Need some Advice (long)
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Typing mistake. I will modify the original comment. He he, Yeah that would be a screwed up world wouldn't it. :) - Drew
Thought so.
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
There is a large difference between a community college degree and a university degree. Every community college I know of teaches you what it will take to get a job today. Universities teach you fundamentals that don't change, and expect you to get a job by applying fundamentals to the real world. The world may change a lot, but the laws of physics are the same. Knowing todays buzzwords won't help tommorow. An O(n!) algorithm will always be slow, not matter how fast the computer. However knowing how to analyise an algorithm won't help you get a job with someone who only knows buzzwords.
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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.
Go for the degree. There are some doors that are closed to you just because you don't have it. Although there are some places that won't hire you because you are over qualified that problem isn't as bad as they make it sound. You don't need it now, but it looks good on your buisness cards if you can put it on. You may wake up one morning and discover you HATE your job (this is common), and the degree gives you options. Do not take more credits than you can handle. I'd for go for the degree, but there is no hurry. Drop down to part time. If you can only take 4 credits at a time and still keep your grades up, then you just end up with a 4 year degree taking 10. (I strongly recomend summer school, it is more fun than regular classes and you learn the same thing) Maybe it is 6 or 8 credits that you can take. Find out what works for you. If it isn't too late drop some classes so that you get better grades. I did this a couple times myself, every time I took more than 14 credits I droped one class half way through to get under that mark. Ended up paying full price for it, but that is better than a F. It sounds like your are working for yourself. Do not be afraid to turn down work! Perhaps you can work 30 hours in your job, pay bills, and take classes. Perhaps you can plan things so that you work more hours early in the quarter/semester, and less as finals approach. (but do try to finish homework early) See what works for you. Get the degree though, if nothing else you can say you have it.
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Go for the degree. There are some doors that are closed to you just because you don't have it. Although there are some places that won't hire you because you are over qualified that problem isn't as bad as they make it sound. You don't need it now, but it looks good on your buisness cards if you can put it on. You may wake up one morning and discover you HATE your job (this is common), and the degree gives you options. Do not take more credits than you can handle. I'd for go for the degree, but there is no hurry. Drop down to part time. If you can only take 4 credits at a time and still keep your grades up, then you just end up with a 4 year degree taking 10. (I strongly recomend summer school, it is more fun than regular classes and you learn the same thing) Maybe it is 6 or 8 credits that you can take. Find out what works for you. If it isn't too late drop some classes so that you get better grades. I did this a couple times myself, every time I took more than 14 credits I droped one class half way through to get under that mark. Ended up paying full price for it, but that is better than a F. It sounds like your are working for yourself. Do not be afraid to turn down work! Perhaps you can work 30 hours in your job, pay bills, and take classes. Perhaps you can plan things so that you work more hours early in the quarter/semester, and less as finals approach. (but do try to finish homework early) See what works for you. Get the degree though, if nothing else you can say you have it.
I think this is exactly what I am going to do. The only downside is that I'm going to have to buy my own health insurance, but I'll take that over being stress crazed all the time. Thanks
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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There is a large difference between a community college degree and a university degree. Every community college I know of teaches you what it will take to get a job today. Universities teach you fundamentals that don't change, and expect you to get a job by applying fundamentals to the real world. The world may change a lot, but the laws of physics are the same. Knowing todays buzzwords won't help tommorow. An O(n!) algorithm will always be slow, not matter how fast the computer. However knowing how to analyise an algorithm won't help you get a job with someone who only knows buzzwords.
Henry miller wrote: Every community college I know of teaches you what it will take to get a job today. Well, 20 years ago, this didn't seem like the case, at least for me. However, I would still recommend community college and I think it's a great way of taking care of the general ed requirements while figuring out what is you really want to do without it costing an arm and a leg. Henry miller wrote: The world may change a lot, but the laws of physics are the same. Hehe, not necessarily! Einstein changed the world view of physics with relativity, then Feinman and company with quantum physics. Henry miller wrote: An O(n!) algorithm will always be slow, not matter how fast the computer. Definitely a good point. There's definitely a balance between being exposed to problems and their solutions so you know when you're faced with one, vs. "just in time learning". JITL only works if you realize you need to learn something new to begin with. Marc MyXaml Advanced Unit Testing
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I think this is exactly what I am going to do. The only downside is that I'm going to have to buy my own health insurance, but I'll take that over being stress crazed all the time. Thanks
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.
That's great! It can get rough and I agree with the dropping classes if you need to. I just had to drop/add a class because the teacher was a little over the edge about what they were teaching and I didn't want to deal with that right now. I don't know where you live but Blue Cross seems to have good individual plans. - Drew