Higher Education

Lately I've been thinking of trying to do the commissioning route to become an officer by going to college. I'd have a lot of benefits by going to college full time while still on active duty, like getting paid, having my rent paid for me, and number of other advantages. Two big, daunting concerns keep popping into head though: what would I study and what in Gods name would I do with a college education?

Even before graduating high school, I realized I have no idea what I want to do with my life, in a professional sense. There's really nothing out there that I would really enjoy doing for the rest of my life. One of the reasons I'll probably stay in the military is because I already have a career path, not mention a great retirement fund and plenty invested as well. Money isn't really the issue for me so it's pretty much my choice of what I want to do. Sadly what I want to do is spend my days on a tropical beach sipping pina coladas and drinking beer, sadly I can't think of a major for that one.

Well lets say I get my higher education and get that commission as an Ensign. I'd have to serve at least another five years, by then I'm thirty-two and have six years left until military retirement. Modestly speaking I could easily retire as a Lieutenant Commander at the age of thirty-eight, so what am I going to do with a Bachelor's of X after retirement? I'll already have full retirement benefits and pay to the point where I don't even have to work. Sure I could go on serving my country, but you know twenty years is enough for one lifetime thank you. And maybe I don't have to work but I sure wouldn't be making enough to be hitting the aforementioned beach professionally either. So what's a middle-aged retired guy supposed to do besides have a mid-life crisis?

These are some pretty big questions for me, a lot of soul searching and decisions need to be made before I can answer these questions.

Or I could just say fuck it and wing it like I've been doing since high school! Everything's been going pretty well so far, it couldn't be too bad could making uninformed decisions about my life without actually thinking about it?

Right?