screw college

[b055]

i saw the college thread and it got me thinking... screw college.. why go?? and i know that sounds bad for me to say since i'm a school teacher but here is why i'm ranting ..

-situation one... my roomate in college graduated with honors in mechanical engineering... makes 7.50 an hour now and works 40 hours a week, at a lawn mower parts place.

-situation 2.. me.. i work for under 30k a year and i have my bachalors in education.. gerr




so i have started doing side job installs on race cars only.. i charge 50 bucks an hour labor and cant get ppl off my back.. i'm constantally busy.. i made more clear money this month than in the past 9 months working at school..

and i never went to college to learn to work on race cars!

[tireburner163]

1) tell your friend to get a real job


2) quit your job, I never liked the idea of you molding young minds anyway. In fact the idea scares the hell out of me




-Josh, aka the tireburner

[carlos.elliott]

I make around 50,000 and didn't go to college. I still want to finish just for myself though. I do feel like I missed a part of my life that allot of my friends got to be a part in the college years. Now I am too old for that but want my kids to go through it seams like a pretty dumb reason to want your kids to go to college huh.

[Hethj7]

1) What school did your friend graduate from? If it is even halfway reputable, he shouldn't have too many problems finding a nice job with a ME degree. Josh is right....he just needs to get a real job.

2) I will say that for more common majors, college gets harder and harder to justify. Education will never make you much money and with the rising costs of college, that really sucks. Business degrees and such may not make you a ton initially, but at least with these you will have opportunity to move up in companies and for upward movement in most companies, a college degree is required.

[Dave_mustang_50]

Theres lots of jobs that pay well without college, I made 55 last year and have about 4 years in. College might be a unique experience, but so is the military.
just my 2 cents

[MidNiteBlu 5.0]

there are exceptions to every rule, but statistics dont lie. statistics show that peoplke with a college degree make more money than those without.

[Capri306]

Originally posted by MidNiteBlu 5.0
there are exceptions to every rule, but statistics dont lie. statistics show that peoplke with a college degree make more money than those without.

Preach on, dude. If you're just naturally talented and there's demand for your talents, then of course you're going to find work! If sitting at home and downloading pr0n all day was a paying job, I'd be a millionaire by now.

While we're on statistics, I've found I should be able to make $100k+ after I'm done with my 2nd degree. Knock on wood, eh?

[carlos.elliott]

I was not saying over all. I also think it makes a diffrence where you live. I live in a area where it is all small towns. When you move closer to the bigger citys they have more people to chose from and school can make a big diffence. The only thing a bachlors degree would do for me is a 500 dollar bonus check once a year around christmas. This is why I say I am doing it for me I set a goal and want to meat it for me as I don't have a degree. There is only a handfull of degrees at my work place and it is consedered a profesional career. Most of those got them after starting to work there.

[Mr 5 0]

It's a cliché that 'college isn't for everybody' but these days, if you're not in professional sports, an entertainer or have some very special skill that people need and want, it's almost obligatory. Most employeers feel that if you didn't have the smarts or the desire to get through college, you probably don't have what it takes to succeed in their business and a guy who may be a slacker and only half as bright as you will get the job before you do, simply because he has a degree. Sad but true. The good old days of being able to make a good living (50k+) with just a high school diploma are about over. As has been noted: there are always exceptions. Entrepreneurs are usually that exception but even then, building a successful business takes a lot of business-specific knowledge and hard work, as many of us know.

I would recommend that everybody who can find the money and pass the courses go to college and obtain a degree. Student loans are always available. Avoid useless majors such as 'fine arts' or 'medieval history' unless you already have a job lined up somewhere because those kinds of degrees are basically useless outside of museums and art galleries - and they usually pay squat. Teaching is a noble profession and pays well in the bigger cities, especially if you get into administration, but more emphasis is put on the process of 'teaching' than knowledge of the subject, which makes for poor teachers, in my opinion. My teacher friends tell me that classroom discipline is also a major problem today and makes the job a lot harder than it once was.

When it comes time to get a job, be prepared to move away from the old home town (unless it's a major city like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago) and go where the work - and the real money is. Limiting yourself to a small geographic area is a downfall of many an aspiring college graduate who ends up with a near-menial job. Degree or no degree, ambition and the willingness to work hard and not be more interested in your vacation time and watching the clock than the job at hand will always help anyone succeed. If you limit yourself in any way or are afraid to take a risk (move away from home or join a new but small company) then it will make success harder than it has to be.

Finally, another cliché that still is true. Do what you like. If working on cars makes you happy, go for it and get that Mechanical Engineering degree - or something like it. Most ordinary auto shop mechanics I know are making around $50,000 per year - with no degree. Imagine what a degreed tech in a fancy shop makes. Whatever your passion, try to go with it and even if you never get rich, you'll probably make a decent living and have the reward of doing something you like. That, alone, is worth a lot.

[b055]

yall are right.. i'm just venting.. working 23 hrs this week in my shop i made more than i made all month at school!

[xxxBlakexxx]

Not to be a wise-guy, but if you want to make more loot, then find another job. A teacher is technically a public servant and paid as such. Hey, my old man was a public school teacher for 42 years (HS) and had a masters degree. His last year he made $80k. I made more than his top salary earned a few years out of college. Why? Mostly because I chose a more lucrutive career.

If money is the object, you have to play the odds. More education is generally better. But let's face it, an art major from a small liberal arts college is not going to fare as well as a Chemical Engineer from Cornel University when it comes to starting salaries.

Your choice of major and the school your graduate from will open doors for you, but it's what you do with it over time that matters.

As to your friend, he must either have come from a crappy school with no reputation, has zero personality (which I doubt), or is unwilling to go find a job. We bring in new hires at about $45k plus a car, comission, and bonus (guys with an engineering degree). Most make mid $60's in two years and climb into 6 figures within 5 - 10 years. Our benefits equal about 35% of our compensation.

My brother, on the other hand, is 27 and makes $125k with a video production degree. He started for peanuts in Hollywood, but kept moving up the food chain. The sky is the limit for his earning potential, but a job like his has limited benefits.

I would love to be a HS teacher and would do it in a second if I could negotiate a salary, but teaching jobs always start you at the bottom. Seems crazy to me as in any other job they will pay me for my work experience.

[mustardjohn]

b055, from what I have read in posts, you probally have the equivalent of a College Degree in cars. Any body that is willing to put in the time on learning a trade, really learning it, can make the equivalent of most college grads. Your chances of making significant 6 figure salary over a sustained period are not as good with a trade but then there a lot of college grads that don't achieve this either.

An alternate approach to making more money is learning to enjoy living on less. I think as I get closer to retirement I need to study up on this alternative.

[b055]

i have a bachalors from MSU and if i counted up all the time spent on cars i would have 10 PHd's

[carlos.elliott]

I see what you are saying about retirement. I am only 30 but have decided to bust my ass while I am young to buy the toys I want now so when I am older I can live on less. I have got addicted to mustangs so it might be hard to break. Just wish I had the knowledge about them as some of you do so I will just have to keep asking questions hopefully they don't get to dumb thanks for the help guys

[mustardjohn]

b055, maybe you could find a job teaching people about cars. There were trade schools in my town, Birmingham, that taught auto mechanics. At least you would be teaching about cars.

[b055]

awhh.. i dont want to work with cars for a living.. did that once.. gets old!

i'm pretty happy where i'm at right now, but everyone has to complain sometime!

[Fox Body]

Originally posted by b055
awhh.. i dont want to work with cars for a living.. did that once.. gets old!

i'm pretty happy where i'm at right now, but everyone has to complain sometime!

I agree! Plus, one thing I've found out: doing things you really like to do, just b/c you feel like doing it is nice, but when you are doing it b/c you HAVE to and people are on your back all day about it, takes the fun away. Kinda like working on cars.

[fiveohpatrol]

although throughout my 4 years of college I wondered if I was doing the right thing, I think I made the right decision. I'm graduating next saturday with a bachelors in mechanical engineering and am damn proud and suprised that I was able to survive it.

I severely doubt that if I hadn't gone to school and landed the great job that I did, that I'd be able to buy the brand new house that I just did So I guess I made the right decision

but as its been said many times before, it is NOT for everyone. some people just go because "thats what you do after highschool" but those people are just wasting their time and their money IMO