technical schools

[2ManyZs]

I'd like to chime in with one thought.

Don't go to college just to go to college. In other words, make a decision about what type of career you want to pursue BEFORE you go to get a degree. Pursue a degree in your chosen field but only after you have taken the time to look a little ways into the future to see if that career choice is going to be worth the time and money it takes to go through college.

A little story to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Neighbors youngest son wanted to go to college for a degree in sports medicine. He took 2 years at one college and finished with 4 years at Radford University. He worked part time at a Food Lion supermarket stocking shelves in the evenings to help pay his bills while in school. After 6 years of college, he graduates and comes home, only to find that he can't find a job locally. He finds a job 40 miles from home at a new rehab facility next to JMU. Well, guess where he is working now. Yup, you guessed it, he's working full time at Food Lion, because the his chosen specialty doesn't pay enough. He's making almost 3 dollars more an hour working in a supermarket......Kind of a waste of time and money don't you agree?

There is nothing wrong with a Technical College, if you plan on working with your hands the rest of your life and enjoy the challenges, just be sure to get as much out of the education as you can.

I for one wish I had taken a different path, I was accepted at a school in Tulsa, OK but because I had bought a car, and had some other bills, I couldn't afford to go. Now I wish that I had, as I could be a licensed pilot and a certified A&P mechanic now. A friends brother, who got his experience in the military, is hauling in in excess of 100K a year working on helicopters....:stupid:

So just make sure you choose a career that will not only pay you well, but one you will enjoy working in for the better part of your adult life.....It's hard to find a job when you are a master of only one trade and you find you don't want to work in that trade any longer....

[spunkysandoval]

Ok, I think I've got a good perception of what you all are saying. All of this great advice, combined with some reading of "The O'Riley Factor" has shed some new light on the situation. I am very very fortunate that I have a parent that is willing to pay for my education. I feel that having my education payed for is a once in a life time opportunity, that I know I would hate myself if I passed up. When I think of all the people that would give anything to be in my position, I almost feel like I should be slapping my self for even thinking twice about what to do.

These factors have lead me to the conclusion that I will pour all my efforts into getting accepted to the University. I am would like to persue a major in Physics. It's a great platform from which I can choose a multitude of technical careers.

This is a pivotal decision that will affect the rest of my life. Hearing all of your testimonies has helped to put the magnitude of this decision into perspective for me. Thank you all for your time and advice.

EScanlon,

Your advice has had the greatest influence upon my decision. Thanks you for taking time out of your day to reply to my little post. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated, and I don't know how to thank you enough.

Now, only thing left to do is to get accepted. This is the easy part.

Thank you everyone,

Isaac.

[EScanlon]

Isaac, the best thanks you can give someone who has given you advice is to excel. It reaffirms their opinion of you, in that you confirm that you are worthy of their advice and it reassures them that they can still discern those golden nuggets in the sand of life.

With that out of the way, you can also thank me by becoming EXTREMELY successful, starting an outrageously successful company, letting me know about the upcoming initial stock offering so I can get in on the ground floor and become filthy rich as your company increases in value.......

OR

You can buy me another Z, so I can compete with 2ManyZ's.

HAHAHAH, j/k (or not!)

[2ManyZs]

If he ends up being the next Bill Gates, I want in too....

That way I can build a bigger garage to hold more cars and toys....:devious:

[Leeroy]

Advice is something that is best taken in pieces...disect what is important and relevant, and store the rest in case it becomes important and relevant later...and then there is our advice!!:classic: But seriously...EScanlon is dead right and offers some great advice, because that is what it is like working in a job you come to hate...you may like it in the beginning but soon enough your mind wanders and your body deteriorates; either that or you come to just hate the job!

But serious...don't jump headlong into anything!!! Did you know, that 200,000 ppl in New York have psychology degrees, and yet most of them work in cafes, department stores etc because there isn't any work!!! So really think, and make sure that you know what you want to do first, and see if what you want to do provides good money, good working conditions and most importantly, that the field you want to work in has plenty of employment available, and where you want to live!!

Listen to the guys here, especially EScanlon, and I agree that to excel is the greatest thing you could do because it proves that we actually know something!!

Best of luck in whatever path in life you choose to take.

Cheers ppl!!

PS If you do excel, and become wealthy, you better have a 10 car Z garage so we know that they're going to a good home!!!

PPS Same goes for me with the shares...:classic:

[beandip]

yah , and buy some wheels like he said I wanted ! SPUNKY , I just wanted to congradulate you on your decision. One thing that I have found in life is that when I have taken a hobby that I enjoyed and it became a money making venture for me it turned into work and wasn't fun any more but work . I have done this twice in my life , now I have my z and working on cars has always been in my life . Now this is a hobby and is enjoyable to me . I do not work on others cars for $ , only now I am going to charge escanlon, . Really , you are interested in cars and you have had thoughts of mechanics . Get an education first make your foundation for your self and build on that. I was vary blessed in that at 23 I was accepted on the LA Fire Dept. , A job that I loved and if there were do overs in life that would be one. My wife and I have raised our 4 children and are all married and doing well .Our youngest just had there first child. What I am getting to is that I was in a dead end job with not a future to speek of , Married and two little kids. I couldent afford collage and went stright to work. I actually started at 15 . If it haddent been for the Dept I wouldent have had much of a future. Go to school to learn . All the best Gary