Life.... March 09, 2009, 05:01:00 PM So I am getting ready to leave for class and take a History exam that I am sure I will fail. I didnt prioritize this weekend and I am unprepared. Done and over but it got me thinking again.I was questioning throughout my first few months here at school if it was for me. Was I here for me or because it was expected. First to go to college on my Moms side, if I wouldnt have I would have been the first not to on my Dads side. Huge family issue there. I have never been that great at school, not my thing. Lack of interest leads to lack of effort, leads to lack of success. I am a hand on learner, show me once, I can do it. Ill ask questions my first swing at it only to be sure. Then I am set. Explaining things verbally, I can retain certain things that I am able to visualize during but no where near as effective of efficient. That is my personal learning "setting".Here is my life plan. -Graduate High School- Done-Stay employed though life- Successful so far (3 years at first job).-Graduate from college with my Masters in Business Management. 5 year plan-Track down a job using my degree -Attend Tech school in an automotive field (undecided as of now) at night/day, whichever I am not working. Looking at 2 years there atleast-Work for someone for atleast 10 years while I create capital.-Open my own Automotive shop- Live my dream.Somewhere in there a family will come about I hope. With will alter the time line and plans. The 10 years might end up being 25-30.The plans are not too detailed as I have realized that the market will be MUCH different by the time that I am ready to open shop. I will probably continue to attend tech school though my preparation years as to stay on top of current advancements, cover more fields, and further my knowledge over all. Just got back from the test and it wasnt as bad as I imagined. Solid C work. Ill get that in line ASAP. I have come to realize that I need this education to do what I want in life and succeed in today's world. Although school is not my strong point, I do enjoy class more in college than I ever did before. I still have my doubts that college is for my from time to time. Anyone else feel that way?Here is my question to everyone, What was your life plan when you where just starting out, or around my age (19)? What worked out and what didnt? Was there something that held you back? What would you do differently? Are you happy the way things worked out over all?I just want to see how many people actually do what they set out to do. I feel like most people with plans like mine end up being played off as pipe dreams. I refuse to have regrets as much as possible, regrets are things that make us better at life, there for I see them as trial and error, not regrets.In no way am I trying to complain about ANYTHING. Just trying to get a view of how life has treated others plans. Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #1 – March 09, 2009, 05:16:08 PM Since 19, 30 some years went by in a flash. I'm just starting to make some plans for the future now, but I'm still not sure what I want to do. Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #2 – March 09, 2009, 05:26:50 PM Hmm, well my plans were about the same. I started college and ended up dropping out "School wasn't my thing" as well, went on and got a good job and met a girl. Things happened and had my son, soon after got married, I went and got a another good job worked there for 3 years before being laid off and never called back. Struggling to continue finding jobs I CAN do without formal college education is tough. Anyway to make a long story short, stay in school study your ass off and live your dream to the fullest extent because if you put it off now trust me you'll never do it. Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #3 – March 09, 2009, 05:42:18 PM I was much like yourself,I did not like school and did as little as possible to squeak by.I did graduate high school by the skin of my teeth.I had the passion to become a park ranger, but did not want to do the 4 years of school for it.so I continued to party,blow money and make nothing of myself for another year.my parents had enough of my lazy azz and made me make something of myself.my dad got me a job where he and my brother worked,as a machinist.I swept floors and drove truck for them for 4 yrs. and then went to machinist school (this was a 4 year coarse).I finished school and was making good money.so now it was time to get married to my girlfriend, that I had been dating for 6 yrs. (I was 25 by now).got married ,had two kids and I am still machining. I have no regrets at all for how my life has turned out.the machining trade has been good to me and my whole family,although manufacturing is the shiznits rite now,I just hope it hangs in there and we get through it.do whats best for your future,if it takes 4-6 yrs. of schooling to get there,so be it.good luck ,hope you find what your looking for. Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #4 – March 09, 2009, 08:49:26 PM Quote from: Kitz Kat;260357Since 19, 30 some years went by in a flash. I'm just starting to make some plans for the future now, but I'm still not sure what I want to do.Same here, since 19, 30 years has gone by in a flash and I still don't know what I want to do. Now both my kids are in college trying to figure out what they want to do. I told them when they figure it out to let me know. lol. Seriously though, you need to finish college. I have never heard of a GOOD job opportunity where they said, "I'm sorry, you have too much education. We just can't use someone with that much knowledge." Bottom line - stay in school!! Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #5 – March 09, 2009, 09:21:30 PM to add, not only finish school, but understand that employers will not be asking what kind of grades you got. Finishing school is a priority. When I was younger, I thought it was necessary to get a job in the automotive field to make working on cars at home fun. Sure there are perks such as using certain shop tools. But in the grand scheme of things, getting a better paying job that doesn't wear you out on a daily basis, such as accounting, will allow you to have fun in your garage ten times as much...since you can afford the shop tools. I learned that the hard way, and am still suffering for it. Manufacturing is down right now, and so we just hang on. Last couple years I worked 12-16 hour days to make as much money as the business folk make in 8 at my workplace. And I have 2 AAS degrees. Don't mean much in today's world of BS degree-to-just-get-in-the-door type environment. Good luck! Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #6 – March 10, 2009, 12:34:53 AM Quote from: FLSTCI71;260402 I have never heard of a GOOD job opportunity where they said, "I'm sorry, you have too much education. We just can't use someone with that much knowledge." Bottom line - !!not true exactly ,, not to controdict you but ive been in that boat many times as well as other people.Here is what you do and its a quote I will share with you my cousin said to me when I was getting out of the navy. I was telling my cousin, (my old boss) that i was thinking about getting my BA, He being an old fart to me at the time piped up and said,, "why, if you get any smarter, we might have to pay you more".He looked at me and said,,"now go think about that and let me know what i just said".What he was saying is,, get just enough paper to get you hired. Get yourself some experience and then get more paper. That is what I did. I went to a Tech school (ECPI) coupled with 9 year aviation electronics. Armed with just an associate and my experience, in 1995 at the age of 25 i secured a 30k yr job (yest they got me cheap) . I figured it was a good idea to let them get me cheap in exchange for experience in the industry. Its a trade off, young bucks are expected to suck it up and work thier way up the ranks. Besides, I suffered a huge pay increase compared to the navy. Lots of travel and away time from the family. Time has marched on and starign down the sights of 40, time has went blazing by. A 15 and 13 year old makes things come to light of how fast time flies.If i rewind a little bit, when I was maybe 13 yrs old, i knew exactly what i was going to do. I would join the navy, do electronics, get some peice of paper that says "its probable that im not a dumb ass"lol,,lol. Then move on with life and play it from there.during my working years, there have been so many opportunities that get you yet another piece of paper telling a potential employer you have experience in xyz.Just the meer idea of you posting this kind of topic tells me your right dead on track. Another thing i noticed is how you address your acceptance of the C you got on the history exam. You owned up to not being prepared and handled it well. what i liked the most is you stating "ill get that in line asap". your gonna be an awsome team player somewhere soon.As for how you get there,, you almost have to have tunnel vision, like almost boarderline selfishness. You have to set your goals and know they are yours to take. The amount of time you sacrifice now is so minimal , it will feel like a tiny blip in time here in the near future. Be prepared to land your first job with no experience and a BA degree for a really super cheap rate,, ie- perhaps 30k yr to start. I would set my sights on an internship with a company while in school. GE has ample opportunity for interns as well as many telecoms. They get you at a cheap rate and all the labor you put on projects, can be absorbed easily making variance practially invisible. Basically, get your paper, stay on track, in the end, its the same paper the other guy got even if you get A's while he got C's. Get more papers along working years and collect them. More and more industries are leaning heavily on experience rather than degrees. The trial by fire interviews are becoming a more popular HR tactic as companies downsize and seek to hold on the the best talent.set a goal to have a house by your mid 20's,, get established as quickly as possible. Dont buy a house that costs more than 1 1/2 -3 times your annual income. if you have to slum it you slum it,, its what I did, we wasted a lot of money renting and that is the only regret i have. I should have listened to the wife long ago.Was this helpful,, hope so. Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #7 – March 10, 2009, 01:27:49 AM When i was your age, I got kicked out of my house and lived in a $300 car with a busted out back window. It was actually a 87 cougar with a new 3.8 and a bad tranny. I just started a job at $8.50 and hour. I ran out of gas trying to stay warm through out the winter. I also spent every dime I had on over draft fee's from buying smokes and burgers when I didn't have money. When I was 20, I got married and by 21 had a little boy. Tommorrow is my 22nd birthday. I've lived in a $300,000 dollar house, and a $300 car. I grew up in the slumiest place in my area and one of the richest parts of the city. In small low income area's, the people are alot nicer and generally will do anything for anyone. In the rich area's nobody does anything but talk on each other. I now work the same job I did before. When I got married and moved into my apartment I told my work I wanted a raise and couldn't pay for it all. at that point I was only making $9.50, after alittle over a years employment. I now make $12.00 at the same job and am soon going to be moving from a ground hand to a lineman aprentace. People look at you alot different when your clean and you have alot of responsablility and actually car about not only yourself but others.When I was 16 I dropped out of high school. One of the only things I would have changed about my past is at least getting that done and taken care of. If you went to college in my line of work, when you got out you would be my boss, even though I would probably know alot more about the work and things that need to be done. Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #8 – March 10, 2009, 01:33:52 AM Quote from: Haystack;260506, even though I would probably know alot more about the work and things that need to be done.And there lay the key to people skills. You rarely find someone (the boss) who is able to recognize and exploit that part of each man in the field. Exploit meaning let each persons strong points play out in each days events. Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #9 – March 10, 2009, 11:03:17 AM Well im a lot like you guys too i guess.....while i was younger and in school i would do concrete and masonry work with my dad, and then i took welding in high school.... thank god for that......after i graduated i applied at a temp agency because the only way to get into smith n wesson was to go through the temp agency.... i started working there at 10bucks an hour, made 12000 dollars in 6 months, and i was gooing to be hired on as a cnc operator, 14.75 an hour....48 hours a week........ but me being irresponsible a nd all my other friends graguating too, i made the wrong decision and got laid off for failing a drug test.........i honestly hate myself everyday for making that mistake.......and wish i had never done it.... ihad a really good future planned out for myself..... now im working part time as a dishwasher at an old folks home and my cougars are my new drug... ill never touch that sh**t again.....and the only thing i can fall back on is my welding experience and concrete...... Quote Selected
Life.... Reply #10 – March 10, 2009, 11:49:19 AM We all make mistakes, what we are trying to tell you to stay in school. There isn't a day that goes by right now I wish i had stayed in school and got my degree. Instead I am unemployed and rely on my wife to make most of our money. We all honestly care about you and don't want someone else to end up regretting something you won't be able to go back to until much later in life. You're a smart guy I am sure, just take your time and ride it out you don't have to be a perfect student just one that can graduate. Hope this helps. Quote Selected
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