« Are you on track to graduate? | Main | "Spending" your summer »

May 21, 2008

An education at sea

staci

My latest television obsession — the one that until this past weekend had consumed more than 20% of my DVR's capacity — is the PBS documentary "Carrier." Click here to learn about third-party website links It's a fascinating 10-part series filmed aboard the USS Nimitz Click here to learn about third-party website links, a naval aircraft carrier, while on a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf in 2005.

To be honest, I've never had more than a passing interest in the military, but this smart, moving series hooked me from the beginning. What really resonated with me were the individual sailors' stories of how they came to be shipmates on the Nimitz:

  • Many of them had joined the U.S. Navy Click here to learn about third-party website links right out of high school — some had enlisted even earlier and went on to pursue their GEDs Click here to learn about third-party website links.

  • One young woman had gone into a recruiting office to support a friend and ended up enlisting herself!

  • Several of the officers and pilots were from career military families, had attended the U.S. Naval Academy Click here to learn about third-party website links, and couldn't imagine any other lifestyle.

  • More often that not, though, the sailors had turned to the military to escape something — bad neighborhoods, abusive family situations, drugs and alcohol. They couldn't afford to go to school but didn't want to end up like their parents, siblings, or friends, either. So they'd consciously chosen a different path.

Here on the Student LoanDown blog, we spend most of our time discussing how to finance education and manage debt, but we also know it's not the right course for everyone. There are other ways to pursue meaningful careers and/or funding for college, and military service is one of those options.

Even if the young men and women featured in "Carrier" choose not to use their GI Bill benefits Click here to learn about third-party website links, they've certainly received an education aboard the Nimitz. And in just 10 short hours of TV time, I did, too.


Editor's note: The Student LoanDown team is taking the next few days off to celebrate Memorial Day Click here to learn about third-party website links weekend and honor the men and women who have died in military service to our country. We'll be back on May 27.

Post a comment

 

 

Staci & Babs Say...

Staci and Babs

Hey! Want a brand-new Volkswagen Jetta® TDI or other cool prizes? We've got 'em! And there's no purchase necessary!

Enter now for your chance to win!

 
Online Banking Report's Best of the web award
 
   

 Linking to non-Wells Fargo websites

Back to the Blog  
    When you click on a link marked with this icon, , you are leaving wellsfargo.com and entering a website that Wells Fargo does not control. Wells Fargo has provided these links for your convenience but does not endorse and is not responsible for the content, links, privacy policy, security policy, and information collection practices of non-Wells Fargo websites. We cannot guarantee how these third parties use web cookies or whether they place on your computer cookies that may identify you personally. We urge you to review the privacy policies of each of the linked websites you visit-before you provide them with any personally identifiable information. Click here to learn how to protect your personal information while using the internet.Back to the previous page  

 
 

Blog home | Blog index | About this blog | Privacy policy | Comment guidelines | Feedback | WellsFargo.com

© 2006-2008 Wells Fargo. All rights reserved.