Trucking or University?

Get your degree. While your in school, you could find that there are many interesting fields to pursue. Your still young. Go experience college! I graduated in 2008 and found that a teaching job was hard to come by in my area (hiring freeze) so I got my CDL and went to work. Almost ten years later I'm still doing it and making more than I potentially could have teaching. You can always fall back on your education. I could NEVER see myself going back unless I took a job that required it. So you have to consider that.

 

Go to college. You have the rest of your life to work. Just dont major in something stupid like aroma therapy or basket weaving.

 

Go to school.
You can allways drive a truck if you really want to.
Hell there are people on TTR who started driving in their 50's.

 

Get your degree first. Go to a community college and get your Associates Degree so you can transfer to a state university in full junior standing and not lose any credit hours. From what I'm experiencing with my 18 y/o son, cc is gonna be $9k and the main campus is $24k per year. Community college has same quality instructors, if not better...my son can understand what they're saying!

I have a teaching degree and 20+ years field sales experience, but being over 50 I'm about to start driving full time locally for a wonderful(?) Fortune 100 company. But I'm glad I got my CDL a few years ago as it's opened up a whole new array of job opportunities. I don't care what anyone says, for anyone over 50, too many men chasing too few jobs, especially professional jobs, per se.

So, get your degree but also get your CDL when you can. Lots of summer and seasonal work opportunities to drive and make $15-18 per hour while your friends are mowing lawns, stocking shelves or working some kind of unpaid "internship"! And if you drive after college it could be the route to an office job like dispatch, project management or safety and your fellow drivers will have much greater respect because they'll know you've done their job and worked your way up.

 

I am going to be straight with you. You DO NOT want to choose to be a trucker unless you flunk out of school. There is NOTHING glamorous about the world of trucking, STOP getting your information about trucking listening to TV shows or movies like Smokey and the Bandit. PUT 100% of your energy into getting through school and maybe getting a post graduate degree of some kind. Don't get me wrong, my father put clothes on my back, food in my belly and a place to lay my head from being a trucker. I have nothing but respect for anybody that puts up with the crap truckers have to put up with. It is NOT an easy life. I just will never recommend anybody your age to consider doing it.

 

no point in getting a CDL at 18. no one wants you. go to school and get a USEFUL degree. but always remember that with a CDL you are in demand. i got mine. didnt use it for 2 years. then moved to texas and within 2 weeks had a job. CDL, HVAC and plumbers are always needed.