I really dont know what I Want to do.. I am only going for mechanical engineering because its what interested me in high school and now seeing everything that I have to do just to get a degree is killing me.

My stupid AA degree is going to take forever since it has classes I do not even need towards my BA. So I am thinking of just saying screw it and change it to a liberal arts, that way I can just nab what I need. I thought about this as I sat in chemistry today balanicing equations and though, wtf I dont even need this class for my major, no where is it listed that I need CHM1045C....

I hate jumping through hoops and thats all life is... death to hoops

The facts are as follows.

Most people with engineering degrees get jobs
Most people with Liberal arts degrees get jobs

You need to see/decide for yourself what kind of jobs each degree will get you, what the chances/opportunities are, and where you want to be after school.

-John

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2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

I've seen how the connection between Florida CC and Universities work. Get yourself a good advisor and a set of transfer guides. If I understand the system you should be able to take only course required for your final degree at the CC and then transfer to a state university.
If Florida can't do that, then transfer to Colorado because we guarantee our students they can do that.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

I majored in Mechanical Engineering after getting my Bachelor of Arts in Science at a local community college. Wound up disillussioned and quit in my Senior year (Dad was NOT happy)!!!

Played around, got a few odd jobs, and wound up taking classes at a local university. Ended up having to declare a major after so many semesters, so I chose Computer Science. Wound up graduating with a double major in Mathematics and Comuter Science. All total, lost about 3 years wasting time deciding what to major in.

But at least I was 24, not 44. Best to make these career change decisions when you're young...

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

no, I'd change it to a liberal arts/ undeclared os I can just take the classes that I need towards my major and not have to sit through like 10 classes I dont even need.. It would get rid of my big headache, chemistry and probably photography as well. I hate chem, I suck at chem, I never will use chem, I hate chem...

I just want to get out there and work already instead of doing this part timer b/s and sit on my ass while all of my friends are in a university... oh joe you should go to CC first its waay better... yea.. **** that


also, I hate mechanical pencils

Ehhh, it happens....




I went from wanting to be a teacher to business....

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

That's why I never bothered with ANY degree. It's all take XYZ, even though you're not doing any of that. See, most people tell me they go to college to get a "well-rounded education", whatever that means. Then I talk to them about the subjects they "learned", and they don't know anything.

So basically, college is about a stupid piece of paper that stupid employers like to see. People who say "it proves you're willing to stick with it" type of thought. Well, it proves to me you sat through a bunch of nonsense for what you could have learned in 4 years on the job. As an employer maximizing profits (read:pay my pathetic employees as little as possible) I would love to see that degree! Conformist, zombie-lemmings stick around forever and do what they're told.

Exceptions? Always. Take Electrical Engineering. -IF- you want to know all aspects of it, takes a few years. Doing real complex stuff, like robotics or consumer electronics, you'll use a great deal of it. Sometimes medicine, but then most nurses don't need to know every aspect of everything, and so on. Or industrial design. It's a 5-6 year degree. The basic garbage, then 4 more if you follow the program, actually creating and computer models, and clay models, and drawing, etc.

If you specialize, you can get a job as a drafter, then designer, then get billing as a "project engineer" and in your specific field, ever bit as good as a degree. Hell, a mechanical/electrical/piping designer can be at $40 an hour in less than 5 years, more if you're willing to spend time in some of the more Hellish countries that have oil. Not to mention, you have no debt. All told, this can take as little time as you want it to depending on what you're willing to put into it. Not my thing, a job is just what I do to pay bills, but to each his own.

In the end, if you go to college for a job, don't go. If you actually want a complete education, have fun, but make sure and fact check because a Professor is just a professional student with a degree. You can get the same "education" from a parrot or a library, and it costs less. Or not, just my .02. Maybe I'm from the old school. Don't chase paper, whether it be green or eggshell white.

Looking back, the most important thing you can do is choose a major and career in something your REALLY, REALLY love doing. Don't do something you feel luke warm about because, by the time you get my age, you'll be REALLY bored with it... (like I am)

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

i like cars and working on them... but thats a hobby and I dont want to do that every day and end up hating it, ya know.

Everything I do I end up being good at, according to those around me. I like helping people out with stuff and leading the way. But sometimes I like being left alone to do my own little thing

I'm going to tell you what your parents should have. You're a smart, motivated person who needs to rise beyond where you're at now. To get there, you need to either go to school full time or work full time. Either way, you need to utilize the CAD skills you were fortunate enough to pick up in secondary school.

If you go the school route, you need to use your CAD skills and get a relatively high-paying, flexible job (and stop working long hours for relatively low pay). Good companies would recognize your skills and do everything they could to keep you around (including flexible scheduling, paying for your school, and putting you on a career track). You don't realize it, but you're smarter and more motivated than the vast majority of your peers. Finish school as fast as you can and get that BA or BS under your belt. You can always do a graduate or technical degree later. The fact that you'll have been working a professional job while earing your degree will put you light years ahead of your fellow students when you transition to the full time working world.

Trust me that it's better to get the undergraduate degree under your belt. If, however, you put that on hold and work full time now, use your CAD skills and make the most of a lucrative industry. Working full time, you'd be able to move away from home and begin working toward long term financial security.

Whatever you choose, take the time to soak up every last, fleeting moment of your youth. Getting laid and making life-long friends should be prioritized right behind finishing school.

__________________
Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

I need to see if a local firm would need a "go-fer" that has CAD skills and can work with my schedule... I wouldn't mind something like that.. I just like my health benefits and bonus at the grocery store, apparently making $10 an hour part time for a college kid is really good.

I'll contact my old drafting teacher and see if he knows of any firms that are in need of someone like me



oh, get this, in Chemistry the point range for an A is 85-100, a B is 75-84.999, and a C is 65-74.999

ha!



1st is school, second is job, third is car(s)

The only thing that's going to kill me in the LAS requirements is the 15 hour foreign language. The only one with any kind of schedule flexibility is Spanish, and I'm muddling my way through. Nice to know I'm throwing away thousands on something I will immediately forget. I also hate that I have to focus the most energy on this meaningless class, which detracts from my major courses.

__________________
1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Great. Google "CAD contract job" and "CAD part time job." I think you'll be amazed how highly sought after that job skill is. You could have yourself hooked up by the end of September.

If you get with a company that won't pay for health insurance, your school should have it for a low cost. When you're young, what you want is a plan to cover catastrophic things like a major disease or a massive accident. Consider disability insurance, too, that would cover your lost wages if you got sick or injured and couldn't work. Worry about life insurance after you start a family.

CAD jobs for a company should be about $15 to $20 per hour plus benefits. Contract jobs would be more.

Try thinking of your chemistry class in a different light. Perhaps there's a young lady classmate who needs help with her matriculative journey.

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Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

A lot of what you said rings true, especially when I read e-mails and blogs replete with grade-school spelling and grammar errors from supposedly "college-educated" individuals.

Unfortunately, as you know, depending on the profession, most HR folks wouldn't even consider a candidate who hasn't gotten those credentials.

And with the job market as it is, a degree requirement is an easy way to lower the stack of resumes that flood the desks of corporations everywhere.

To The Don: Consider on-line offerings as an alternative. It's not uncharted territory as it once was, and you won't spend the $$$ you normally would bouncing around different campuses trying to decide what to do...

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

I'll agree that having a degree is essentially worthless knowledge-wise in many subjects (Information Systems? yes) But hey, having the degree gives you more options to get a job (not that its helped me any so far)...but not having one guarantees no good job...especially in this job market. I have a B.S. in computer info systems....and its been very hard to find a computer job so far... either way, its better to have the degree than not. I may start working on accumulating some certifications so I have even more stuff to get me to the top of the resume pile. I'd like to get a job that will pay for me to complete those though, as they are expensive...

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)