When's the last time you invested in yourself?

[timbarber142]

Aside from work in the gym, when was the last time you guys invested in yourselves?

Like, when did you last buy a tool or a course to learn a skill? When was the last time you took somebody farther ahead on your career path out for coffee and some advice?

 

I try to ask myself this question a lot - if it's been too long since I really invested in myself, I start to kind of slide a little bit.

 

Thoughts?

[doc_apoo]

I'm active duty military, which means typical days start at a 5 am wake-up, work until 5 or 6.  I've been doing less work and more going to night school.  This last quarter I took Biochemistry and Anatomy and Physiolgy I, Monday through Thursday 5:15 to 9:30.  I've missed many storytimes with my baby girl and free time has become a myth, but I know it'll be worth it in the end when I am a nurse and getting paid way more to do exactly what I do now (I'm a medic).  Sometimes the hard right is better than the easy left.  Or something.

[timbarber142]

Being able and willing to sacrifice something temporarily now, for a disproportionately good thing later is an impressive skill. One of the hardest to cultivate!

And thank you for your service!!

[wanderbound]

I've been accepted to grad school in London (starting in September), which is really exciting but also moderately terrifying... particularly since it involves taking a year off work at age 30.  I don't regret it though, and every day is so much more exciting when I have a big end goal to look forward to.  I've always loved school and studying at 30 with a clear idea of what I want from my life vs muddling through at 18 with no real future plans should be an interesting exercise in self-awareness,,,

[looloos]

I really enjoy learning.

 

I'm always starting online courses to learn new things, finishing them is something else though...

[NeverThatBored]

Online courses can be really hard to finish. I've only ever finished one, and that mostly just involved videos.

 

Lately I've been buying more books about topics in my field to try to get better at my job. And I signed up for a martial arts class this summer.

[Red1263]

I've been contemplated/planning on trying to visit a Muay Thai gym. Excellent for fending off Zombies!

[timbarber142]

Awesome responses!

I think about that a lot, too. Especially with respect to online courses - I know that I have really benefited from several online courses, but I don't know htat I've ever really "finished" one. I think my favorite courses are the ones that are constantly delivering value.

 

Why is that, though? Why is it hard to follow through? What do you guys think?

[wanderbound]

Awesome responses!

I think about that a lot, too. Especially with respect to online courses - I know that I have really benefited from several online courses, but I don't know htat I've ever really "finished" one. I think my favorite courses are the ones that are constantly delivering value.

 

Why is that, though? Why is it hard to follow through? What do you guys think?

 

Honestly, I'm such an extrovert that interacting with people is a highlight of in-person classes for me... obviously not everyone has that issue, but online courses just aren't the same!

[timbarber142]

That's true - there's a lot to be said about one-on-one interaction with people who're into the same kind of thing that you are.

 

Especially people who are passionate enough to invest in that thing! That's a really good point.

Some courses do this, like I know some of Ramit Sethi's courses have super-duper-hyper-tournament-edition versions which cost 5x more but you get to go meet him and all the other classmates in person, all expenses paid. From reviews, it seems like that alone is worth the money to some people!

[Evicious]

I've recently (finally!) enrolled in a community college to begin my higher education.

 

Prior to now, my units were adamant that I limit any classes I would have taken to those available after COB hours (which, as doc_apoo has already pointed out, means zero free time). Additionally, the colleges available were unwilling to be flexible with their syllabuses, in spite of the fact that roughly half their student body was active duty military. It was essentially a recipe for wasted time and money. If you missed class due to military interference (field problems, last minute TDY assignments, etc.), you had no options to make up for it; miss enough, and you risked being dropped from the class, or failing altogether - at which point the Army would turn around and take the Tuition Assistance money they had allotted you for completion of the class right out of your next paycheck. And to add insult to injury, you would recieve a negative counseling for the entire fiasco. I witnessed too many of my fellow soldiers go through that ordeal to even consider risking it myself.

 

So it hasn't been until now, over a decade after graduating high school, that I have had the time and confidence to attempt it. My goal is to finish out my Associate's degree by the time I ETS (which is a little more than 2 years away), and then to take the next 2 years to complete my Bachelor's with my GI Bill.

 

I have several career-oriented goals I want to accomplish that will pose a challenge to that schedule, but I'm keeping my "eyes on the prey, not the horizon". I'm sure there will be many points to come where I will question ever starting school again before I'm out of the military, but - like doc_apoo said - I know it's worth investing in myself now to pave the way for later.

[timbarber142]

Wow, that is a lot of crazy extenuating circumstances.

It's amazing to see so many rebels with a military background. And that you are interested in investing in yourselves.

[SomeGuyFromScotland]

I sit down with my church pastor on a bi-weekly basis for some mentoring, counselling, generally just talking through life and personal issues. He keeps me accountable, and isn't afraid to call me on my bullshit and challenge me.

 

In terms of tangible cash investment, I'll get together and go away to conferences with a bunch of guys from church a couple of times a year, where the focus is on becoming better men, husbands, fathers and leaders. The best (and sometimes, most challenging) thing you can do if you're serious about growing yourself as a person, is to get yourself around bigger people and be humble enough to understand and accept that you need to remain teachable.

 

In 2005, I quit a dead-end day job, went back to college (aged 32), delivered Chinese food at nights to pay my bills and worked my ass off to get the qualifications I needed to change my career. I'm now earning over double what I was then. I guess those two years were an investment.

[Raze]

I've recently (finally!) enrolled in a community college to begin my higher education.

 

Prior to now, my units were adamant that I limit any classes I would have taken to those available after COB hours (which, as doc_apoo has already pointed out, means zero free time). Additionally, the colleges available were unwilling to be flexible with their syllabuses, in spite of the fact that roughly half their student body was active duty military. It was essentially a recipe for wasted time and money. If you missed class due to military interference (field problems, last minute TDY assignments, etc.), you had no options to make up for it; miss enough, and you risked being dropped from the class, or failing altogether - at which point the Army would turn around and take the Tuition Assistance money they had allotted you for completion of the class right out of your next paycheck. And to add insult to injury, you would recieve a negative counseling for the entire fiasco. I witnessed too many of my fellow soldiers go through that ordeal to even consider risking it myself.

 

This is what happened to me. I was a full time student taking online classes while in the pacific. (now part of this was due to me not having my priorities straight) I failed one class, withdrew from two others and didnt get the best grades in two others. the F and two withdrawls was due to having to miss 2-3 weeks of class because of a training deployment I was thrown on at the last minute and having no internet connection where I was at. Put it all together and my first year of school ended with me having a below 2.0 GPA and put on academic probation. In the past year and a half I have been an on and off half time student (tons of travel in my last job so ive only taken 2 classes this year, but several in the past year and a half)

 

I have focused on my career heavily in the past three years. Since I was never deployed in the Military I got a job as a contractor and deployed for over two years to get that experience on my resume. I then had someone (who I worked for once before during a training exercise when I was active) stick his neck out for me and landed me a job I was grossly unqualified for. I was working around all retired LT Col, COL, and MSGTs (I got out of the IRR as a Sgt). This job was part of an organization which trained Marine three star Generals and their staffs in how to work together during wartime. Almost everyone thought I was going to sink and fail, but I worked my ass off and by the time I left (mainly due to contract issues not the job or the people) I had made a small name for myself and proved that some of us youngins can do the job!

[doc_apoo]

Wow, that is a lot of crazy extenuating circumstances.

It's amazing to see so many rebels with a military background. And that you are interested in investing in yourselves.

 

We pick up fitness from being in the job and with the culture, nerdiness isn't really all that accepted.  So this is really the perfect place for us.

[hwrdfrnd]

We pick up fitness from being in the job and with the culture, nerdiness isn't really all that accepted.  So this is really the perfect place for us.

Should have went Navy, more nerds and cooler uniforms.

[doc_apoo]

Should have went Navy, more nerds and cooler uniforms.

 

I should've gone Air Force, have you SEEN their facilities?  Substandard living for staying Army bases?  Besides, I get sea sick.

[hwrdfrnd]

I should've gone Air Force, have you SEEN their facilities?  Substandard living for staying Army bases?  Besides, I get sea sick.

When I was on a detatchment to Dakar the AF showed up, the first thing they did was set up 8 laptops on a LAN in a hotel conference room so their guys would have something to do on downtime.

That's when I realized I should have gone AF lol

[Raze]

I should have gone Air force. They get sub-standard pay adjustment if they have to billet with us Marines!

[doc_apoo]

I stayed in some condemned AF barracks on Guam.  Still nicer than a lot of Army barracks I've been in.

[Raze]

I never thought I would see anything worse than a MC barracks. Then I became a contractor and went to a squad bay at camp Atterbury amd never complained again.

[jfreaksho]

I never thought I would see anything worse than a MC barracks. Then I became a contractor and went to a squad bay at camp Atterbury amd never complained again.

I stayed in open bay barracks at Fort Lewis.  The shower floor was cracked and there was a green shoot of something coming up.  My sergeant made me pull it out.

 

Back on topic:  I finished my first semester of grad school recently, with a 4.0.  My education benefits allowed me to quit my crap job and stay focused on learning a lot.  It was great.

[timbarber142]

I feel like I'm being let in on a massive inside joke. Haha!

So, Air Force is the nerdiest, then?

[doc_apoo]

I feel like I'm being let in on a massive inside joke. Haha!

So, Air Force is the nerdiest, then?

Yes. They also have the most attractive females, have the best facilities and treat you like an adult human.

Basically, I should've joined that branch.

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[Raze]

Yes. They also have the most attractive females, have the best facilities and treat you like an adult human.

Basically, I should've joined that branch.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

 

True, but they do get shit on from every other branch. I've even heard some coast guard guys talking shit about the chairforce and they dont even belong to the DOD. all that aside A-10s are the best!

 

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