad idea or overrated, and I think they are all dumbasses. At no point is learning more a bad idea. Yes, you can make good money without a college degree, but you have to be exceptional in some area and those people are few and far between. The average income of people with only a high school diploma is 36k a year, whereas college grads average over 50k. Also, the economy is shit, so now is a great time to be in school. In 3-4 years the job market should be better making your future prospects better. It's an investment, yes there is initial cost and some risk, but if you truly work your hardest and get as much out of it as you can you'll be better off for it. *flame suit on*

[long tall eta]

20,000 $2.00 whores

[slammin.e28]

20,000 $2.00 whores

2 $20,000 whores.

[GThomas]

Leave 33k back at home and take 6 months and go nuts on some European broads. A lot of the college stuff depends on what you want to do, so my advice would be to take this little break, but spend some time pondering a smart career choice for when you go back home. Find a fun 4 year school and enjoy the college experience. Don't buy things that will lock you down and do your best to save most of that money. Exchanging 20k for gold or silver might be a good move in this unstable economy, but then again I'm no investor. Basically go out there and live it up, do some weird shit, make some memories but always look at everything as an opportunity for the future.

[e30e]

There are a good number of people here saying college is a bad idea or overrated, and I think they are all dumbasses. At no point is learning more a bad idea. Yes, you can make good money without a college degree, but you have to be exceptional in some area and those people are few and far between. The average income of people with only a high school diploma is 36k a year, whereas college grads average over 50k. Also, the economy is shit, so now is a great time to be in school. In 3-4 years the job market should be better making your future prospects better. It's an investment, yes there is initial cost and some risk, but if you truly work your hardest and get as much out of it as you can you'll be better off for it. *flame suit on*

No flaming here, I agree with you. But I also have a bs degree that I dont use and work for a job where making 50k out of high school is easily done.

Picking a major based on a salary is stupid though, you need to do what you love and comfortably live off of. Don't be necessarily scared of student loans there is a lot of government sponsored/ private companies that do loan forgiveness for working for them that would give you good career experience.

[Thizzelle]

Dont go to school because less competition on job market for me, and invest in something you love.

[Calegrant]

There are a good number of people here saying college is a bad idea or overrated, and I think they are all dumbasses. At no point is learning more a bad idea. Yes, you can make good money without a college degree, but you have to be exceptional in some area and those people are few and far between. The average income of people with only a high school diploma is 36k a year, whereas college grads average over 50k. Also, the economy is shit, so now is a great time to be in school. In 3-4 years the job market should be better making your future prospects better. It's an investment, yes there is initial cost and some risk, but if you truly work your hardest and get as much out of it as you can you'll be better off for it. *flame suit on*

School should be used when the career path you're on requires it, going for the simple sake of going to learn or hoping you'll find what you want to do is a costly gamble. As for stats for salaries, I have a feeling the super wealthy (most possess degree's) and the super poor (don't have degree's) do their part at making it an unfair comparrison. If you compared salaries of those between 50 and 100k I'd bet they're closer than you think.

Claiming that all people who say college is a bad idea dumbasses is quite ignorant yourself. I'm surrounded by people with no post secondary education, but I also have plenty of friends who went on to pursue higher learning and are still struggling to make use of it. It's worthwhile when it's just one rung on the ladder to achieving your final goal, otherwise IMO your efforts could be directed elsewhere.

[Mercury[BKM]]

take the 40k and #OccupyPoland!

our money is still better than theirs