Douva

Sorry your friends are having trouble. Yes, I am still in college, and will be in college for quite some time. My parents do not have the means to support me, nor do they help me pay for college. So, just a little fyi, not everyone in college can't speak for the working world. I know how it is. Trust me, I have plenty of bills and can't afford to not work, either. I do, however, believe that college will pay off for me in the end. I'll be doing something more interesting and will undoubtably make more $$ than I do now. That means more skydives, more lobster dinners, and therefore a happier Angela. And, to make another point, if I weren't going to make more $$. I would probably still be in college. Education is important, i'm glad i'm pursuing one. Not trying to argue, either. Just wanted to reply to your post about my idealistic thinking and make sure you understand that I can't afford to be out of work any more than your friends can. Good luck to them. Angela. Fair enough. Good luck to you, too. --Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Carlos, This sounds like a fun project. There are probably a million ways to use "the twist," from the literal (a guy dealing with line twists) to the figurative (the story ends with a plot twist) to the literal/figurative combo (the plot twist is that the guy gets line twists). There are, of course, plenty of other ways to show a "twist" in skydiving besides line twists (spinning formation, twisted risers, etc.) If you find that you really can't come up with a story, drop me a line, and I'll try to throw some ideas at you. Blue skies, Douva D-22772 http//www.douvafilms.com I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I'm going to try to let this be my last post on the subject because debates on the merits of college are always too emotionally heated, with both sides having too much personally at stake, to be very productive. The degrees my friends can't put to use (and if you don't think they're trying, you're an idealistic fool) range from Bachelor of Science to Master of Business Administration. I'm not encouraging anyone to drop out of college or not go to college. College is a great thing. I'm simply making the highly substantiated argument that a college degree (ANY degree) does not guarantee financial success. Obviously our doctors need to go to college. Obviously our engineers need to go to college. I'm not putting down anybody who chooses college. But if you're killing yourself and breaking your parents trying to get an art degree, you might want to step back and rethink your options. Blue skies, Douva PS. If you're still in college, you're not really qualified to say what people who have already graduated should be doing in their job searches. Perhaps your parents can support you for five or six years, should you have some difficulty finding a job in your chosen field, but most people have to pay bills. They're out of college; they can't afford to be idealistic anymore. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Wow, the mayor, huh? I wasn't trying to start a "merits of college" debate, I just wanted to call the previous poster on her assertion that college will lead to a "well paying" job. People like to throw out a lot of statistics about how much more you're likely to make with a college degree, but these numbers are generally tainted by people living below the poverty level whose problems run a lot deeper than not having a college degree. Here are some numbers I dug up on my own: According to a study commissioned by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, released in January 1998, the lifetime earning difference between college graduates and high school graduates is about $207,000. That's $207,000 over the 47 years most Americans will work (from age 18-65). That comes out to about $4,404 per year more for persons with a college degree. $4,404 will cover a years worth of jumping for most people, so I guess you can call that a substantial sum, if you like, but this premise neglects the roughly $50,000 or so the college graduate spent on their college education. Had that $50,000 be invested at a 10% annual return, the person in question would not have a college degree, but he or she would be earning $5,000 dollars a year from this $50,000 investment. This means that, when you subtract the college graduate's $50,000 from his or her $207,000 of additional income, the high school graduate is actually making $78,000 over a lifetime and $1,660 per year more than the college graduate. Obviously this is all theoretical, but I think it goes a long way toward discrediting the notion that a college degree is either a ticket to success or always the best option. Those of you who are still paying off college loans may now feel free to flame me. Blue skies, Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

The point wasn't what they go the job in (generally not in their field); the point was that the job doesn't require a degree. --Douva PS. Most of these people have computer or business degrees (exactly what all the ever-so-helpful guidance counselors were telling them to get when they graduated high school). The only people I know who are putting their degrees to work are people with teaching certificates (always a safe bet). I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I don't know when you graduated school, but everyone I know who's graduating right now is moving back in with their parents and taking entry level positions at jobs that don't require degrees. Personally, I'd rather live in a trailer and save that tuition money for jumps. Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

I miss the days when I lived in a trailer on the DZ. --Douva D-22772 Click on the link below to see a picture of my mansion. I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

The problem would be getting out of the jet. I think (I'm sure one of the airline pilots will correct me) only the Boeing 727 and the McDonnell Douglas 80 have "air stairs" in the tail of the plane, and they're prevented from opening in flight by the "Cooper Vain." Even if you were crazy enough to attempt a side exit out of a commercial jetliner, you couldn't get the doors open without depressurizing the cabin (the doors open inward). Perhaps if there were a large hole blown in the fuselage, just under the tail, like in Airport (1970), you might be able to safely exit through the hole. Blue skies, Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.

Or 3 reserves--That would be even better! Don't worry about your reserve--Reserve failures are about as likely as getting struck by lightning. Federal law requires that every reserve be repacked every 120 days by an FAA certified rigger, regardless of whether or not it is used. The rigger packs it in a clean environment, free of distraction, using special tools that aren't employed by skydivers when they pack their main parachutes. If you move on to AFF (learning to jump by yourself), just pay attention to what your instructors are teaching you about body position, altitude awareness, and emergency procedures, and leave worrying about the reserve to your rigger. Your instructors will show you how to inspect your gear before each jump to make sure everything is in place (i.e., reserve ripcord, reserve closing pin, the seal your rigger uses to show that your reserve hasn't been tampered with, etc). You seem to have made up your mind to jump, so quit dwelling on every little thing that could go wrong, and GO HAVE FUN! Blue skies, Douva D-22772 I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names.