College vs. Tech School (long)

[Specknreds]

Have you thought about being a Naval Architect (still designing??) We have over 300 Naval Architects and engineers that work for our company. We build the Navy's LCAC's (hovercrafts), Coast Guards roll over boats MLB' and other marine vessels, and the ASV. Some of them have the coolest jobs I've ever seen. They design something and then go to the prototype shop and build a miniture prototype.

I'm going through the same thing with my 16 year old daughter who WILL start USM this Spring on a full paid scholarship. I've begged and pleaded with her to not take a year off of school. I'm trying to show her my mistake of not finishing college. I make a very good living for my area, but she was to young to remember the hardships till I worked my way up. I'm now taking online classes to finish my degree in engineering at 33. I'm basically a facility engineer which I oversee maintenance mechanics, maint. electricians, and all new construction. I would be making around $20k more a year if I had that degree.

You could also get a part time job in a alum. fab. shop of some kind while you are in college.

 

[fishermarine]

I can tell you from my experience that I would go to college while you are young. I went to tech after high school and got my associates degree and thought that would good enough. Then after working for 11 years at my company they changed the requirements of my job requiring a bachelors degree for any advancement. I am now 34 years old with 2 kids and going to college to get my degree. I wish that i would have listened to my parents and went to college right after high school. Education is very important and will help you in the future.

 

[poolie]

Bassboy,

I generally would not give my opinion on a thread like this, but I know from reading your posts that you are a talented young man with a bright future ahead of you. My short answer to you is to go re-read the first post from Russ. He said it probably better than I could.

Here's what not to do... I did it this way so I should know ;-)
When I was your age, my parents were very excited that I was going to be the first person in my family to go to college and were pushing me hard to go to Ga Tech. Like you I really wasn't into the idea so much. I loved building things, was into hot rods and my mechanical aptitude was off the charts. I wanted to go to technical school and bypass all that yucky math and stuff. My parents were obviously disappointed, but in the end caved and let me do my own thing while they enjoyed some nice long vacations with my college funds. By my mid twenties it became clear to me that if I ever wanted more out of my life I was going to have to deal with the college thing. Only this time it would have to be at night and at my expense. So for seven long years I worked 8 hours, studied before class, went to class, studied after class, went to bed... repeat. Part of the reason it took so long is that about a year into a mechanical degree I fell in love with computer programming and switched majors.... so much for knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I will say though, it turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Otherwise I'd have never stuck with it.

If I were you I'd go ahead and get college out of the way. A mechanical Engineering degree will give you the tools to be a better builder. Once that's behind you, then go to the technical school. Those two combined will get you a ticket to do anything you want.

-- Poolie

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Another thing to be careful of.... When i got to be 19 or so there were jobs out there that paid decent money at that time, dont think that you can just "work for a year" and pick up later, some people can do this but most never go back. Go to school and finish it quickly. It will fly by i promise... the girls... oh yeah dont forget about them haha

 

[bassboy1]

Okay, y'all do throw out some very valid points.....


WW, are those really scholarship level grades? I know they qualify for the HOPE scholarship (I don't know the details, but it is Ga Lottery paid), but I find it a stretch to think that they are school scholarship level. My academic classes (don't colleges ignore elective grades when looking for scholarship material) are almost all low As, with some high Bs in the mix. When you look at my cumulative GPA, that has all the electives included, I am 47th out of 273 students in my grade (3.75, as of the end of last semester).

 

[Popeye]

And the absolute worst thing that can happen if you apply for a scholarship and don't meet their grade criteria: is they say no. Apply for every and any scholarship you can think of.

 

[russ010]

Okay, y'all do throw out some very valid points.....


WW, are those really scholarship level grades? I know they qualify for the HOPE scholarship (I don't know the details, but it is Ga Lottery paid), but I find it a stretch to think that they are school scholarship level. My academic classes (don't colleges ignore elective grades when looking for scholarship material) are almost all low As, with some high Bs in the mix. When you look at my cumulative GPA, that has all the electives included, I am 47th out of 273 students in my grade (3.75, as of the end of last semester).

I can guarantee you are scholarship worthy - especially with all the extra curricular activities you do. Boy Scouts is looked upon highly in the higher education levels...

 

[Captain Ahab]

And the absolute worst thing that can happen if you apply for a scholarship and don't meet their grade criteria: is they say no. Apply for every and any scholarship you can think of.

What he said

 

[DocWatson]

Okay, y'all do throw out some very valid points.....


WW, are those really scholarship level grades? I know they qualify for the HOPE scholarship (I don't know the details, but it is Ga Lottery paid), but I find it a stretch to think that they are school scholarship level. My academic classes (don't colleges ignore elective grades when looking for scholarship material) are almost all low As, with some high Bs in the mix. When you look at my cumulative GPA, that has all the electives included, I am 47th out of 273 students in my grade (3.75, as of the end of last semester).

As Popeye said, apply for every scholarship you can !!! Your GPA is very good and your extra cirricular activities speak volumes about the person you are. As Russ said, Scouting is well thought of in academic circles. There are more scholarships and money available than you can even imagine. Get yourself registered at FastWeb and start putting your name in for some of that FREE money that's out there for students like yourself.

 

[Waterwings]

Yep, those are scholarship worthy grades. Overall GPA, plus extra-curricula activities, plus being an Eagle Scout, pulls some weight. Do you play any sports? You don't have to be the star athlete, just be part of the team. Colleges (especially ROTC) look for well-rounded individuals. We've had students in our program receive full-ride ROTC scholarships worth $120K. Two are at Auburn at the moment (ROTC scholarships), one if getting ready to graduate from Old Miss (ROTC scholarship), one graduated from Old Miss a few years ago, and is now a Marine Corps Officer,another is also a Marine Corps Officer (Naval Academy grad), and another is a Naval Officer (Naval Academy grad) onboard a ship at this moment. You don't have to join the military, but do persue the scholarships. As stated above, they're out there, so apply for everyone you can.

 

[poolie]

Well this is encouraging... we've gone from should I go to college to wonder if I can get a scholarship

Bassboy, learn from other peoples mistakes, it hurts less. Reminds me of when I was around twenty. One of the sales guys where I was working used to just constantly pound me about opening an IRA (401k's hadn't been invented yet) . He had all the numbers and charts to show how I would be a multi-millionaire by retirement age. Yeah Yeah Yeah ... whatever. Twenty five years later I'm still kicking myself for not taking his advise.