Hypothetically...

You're 20, halfway to a BA in journalism with a Spanish minor. The daily where you work part-time loses their assistant SE and you get offered a full-time writing position paying 35K, but you have to put school on hold, perhaps indefinitely. You begin to wonder if you'll ever make significantly more money than that with a degree, anyway.

What do you do and why?

 

Finish school. Get that degree first.

You might wanna do something else later, such as teach, and you'll need that degree then.

Might not seem important now, but it would be later.

 

I've never met anyone who regrets having a college degree.

 

And yet: a college degree is no guarantee that better jobs are in your future. ... That said, it's a lot harder to go back to school once you've left. ... Ultimately, do what's right for you, with no regrets. What's right for anyone else may not be right for you.

 

Sounds what like I did, only for about a third of the money. No regrets. But I was a crappy college student anyway.

 

can you not go to school part time, even 1 or 2 classes a semester?

as for it being hard to go back to college, i don't necessarily agree with that. i went back to college at 31 or 32 and completed my bachelor's degree and then went to grad school (now that IS a waste if you're expecting it to make you a better journalist).

 

I think you're probably one of the few who had the motivation to do this. I NEED to get my master's to get ahead in my profession but I have no desire to do it. I mean, it sounds sexy telling people that I'm looking at grad schools and am planning on doing it, but I've been saying it for months. I think when I move closer to where my job is located (DC) and the commute doesn't extend my day so much (traveling to Baltimore adds about 2-2.5 hours every day), I'll find a good school that has the program I'm looking at and finally do it. See, doesn't that sound sexy??

 

I know you've probably already thought about this, but your financial situation could play a big role. Are you in debt, do you pay for college or do your parents, could factor in big. I'm looking for my first job out of school and I would jump at any place that offered 35K. Most of the places I've talked to have said mid 20K or less. So, you are probably at a decent paper already. I agree with txsportsscribe, if you can take classes part time do it. It should be a lot easier to chip away at a degree then to take a year or two off later in life to finish it. With sports your mornings / early afternoons should be free. I see no reason why you couldn't take the job and still take classes from 11 (or earlier)-3 then go cover a practice or a game. Don't take Friday classes, then you won't have problems going on road trips to cover teams on weekends. That is all easier said than done. Good luck with the decision, and do what you won't regret. You don't want to think back in 5,10, or 15 years and say "what if".

 

I got my start in the field midway through my four-year.

Best thing I ever did. I got tons of experience, and went to school on and off for a couple of years before I finished. It was a pain in the ass sometimes, but I really think going to school a day or two a week and taking the job would be the best route to go.

Your college is always going to be there. It will just take you a little more time to get the degree. You can start to pay off your debt before it gets too deep, which is always a plus.

 

If it were me, I'd take the FT job and go to school PT.

You won't have much of a social life, but you'll have your degree and a full-time job. You'll be ahead of the curve, plus have some money in the bank.

 

Stick with school. You have the rest of your life to work.
Be a college kid. Go to games and sit in the student section. Drink on a random tuesday. Take classes that interest you, even if they don't apply towards your degree.

You can write gamers and features until your 100 if you want to. You'll never again have the opportunity to enjoy the college experience.