Decisions (job vs. school)

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Stay in school man. A bachelor's degree is now the rule rather than the exception. By dropping out, you are trading moderate short-term gain for a large long-term loss. You will likely still be on that molding assembly line 10 years from now if you choose to drop out now.

Bull, 10 years from now, if he stays, he'll be managing the line making twice the money while the current crop of students are wondering how to pay off $60 k in student loans. I'm so pissed off at the brainwashing of America's 'youts' by society that unless you've got a degree by your early or mid twenties, you've 'wasted' your life.

Trades are doing quite well at the moment and I expect to see that continue for the foreseeable future due to the explosion of clueless college graduates.

And guess what? You can still get a degree in your thirties, forties and, fifties. It makes me sick to see so many kids who really don't have a clue what they want to do with their lives but, they have a 'master plan' so they can retire at 45 with a Mercedes and begin living their lives.

 

[lxskllr]

Bull, 10 years from now, if he stays, he'll be managing the line making twice the money while the current crop of students are wondering how to pay off $60 k in student loans. I'm so pissed off at the brainwashing of America's 'youts' by society that unless you've got a degree by your early or mid twenties, you've 'wasted' your life.

Trades are doing quite well at the moment and I expect to see that continue for the foreseeable future due to the explosion of clueless college graduates.

And guess what? You can still get a degree in your thirties, forties and, fifties. It makes me sick to see so many kids who really don't have a clue what they want to do with their lives but, they have a 'master plan' so they can retire at 45 with a Mercedes and begin living their lives.

A+++++

Great perspective.

 

[Farang]

I dropped out for a few quarters when I was your age. I also had hated school, but I hated it so much I was getting terrible grades. I came back with a renewed sense of wanting to get a useful degree and get better grades. I did half that (I got good grades).

I wouldn't make it out to be such a huge decision. Like if you go to this job you've just decided the rest of your life.

Your grades aren't very good, depending which side of that "give or take" you end up on. You probably aren't taking school as seriously as you should.

What I realized when I left school was that school was actually a pretty good deal. I was jealous of kids going to school while I had to spent 9 hours a day at some call center. So I felt extremely lucky when I had the opportunity to go back.

In the end I finished in 3.5 years, even after taking ~8 months off.

That's my similar story. College is important to "get out of the way," but at the same time you do yourself a huge disservice if you waste the opportunities you only get in college. If you don't do internships, if you get bad grades, or pick a major irrelevant to your career goals. If you feel like you're doing any of these things it might be worth taking some time off and coming back when you're ready to make use of the opportunity.

In the end I wish I had taken more time off. Now I'm in a situation that because I wasted that first opportunity, I'm going to have to go back anyway.

As good as MagnusTheBrewer's advice is on the side of the job, and the others on the side of the value of a degree, like I said you don't have to think of this as deciding the next 20 years of your life.

 

[TecHNooB]

Bull, 10 years from now, if he stays, he'll be managing the line making twice the money while the current crop of students are wondering how to pay off $60 k in student loans. I'm so pissed off at the brainwashing of America's 'youts' by society that unless you've got a degree by your early or mid twenties, you've 'wasted' your life.

Trades are doing quite well at the moment and I expect to see that continue for the foreseeable future due to the explosion of clueless college graduates.

And guess what? You can still get a degree in your thirties, forties and, fifties. It makes me sick to see so many kids who really don't have a clue what they want to do with their lives but, they have a 'master plan' so they can retire at 45 with a Mercedes and begin living their lives.

I think this applies mostly to kids who don't try hard enough.

 

[MJinZ]

LOL, I can't wait to go back to school.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I think this applies mostly to kids who don't try hard enough.

The mantra has changed from "must have a degree to, must have a tech degree to, must have an engineering/medical degree.' Right now, for the vast majority of students, college is a poor investment. I believe in education and have enough to know that it comes in many forms.

 

[Soccerman06]

I'm just going to throw this out there, but 60 hours a week at $21/hr is $73k/yr with 2 weeks off. That's probably more than the majority of MEs make even after quite a few years, and you probably work the same amount of time. 45 hours give you about $50k, much more than you would probably ever need unless you live in nyc or la.

 

[Moonbeam]

and they all hate themselves?

Eats at you, doesn't it. Can't imagine why.

 

[Hacp]

I'm just going to throw this out there, but 60 hours a week at $21/hr is $73k/yr with 2 weeks off. That's probably more than the majority of MEs make even after quite a few years, and you probably work the same amount of time. 45 hours give you about $50k, much more than you would probably ever need unless you live in nyc or la.

Exactly my line of thinking. He could be making 55K a year after 3 months if he works the 2nd shift just doing 45 hours a week. A B- engineering student will probably get 40k a year starting out. Then he could do 8-10 credit hours a semester and be done with his degree in 4 years.

 

[TecHNooB]

going back to the op, it's perfectly fine to take a semester off and resume the following semester.

 

[Imdmn04]

I'm just going to throw this out there, but 60 hours a week at $21/hr is $73k/yr with 2 weeks off. That's probably more than the majority of MEs make even after quite a few years, and you probably work the same amount of time. 45 hours give you about $50k, much more than you would probably ever need unless you live in nyc or la.

If we are purely talking in terms of money:

MEs makes about $60-70k out of the gate, $100-120k after 8-10 years, depending on location. Most MEs work 40 hrs (9-5 type of deal)a week.

But at the machine job, a lot has go right to get your supposed $73k. You would always have to be working the 2nd shift (not always going to happen as others may want this shift too, or this schedule impacts your social life), you have to work 60 hours of manual labor vs 40 hrs of desk work, all assuming you make it past the 3 months probation.

$73k is certainly good amount of money for most cities in America, but "things" have to just be right and you have to be able to put up 60 hrs/wk of manual repetitive labor at unfavorable schedules where your social life will probably be impacted.

 

[DaWhim]

can you work part time like 20 hours a week and then take less classes as well?

 

[Axon]

Bull, 10 years from now, if he stays, he'll be managing the line making twice the money while the current crop of students are wondering how to pay off $60 k in student loans. I'm so pissed off at the brainwashing of America's 'youts' by society that unless you've got a degree by your early or mid twenties, you've 'wasted' your life.

Trades are doing quite well at the moment and I expect to see that continue for the foreseeable future due to the explosion of clueless college graduates.

And guess what? You can still get a degree in your thirties, forties and, fifties. It makes me sick to see so many kids who really don't have a clue what they want to do with their lives but, they have a 'master plan' so they can retire at 45 with a Mercedes and begin living their lives.

There's no guarantee of this at all. Lots of guys languish and never move up. A lot has to go right to make killer dough at an hourly gig, but if he has a good union I'm sure he could clear some decent bank.

Plus, this guy is a mech engineer, not an art major. Personally, I'd rather be developing the next plastic molding device than assembling the components. But that's me. I can't argue with the loan portion though, that part is rough. That said, I know plenty of kids with strong plans. I also know lots of clueless kids, but that's because we've coddled them and made things too easy for this generation. Mandatory college is part of the failure to launch problem they have.

 

[CRXican]

take the job

a degree guarantees nothing these days

 

[josh0099]

Exactly my line of thinking. He could be making 55K a year after 3 months if he works the 2nd shift just doing 45 hours a week. A B- engineering student will probably get 40k a year starting out. Then he could do 8-10 credit hours a semester and be done with his degree in 4 years.

B or B- is actually in engineering a pretty decent GPA....Will he get a job at an top engineering firm or company probably not.... But can he get a good job none the less most likely...

I graduated with a EE (2008) with a 2.5gpa and made 60+k my 1st year out of school....So 40k would be extremely low....

 

[Hacp]

B or B- is actually in engineering a pretty decent GPA....Will he get a job at an top engineering firm or company probably not.... But can he get a good job none the less most likely...

I graduated with a EE (2008) with a 2.5gpa and made 60+k my 1st year out of school....So 40k would be extremely low....

Depends on the school you went to.

 

[Q]

See if you can spin the job into a co-op/semester internship credit for your ME degree. Talk to your advisor. Could be a great win-win.

 

[ModerateRepZero]

There's no guarantee of this at all. Lots of guys languish and never move up. A lot has to go right to make killer dough at an hourly gig, but if he has a good union I'm sure he could clear some decent bank.

Plus, this guy is a mech engineer, not an art major. Personally, I'd rather be developing the next plastic molding device than assembling the components. But that's me. I can't argue with the loan portion though, that part is rough. That said, I know plenty of kids with strong plans. I also know lots of clueless kids, but that's because we've coddled them and made things too easy for this generation. Mandatory college is part of the failure to launch problem they have.

This....While Magus has an interesting perspective, in today's economy you need to not only have a skillset in-demand, but you also need to have a certain level of education. Certainly you can be "learned" without having set foot in college, but at least with a college degree it's something tangible (same reason why colleges will continue to use standardized test scores for admissions rather than "portfolios" as a general rule).

I have nothing against trade/vocational, but people should realize that in the (near) future, robotics or outsourcing can potentially, if not perfectly, perform some jobs done today....how can $14/hour US car assemblers compete with $4/hour Nano car assemblers?

 

[lxskllr]

There's a ton of things robots will never do, and ignoring those trades is a disservice to everybody.

 

[thebomb]

I've always thought that going into the trades gets you a job while going to college provides you with a start in a career.

You don't have terrible grades and you've chosen a very respectable field so if you apply yourself and do well in college you'll have your future set out for you.

I'm going to have to disagree with Magnus' comment about going back to school at whatever age you want. Taking college courses in your late 20s, 30s or 40s takes an extraordinary amount of discipline and willpower. Having to juggle bills, work, and maybe a family makes a huge impact on your education. At 19 you have a once in a lifetime opportunity where everything is "right" for you to go to college: You are young and your brain is still fresh, you don't have to worry about a family or a full-time job, and you can get a decent student loan that will help you along. There are just too many advantages in this day and age by going to college (especially in your specific situation).

 

[KillerCharlie]

Engineering is more intellectual work. Think about if you'd rather do physical labor or intellectual work for the rest of your life. Some people prefer one over the other.

 

[Sumguy]

Haven't scanned the thread fully, but I haven't seen this mentioned yet.

Talk to your advisor about what they do for an internship. My school will give you one credit hour (fucking weak, but hey) so that you are still technically a student and can resume the following semester.

It isn't an M.E. internship, but trust me (if they don't give you credit, take a really easy online class). If you decide to stay in school, the time might come when you want an internship. Having that on your resume will make things much easier for you.

 

[theevilsharpie]

At 19 you have a once in a lifetime opportunity where everything is "right" for you to go to college: You are young and your brain is still fresh, you don't have to worry about a family or a full-time job, and you can get a decent student loan that will help you along.

I disagree with this advice. The "right" time to go to college is after you've grown up a bit, have work experience under your belt, and have a very clear idea of where you want to take your career. People that go to college just to go are wasting their money, and are putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage when they graduate and have to find work.

 

[intogamer]

I disagree with this advice. The "right" time to go to college is after you've grown up a bit, have work experience under your belt, and have a very clear idea of where you want to take your career. People that go to college just to go are wasting their money, and are putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage when they graduate and have to find work.

Exactly. Any change in direction (for your major) will simply prolong your graduation. Graduating with an unclear road will increase the likeliness for the person to "go back to school" for another degree/masters in a different field.

Also, not everyone is of the same caliber as a "typical" ATOT member.. 100% determined, focused, waste no time on their (science) major.

 

[Q]

I disagree with this advice. The "right" time to go to college is after you've grown up a bit, have work experience under your belt, and have a very clear idea of where you want to take your career. People that go to college just to go are wasting their money, and are putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage when they graduate and have to find work.

But what thebomb is pointing out is that a lot of people who think they'll just go to back to school don't end up doing so, for the reasons he stated, plus it's (more) expensive then vs scholarships.

The things you pointed out above, growing up, having experience under belt, clear idea where to take career, are perfect reasons for grad school. I'm not arguing one way or the other, it's certainly true you can get a job, if not better, without a college degree, but going to college is more than just getting a paper; it's a great transition state from being a kid to learning how to adapt to more freedom, social situations, meeting people, and having fun. We all know we have to go into the real world sometime, just some choose to delay it for a bit until he/she is mature enough.