Statistics, you know what the definition of statistics is right?

Lying with numbers

Education is a fine thing if it leads to a job, this day and age? meh. most people that go to collage should not. There was a time when going to collage was worked for. People busted their humps in high school to get good grades to get accepted to a collage. Now it seems its a 'right'

I am pretty deep in to six figures this year, I pay more in taxes than my state's average for income.

I am a retired Master Sargent for the United States army between my pension and my second career, working for a title one school in the us as an admissions representative I will make more than most collage professors will. I do that by one thing, hard work,

That is what is important, hard work. One can get any degree at any level they can earn but if they do not bust their hump on the other side of that education they are going to be poor.

As to armor: Learn to make it your self. It does not matter if your first harness looks like drunken dwarves vomited up plate and leather. It is a skill, and one that is not practiced in the HEMA world enough. That same hard work in learning that skill, in making your own armor will pay off just like hard work will pay off in the workforce.

Go to http://forums.armourarchive.org/ They tend to cater to the SCA crowd but, if your in SCA legle armor and doing HMA your probably never going to get hurt. They are friendly, they are helpful and good armour does not have to cost four figures.

My comments do not include chainmail. making chainmail is the path to madness, LOL, BUY that stuff if you need it,

Respectfully but with high opinion

:D
And go to thrift stores, you can find stuff in thrift stores for cheep. Two catchers chest pieces connected at the shoulders worn under an 4 or 5 X Tshirt makes pretty armour if you do not use metal wasters

Harry Marinakis wrote:

Barrett Hiebert wrote: ...a suit of sparring armour... If you really want something for sparring.... sport armor. Foam pad - $11 Plastic barrel - $16 Fun - priceless