<prompt> Human: Im a junior in high school, and I have an interview for my first job on Monday. My girlfriends mother knows the hiring manager, they were talking today, and she dropped a line saying I was going to get the job. This means Ill have an income finally. Im asking for advice on what to do with this money as I have no expenses at the moment.Let me start by saying that my mother is a loans officer for a bank so, Im very financially aware. Heres where my issue comes in; my family is poor. I have no idea how Im going to pay for college without taking out student loans. My mother has told me all my life to never get student loans, but I dont see how else Im going to be able to afford it. I dicked around my freshman, sophomore, and most of my junior year. I didnt do horrible, but my grades werent consistent. Id make a straight A report card, and then, Id make a straight C report card. My GPA is probably like a high 2 or a low 3. Academic scholarships really arent in the question unless I do ridiculously well on my ACT and SAT. Reality is just now starting to set in, and I feel like Im messed up my entire future. My mom has been telling me for years to join the military because its my only way in, but heres the thing: I want to be a pilot. Pilots in the military are officers which means I need a bachelors degree. I want to major in Physics since that class just speaks to me. I dont have a single penny saved for college, and to go to any college with a good Physics department is pretty pricey.Another thing is that Im taking Honors Economics this year, and my teacher has instilled in me that if I want money later I need to invest money now. So, I guess Im trying to kill two birds with one stone in this post. I want to know whats the best way to go about having financial security. Like, what websites does Reddit trust or use to see proven financial plans?What should I do, Reddit?  <response>: First off... dont get so worked up. You are only 17, still have a whole year of high school left, and havent taken on any debt. You are miles ahead of the game in terms of financial awareness, even if your family doesnt have a lot of money to help you out.Your economics teacher is completely correct about the value of saving and investing, however you are at the point in your life where your biggest investment is in your career skillset. The choices you make in the next few years will determine your long term earning potential. If you have to take on student loans to get a degree that will double or triple your lifetime earnings, think of it as an investment. This only applies however if you actually get a degree that enhances your market value business, accounting, finance, comp sci, engineering, etc. Taking on student loans in order to be the most educated guy at the loading dock would be a poor investment.As for near term financial advise. Id say save every penny you get from this summer job, and if you can keep it on weekends during your senior year, do so. Every extra penny you earn is a penny you dont have to borrow and pay interest on. It may not seem like much, but youll be thankful later when the time comes to pay it back. I would not invest this money in anything other than very short term CDs. You cant afford to lose the money in a short term market downturn because your big expense is only a year away.My biggest suggestion to you is to look into your local community college. Not the for-profit colleges, but the state run community college. You can put your first 2 years of college in there and then transfer to a 4 year school to finish your degree. This accomplishes several goals in one fell swoop1. It saves you a tremendous amount per credit hour. So long as you only take classes that transfer, its a straight money win.2. If you can stomach the extra 2 years with your parents, going to a local community college saves you 2 more years of room and board.3. It gives you 2 years to build a college GPA that will totally outshine your highschool record. This is your ticket into the 4 year school, and possibly some additional student aid. You are concerned about your record as it stands... this gives you a chance to bury that.4. It gives you time to decide on a major while paying a lower cost... if you need switch paths while still in community college and need an extra semester, it is a much lower cost semester.5. Your actual degree still comes from the 4 year school and that is all that will matter to an employer.You will have to be vigilant about checking the transfer-ability of your credits before you sign up for each class. Already having 2 or 3 target schools that you plan on transferring TO will help you dramatically in this regard. If they are in-state public schools they will almost certainly be able to confirm exactly what transfers and what does not. Having this short list also will let you check on the common requirements you can knock out in community college language classes, writing, etc.The downside to this is that you are sacrificing 2 years of the typical college experience. Everyone has a different experience with college, but mine was amazing. I grew tremendously as a person while I was there, and made friends that I still consider like brothers 18 years later. With todays job market and the extreme cost of school; I still recommend the community college route, but I just had to mention that it is not without sacrifices. Keep your eyes on your long term goals and youll do great!TL:DR - Community college for transferable classes only will save you a bundle 