Other veteran parents weigh in.

Getting out of the military was great... until it wasn't.

I got out with a plan, but life had other plans. Then COVID hit and turned everything upside down. Around the same time, I ended up fighting for custody of my son because of the racism he was dealing with where his mother lived. Since leaving the Air Force in 2018, it feels like I've been trying to catch up ever since.

We've paid off a lot of debt, but we still have about $80,000 left. Most of that is debt my wife and I have taken on over the years.

Now my son is getting ready to start college, and we just got his first bill. I'll be honest—it hit me hard. I can't really afford it. I can use Chapter 35 benefits to help, but the monthly costs are still a lot. We've been applying for scholarships and grants, and I'm hoping something comes through.

Lately, I've been wondering if I should encourage him to look at a trade instead. Not because I don't believe in college, but because I don't want him starting his adult life buried in debt. If he picks the right trade, he could make a great living without carrying student loans for years.

Maybe that's my own experience talking. I left the Air Force, earned a dual master's degree, and I'm still struggling to get out of entry-level work. I never thought this is where I'd end up.

The hard part is that I know he wants the college experience. I don't want to take that away from him or make him feel like I'm giving up on his dreams. I just want him to have a better start than I did.

I don't know what the right answer is. I just know I don't want him spending the next 20 years paying for a degree if there's another path that can give him a good life.