What do you do for work?

Hardwork basiclly and I went to Trade School for HVAC Mechanical then learned many other things on the job leading to other things....

 

I agree with this... me and my wife even with our 4 month old live well within our means.... she's a agriculture teacher and we are big into community. I would like to work for the power company or something but it's hard to get on around here. Pretty much have to know someone high up.

 

Anyone who ever said you need a degree to be successful in life is full of complete shit. If you learn a trade (welder, electrician, fabricator, or any kind of technician), then you will always have job options... and if you happen to get laid off, it won't be for very long.

College is great if you know exactly what you want to do and you are going to stick with it. I have a Mechanical Engineering degree, and I quickly realized I absolutely never wanted to be an engineer. It was a waste of money and 4 years of my life. I have never even put my degree down on a resume. I couldn't stand the arrogance of a lot of the pricks I went to school with and I decided I would never, for even one day, want to work with this crowd.

The "trick" is to make yourself essential and have a skill. Don't ever be lulled into the illusion that you will go nowhere without a degree. Besides, everyone has a degree now, so it doesn't even make you stand out from the crowd anymore. Knowing what the hell you are talking about and being good at what you do is what will distinguish you from the rest.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

The only reason I'm even going back to school it I had the idea that I might like to the the construction tech teacher at the high school where my wife works. I could do lateral entry if I had the degree in construction. Not saying that's what I want at all. I honestly will probably work where I'm at now fo a while. Pay is good and they treat me good bc I am needed there. I'm one of two that knows my department and the other just turned 60 on his way out. Lol

 

I did the same thing you did, but I worked for 8 months with the arrogant pricks before I said F this. You are 100% correct in what you say about having a degree. It's not for everyone, and you can be an idiot with a degree I have met plenty of them in my life that don't get very far.

 

Sometimes having no degree is better than a useless one. At least with no degree you don't have the crushing debt.

 

My twin brother went to body repair school after high school now we work at the same shop and make the same money. But he still has 10k in student loans

 

Sometimes the education doesn't make much of a difference when it comes to pay. Both my brother have bachelors degrees and I make more than them, and I have no student loans. I took a slightly different route though.

 

Be that as it may, a college degree will open a lot of doors that are otherwise inaccessible. Right or wrong, until corporate America alters it's collective philosophy, that's the way it is.

 

It's sad, but that's how things are right now. Companies are more interested in the piece of paper than they are in what an individual can actually offer the company. What the companies really want is a person with an applicable degree, lots of experience but is still willing to work for peanuts.

 

Pretty much. With the focus shifted to short term gains (quarterly earnings for shareholders), there has been a loss strategic planning and employee development. Thus, it's only natural for companies to pay as little as they can whilst demanding more and more of the employee. We all see the labor force being trimmed to the bare minimum (thank you six sigma bullshit). Look at pensions and medical benefits. Pensions are all but gone and medical benefits keep getting trimmed and deductibles are going through the roof. It's sad IMO.

 

I've already figure that I'm probably not going to make it to 20 with the Air Force, but I'm one of the lucky ones, there are lots of military jobs with very few prospects in the civilian sector. I still have 19 months left on this contract and have already received job offers.

 

That's nothing short of a blessing. My AFSC had almost zero direct civilian application. Congrats brother; if you have the opportunity to stay in, awesome. If you leave, say hello to much larger paychecks.

 

College should be for a specific job. Just like learning to be a welder is to be a welder. These general ed degrees are just about worthless when it comes to finding a job. People shouldn't go to school just to go to school. I talk to kids about to graduate who have no idea what they are doing after graduation. I can't even fathom going to school 4 or more years and not having a clue as to what you are going to do. What a waste.

I'm a pharmacist and my wife is a lawyer. Our daughter is currently applying to med school with the assumption she will be accepted. She is getting a molecular biology/biochemistry degree. Sounds cool, but she has no desire to use it for anything other than getting into med school. I wished she had gotten a degree in something that interested her. What's she going to do if she doesn't get accepted into med school?

Our son went to college for a year and decided it wasn't for him. He joined the Marines. Now he talks about going back to school after his enlistment is up. This time around I think he will have a better idea of what he wants to do and have a plan to accomplish it.

As far as what a degree gets you, I work every other week and make a lot of money. I've been able to work when and where I want my whole career. I've turned down a lot of good jobs. My wife has basically done the same. Yeah, it's possible we could have done that without a degree, but it would have been a lot harder. We had a plan BEFORE going to school and stuck to it.

College isn't needed and doesn't guarantee anything. Having a plan for your life and a positive outlook for whatever life brings is important. Things don't just happen for most people. Luck has very little to do with it.

 

Some great advice!

 

And you drive a tacoma? LoL just messin with ya, lol

 

Just about exactly what I wanted to say. Not much else to add.
I am a Civil Engineer, and do design and construction management, My wife a Physical Therapist. We are both glad that we studied what we did, and enjoy our jobs.
That being said, I could be a Construction Superintendent without a degree and would enjoy it just as much. Doing what you want is very important. I first started in dental school. I would have made a lot more money as a Dentist, but would not have enjoyed it as much. I changed majors after 6 months, so fortunately did not waste much time.

 

Yeah. Not only that, but I went to the dealership and said show me the cheapest one on the lot. It's the only one I looked at. I plan to drive it for at least 10 years. Before that I had an avalanche for 10 years. It was also the cheapest one on the lot. They actually gave me a great deal on it because they'd had it for 6 months without anyone interested in it.

 

I see lots of great response.

My first question when I read quoted text is what do you consider great? Is it pay, job security, time away from work...??