college/career thoughts

[Vendor Defendor]

well that time is coming and im going to be heading off to school soon... and i STILL dont know what im going to major in... i figured some sort of engineering, probably mechanical, civil or structual engineering... humm what should i do, do you have any suggestions on which course i should go with?

my girlfriend, (who i am planning on staying with for a loooong time, i mean, she helps me with the GN, what could be better? ) is going to the same school that im going to be going to, and shes getting her major in ocean engineering...

what we were talking about doing, is starting up our own furniture company... shes got the skills with making that kind of stuff, she made all of her bedroom furniture with her dad.... do you think it would be worth while for the two of us to do this? or should we stick with engineering? shes going to have to teach me everything she knows about carpentry... because i dont know much about it..

well tell me what you think i should do for the rest of my life

thanks for input

-neil

 

[JDEstill]

If you are just starting school, there's no rush to settle on which branch of engineering just yet. As a freshman most of the classes are applicable to any of the various disciplines, you don't start taking the real meat of the courses until sometime in the 2nd year. If you are in school for a year and decide to switch from, say, civil to mechanical, you won't lose anything, most if not all of the classes under your belt at that time you would have to take anyway. I didn't settle on mine (chemical engineering) until after my third semester, and I only did it then because they made me pick *something*. All but 1 class I had taken up to that point were classes I would have needed anyway. Get the degree plans for the various disciplines you're interested in and you'll see how much they have in common those first couple of years.

And, if you pick one and take a few classes in it, and decide you hate it, don't be afraid to switch! So you lose a few hours, better than being stuck in something you hate.

John

 

[JDEstill]

Oh yeah, with regards on how to pick one, it'll really be best to take some classes and see what you are suited for. In our program we had to take basic mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering classes, plus chemistry, physics, calculus, and so on. When I went to school I had every intention of going mechanical, but I hated those classes. And it didn't take too long to figure out that electrical wasn't for me either. I was really good in chemistry though, knew I didn't want to be a chemist (since it requires grad school for most decent jobs), and hey, chemical engineering has chemistry in the name! Must be similar! Had no idea what a chem eng did, but once I got into it found out it was a perfect fit. The only disciplines I can think of off the top of my head that I wasn't forcibly exposed to in school was aero and industrial.

John

 

[GNandGS]

Finish school, do the woodwork on the side - it can be a good way to help pay for school.

S

 

[blackbuick87]

Do something you WANT to do. Dont get into something just because the pay is good. I quit college after 70 credits, simply because I figured out I hated accounting, even though I was good at it. I took my full time job at 20 years old and ended up hating that also (8 years later).

My point is it has to be something your heart is into, and if it is then the classes and work will fly by, as opposed to just trying to get it done

 

[aperrego]

I agree.. Go where your heart is.. I got out of law enforcement in 1996... Been making some killer $$$$ in the Technology sector.. But not a day that goes by that I dont think about or talk about it.. That is probably the reason I am back in the police academy..

 

[aperrego]

I agree.. Go where your heart is.. I got out of law enforcement in 1996... Been making some killer $$$$ in the Technology sector.. But not a day that goes by that I dont think about or talk about it.. That is probably the reason I am back in the police academy..

 

[Little6pack]

1) Keep girlfriend or send her my way for wife trade in.

2) Let girlfriend do her own furniture thing on side.

3) Finish school or go to school because if her buisness bites the dust you have something to fall back on.

 

[pvtpilot]

Engineering is ok. I'm just finishing up my last semester at Rutgers School of Engineering for aerospace engineering (its actually mechanical with a side of aero classes). You will find with engineering, the more you press through the classes, the more you sit around and ask yourself why. Its been 8 semester of about 17, 18, and 19 credits and it just burns you out and turns you off of it. One good thing is you already have a girlfriend because, well at least at rutgers its like 10:1 guy:girl ratio if that. Oh well, just keep up with the work and its not too bad.

 

[SVT TROUBLE]

Originally posted by Vendor Defendor
i STILL dont know what im going to major in... i figured some sort of engineering, probably mechanical, civil or structual engineering... humm what should i do, do you have any suggestions on which course i should go with?

Neil, Just from seeing some of the drawings you showed me, I think you'd be a great Architectural Engineer! I am going to school for Electrical Engineering and all I can say is you had better seriously love math if you decide to pursue a career in most any field of Engineering!

Originally posted by Vendor Defendor
my girlfriend, (who i am planning on staying with for a loooong time, i mean, she helps me with the GN, what could be better? ) is going to the same school that im going to be going to, and shes getting her major in ocean engineering...

Don't choose your future career based on your girlfriend's likes/dislikes...do what YOU like, otherwise you will both regret it later.

Originally posted by Vendor Defendor
what we were talking about doing, is starting up our own furniture company... shes got the skills with making that kind of stuff, she made all of her bedroom furniture with her dad.... do you think it would be worth while for the two of us to do this? or should we stick with engineering? shes going to have to teach me everything she knows about carpentry... because i dont know much about it..

If you are truly serious about starting you own business then I recommend you look into getting a degree in Business Management.

Originally posted by Vendor Defendor
well tell me what you think i should do for the rest of my life

Most Colleges/Universities offer career advice. Make an appointment with a guidance counselor. He/she will have access to tests and questionnaires that will help you aim towards a career based on what you enjoy and what you are good at.
Good luck

 

[Vendor Defendor]

Originally posted by littlesixsteve
1) Keep girlfriend or send her my way for wife trade in.

your funny

-neil

 

[pvtpilot]

oh yeah. SVT Trouble brings up another option. I know Rutgers offers a 5 year program where you can get you BS in engineering and MBA. Not bad for 5 years and it'll help you out with a startup company. Check the schools around you... they may offer something similar.

 

[Vendor Defendor]

hey jacki i think we posted at the same time, because when i read this, you werent there, but i came back and your post was ahead of mine

anyways, the way im thinking is, i want to go into engineering because is something that im kinda intrested in.. but what i would rather do is work with my hands... thats why i wanted to do the woodworking thing with heather... like i cant see my self working in an office for the rest of my life. it dosent seem like the thing for me... for a while i considered hot rod designing, but then i figured the market isnt that big. not to sound cocky, but jacki can testify that i have a knack for designing stuff.... she saw the motor i did...

well keep the thoughts coming

-neil

 

[8UWITH6]

Whew, wish I was starting school instead of finishing up with the economy the way it is. (Graduate May 17th!!!) Its really tough trying to find a freaking job, although I cant complain because the automotive industry is still moving along.

I agree, do what your heart tells you.......I majored in Automotive Technology. Its been tons of fun and I wouldnt have done it any other way. Dont worry too much about being undeclared your first year. But, during your first year you really need to figure out what you want to do so you dont get screwed later by not having certain requirements, etc. Good luck!

 

[JDEstill]

Another bit of advice - see if your school has a co-op program.

That was the #1 best thing I did in school. If they have such a program at your school, take advantage of it! Pluses:
- let's you get real world experience in your chosed field. This lets you find out if you'll hate your life after you graduate, so you can switch majors before it's too late. It also gives you a big leg up when you are looking for a job after graduation, since you've got experience you can point to. And if the company you co-oped with is hiring, it's a huge leg up with them since they already know you and see how you work (assuming you did a good job).
- You make some decent money to help with school. I was making more than a lot of the full time blue collar people at the plant I worked at.
- You get a break from school, so you don't get burned out

The only minus is it takes a little longer to get your degree. But IMO the plus far outweigh that.

I co-oped four times with a company. I had so much more practical experience when I got out of school, you wouldn't believe it. Not just with the actual work stuff, but intangible stuff - like working as part of a team, dealing with office politics, etc. Don't underestimate that sort of thing.

Putting that school learning to actual good use was nice too. Going through a class and learning stuff and wondering what the heck you'll use it for, then going out and actually finding that it is useful, is a plus.

I also learned that the job environment there at the plant was not for me. I went into that co-op job with high hopes, thinking that was how I'd spend my career, and found out that the day to day grind of life in a plant was not for me. I found out that a real office job doing design work was more my style. So, when they offered me a job after graduation, I turned them down, since I knew I'd end up miserable there.

Final thing: you've said you want to work with your hands... from what I've seen, engineers mostly work with their heads, not their hands. Most companies have plenty of blue collar people that do the actual hands on work, and they do NOT appreciate an engineer horning in on their stuff! They don't try to do your job, and you don't try to do theirs.

John

 

[bob86gn]

JD is right on with the work experience. The only downside os the 5 years in school. I did not have a co-op at my college (Villanova) but still worked at an engineering company every summer and most Christmas and Spring Breaks (trust me if you are god they will find time to get you in there). Actually seeing what you will be doing is better than any education can give you. Also, the fields are so broad, that even if you declare a major there is a lot of lattitude in that major.

Mecahnical engineering is one of the few fields that truly has interface and a blurred area of responsibility with every other engineering field. It is easiest to go from mecahnical into any other. Try going from civil to electrical!! I started out as a mecahnical with an interest in structure and stress analysis and four years later wound up going back for a masters in thermo-fluids. You never know, the stuff you dislike know you may love later.

Good luck.