James,
Here is what I believe it takes to marry young.
(My wife and I are nearing 20 years of marriage, 5 children - and were married when I was BARELY 19, and she middish 17.)
1. You have to love one another very deeply.
2. You have to be not of this world (Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind") This means: Don't act like a typical teen, listening to trendy music (feeds the negative message), going to parties, worrying about style, etc. This means: Be mature, dedicated, and putting your spouse first in all matters. This also meant for us, that we did things TOGETHER, and did not go see friends by ourselves etc. (at that time. Now we have other friends whom are married and have children)
3. Be Content. I can't quote the scriptures enough on this one. You ABSOLUTELY have to be content. Don't go for the latest fanciest cars and expect to live in a McMansion before 25. Be happy in the small things in life. A warm bed at night. A good spouse. A nice hot shower. Don't fill voids by buying more stuff and always wanting more. This helps all through life, but learn it early on, especially as you start a career.
4. Pray with your spouse. Care for your spouse spiritually as well as emotionally. Small gestures are huge in contentedness.
When you love each other, pray together, don't want a bunch of expensive stuff, are not greedy, don't care about status symbols, trends, partying, being popular, showing off, getting drunk, and seek the well being for your spouse in all matters, it is wonderful.
Small wages can do great things for the contented non-worldly mind. You can literally start off debt free, living in a small place, save up for something a bit nicer but modest, and buy it debt free. No need to live with parents.
I know I make it sound easy, but it is for those who can accept less at first.
I'm not bashing College..... I don't find the point in it though.
Quick Story for everybody. True place, real business. This is about College, and how choices you make in life, make it "not as great as it seems".
This is about a family member of mine (cousin), who worked for a practice with 4 Medical Doctors.
Grace my CLOSE cousin, (who married young like my wife and myself) started working for a medical practice at 18 years old. She lived a very contented life (I learn a lot from her) and her and her husband are some of the happiest people with their 3 children. Anyway, at this practice, there were these doctors who were full M.D.'s and could prescribe medicine etc.
They bought a very fancy building for their practice with fountains going over their carved in stone logo, and all kinds of fancy stuff in the office.
Grace commuted 5 minutes from her modest home for 15 years that she worked there. Now her husband and her are "semi-retired" and live off VERY part time wages because their lives are lived inexpensively and cheap. They are just a bit older than my wife and I. (lower 40's)
Doctor 1: Doctor 1, was the founder. He was married all his life. He worked 55 hours a week and commuted 15 minutes to the office daily. He had the stress of owning this office and practice for a long time. Stress of bills, paychecks, building repair fees, etc. He is about 82 years old now, and still goes in every day - 55 hours a week. He is a protestant Christian, and seems like a good man. (he's also my doctor)
Doctor 2: Doctor 2, is a Buddhist, and her husband a Roman Catholic (yea I know LOL). Anyway, this lady ripped her husband in front of everybody all the time. She was miserable, snappy, and mean to everybody. She bought into the practice. She had swings of absolute joy and happiness for brief moments, then went all upset on everybody. Dramatic mean sometimes. She has a couple of Children. She commuted 25 minutes to work every day.
Doctor 3: Doctor 3 came from MONEY BIG TIME. Pregnant in medical school and did not have to drop out as her folks picked up the tab. Anyway, she was for years with husband #1 and divorced. Now she's married to a lawyer. They live in a $750,000 house in a very fancy part of North Texas. She commutes a WHOPPING 45 minutes to the office every day. She has several children from two different fathers.
Doctor 4: Is openly gay. Full blown homosexual... Even brings gay friends to the office. He tells the ladies their purse is "cute". (that kind). Anyway, he is off and on happy and mean. Goes into rampages at times, tissy fits, and other times he tries to be "fun gay". I believe (from the suburb city so not nearly exact from where Grace said) his commute is about 25 minutes. No children.
Anyhow Grace worked for these folks for a long time. Her and her husband married early, saved up everything they could. They paid off their home, found ways to save on their bills, and made do with what they had.
The office fell on hard times, and had to LAY OFF Grace (no fault of her own she was told). Well she retired at 41. Her husband works 2-3 hours a day tops at home.
So these doctors have a ton of responsibility. They have to pay their employees, building costs, equipment repairs, malpractice insurance, computers, figure in tax info, fight insurance companies, etc. etc. etc. Sure they are PAID a LOT. Yes, they all have SUPER fancy homes.
Grace and her husband have a modest home. 1350 square feet. 3 bedrooms.
Neither were college educated.
Tomorrow, Grace gets to wake up, enjoy homeschooling her children.
Tomorrow, her husband gets to wake up, work for 2-3 hours at home.
Then they get to go on trails or to the park, library, etc.
Her doctors....
They get to work up patients, get stressed out, worry about stuff, and be in charge of so much.... So much it consumes them. They get to fight traffic every day. Sure they leave their office at 5:30-6pm, get to fight traffic home... Then figure out whats for supper. Grace had started to prepare supper at 4pm and left it to slowly simmer and get tastier....
Doctors had an enormously stressful day at work.
Grace had a wonderful day with her children, at home, safe, and pretty stress free.
Okay, so the doctors get to fight traffic in their Lexus, and get to lay down on the $2000 mattress that night.... That is AFTER they get to their fancy huge house, that they get to only enjoy for a couple of hours before bed..... Then they get to get up and do it again the next day.
Grace, she just has her family to look forward to the next day. Yes, in a modest home, with a modest non-fancy paid off car.
Okay, I'll try to make my point.
Who's the sucker and who gets to enjoy their LIFE that they only get to live ONCE?
Grace has plenty of time to reflect on God, pray, and not be so loaded down.
The doctors do NOT get that joy. They get fancy vacations twice a year.
This is a complicated matter....
I'll give you MY opinion on it.
I believe the Doctors are enslaved to their lifestyle, non-contentedness, and are nuts. Sure smart. Sure nice degrees on the wall. Sure, they have "worldly status". But slaves.
Grace wakes up free every day. No stress to look forward to, other than her children sometimes. She is content and not enslaved to need more.
Ask yourself now, if you believe being a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc., is worth all the stress, tie downs etc.
or
Would you rather wake up free 20 years from now, not consumed by debt, "enslaved to the debt", and forced to work something specific.
Lexus will get you from A to B.
So will a 8 year old sub compact.
A million dollar house will let you sleep at night.
A much more modest home will let you sleep at night.
Life. You get one.
Sorry for the book folks.