Random Thoughts Thread

[TEKTORO]

The forums are pretty active today!

It's your fault.

Could be, when your a likeable guy.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I probably shouldn't have gone to college at 18. I did though - partly because it's the "accepted" thing to do, but mostly I was looking to escape my home life which was quite shitty.

Graduated with a degree in psychology. Tried to get into grad school but couldn't. I sucked balls during my first couple of semesters and my cum. GPA was pretty shaky as a result. Ended up working at a few different public schools here in Maine until I resigned in June.

The college I'm attending now is very cheap, thankfully. And I'm pretty passionate about the subject matter. I can't ever see myself working the 40-hour-week grind though, I'll likely end up working from home or for a family business.

Oh and as I was telling prfsnl_gmr when he was here a few days ago, I for some reason thought it would be "easy" to be a stay-at-home father and attend college. Like, I would just get all my work done "while the baby slept" and whatnot. Mwahahaha I was living in a fantasy world.

[oxymoron]

Don't go to college with the mindset of "ok I'm here to get A, B, and C completed so that I can X, Y, or Z job when i'm done" or you will likely find that you are disappointed.

I guess that's more of what I was trying to say. Just have an idea of what you're getting yourself into. I have so many friends with massive debt and/or pointless degrees and no career to show for it. It's kinda depressing.

I actually have an interesting story as to how I ended up where I am. I went to New Orleans after Katrina to work. At the time I was 19, living with my parents, and had taken some college courses but had no idea what I wanted to major in. I was making REALLY good money down there on a security contract, working at the FEMA trailer parks. I spent several months there, and saved up enough to cover a couple more years of community college. At that point I decided I wanted to go in to something with computers, since I'd always been good with them.

When I got home from New Orleans, my parents (who had always encouraged me to stay at home and go to a community college, at least for the beginning of my higher education) informed me that they were selling the house and I was not welcome to move with them. My money I had saved for school immediately went in to paying for housing, and I took a minimum wage job screen printing t-shirts.

I lived within my means, made enough to get by anyway. A couple years passed, and my friend who worked for a cable contractor let me know that they needed cable installers. I applied, got the job (a job with very high turnover due to long hours and typically poor working conditions), and started working 60+ hour weeks installing cable. I did that for a couple more years.

A few years ago, I met the guy who's my boss today at a local bar. We got to talking, and when he found out I knew how to use linux, he offered to get me a job as a system administrator. The job was a 40% pay cut from what I was making installing cable, however, I didn't have to work 60 hour weeks anymore. I interviewed really well due to being self taught, and knew more about linux administration than most of the applicants who had degrees. I'm still at that job, and I've nearly doubled my salary on skill and performance based raises. I make nearly as much as my dad did when he retired from a 20+ year career of programming. I never went back to school, and I still don't have a degree. I also don't have any debt

God forbid but let's say that jobs pulled from you. Then what? You start applying for jobs but your competing w/ people who have your experience and a degree. That's the leg up.

[oxymoron]

I probably shouldn't have gone to college at 18. I did though - partly because it's the "accepted" thing to do, but mostly I was looking to escape my home life which was quite shitty.

Graduated with a degree in psychology. Tried to get into grad school but couldn't. I sucked balls during my first couple of semesters and my cum. GPA was pretty shaky as a result. Ended up working at a few different public schools here in Maine until I resigned in June.

The college I'm attending now is very cheap, thankfully. And I'm pretty passionate about the subject matter. I can't ever see myself working the 40-hour-week grind though, I'll likely end up working from home or for a family business.

Oh and as I was telling prfsnl_gmr when he was here a few days ago, I for some reason thought it would be "easy" to be a stay-at-home father and attend college. Like, I would just get all my work done "while the baby slept" and whatnot. Mwahahaha I was living in a fantasy world.

I'm in the same situation. My city is boring as shit and filled with douche bags. I want to escape.

[skate323k137]

God forbid but let's say that jobs pulled from you. Then what? You start applying for jobs but your competing w/ people who have your experience and a degree. That's the leg up.

Actually, I have 3-4 other companies that would hire me in a heartbeat, probably for more money than I'm making now. The only reason I haven't taken any of those offers is because I don't feel like relocating. I can also freelance website work for at least $100/hour.

Also, I've stockpiled enough DJ gear to charge at least $100/hour to DJ a wedding (and that's cheap). I hate doing weddings, but it's good money for a days work. Also, I repair turntables, do console mods, etc. I can also wire houses. It's good to have multiple skills

[Michi]

Anyways don't know if anyone here has knowledge on the subject, but I'm probably going to dab into CAD. I took Animation / Game Design in high school for two years but keep looking back and wonder if I would have liked CAD more which my school also offered. Always been into level design, maps, architecture, blueprints, the bones of anything... etc, if that stuff ties in a lot (sounds like it).

I took all of the offered "Design" classes in high school where they exclusively used AutoCAD (2000 and 2001).

We did everything from extrude engine parts, to constructing entire model airplanes, to working on house plans. I got done early with the house plans (like, really, really early) and started making a 3D model of the kitchen. My teacher was so pleased that he told me to just go ahead and 3D the whole house and let me skip the next project.

No game-related design, but there was one guy in class that made, extruded and printed out a 3D Bob-omb.

I really enjoyed the classes. I've even been thinking about taking some type of refresher coarse that's offered at the local community college. If you like math and have a knack for spacial reasoning than go ahead and give it a shot.

[Xeogred]

Yeah, that definitely sounds like my kind of stuff.

Also gotten a little interested in med related stuff as of late as well, but technology is submerging in that field... and I figure if you can somehow find yourself in some kind of hybrid path between both you'd be pretty set?

If I went into healthcare I think I'd like to be someone that works behind the scenes. The human body, and just so many interesting things here... but I don't think I'd want to work with real patients.

[Michi]

If I went into healthcare I think I'd like to be someone that works behind the scenes. The human body, and just so many interesting things here... but I don't think I'd want to work with real patients.

Neither would I. I don't like most people when they're healthy.

[flex wood]

The forums are pretty active today!

It's your fault.

Could be, when your a likeable guy.

There's no rule against blaming you for good things that happen.

[MrPopo]

I feel obliged to point out that most people who go to an engineering college don't fall into the "have a degree, can't find a job" bucket.