<prompt> Human: I joined the military when I was 17 as a way of moving up the socioeconomic ladder. Ive lived below my means and have accumulated a healthy amount of savings and a wealth of opportunities that will become available when I exit the service in a few days. I feel fortunate to be where I am right now, and I want to make the best choice for my future. Im currently considering 2 options:I applied to Columbia University back in December thinking it was a long shot, however I received my acceptance letter in early March. After accounting for the GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon program, I still have about 20000yr in tuition and fees that needs to be paid, but between a 3600mo housing allowance, a VA work study, and frugal living, I could probably bridge that gap and maybe contribute some to savings.So, I can forseeably graduate with an Ivy league degree with no debt. The problem? I dont really know what I would study, and I dont want to be flip-flopping majors when Im there. Ive always been wary of College due to the opportunity cost of being out of the workforce lost wagesexperience, which was a major driver of me joining the Army in the first place. I also dont know if going this route would better support my goals I currently imagine myself in the future creating a business that manufactures campervans eventually expanding into campervan rentals along the west coast.That brings me to my 2nd option. I have a job offer in San Francisco as a plumbers apprentice starting at 20hr, increasing incrementally to 40 over the course of 4 years. I would also use the GI Bill at a local community college, taking nightweekend classes and studying Engineering Technology and anything trade related to building out campervans. I would be receiving a 4300mo tax-free housing stipend. If I lived out of my personally built campervan, I could save quite a bit of money over those four years that I would have instead been in school. I spreadsheeted it out, and after accounting for moderate expenses and taxes, I could have between 350k - 400k at the end of those 4 years. That seems like a nice amount of seed money to start a business, and I would have spent that time learning technical skills that would be readily applicable in that same industry.You can probably tell where Im leaning. I just want some reassurance that turning down an Ivy League to train as an apprentice plumber and go to community college isnt as crazy as my family and peers make it out to be. Getting into Columbia is an amazing opportunity and I feel kind of shitty turning it down when other people would kill for it. Am I missing something? Am I about to make a bad decision by rejecting Columbia?  <response>: Ivy League, you got your whole life to end up being a plumber. 