Dwarfy
I did the exact opposite of yourself. Dropped out of the six form and joined up at 17 and a half years of age. Only in later years did I knuckle down and managed to get a Degree with the Open University. History. All paid for by Pusser.
As to the pay bit; On passing out from CTC as a Marine second class I was on the grand salary of 52 pound a fortnight after food and accomodation was taken from my wages.
Whilst in training I think I got 11 pound a week. Was 1973 when I joined. A pint of Beer was 10p a go. Lager was a couple of pennies more. And a Dutchy burger was a couple of pence as well. Twenty players Number six were 20p. I didn't start smoking until I joined up!!!
Saying that mind like most of my Oppos I was skint come the second week which was called a
Blank week. The majority of us would waste it on things like Ale.....Beer....Women.....Ale.....More women and the odd visit home to sponge of our Families when really skint!
At 18 to 21 years of age why worry about money was my attitude. I had a Pit and I had food. And a Mother who was always good for a fiver if I sent her a begging letter!
The only time I was a Money Baron was when I would go home to Padstow in Cornwall and work the Owd Lobster pots with an Old bloke called Tommy Morrisey on his boat the "Girl Maureen". I sometimes earned over a hundred smackers which in the Seventies was a fortune to the likes of me! Alas this period of plenty was cut short when I did my first tour of NI in 75. On getting back to home I found out that owd Tommy had retired and his boat was in some museum in Falmouth.
Why not try for a Commisson? You have the brains to do it or you would never have got a degree.
Artist
