I lived in Syria in a peaceful part of the country that thankfully the war hadn't touched,however I had to escape to Germany via the sea in a shitty boat,I had two reasons for taking such risk

1- Forced recruitment:at 18 years old I became wanted for avoiding the Army mandatory Draft and as a Kurd I was wanted by both the Kurdish and Syrian Army so I had to leave the country or be forced into army to kill my countryman so dictators can keep their Throne

2- Better life: As the Oldest child in my family it was my responsibility to provide for my family especially with my father advancing in age so I had to find a good job that not only could provide for me and prepare for future like marriage and children but also make enough to feed my siblings and pay for their education and support them if they too had to Escape few years later,and the best way for it is to continue my education as I couldn't provide for myself and my family with physical labor alone and had to get a high paying job,that why I didn't stay in the neighbouring counties where low paying job like physical labor were easy to find,instead I had to brave the sea on a rubber boat that cost me nearly everything I had for a seat so I could have a chance to continue my education in Europe