Need some Advice (long)
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Let me share my story with you first... I am currently a freshment at Grand Valley State Univeristy in Michigan. For the fall semester I am curently taking 14 credits. Classes are "easy" however here is my problem. For the past 3 years I have been working with a Real Property Appraiser (residential & commercial). Initially I started out just fixing the computers, keeping the internet/LAN up and running etc. Starting 2 years ago I started to get really involved in the actual business. I have taken all the classes required by the State of Michigan to get my limited appraiser's license. I am now a major part of his entire operation and am making very good money. Over the next year or so I will be able to double or triple my earnings now that we have a full blown office (opening tomorrow). Along with my regular duties I am also running the website/intranet and ecommerce side of the business. This is a lot of work but it pays really well, has lots of perks, and I really love the work. All the above takes up 90% of my time. I am at my classes for a very short time (3 days a week this semester, was lucky during scheduling). The problem is I have very little time to do all the damn HW/Essays/Etc. Needless to say my grades aren't straight As like in HS. So it all comes down to one questions really... Should I take off a year or two from traditional schooling (will still take any classes required by the state for my appraiser's license, but those a very few in number and very short). to work and save up money so I could then focus entirely on schooling?, OR try and do both at the same time, OR do you have some other opinion on what I whould do? Perhaps pursue some other type of schooling? Everyone seems to want me to get a 4 year degree, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want to do... Thanks guys and please let me know if you have any questions:cool:
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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Let me share my story with you first... I am currently a freshment at Grand Valley State Univeristy in Michigan. For the fall semester I am curently taking 14 credits. Classes are "easy" however here is my problem. For the past 3 years I have been working with a Real Property Appraiser (residential & commercial). Initially I started out just fixing the computers, keeping the internet/LAN up and running etc. Starting 2 years ago I started to get really involved in the actual business. I have taken all the classes required by the State of Michigan to get my limited appraiser's license. I am now a major part of his entire operation and am making very good money. Over the next year or so I will be able to double or triple my earnings now that we have a full blown office (opening tomorrow). Along with my regular duties I am also running the website/intranet and ecommerce side of the business. This is a lot of work but it pays really well, has lots of perks, and I really love the work. All the above takes up 90% of my time. I am at my classes for a very short time (3 days a week this semester, was lucky during scheduling). The problem is I have very little time to do all the damn HW/Essays/Etc. Needless to say my grades aren't straight As like in HS. So it all comes down to one questions really... Should I take off a year or two from traditional schooling (will still take any classes required by the state for my appraiser's license, but those a very few in number and very short). to work and save up money so I could then focus entirely on schooling?, OR try and do both at the same time, OR do you have some other opinion on what I whould do? Perhaps pursue some other type of schooling? Everyone seems to want me to get a 4 year degree, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want to do... Thanks guys and please let me know if you have any questions:cool:
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
Steve, Since you already have your feet in the "career" world, is it really necessary for you to have a 4 year degree? Certainly your contribution to the company, your experience, and your interest in what you are doing speaks volumes about your value to the organization. That will certainly continue without a degree. The only problem I see is if the bottom falls out and you end up on the street. A future employer might say: "Sure you've got real, practical, applicable experience, and sure you can do the work ... but ... you don't have a degree. I'm sorry." Is that likely to happen? Maybe. Maybe not. That's where you'll have to make the determination. If that's going to be the view of an employer, you may not want to work for them anyway. In which case, use what you've got and do something else. But, like high school players going to the NBA, or college football players leaving early for the NFL, we can't really fault them for taking the step to making huge sums of money. They can come back and get a degree later. And so can you. I don't see that a 4 year degree is really an asset to you right now. Good luck, Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
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Let me share my story with you first... I am currently a freshment at Grand Valley State Univeristy in Michigan. For the fall semester I am curently taking 14 credits. Classes are "easy" however here is my problem. For the past 3 years I have been working with a Real Property Appraiser (residential & commercial). Initially I started out just fixing the computers, keeping the internet/LAN up and running etc. Starting 2 years ago I started to get really involved in the actual business. I have taken all the classes required by the State of Michigan to get my limited appraiser's license. I am now a major part of his entire operation and am making very good money. Over the next year or so I will be able to double or triple my earnings now that we have a full blown office (opening tomorrow). Along with my regular duties I am also running the website/intranet and ecommerce side of the business. This is a lot of work but it pays really well, has lots of perks, and I really love the work. All the above takes up 90% of my time. I am at my classes for a very short time (3 days a week this semester, was lucky during scheduling). The problem is I have very little time to do all the damn HW/Essays/Etc. Needless to say my grades aren't straight As like in HS. So it all comes down to one questions really... Should I take off a year or two from traditional schooling (will still take any classes required by the state for my appraiser's license, but those a very few in number and very short). to work and save up money so I could then focus entirely on schooling?, OR try and do both at the same time, OR do you have some other opinion on what I whould do? Perhaps pursue some other type of schooling? Everyone seems to want me to get a 4 year degree, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want to do... Thanks guys and please let me know if you have any questions:cool:
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
I know exactly how hard a situation this can be. I am currently going to school full time for my Master's Degree, working full time, trying to build a business part-time, and raising a family. A few of my instructors and co-workers have told me that I have way too many full-times in there. If you work full-time and go to school full-time as well, your headed into nothing but trouble. It may work for the first couple of years, but when you get to the upper division courses your grades will really drop off. Everyone rants about how great a college degree is, but when I got my B.S. Computer Engineering degree, I found out just how worthless they can be. What you have with that appraiser job is solid gold, hold on to it as tight as possible. Learn everything you can about real estate and business, stockpile your assets and get ahead in life while you can! After what I just said many would ask why am I getting my Master's Degree. The simple answer is that this particular degree teaches very specific useful information that I need to run business operations more smoothly, but I still fee that the B.S. was absolutely worthless, especially after the whole outsourcing thing. That's my advice, take it or leave it. Good Luck! Daniel Petersen President Pulsar Enterprises, L.L.C. www.pulsarenterprises.com
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Let me share my story with you first... I am currently a freshment at Grand Valley State Univeristy in Michigan. For the fall semester I am curently taking 14 credits. Classes are "easy" however here is my problem. For the past 3 years I have been working with a Real Property Appraiser (residential & commercial). Initially I started out just fixing the computers, keeping the internet/LAN up and running etc. Starting 2 years ago I started to get really involved in the actual business. I have taken all the classes required by the State of Michigan to get my limited appraiser's license. I am now a major part of his entire operation and am making very good money. Over the next year or so I will be able to double or triple my earnings now that we have a full blown office (opening tomorrow). Along with my regular duties I am also running the website/intranet and ecommerce side of the business. This is a lot of work but it pays really well, has lots of perks, and I really love the work. All the above takes up 90% of my time. I am at my classes for a very short time (3 days a week this semester, was lucky during scheduling). The problem is I have very little time to do all the damn HW/Essays/Etc. Needless to say my grades aren't straight As like in HS. So it all comes down to one questions really... Should I take off a year or two from traditional schooling (will still take any classes required by the state for my appraiser's license, but those a very few in number and very short). to work and save up money so I could then focus entirely on schooling?, OR try and do both at the same time, OR do you have some other opinion on what I whould do? Perhaps pursue some other type of schooling? Everyone seems to want me to get a 4 year degree, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want to do... Thanks guys and please let me know if you have any questions:cool:
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
IMO, all a degree does is tell people that you've spent time learning things that are now or will shortly be obsolete. Yes, even fundamental design practices are being obsoleted. Work experience, IMO, tells people that you know about today's problems and can solve them. I took two years at a community college in 1980/81, dropped out, and never looked back. Learning in places that teach to the (s)lowest common denominator is simply not for me. Marc MyXaml Advanced Unit Testing
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Let me share my story with you first... I am currently a freshment at Grand Valley State Univeristy in Michigan. For the fall semester I am curently taking 14 credits. Classes are "easy" however here is my problem. For the past 3 years I have been working with a Real Property Appraiser (residential & commercial). Initially I started out just fixing the computers, keeping the internet/LAN up and running etc. Starting 2 years ago I started to get really involved in the actual business. I have taken all the classes required by the State of Michigan to get my limited appraiser's license. I am now a major part of his entire operation and am making very good money. Over the next year or so I will be able to double or triple my earnings now that we have a full blown office (opening tomorrow). Along with my regular duties I am also running the website/intranet and ecommerce side of the business. This is a lot of work but it pays really well, has lots of perks, and I really love the work. All the above takes up 90% of my time. I am at my classes for a very short time (3 days a week this semester, was lucky during scheduling). The problem is I have very little time to do all the damn HW/Essays/Etc. Needless to say my grades aren't straight As like in HS. So it all comes down to one questions really... Should I take off a year or two from traditional schooling (will still take any classes required by the state for my appraiser's license, but those a very few in number and very short). to work and save up money so I could then focus entirely on schooling?, OR try and do both at the same time, OR do you have some other opinion on what I whould do? Perhaps pursue some other type of schooling? Everyone seems to want me to get a 4 year degree, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want to do... Thanks guys and please let me know if you have any questions:cool:
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
Why beat yourself up? It sounds as if you love what you're doing - Real Estate Appraisal - and have a good career building in that field. Don't knock it! One of my dad's careers was as an appraiser and he thoroughly enjoyed it. And it's not a field subject to massive layoffs as all of the technical trades appear to be. People are always buying and selling, in good times and bad, and appraisals are a necessary service. I wouldn't drop out of school, though. It's too hard to go back once you've fallen into the comfy rut of good pay and long hours at the office. Instead, cut back on your school load so that it seems more a relaxing and interesting hobby than a major effort. Why not take 4 units each term instead of 14 - 18? So what if it takes 10 years to get that sheepskin? What's your hurry, kid?:-D There're lots of :rose::rose::rose: out there - take the time to smell them.;) "If it's Snowbird season, why can't we shoot them?" - Overheard in a bar in Bullhead City
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Steve, Since you already have your feet in the "career" world, is it really necessary for you to have a 4 year degree? Certainly your contribution to the company, your experience, and your interest in what you are doing speaks volumes about your value to the organization. That will certainly continue without a degree. The only problem I see is if the bottom falls out and you end up on the street. A future employer might say: "Sure you've got real, practical, applicable experience, and sure you can do the work ... but ... you don't have a degree. I'm sorry." Is that likely to happen? Maybe. Maybe not. That's where you'll have to make the determination. If that's going to be the view of an employer, you may not want to work for them anyway. In which case, use what you've got and do something else. But, like high school players going to the NBA, or college football players leaving early for the NFL, we can't really fault them for taking the step to making huge sums of money. They can come back and get a degree later. And so can you. I don't see that a 4 year degree is really an asset to you right now. Good luck, Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
David Chamberlain wrote: A future employer might say: "Sure you've got real, practical, applicable experience, and sure you can do the work ... but ... you don't have a degree. I'm sorry." Is that likely to happen? Maybe. Maybe not. That happened to me a couple of times when I was last looking for a job. Well, I've got a degree, but I dropped out before doing the honours year and asked the university to just give me what I had because I went to start my own company. 4 years later the bottom fell out so I picked myself up and started again. Then the dotcom boom bubble burst and although I held on fairly well (I think) the bottom fell out again. So, I started looking for a "real job". Most didn't really look that much at the degree (honours or not) but for some it was a deciding factor - and at 7 years experience (at the time) I'd been working in the real world longer than I would have ever been at University earning the degree in the first place. In response to Steve: I would say that you should keep your hand in, if you can, doing just one or two classes per semester so you can slowly earn the degree as a background task.
Vogon Building and Loan advise that your planet is at risk if you do not keep up repayments on any mortgage secured upon it. Please remember that the force of gravity can go up as well as down.
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Let me share my story with you first... I am currently a freshment at Grand Valley State Univeristy in Michigan. For the fall semester I am curently taking 14 credits. Classes are "easy" however here is my problem. For the past 3 years I have been working with a Real Property Appraiser (residential & commercial). Initially I started out just fixing the computers, keeping the internet/LAN up and running etc. Starting 2 years ago I started to get really involved in the actual business. I have taken all the classes required by the State of Michigan to get my limited appraiser's license. I am now a major part of his entire operation and am making very good money. Over the next year or so I will be able to double or triple my earnings now that we have a full blown office (opening tomorrow). Along with my regular duties I am also running the website/intranet and ecommerce side of the business. This is a lot of work but it pays really well, has lots of perks, and I really love the work. All the above takes up 90% of my time. I am at my classes for a very short time (3 days a week this semester, was lucky during scheduling). The problem is I have very little time to do all the damn HW/Essays/Etc. Needless to say my grades aren't straight As like in HS. So it all comes down to one questions really... Should I take off a year or two from traditional schooling (will still take any classes required by the state for my appraiser's license, but those a very few in number and very short). to work and save up money so I could then focus entirely on schooling?, OR try and do both at the same time, OR do you have some other opinion on what I whould do? Perhaps pursue some other type of schooling? Everyone seems to want me to get a 4 year degree, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want to do... Thanks guys and please let me know if you have any questions:cool:
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
I won't give advice, other than to say to really think about what you want, now and in the future. I have a 1 year certification from a tech school, in believe it or not business accounting. I dropped out of college, expecting to eventually go back. I never have seemed to find the time. As I near 40 I think about it a little more, I've got 20 years in the programming business, 16 in engineering related programming, 12 in state of the art real-time 3D programming. So really my degree wouldn't and didn't matter in actually doing my job. It does, however, affect my income, and my position at work. Under government contract, 75% of employees must be degreed in all advanced fields or work. So to keep me doing the work that I do, they must keep 3 BS degrees or one PHD to offset my lack of degree, even if that person(s) does no work whatsoever. My mistake was, when I left school to get a tech certification to prove I knew what I already knew, I made no realistic plans for how to go back to college. I could probably test out of most anything computer related they could throw me in college, and I currently write white pages that could have just as easily have been degree thesis projects. But going back would take time, time now means falling behind a rapidly changing industry. :sigh: I won't say don't take the job, I would have, and did, so that wouldn't be right. However, I want you to know my issues with the same decision 20 years ago. I would still repeat the same choices then, though I might make better plans for continuing eduction slowly, but continuously rather than having no college credit level education for 20 years. Know what you want, know what you need, and make the best decision for you that you can. Good luck! Jeff _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Let me share my story with you first... I am currently a freshment at Grand Valley State Univeristy in Michigan. For the fall semester I am curently taking 14 credits. Classes are "easy" however here is my problem. For the past 3 years I have been working with a Real Property Appraiser (residential & commercial). Initially I started out just fixing the computers, keeping the internet/LAN up and running etc. Starting 2 years ago I started to get really involved in the actual business. I have taken all the classes required by the State of Michigan to get my limited appraiser's license. I am now a major part of his entire operation and am making very good money. Over the next year or so I will be able to double or triple my earnings now that we have a full blown office (opening tomorrow). Along with my regular duties I am also running the website/intranet and ecommerce side of the business. This is a lot of work but it pays really well, has lots of perks, and I really love the work. All the above takes up 90% of my time. I am at my classes for a very short time (3 days a week this semester, was lucky during scheduling). The problem is I have very little time to do all the damn HW/Essays/Etc. Needless to say my grades aren't straight As like in HS. So it all comes down to one questions really... Should I take off a year or two from traditional schooling (will still take any classes required by the state for my appraiser's license, but those a very few in number and very short). to work and save up money so I could then focus entirely on schooling?, OR try and do both at the same time, OR do you have some other opinion on what I whould do? Perhaps pursue some other type of schooling? Everyone seems to want me to get a 4 year degree, but I am not 100% sure that is what I want to do... Thanks guys and please let me know if you have any questions:cool:
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
In addition to what has been said so far, which I agree with completely, I think you should consider your family situation. If you are single right now, you have the greatest bandwitdth for doing several things at once i.e. full-time job and school. When you get married and have kids, your priorities will adjust, school may become even more dificult to fit in. If you allready have children, maybe putting school off for a later time is better, especially if those children are young. Overall, for long term stability I think you should not stop going to school completely. If this job bottoms out on you, having a degree offers credentials that will help you get a job. Many people have opinions on the usefulness of a degree, and to some level I agree. But I also think the the degree gives you credentials that are invaluable. In fact, in an interview stating that while you worked full-time you persued your degree part-time, shows dedication. A lot of people do that. Bottom line: Keep working on the job that you are enjoying, while making it clear to your employer that your degree is important to you and he will have to accomodate you by being reasonably flexible. (right now you can be a little demanding because you are financially able to walk away from the job) Being financially able to walk away is the situation that keeps the doors open for you. Don't buy a house or expensive car on credit that will require you to maintain an steady income - not until you are sure you could go out and get another source of income rather easily.
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Steve, Since you already have your feet in the "career" world, is it really necessary for you to have a 4 year degree? Certainly your contribution to the company, your experience, and your interest in what you are doing speaks volumes about your value to the organization. That will certainly continue without a degree. The only problem I see is if the bottom falls out and you end up on the street. A future employer might say: "Sure you've got real, practical, applicable experience, and sure you can do the work ... but ... you don't have a degree. I'm sorry." Is that likely to happen? Maybe. Maybe not. That's where you'll have to make the determination. If that's going to be the view of an employer, you may not want to work for them anyway. In which case, use what you've got and do something else. But, like high school players going to the NBA, or college football players leaving early for the NFL, we can't really fault them for taking the step to making huge sums of money. They can come back and get a degree later. And so can you. I don't see that a 4 year degree is really an asset to you right now. Good luck, Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
David Chamberlain wrote: The only problem I see is if the bottom falls out and you end up on the street. The good part is I do not see this happening for a very long time, if ever. The guy I'm working with has been in the business for a long time and the worst we ever have is the occasional slow, and slow for us is still profitable :) David Chamberlain wrote: They can come back and get a degree later. And so can you. I don't see that a 4 year degree is really an asset to you right now. Exactly my view right now.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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I know exactly how hard a situation this can be. I am currently going to school full time for my Master's Degree, working full time, trying to build a business part-time, and raising a family. A few of my instructors and co-workers have told me that I have way too many full-times in there. If you work full-time and go to school full-time as well, your headed into nothing but trouble. It may work for the first couple of years, but when you get to the upper division courses your grades will really drop off. Everyone rants about how great a college degree is, but when I got my B.S. Computer Engineering degree, I found out just how worthless they can be. What you have with that appraiser job is solid gold, hold on to it as tight as possible. Learn everything you can about real estate and business, stockpile your assets and get ahead in life while you can! After what I just said many would ask why am I getting my Master's Degree. The simple answer is that this particular degree teaches very specific useful information that I need to run business operations more smoothly, but I still fee that the B.S. was absolutely worthless, especially after the whole outsourcing thing. That's my advice, take it or leave it. Good Luck! Daniel Petersen President Pulsar Enterprises, L.L.C. www.pulsarenterprises.com
Thank you sir, very helpful.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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IMO, all a degree does is tell people that you've spent time learning things that are now or will shortly be obsolete. Yes, even fundamental design practices are being obsoleted. Work experience, IMO, tells people that you know about today's problems and can solve them. I took two years at a community college in 1980/81, dropped out, and never looked back. Learning in places that teach to the (s)lowest common denominator is simply not for me. Marc MyXaml Advanced Unit Testing
Right to the point. That's what I love about you Marc ;) Thank you for your input.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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Why beat yourself up? It sounds as if you love what you're doing - Real Estate Appraisal - and have a good career building in that field. Don't knock it! One of my dad's careers was as an appraiser and he thoroughly enjoyed it. And it's not a field subject to massive layoffs as all of the technical trades appear to be. People are always buying and selling, in good times and bad, and appraisals are a necessary service. I wouldn't drop out of school, though. It's too hard to go back once you've fallen into the comfy rut of good pay and long hours at the office. Instead, cut back on your school load so that it seems more a relaxing and interesting hobby than a major effort. Why not take 4 units each term instead of 14 - 18? So what if it takes 10 years to get that sheepskin? What's your hurry, kid?:-D There're lots of :rose::rose::rose: out there - take the time to smell them.;) "If it's Snowbird season, why can't we shoot them?" - Overheard in a bar in Bullhead City
Roger Wright wrote: not take 4 units each term instead of 14 - 18? So what if it takes 10 years to get that sheepskin? What's your hurry, kid? At this school it is financially unwise to only take 4 credits. No matter how I look at it it seems you are going to pay for 12 credits no matter what. Roger Wright wrote: Instead, cut back on your school load so that it seems more a relaxing and interesting hobby than a major effort I'll try and do that... Thanks for your input.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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In addition to what has been said so far, which I agree with completely, I think you should consider your family situation. If you are single right now, you have the greatest bandwitdth for doing several things at once i.e. full-time job and school. When you get married and have kids, your priorities will adjust, school may become even more dificult to fit in. If you allready have children, maybe putting school off for a later time is better, especially if those children are young. Overall, for long term stability I think you should not stop going to school completely. If this job bottoms out on you, having a degree offers credentials that will help you get a job. Many people have opinions on the usefulness of a degree, and to some level I agree. But I also think the the degree gives you credentials that are invaluable. In fact, in an interview stating that while you worked full-time you persued your degree part-time, shows dedication. A lot of people do that. Bottom line: Keep working on the job that you are enjoying, while making it clear to your employer that your degree is important to you and he will have to accomodate you by being reasonably flexible. (right now you can be a little demanding because you are financially able to walk away from the job) Being financially able to walk away is the situation that keeps the doors open for you. Don't buy a house or expensive car on credit that will require you to maintain an steady income - not until you are sure you could go out and get another source of income rather easily.
Bob Flynn wrote: If you are single right now, I am Bob Flynn wrote: If you allready have children Heck no Bob Flynn wrote: Bottom line: Keep working on the job that you are enjoying, while making it clear to your employer that your degree is important to you and he will have to accomodate you by being reasonably flexible. (right now you can be a little demanding because you are financially able to walk away from the job) Here is the interesting part. I probably should have mentioned that I own 1/3 of the company. So walking away basically means throwing away a (in my view) life long career that is already set and waiting for me. Thanks for the input.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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Roger Wright wrote: not take 4 units each term instead of 14 - 18? So what if it takes 10 years to get that sheepskin? What's your hurry, kid? At this school it is financially unwise to only take 4 credits. No matter how I look at it it seems you are going to pay for 12 credits no matter what. Roger Wright wrote: Instead, cut back on your school load so that it seems more a relaxing and interesting hobby than a major effort I'll try and do that... Thanks for your input.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
Steve McLenithan wrote: At this school it is financially unwise to only take 4 credits. No matter how I look at it it seems you are going to pay for 12 credits no matter what. If the degree requirements don't change too often, even if it is twice the cost per credit hour, you are still looking at the long-term investment. It won't suddenly get easier to go back for a degree later. That I promise you. We have a new evening degree program opening at our tiny town branch college I am seriously considering. It actually is not directly field related, it is movie 3D graphics rather than scientific. Still, it is applicable and I do presentation graphics at work several times a year, and gives me an alternate field should this close. I am starting to seriously consider it. It means an hour a night, and half my weekends for 2 years, still at this point it doesn't sound bad to me. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Steve McLenithan wrote: At this school it is financially unwise to only take 4 credits. No matter how I look at it it seems you are going to pay for 12 credits no matter what. If the degree requirements don't change too often, even if it is twice the cost per credit hour, you are still looking at the long-term investment. It won't suddenly get easier to go back for a degree later. That I promise you. We have a new evening degree program opening at our tiny town branch college I am seriously considering. It actually is not directly field related, it is movie 3D graphics rather than scientific. Still, it is applicable and I do presentation graphics at work several times a year, and gives me an alternate field should this close. I am starting to seriously consider it. It means an hour a night, and half my weekends for 2 years, still at this point it doesn't sound bad to me. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Would you recomend instead going to a small college instead of the full blown local university.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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I won't give advice, other than to say to really think about what you want, now and in the future. I have a 1 year certification from a tech school, in believe it or not business accounting. I dropped out of college, expecting to eventually go back. I never have seemed to find the time. As I near 40 I think about it a little more, I've got 20 years in the programming business, 16 in engineering related programming, 12 in state of the art real-time 3D programming. So really my degree wouldn't and didn't matter in actually doing my job. It does, however, affect my income, and my position at work. Under government contract, 75% of employees must be degreed in all advanced fields or work. So to keep me doing the work that I do, they must keep 3 BS degrees or one PHD to offset my lack of degree, even if that person(s) does no work whatsoever. My mistake was, when I left school to get a tech certification to prove I knew what I already knew, I made no realistic plans for how to go back to college. I could probably test out of most anything computer related they could throw me in college, and I currently write white pages that could have just as easily have been degree thesis projects. But going back would take time, time now means falling behind a rapidly changing industry. :sigh: I won't say don't take the job, I would have, and did, so that wouldn't be right. However, I want you to know my issues with the same decision 20 years ago. I would still repeat the same choices then, though I might make better plans for continuing eduction slowly, but continuously rather than having no college credit level education for 20 years. Know what you want, know what you need, and make the best decision for you that you can. Good luck! Jeff _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Thanks for the info.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
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IMO, all a degree does is tell people that you've spent time learning things that are now or will shortly be obsolete. Yes, even fundamental design practices are being obsoleted. Work experience, IMO, tells people that you know about today's problems and can solve them. I took two years at a community college in 1980/81, dropped out, and never looked back. Learning in places that teach to the (s)lowest common denominator is simply not for me. Marc MyXaml Advanced Unit Testing
Marc Clifton wrote: IMO, all a degree does is tell people that you've spent time learning things that are now or will shortly be obsolete. Yes, even fundamental design practices are being obsoleted. But things you learned at work will become obsolete, too. The academic training from formal schools can be important, at least for some (70% ?) people. If he already has a lot of work experiences, then getting a degree will be relatively more important to him. It is much harder to go back to school at later stages of life.[
My articles and software tools
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David Chamberlain wrote: The only problem I see is if the bottom falls out and you end up on the street. The good part is I do not see this happening for a very long time, if ever. The guy I'm working with has been in the business for a long time and the worst we ever have is the occasional slow, and slow for us is still profitable :) David Chamberlain wrote: They can come back and get a degree later. And so can you. I don't see that a 4 year degree is really an asset to you right now. Exactly my view right now.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
Steve McLenithan wrote: The good part is I do not see this happening for a very long time, if ever. The guy I'm working with has been in the business for a long time ... Ahhhhh, youth. What a wonderful thing. Beyond the bottom falling out, you may also want to consider expecting the unexpected. What happens if this guy has a heart attack? Where does that leave you? What if a better opportunity shows itself where you need a degree? Are you willing to forego that just to hold onto what you have now? My rule of thumb is to try to keep open as many options as you can. If you drop out of school now, that may be alright for a while, but if you have to go back, can you easily pick up where you left off? If you back off from school, and cut your class load down to a minimal level (I don't know how much a load 14 hours is), then you continue to work toward a degree, as well as being able to say "I am working toward a degree." That eases the time crunch and provides you with a degree when you're done. What happens when you meet a wonderful person with whom you want to build a family? Are you going to have (make) time for that, while working and going to school? Will you be in a position in a few years where you can go to school full time without needing to work? What if your parents get sick? While these are all purely hypothetical events, any of them are possible. You can read countless postings in the lounge that describe exactly these unexpected situations. Your decision should be based on the best way to prepare yourself for any of them happening. Manipulate your world to keep open all the options that you can. Good luck, Dave "You can say that again." -- Dept. of Redundancy Dept.
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Would you recomend instead going to a small college instead of the full blown local university.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
Steve McLenithan wrote: Would you recomend instead going to a small college instead of the full blown local university. tough call... in my case I don't need the degree to do my job, it hasn't surved any purpose. I might actually learn the Microsoft side of programming; but I don't do any systems specific coding, and portible graphics techniques with an emphasis on real-time 3D is done in only a handful of colleges nationwide. I am not going to move to a big city and give up my job for a degree, especially this late in life. But the paper comes in handy to show you can put with red-tape and annoying rules. Especially in any career choice that involves lots of red-tape and annoying rules.... :laugh: _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Bob Flynn wrote: If you are single right now, I am Bob Flynn wrote: If you allready have children Heck no Bob Flynn wrote: Bottom line: Keep working on the job that you are enjoying, while making it clear to your employer that your degree is important to you and he will have to accomodate you by being reasonably flexible. (right now you can be a little demanding because you are financially able to walk away from the job) Here is the interesting part. I probably should have mentioned that I own 1/3 of the company. So walking away basically means throwing away a (in my view) life long career that is already set and waiting for me. Thanks for the input.
This demographic will quite happily click on shiny things however:laugh:
Found on Bash.org [erno] hm. I've lost a machine.. literally _lost_. it responds to ping, it works completely, I just can't figure out where in my apartment it is.
Steve McLenithan wrote: If you are single right now, I am okay, here's my first real advice.... ;) stay that way. :laugh: _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)