If I could talk to my 18y/o self, I'd say the following.
Military Option:
-Join the Air National Guard right out of HS, and use it's benefits to pay for your future engineering degree.
-Target Officer School for Air Force or Navy, and get in ASAP.
-Save 70% of your income, since you live for free and eat for free on base. Don't buy a car worth more than $10k.
-Be picky when finding a SO, but don't be heartbroken if it doesn't work out. Another will come along. Find this girl (shows picture of my Wife) and you'll be good to go.
-Stay in contact with your friends, and make more friends. Make as many friends as possible, because people are lovely.
-Do your 20 years, and retire with a fat pension with more retirement funds than you'll ever need.
-Then become a teacher.
Mostly-Civilian Option:
-Join the Air National Guard right out of HS, and use it's benefits to pay for your future engineering degree.
-Get your engineering degree and get a job you can kick ass at.
-Stay in the Air National Guard for 20 years, so you get a bit of a pension later.
-Save 50%+ of your income. Don't buy a car worth more than $10k.
-Be picky when finding a SO, but don't be heartbroken if it doesn't work out. Another will come along. Find this girl (shows picture of my Wife) and you'll be good to go.
-Stay in contact with your friends, and make more friends. Make as many friends as possible, because people are lovely.
-Save enough in investments that you can live off of a teacher's salary, then teach.
Logically, I know I should get back into the Air National Guard, because I'd only need another 14 years to receive a pension worth several thousand a month for life after age 60. So, if I rejoined now (at age 33), I could fully exit the ANG at 47, and receive the pension at 60.
My Wife doesn't want me to though. She's worried about me being deployed.
Elope
Also, this.