Letters to the Editor
cabdriver
Published Letters: 304 Editor's Choice: 6
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airline hijackings
[Read the article: Remember when it was fun to fly?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Suicide airline hijackings exposed a huge chink in the armor of U.S. domestic security- one that should have been closed long before Sept. 11, 2001.
Reinforced cockpit bulkheads and the pervasive presence of sky marshals should have been in place long before that.
Hijacking a large jetliner is the ONLY way a terrorist band could ever acquire the equivalent of a targetable cruise missile, which makes it an especially high priority for counter-terrorism. The best way to deal with that threat is reinforced & locking pilot cockpits, and a sky marshal presence on all flights.
The pervasive search procedures, by contrast, are primarily an exercise aimed at making Americans feel frightened, powerless, and resigned to checkpoints with police rummaging through their personal effects. I guarantee that they are no deterrent to terrorists carrying aboard the exact same sorts of weapons alleged to have been used in the 9-11 attacks, which hardly require being made of metal.
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Get A Job
[Read the article: I'm completely irresponsible and I live at home mooching off my parents]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was like you, LW- pushed to go to college right out of high school, before I was ready. Did dismally. Several false starts. Decided to get some real-world work experience, returned to college at 31. CC honors program to University. (Community college in the USA, one of the last real bargains.) Graduated at 37. GPA about 1.25 points higher than the first time around.
From what you've said, my advice:
Finish up your school term and drop out. Find yourself some full-time work, somewhere. You're 21 years old- prime time to try out all sorts of options.
For instance: the commentor recommending that you teach "conversational English" overseas made a worthy suggestion. You don't need any degree or credential- just being fluent in English is enough. The students just want a native speaker around, to practice with, correct and instruct them. Japan, Korea, and China are the most well-known countries advertising for such positions, but your overseas options aren't limited to East Asian countries. Do some legwork, you'll be amazed.
For that matter, your overseas work options are by no means limited to English teaching positions. For instance, it's presently easy to get a 1-year work permit for New Zealand. Lots of service jobs and resort work. That can be both enriching, productive, and fun. Your co-workers will be party people. Just don't let yourself get sucked into the nightlife.
Speaking of service jobs and resort work- closer to home, casinos from Atlantic City to Lake Tahoe pretty much hire 21-year olds all the time, with zero requirement for work experience. Peak season is just now starting, with Memorial Day. They'll send you to school, and you'll be a blackjack dealer or croupier in 2 weeks- or you can do all sorts of other service work- janitor, carpet cleaner, kitchen, bartending...dealer or bartender is probably the highest-paid entry-level choice, but all casino jobs are relatively well-paid, compared to the general run of such employment. Plus, they'll probably feed you well. And apt. rent tends to be cheap in gambling towns. Repeat warning: don't let yourself get sucked into the nightlife. I recommend zero partying-total work focus for the first 3 months, in fact. 3 months ain't long. A year is better. It's good self-discipline. Be abstemious. Build your savings. You'll be all of, whoa, 23 when the time comes to break your fast- and, if you're frugal, several thousand dollars ahead. Maybe more. DON'T GAMBLE. You're probably too young to drive a cab in Nevada, I think you have to be 25. But following the same advice with that job, you can make a small fortune in about 4 years. And the money isn't the only thing that's easy. No problem finding a party, it will come to you. The problem will involve saying no to them, which will be necessary- unless you want to end up like Hank Chinaski, down the line.
You can also join Americorps, or the Peace Corps. Or find work in a national park or somewhere right outside it, or at a ski resort, or as a fitness coach in a 24-hour gym, or doing a 12-week intensive working in a cannery in Alaska, or what the hey, hiring on as a drugstore clerk in Des Moines...you're a free 21-year old American. Your vistas are limited only by your imagination. There are plenty of ideas I haven't mentioned.
I consider my life as a working dog invaluable, in terms of personal enrichment. I don't get the condescending pity and abhorrence for it, by all too many in the well-educated set. Use your wits and find your openings- and by the time you're 30, you could have 50 grand in the bank, instead of paying of 50 grand in student loans. (Caveat: as long as you're single. A spouse and children tighten the margin considerably.)
I also recommend this route for young artistic types. These days, it really helps to have a stick job, and some cash in the bank. That way you don't have to sell out, or jump at bad offers.
Finally, speaking as a patriotic army brat- given the current condition of the nation and the world, DO NOT JOIN THE MILITARY. Cultivate your own self-discipline, rather than having it imposed upon you. Use some of your earnings to take martial arts classes and target practice at a firing range, if you want skills in those arenas. Set your alarm clock for 4:30am, sit zazen and do calisthenics until sunrise. But don't go for the military recruiting okey-doke- especially not these days. Remember Gen. Smedley Butler.