vette dude Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 well fellas, I figured this would be a good place to ask for advice like this, so here it goes. I am in college right now, and i am faced with two options, I can stay here in Corpus Chrisit, and finish up my degree next year, provided i go to suimmer school and continue taking my coarse overload. I am curently studying Mechanical engineering, and i only have a year and a half left for this. However , my delema/decission is this, i can also head off to another school, most likely the University of Texas in Austin, or Texas A&M College station, and get my major in construction manageent, with a second major in Mechanical, if i so wish. I like both fields, I will be workking for my dad if i do the construction management, or i will be working for someone else if i stick with the mechanical. However when i switch to the construction management, it means that i will be spending another two years in school. I really don't particularly enjoy school, so i dunno. The money, and chance to start a job after next year is verry tempting. anyone here been in a similar situation, or have any advic, sugestions would be much apreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBSS Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 Since you are 3/4 of the way to a very respectable degree, I would say finish your BSME and then reassess when you are done with that. Very few (if any) organizations are going to look down on you for having a mechanical engineering degree....even construction firms. More likely, this will increase your earning potential across the board. You could still work for your dad with a BSME (your credential might even help him with certain projects or contracts depending on what kind of construction he does), or you could work for someone else for a while and get some experience. Then, after some time, you could go into business for yourself, if you're interested in that. I chose to get my bachelor's in a degree in an subject area that was not my first choice (Business), because it was a little faster than the program I wanted, and had better earning potential. It was because of this choice that I got into the working world a little quicker (I felt like I had some time to make up for because I was in the Navy for 6 years). Turns out this was a great choice. Right after graduation, I landed a job at a large firm with an excellent reputation and worked there for 2 years, getting some great experience. After that I decided to get my master's, and shortly after graduating, decided to start my own company. So, with what you've said, it seems like graduating ASAP and starting your working life would be a really good choice. If you loved school, that would be different - then switching to UT might be a good idea. But you've said you don't, so that means it might be best to get out ASAP. Even if you swapped to UT for other reasons (better school, reputation, night life, etc.), I would still recommend staying with the ME program, as this is a more marketable degree. You could always get into a credential program for construction later if you needed that training, and take some project management classes. You might not even need to do this if your dad was willing to train you. Bottom line though, you really can't screw up. No choice is a poor choice unless you're not being honest with yourself, or you're making choices to please other people. If you're trying to please dad or mom or your brother or society, you're going to end up disappointed and unhappy. Definitely follow your heart. Good luck - let us know what you decide to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vette dude Posted October 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 Thx for the advice, it is much apreciated.. I am thinking now, that i might just transfer to A&M college station, and stick with the mechanical classes, while picking up the construction management aswell. The Mechanical stuff is what I like to do, while i was thinking the construction management would be better for working for my dad, as he owns an industrial coatings business. I think alot of my disliking school is due to the fact that most of my good friends are off at other places such as A&M, I really enjoy the mechanical classes, it is just life is somewhat drab here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGMTech Posted October 31, 2004 Report Share Posted October 31, 2004 Well spoken NakedAv! Couldn't have said it better myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 Texas A&M and UT are both excellent schools. I suffered the same dilema years ago, and after living through it and working most of it out this is what I have come to believe as true: Whatever you do, just make sure you finish, and make sure that what you finish is ultimately personally important to you. Don't finish something you are only half-hearted about, because you will have just felt like you wasted your time/effort/money (even though you didn't) and seeded yourself with regrets. The most personally satisfying feeling one can have is to be able to say "I saw it through to the end because it was important to me to do so." If the course you are on does not give you that sense of purpose, go ahead and take a path in life that does. As Old Blue Eyes sang, "I Did It My Way". Most of us don't have all the money in the world. Many of us don't have all the patience or determination in the world. And none of us have all the time in the world. So my personal ethic is to choose only the activities (or people, or direction) that I honestly enjoy and feel a sense of purpose towards, and give that my 110% effort; everything you do deserves nothing less than your full attention. If working with your dad (your family) is important to you, then get the management degree. If getting out of school and on with your life is important to you, then finish the path you are on (as you said you like it). If ultimate earning potential and an unbounded future is what is important to you (my choice), then get the double major. What is important to you? What do you earnestly want to do? Waht are your dreams? Please do not think I am judging, any of these options would be a good path to take in life and an opporotunity many will never see. Please make the most of it by taking the choice that achieves you your dreams. (edit) But whatever you do, finish. Mr. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSminneapolis Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 if you plan on working for your old man....do your self a favor. get a couple of years experience outside of his company. it goes a long way, trust me. diving right into a faimly business is very difficult and ruin it all together if not done correctly. heck, if anything - you might find a job you like more. work there for a few years. make your way around a completely different industy and go back to work for your dad. then you would have a completely different perspective to provide... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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