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Posted on 11/03/2016 10:50:18 AM PDT by CorporateStepsister
Did anyone here on FR forgo going to college and university and end up all the better for it? I dropped out of college in 2006 right before I had my nervous breakdwon and after ten years of working on my business and other interests, I'm thinking of seeking out private tutoring instead of going back to a really expensive mainstream education system.
I dropped out of Berkeley about halfway through. Rather than be drafted I signed up for what turned out to be satellite communications repairman. When I got out I didn't even know what an "electronic technician" was.
It turned out I was one. I eventually started taking classes at the local junior college and then engineering courses sponsored by my employer. I worked my way through all the technician ranks to associate engineer and then engineer. Finally I got a rare chance to go back to school and earned an MS in Electrical Engineering. Before retiring I spent ten years as an engineering manager.
All this makes me predict that you WILL continue on to work in medical lab technology. I know a young lady that recently began working in that field and she seems extremely happy in it. With all of us aging baby-boomers needing medical care, she has tremendous job security.
I graduated high school in 1964. Took a summer job at
Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL - as a clerk typist in
the Valve Unit of the Saturn V Project. About 5 yrs. later,
I watched as the astronauts blasted off in that rocket and
was scared nearly to death that I’d make a typing mistake on
some work order that might cause it to blow up and be a
disaster. I used to walk out on the balcony overlooking
the concrete work area below where Werner VonBraun would
ride in with his team in a sort of golf cart and inspect
the work progress.
Then I married that same fall and have mostly worked at
stuff in our business - an unpaid flunky. It’s a living.
:o)
I can recall having the opportunity to hire engineers. Whether or not a non-degreed person is worthy is simply seldom an issue because there will typically be thousands of degreed engineers from which to choose.
If a person plans on changing employers during their career (which is very hard to avoid these days) then the degree will be a helpful way to ensure that one's resume gets into the right pile.
I went to college when it was cheap, and because I wanted to be a doctor.
The current environment is totally different. I have two graduated, one sophomore, one HS senior, and three younger. No loans, so far.
Anybody who borrows money to go to most colleges is out of their mind, IMO. Anybody who borrows money to major in liberal arts is certifiable (full disclosure - I majored in English, found it very valuable, and use the things I learned every day as a doctor - but I didn’t borrow money to do it).
My HS senior wants to be a nurse, so I’m fine with her going.
“College” is the only industry that can sell units for $60K that has a surplus (four year baccalaureate places) of unsold units every year. If a kid doesn’t know what he/she wants to do, THEY SHOULD ABSOLUTELY WAIT UNTIL THEY DO.
I wasn’t serious in my freshman year. That summer, I unloaded soda trucks and sorted deposit bottles. That experience cleared things up, quickly.
Quite true. MIT has physics courses on line. I closely followed the first four or five lectures in dynamics before realizing that I needed to go back and review basic physics. Since then I have reviewed roughly the first semester and hope to do more soon.
What a great time to be interested in learning.
Yes I went to a 6 month Data Processing School in 78 and got a Job the day I walked out. It was the Empire Technical School located in the basement of the Empire State Building:-)
PS still in IT to this day though I’m surround by 95% H1Bs.
My current favorite is a whole series on fluid dynamics and turbo machinery from a university in india. I can pick and choose everything I need. Picked up the T106 turbine airfoil from one of those lectures. How cool is that?
A sourdough starter is literally almost as much work and worry as a baby!
Here’s a good site with info on the process:
My ‘special’ thing with obtaining my wild yeast was I put my initial batch of starter out at the small garage winery one of our neighbors had. It gives a tangy taste to the breads but the fun thing is when you put an egg wash on the crust it has a sweet taste even if I don’t put sugar in the recipe!
I also don’t pour off any liquid from my starter. I’ll just feed it dry ingredients to soak up any excess and that helps to keep it tangy. And I NEVER add baking soda! I tried it in a test batch and it ruined the taste.
I've never made big money but have a comfortable salary and only have a two year degree, but got lucky and worked my way from entry level to mid level management. But I've been shut out of a lot of opportunities since I don't have a 4 year sheepskin.
Sometimes you can have a college degree and get pigeonholed into a low paying job because you took anything early on and got stuck in that type of career.
You’re right of course. I am pretty happy with how things turned out overall. I do make a great living, my wife has a degree and works as a budget manager for an online auto sale site. She makes close to what I make.
Funny side story, my job involves OH and testing of fuel components. we have engineers upstairs that come down where there is some issue. They are usually GT grads, young kids. Anyway we have issues with some of our fuel controls, they come from outside repair and I test them, nearly all are not to spec. So this kid comes down to write down some notes and do whatever they do...nothing really, and he asks me “ so do you guys just use water inside them?”
I was not sure if he was serious or not... he was. I mean WATER.. you know its a FUEL control right? I didnt say this... we use test fluid with SG same as fuel...
that still makes me laugh...
Not exactly. I used my GI Bill entitlement to take a few terms of courses at a local community college. The first term I took Communications (English), Journalism and Geology. I received high honors in all (grades were credit, credit with honors, credit with high honors and deferred credit, not A, B, C, F or 4.0, 3.7 etc.). Looking back, it was 1971-72 and the beginning of political correctness; nobody failed, credit was “deferred”.
Next term I took Oceanography, Journalism 2 and a practical advanced math course. I don’t recall the third term as I had started full time work tending bar and was on the run most days. Anyway I did not sign on after the third term; I was young, single and stupid and having a lot of fun working.
Went to a 2 year tech college for 3 years after 4 in the Navy. Business and accounting for two.
I had a year of money left so I took TV production. It got me a job right out of school at a network headquarters. Comical pay but otherwise great. Advanced to TV Engr II then III but not making a whole lot. No future either.
Somewhere in there I remembered some sage advice from a very successful self made man and bit the bullet on learning to fix computers. This was 15 years ago.
I escaped TV land but didn’t have the greatest transition . First real IT job bombed out. I did contract and temp work for a few years to find I was constantly asked for.
All of that experience helped me buy a the best job I ever had that later came with it’s own office. Not mega-bucks but make 55K just being a break/fix and help desk guy.
It’s a small shop but I can’t complain. There has been talk of upping my title to something else higher. There isn’t a middle ground. It’s either tech or supervisor.
I’m willing to stay as long they are willing to pay me.
Not one person has ever asked for my transcripts or sheepskins or what few IT certs I ever had. My only active one is a vintage A+. What few MS I had died years ago since no one cared.
I’d love to learn A&P but the closest school is a couple hours away. If I were independently wealthy I do it. My uncle went there after the Army.
I doubt I could sell my wife on the idea.
Besides I’m partly color blind so I’m probably out of luck anyway as for a job. I would just like to learn.
If I can ever schedules to jive, I hope to go to some of those EAA workshops. It’s just one thing after another. Probably the closest I will get.
The local tech college offers nuclear power plant operator. I would take that just to take it so I can say I was good enough for nuclear power. My asvab was good but not enough high math and good ole color blindness.
Oh well.
Is Scott Walker better off?
What you get out of college is what you put into it.
If you don’t why you’re there you’ll come out just as clueless but poorer!
Stupid Surface !
What you get out of college is what you put into it.
If you don’t WHILE you’re there you’ll come out just as clueless but poorer!
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