ITT: Tell me what to do for $$$/career...
#101
You say you're terrible at studying. For me, I tried, but it wasn't effective. I was doing it wrong. I'd wait till two days before the test to study, study 10, 20 minutes tops, then say meh, I'll study tomorrow. Then day before I stay up 1/2 the night studying, sleep a few hours, take the test, and I'm tired falling asleep trying to remember what I read today (early this morning) when I studied. It's a wonder I passed anything doing this.
I also wouldn't study with others, ever. If I couldn't figure something out, I'd read and read and look online and in books, but I'd never actually ask a classmate for help. This was stupid, but it's what I did for a while. Don't cheat, but ask for help when you need help.
You gotta want it to make it. Leafy's post said one thing very well, I will repeat it in case you missed it. You get out what you put in. This is true for so many things in life, and school is one of them. I am where I am today because I worked for it.
As for Z31Maniac's post, it's true that my success isn't "normal", but I can assure you I didn't get where I am today by being lucky. Luck and hope are not tools. Hard work is and determination is. I worked, and studied, and worked, and still work, to get and be where I am. Hard work and sacrifice is not luck, it's a choice I made and continue to make. Even now I'm saving money for a future business I am going to start when I'd LOVE to be spending it on cars, or the miata, or about 10 other things.
#102
Yeah well you can always switch back! But yeah I recommend doing something you like, but also something that pays well. Gotta find that balance to be happy. Honestly, if you read what I wrote about my job, it probably looks great, but this job sucks for the most part. I get 2 weeks paid vacation, every other day I'm on call 24/7 with no set schedule. Some days I work 20hrs straight, sleep 3 hrs, then work 12hrs. That happens, sometimes it's worse. It's high stress. It's not for everyone, that's why it pays well. People quit this job making 120k/year all the time cause it's not worth it! I took this job because I wanted to make bank right out of college, any young guy with a ME degree, who isn't afraid to put their life on hold and trade their time for money can get this job. But it's not for everyone, 80% of the people we hire quit in first 6 months to put it into perspective.
#103
As for Z31Maniac's post, it's true that my success isn't "normal", but I can assure you I didn't get where I am today by being lucky. Luck and hope are not tools. Hard work is and determination is. I worked, and studied, and worked, and still work, to get and be where I am. Hard work and sacrifice is not luck, it's a choice I made and continue to make.
#104
Something something you get out of life what you put into it. I was pretty gifted in college cruising through most everything. School was always too easy for me. I had a better gpa in college than highschool because it was more interesting and I gave more of a damn. But even though I was cruising I pushed myself on personal projects and extracurriculars which were way more useful for getting a job when I graduated than the 3.6 gpa. Other engineers are way more interested in the fact that you designed and built a racecar from scratch in 1 school year or put a supercharger on a cavalier just for kicks or that you can actually weld and know how to run a mill than they are about your grade in applications of thermofluid design.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a talented student. The only panic attack I have ever experienced was during a Calc I exam. Near passed out. I got a 73 on it. I thought I had failed. I'm actually damned proud of that 73. I studied weeks for that exam at the expense of several others that were merely difficult as opposed to terrifying. Overall I was just squeaking by. I had to take some remedial courses along with Calc initially because my math was so bad. I only got the A in Thermo because at that point I had one foot out the door and did not have near the course load I had taken on the previous 3 semesters. Chem was a bitch for me and of all things Dynamics gave me trouble. I think I had like a 2.3GPA by the time I switched to bullshit I mean business.
Looking at going back, man I had it cheap back them. 5-10 times more expensive to go to school now vs. in the early 2000s
#105
Something something you get out of life what you put into it. I was pretty gifted in college cruising through most everything. School was always too easy for me. I had a better gpa in college than highschool because it was more interesting and I gave more of a damn. But even though I was cruising I pushed myself on personal projects and extracurriculars which were way more useful for getting a job when I graduated than the 3.6 gpa. Other engineers are way more interested in the fact that you designed and built a racecar from scratch in 1 school year or put a supercharger on a cavalier just for kicks or that you can actually weld and know how to run a mill than they are about your grade in applications of thermofluid design.
#106
Has anyone here done anything meaningful with a degree in Kinesiology? I have a well-paying job at a power plant currently, but I am sick of the shift work and I have never earned a BS in anything. I am 26, I have never enjoyed school, but I realize I need to get a degree and the only thing that makes me want to go back is Kinesiology.
#107
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Isn't that the current euphemism for physical therapy? If it is, then it commonly involves helping grandma stretch out her hip after replacement surgery or massaging the hamstrings of minor league football player after the big game, to my understanding. Neither is my cup of tea.
#108
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Mostly PT involves increasing/maintaining mobility in people that have had surgery. I had to go once to learn the exercises after back surgery.
I will agree that it's mostly old & fat people, at least according to my observations.
I will agree that it's mostly old & fat people, at least according to my observations.
#111
That is the impression I have gotten. Every school that I go and talk to, the professors can't seem to give me a timeline or decent range of money to be made. At my current job, I can save up enough money to pay for one year of school, but then I would be completely dependent on scholarships and grants after that. How much is the good amount of money your buddy expects to make? By the end of the year at my current job, I will be knocking on six-figures gross.
#112
I have a master's in ee and 8 years work exp. To be honest if you're mainly interested in making money, engineering is a ship that has already sailed. My field (semiconductors/analog microelectronics) has been beyond outsourced. If you choose this path avoid the big companies and their si valley sites like the plague; terrible pay(starting sub six fig in San Jose with a master's), bad hours, compete against a worldwide labor market. It's bad bad bad. 15 years ago it was a different story. ..
However the work can be really interesting if you can find a small shop working on cool stuff. You won't get rich but you'll make an honest living and have a great quality of life. I went from xilinx to Intel before I found my good current job.
If you're interested in money do something in the medical field. A pharmacy degree is about the same if not less effort than an engineering masters.
However the work can be really interesting if you can find a small shop working on cool stuff. You won't get rich but you'll make an honest living and have a great quality of life. I went from xilinx to Intel before I found my good current job.
If you're interested in money do something in the medical field. A pharmacy degree is about the same if not less effort than an engineering masters.
#114
That is the impression I have gotten. Every school that I go and talk to, the professors can't seem to give me a timeline or decent range of money to be made. At my current job, I can save up enough money to pay for one year of school, but then I would be completely dependent on scholarships and grants after that. How much is the good amount of money your buddy expects to make? By the end of the year at my current job, I will be knocking on six-figures gross.
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#115
I reccomend being an entreprenuer or a career in sales. If you like talking to people and like the idea of getting out of a job what you put in, it rocks. I worked all kinds of crappy jobs in high school and some really cool ones, but none of them payed very well. I have a degree in fine art, so I was a bit limited if I wanted to make much money. However I will say that after being in sales for 8 years now I wouldn't ever want to do anything else.
I reccomend business to business outside sales of damn near any kind.
Its certainly not for everyone, but if you can do it, it's very satisfying and your life / work balance will likely be fantastic.
I reccomend business to business outside sales of damn near any kind.
Its certainly not for everyone, but if you can do it, it's very satisfying and your life / work balance will likely be fantastic.
#116
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A buddy of mine opened a used tire store in the poor part of Macon, GA and sold $20 tires to the impoverished all day long. One of my other buddies bought a used roll-off dumpster truck and a few used cans and started doing B2B contract trash hauling. In a few years the fellow with the tire store unceremoniously closed up. The guy with the roll-off dumpster business ended up with 12 trucks, hundreds of roll-off cans (with regular dumping contracts) and sold his business for $4mil after about 4 or 5 years. The moral to the story is sell more expensive goods and/or services to businesses instead of individuals because their budget is higher.
#117
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Learn a "rare" language like Pushtu, and get a job as a civilian liaison officer in Afghanistan. You'll be pocketing 180K/year+full medical+housing+food+vacation allowance twice a year.
I passed up on that back in 2007. They wanted a 3 year commitment.
I passed up on that back in 2007. They wanted a 3 year commitment.
#118
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Sixshooter, been thinking along those lines. I'm fairly successful in the car business but I'd much rather deal with businesses I think.
Hakan, I'd have to make more than 180k/year to live full time in Afghanistan. Oi.
Hakan, I'd have to make more than 180k/year to live full time in Afghanistan. Oi.