Question:
Hey guys. I've been tossing this around for a bit and was hoping to get some feedback.
I grew up in the middle-class suburban lifestyle and went to well-funded schools on a college-prep track in high school. The expectation from family, school, peers, etc. was that I should go to college after graduating. So I did.
I'm halfway through my second year. Maybe this happens to everyone at this time but I'm starting to doubt if I even want to be here. Let me explain.
I've always admired skilled-trade workers (carpenters, electricians, plumbers, heating & cooling specialists, machinists, etc.) and all the "manual labor" jobs I've had I really enjoyed and felt satisfied with. There is nothing like working with your hands outside and earning an honest days' wage.
There is nothing I admire about the middle-class suburban lifestyle - big house, multiple cars, stock options, gym membership, etc. I do not want to work in an office. I do not want to earn $90K a year and not feel like I earned it. Problem is, college is preparing me for just that.
They say a college education is "essential" these days but essential for what? A middle-class suburban lifestyle? I don't want that. So is it really essential? Or is having a college degree - even if you have no intentions of going into the field you majored in - never a bad thing?
Basically I'm chewing on the idea of finishing the year and then entering an apprenticeship in something and going that direction versus finishing school.
What do you guys thing?
BTW I have 4 semesters left after this one (graduating after fall semester 2008 - two years from next month).
Answer:
Hmmm, that's a massive decision to make.
At the moment I'm in college doing Computing, Maths, Physics and Chemistry and hating every minute of it, but I've only got 2 years left and I know that if I put in 2 years of effort then it could really pay off for the rest of my life.
Do you have the option of finishing your college course and then doing an apprenticeship? Then you would at least be able to fall back on the `office` job if the apprenticeship goes badly. Don't put all of your eggs in one basket unless you have to.
Answer:
Try supporting a family off of what you would make "working with your hands." Unless you are important in your field of work, owner of a business that does good, honest work or your boss throws money at you as though you were a stripper, you'll be strapped.
That's what I've always seen. You can be successful at it, of course. But from the exposure I had with people who have that kind of job, it's a push to really support themselves, unless you are working in a technical field (like fiberoptics), which can still be hands-on but often requires more than a high school diploma.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Epaphras Or is having a college degree - even if you have no intentions of going into the field you majored in - never a bad thing?
Basically I'm chewing on the idea of finishing the year and then entering an apprenticeship in something and going that direction versus finishing school.
What do you guys thing? You're already halfway done, I'd finish it up. Having a degree in anything is never a bad thing. While a major indicates a specialty, a degree confers more of an ability to think to employers. This isn't to say that skilled laborers aren't critical thinkers, but that the general world sees "degree = education" and "education = good".
As Moon Boots said, is doing another doing years of school before your apprenticeship going to hold you back in any way? If not, there's nothing wrong with having a degree AND working with your hands. Lots of people have degrees and work in fields that have nothing to do with their major. Heck...Dolph Lundgren (the Russian in the film Rocky IV) has a master's in Chemical Engineering...but he decided to take work outside of his major. It happens to alot of people.
Answer:
I would definitely finish your degree. I mean, your parents are paying for this right? If I were you, I would not want to let them down and drop out unless there was something really wrong with where I was (crazy legions of murderers walking the streets). If you drop out now, your parents might just chalk up your reasoning to being young and foolish. Not to mention, if for some reason you ever do change your mind, a college degree is a very valuable thing to have these days. And who knows, a college degree may even work in the manual labor job of your choice, simply because it says something about you and you may get better work or more credibility when you're advertising yourself to potential customers. And I would ditto what thesteve has said: there seems today to be a direct correlation in the public's minds between good and educated. So I see as sticking it out as only being something good.
Answer:
I would have to disagree with all the other posts on this thread. I too started, but never finished college. Most of these jobs that you have listed are union jobs and you will make very good money working in the union. I have a union job and am making more than twice what I would be making in the same field if I weren't union. When it comes down to it, you need to ask yourself if you really need to know all the "stuff" they try and cram in your head in college or go into an apprenticeship and learn only what you need to know for your trade. Will you get enjoyment working behind a desk everyday for the rest of your life or will you be more satisfied working an "average" job. I say "average" because all the jobs that you listed are necessary for everyone else to live their comfortable lives. If you think about it, they'll rely on you more than you will rely on them. Just my thoughts. I'm happy doing what I'm doing.
Answer:
Personally I don't see a huge need for college. I've been pondering the same things that you posted (the original post). I haven't started yet. I'm a senior in High School this year and I can get a full scholarship for a 2 yr. degree at the community college and then transfer for 2 years for something else at the state college-MSU/UofM (also free). I don't know if I'm going to or not.
But, Since you're already half-way through it's a tough decision.
2 more years is a lot of time though...
Answer:
Finishing your degree will give you a better chance of getting hired and also the option to change your mind in the future.
Answer:
I'd also have to say finish it up. You'll have the opportunity to do a manual labor job when you get out of college, but you probably won't have the opportunity to go to college as easily as you can now if you drop out now. Keep your options open by finishing it up.
Man, I'm starting to sound like my dad...
Answer:
I don't have much advice regarding at the moment, but I would like to lift you up in prayer.
-In Prayer-
Answer:
Wouldn't engineering get you both?
It is easy to say that you do not want a nice lifestyle when you have one. When you lose it, you might see differently. There are things that you will need and your family will need them too if you decide to have a family. There are medical bills too. Money makes things easier.
You are young and healthy now, but I think that it would be very hard to lay bricks when you are 57 years old. Your body will give you trouble somewhere along the line, I think.
I would say, educate yourself in the direction that you know that you would like to go. Even in hands on jobs, those who can do more with their minds earn a better wage. You can take a job for less as a choice but without the skills, you will not be able to move into a position that pays more.
It will be harder to go back to school after you leave. On the other hand, these days, most of us keep going to school throughout our lives. We have to keep going to school to stay abreast of technology.
Answer:
Get your education. I work construction right now, and while I do genuinely enjoy it, it's not something that you can do forever. My boss (who also happens to be my pastor) is 38 years old, and already complains about different parts of his body aching after a days work, and he usually doesn't even work full 8 hour days. Granted, we build and remodel houses, which is harder physically than running wires or pipes, but any sort of manual labor will wear on your eventually.
I'm in the position now where I'm 24, and would like to go to college, but its MUCH harder now than it would have been had I just gone right out of high school. Now I live on my own, and have to support myself by working full time, which doesn't leave much room to go to school.
However, I wouldn't discredit the amount of money you can make as a tradesman if you're good at what you do. Perhaps its just because I live in an area that's rather wealthy, but I know quite a few carpenters making 90k a year, or more. Obviously when you start out, you won't make near that much, but if you get to the point where you can run your own crew, you can make a very decent income.
If I were in your shoes, however, I would finish your degree. If you get your degree and still want to get into a trade, you could do it easily enough, but it would be much more difficult to finish your degree if you decided that trade work isn't for you.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Epaphras Hey guys. I've been tossing this around for a bit and was hoping to get some feedback.
I grew up in the middle-class suburban lifestyle and went to well-funded schools on a college-prep track in high school. The expectation from family, school, peers, etc. was that I should go to college after graduating. So I did.
I'm halfway through my second year. Maybe this happens to everyone at this time but I'm starting to doubt if I even want to be here. Let me explain.
I've always admired skilled-trade workers (carpenters, electricians, plumbers, heating & cooling specialists, machinists, etc.) and all the "manual labor" jobs I've had I really enjoyed and felt satisfied with. There is nothing like working with your hands outside and earning an honest days' wage.
There is nothing I admire about the middle-class suburban lifestyle - big house, multiple cars, stock options, gym membership, etc. I do not want to work in an office. I do not want to earn $90K a year and not feel like I earned it. Problem is, college is preparing me for just that.
They say a college education is "essential" these days but essential for what? A middle-class suburban lifestyle? I don't want that. So is it really essential? Or is having a college degree - even if you have no intentions of going into the field you majored in - never a bad thing?
Basically I'm chewing on the idea of finishing the year and then entering an apprenticeship in something and going that direction versus finishing school.
What do you guys thing?
BTW I have 4 semesters left after this one (graduating after fall semester 2008 - two years from next month). Stick with where you're at for now in order to keep your options open. If one day you have a wife and children to take care of and you need to make more money, a college degree will be very beneficial. Also, there are new things you might learn that would change your decision to quit college in the next couple of years, and it will be tough to come back. (For instance, I know several engineers who spent 15 years of their lives working "with their hands" as engineers, but once they got too old to do that were able to get management positions due to their degrees.)
Out of all the jobs I had, the "desk job" is the only one I have not absolutely loved, so I definitely empathize with you. At the same time, in college I worked construction one summer and want to emphasize that every single person there envied me like you will not believe. Why? Because I was a "college boy." Because I had the ability to get a "better" job than working construction. Every single one of them wished that they had been able to go to college. (This is especially important as you get older; a 30-year-old carpenter is fine, but what about a man in his 50s?)
Maybe you could work construction during the summers and go to college during the fall and spring -- then make a decision in two years. However, I do suggest that you finish your college degree now since you are so close.
Answer:
Originally Posted by cytorath I would have to disagree with all the other posts on this thread. I too started, but never finished college. Most of these jobs that you have listed are union jobs and you will make very good money working in the union. I have a union job and am making more than twice what I would be making in the same field if I weren't union. When it comes down to it, you need to ask yourself if you really need to know all the "stuff" they try and cram in your head in college or go into an apprenticeship and learn only what you need to know for your trade. Will you get enjoyment working behind a desk everyday for the rest of your life or will you be more satisfied working an "average" job. I say "average" because all the jobs that you listed are necessary for everyone else to live their comfortable lives. If you think about it, they'll rely on you more than you will rely on them. Just my thoughts. I'm happy doing what I'm doing.
You saved me a lot ot typing. I agree with you completely. While there is nothing wrong with college, you go there to be equipped to work in the "real world". If what you enjoy and want to spend your life doing could be learned better outside of college , then by all means go to a trade school and learn what you want to spend your life doing.
My dad worked most of his life doing what he hated because of circumstances I won't go in to. He was miserable. Having nice things is great, but having the ability to come home at the end of a day, happy and satisfied with the work of your hands, is MUCH better.
Also, having a college degree doesn't guarantee you a good job. I have a degree, graduated top of my class, and when I tried to find a job (at my age as someone has implied it will help) it didn't help me one bit. Of all the places I applied, the one interested in me was the high school because of my having home schooled my kids. I don't make much money, but I love what I am doing. My neighbor has 5 college degrees and she was working in a florist shop arranging flowers. So while it sounds good that a degree is something you can always " fall back on " , sometimes it counts for very little.
I say take a year away from the degree, go to a trade school of your choice learning to do well what you love, and if in the future it doesn't work, you can always go back and finish the degree.
Answer:
Originally Posted by H.M. Murdock Try supporting a family off of what you would make "working with your hands." Unless you are important in your field of work, owner of a business that does good, honest work or your boss throws money at you as though you were a stripper, you'll be strapped.
That's what I've always seen. You can be successful at it, of course. But from the exposure I had with people who have that kind of job, it's a push to really support themselves, unless you are working in a technical field (like fiberoptics), which can still be hands-on but often requires more than a high school diploma.
After watching my dad for years doing work he hated, I would have gladly had nothing and been able to see him come home at the end of the day happy with what he was doing.