College or no College?

[Celerity]

I went to visit a friend of mine at UCONN last night, to help her with her homework.

Unfortunately, "Biology Homework" was what I had in mind - but only figuratively.

Anyway, I'm helping her with her homework, and she's turning to me for her answer. Complex coursework, which I've been asked to keep under my hat. Either which way her class is so new that there is no bookwork. Only by reading science publications (Like the New England Journal of Medicine and other newspaper / science whitesheet stuff (Not like reading Discover while sitting on the can)) I was able to not only keep up with her 2nd year work, but I can practically teach this stuff.

Biology. I love it. It was a strong subject of mine. I met with others in her research class (Only a handful of students on the project, which is lead by a high-profile professor touring the world in stem cell research and cloning) And my ability impressed even him.

"What school did you attend?" Is a question I frequently get. And the answer is the same - high school and I actually have the ability to perform research (Learn vs be taught).

But now I'm inspired to change all of that. I am thinking of attending a college full time. And I need help justifying the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I've learned all throughout my life.

I've learned that College is a complete waste of time. All of my friends went, excelled, only to be kicked out for not paying or drop out because of something else. All the people I know that have been through College (Like my ex, who with an Art degree makes $12 in her field) have 0 benefit from the whole experience. And then have mega-bills to pay off after the fact.

I'm really good at science. Biology, Chemistry, Physics and even theoretical sciences like quantum probability, chaos theory and quantum geometry. I simply LOVE this stuff. But I had never envisioned myself as a researcher or pro in these fields. (Last night I pointed out a missing mieopic cell division stage in this guy's work, and now my finding is submitted to the board for permanent correction)(Specifically Metaphase2 straight gene pair body expulsion). I think I may be able to make it big in a college environment and be on my way to some exciting kinds of degrees.

But in my life I've made a ton of cash (Yeah, it was dot-com, but hey), I've out-developed my peers, I've sold patents. All without the benefit of expensive and trudging college coursework. I simply figured that college wasn't for me, and that my success lie only in my own efforts.

Well now that my prime is gone for momey making and technological breakthroughs - I'm focusing on "The next big thing". I want to get into the privatized space-ship building field. It's our next dot-com.

MY reasoning is this: All the private sector x-prize entries and beyond are being headed by and designed by ... Complete Amateurs. Like the cloning coursework I reviewed last night - There is no book written on the subject because these college students will be writing the books !

So I postulate that College isn't necessary for what I need to do, but it would be fun. I could go in for physics, propulsion, mechanical engineering, anything I wanted to compete in this field. I'm also pretty sure I have what it takes to do it / hell - Teach it.


So the poll: College or no College ?

-> Steve

(Edit: You know, I'm looking here, and that slash shouldn't be there)

 

[sloazcrx]

Sounds like you want to go, so I say FUCK IT and go. You can't put a price tag on knowledge (even if the schools try too).

 

[kaishaku]

I enjoy it because of the relaxed atmosphere and the fact that I'm learning a lot of things that I would otherwise lack the motivation to learn on my own. Also, my scholarships exceed the actual cost of tuition.

I'm a big fan of everyone going to college if possible, but in your case:
1) You might be bored by all of the general education requirements, which would definitely be mindnumbingly simple from your description of yourself
2) "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

If you're making big cash and like what you're doing, cool. The degree would be a cool thing to fall back on, however.

 

[phunky.buddha]

Go to college. Not to discount your intelligence, but just because you're able to point out a few things here and there and learn some on your own doesn't mean that you have a solid foundation to be a leader in your field. A well constructed degree program will ensure that you DO have that background, plus it gives you that stamp of approval that is so important in our world. If you want to be an industry leader, you either need to start off with solid credentials showing your past accomplishments, or have the degree to show that you have some minimum standard of knowledge about what you're doing.

I went to school for Mechanical Engineering, and yeah- a lot of the stuff you "learn" in school you probably know enough about to get by in day to day stuff, but there's SO much more detail and technical info that you get. My thought process today when I'm analyzing something is completely different today than it would have been before I went to school, and it's better for it.

The degree is really worth it, especially in technical fields. Go and get it.

 

[number9]

Originally posted by Celerity@Oct 9 2003, 02:15 PM
I'm focusing on "The next big thing".

Perhaps you should study the common denominator of all the sciences: mathematics. That's what I did.

Oh, and take an English course or two while you're at it. The period goes inside of the quotation mark.

 

[Airjockie]

 

[Tonyd0821]

just drop out of college and take a normal blue collar job in society, get married have a few kids, work your ass off for 40 some odd years and retire.

at least you wont fail at that if college is too hard, and too much work for you....

we all know how horrible, and hard and tedious college is.

4 years of your life, making minimum wage at various shit jobs while you study your ass off in college....

what a rip huh? :roll:

 

[smooth_criminal]

I would say go to school. While you bring up great points, knowledge is what will give you a solid base always with something to fall back on. I'm 22 and never went to collage. I'm very much like you're self in the aspect of learning on you're own instread of having someone teach me. I made a great living for myself at my age 3x,xxxx with full paid health, dental and optical. And i myself came to this same cross roads last year when i started taking night classes. All i can say is it would be better to have tried and failed (or not have liked it) then to never have tried at all. (can't remember who's quote this was)

 

[Celerity]

Well, What I'm saying is that I never went to college. Between the ages of 18 and 24 I made over $500,000 as a networking engineer, and sold two patents. After that I joined in telecomm before and during the Dot-Com economy and made $2400 - $3000 weekly. Then I was turned on to Consulting where I worked 4 months out of the year and made $40k-$65k yearly doing basically nothing.

Then Sprint offered me a job in Reston Virginia, which I turned down. Things have been downhill since then.

-> Steve

By the way, lots of you have neat points to state - And I'm taking all of this in. Calesta, Kaishaku thanks for the words and ideas.

Airjockie gets a slap upside the head when I see him.

 

[Tonyd0821]

....

i didnt know ur situation...

fuck college. from what you are saying, in my opinion, you got WAY more skills that college will ever give you.

stick to ur computer shit and make money that way.

id fucking skin every single cat alive in the world if i could instantly get the skills and knowledge that you got ....

 

[phunky.buddha]

Originally posted by Celerity@Oct 9 2003, 04:55 PM
By the way, lots of you have neat points to state - And I'm taking all of this in. Calesta, Kaishaku thanks for the words and ideas.

Tony has a valid point there too- but getting the degree will fill in any "holes" you have in your bank of knowledge right now, and will prepare you to face the stuff that you don't know about yet. Being able to say you have a college degree really matters a lot too, especially when applying for a job. It's a little difficult to go to a potential employer and say "I know how to do all this stuff, but I never went to school... hire me over someone else who got a degree and knows how to do all the same stuff too." Not good.

 

[Stock91GT]

Go if you know what you want to do. I have a bunch of friends with degrees they don't even use. Then again, those w/ degrees still make more than those w/o.

 

[Airjockie]

Slap all you want...I called you today to tell you to come over so I can adjust your valves...but all I got was your answering machine....

Anyways....

College requires money.....student loans will help you, but they will kill you later..like me.

Just get that damn Sikorsky job page set as your home page when you open up the internet....and watch it for any jobs you can perform..EVERYDAY....then you will have money, and free college....from the day you start work, also medical benifits start as well, 401K don't start till one year, but it is also worth the wait....I put in $50, and they put in $25....so 50% axtra for what you put in is not bad....actually, it's prolly the best...but your limited to $126 a week....when I retire...I am going to be rolling in the money.

 

[number9]

Steve,

Clayton makes a good point. There are a lot of employers who will foot the bill, provided you maintain a certain average. And there are several evening programs you can attend while working full time during the day. It's hard work, but do-able. I got a Master's degree that way. I didn't have a life for 2.5 years, but I have the degree (and the knowledge) and it's something that no one can take away from me.

Also, there's always going to be a class that's beneath you in terms of what you learn (or already know) - but there's always something you can learn in any class. Even if it's totally unrelated to the subject matter. It might be something as simple as how people interact, or how certain people behave under pressure.

Employers like to see the degree - sometimes regardless of what it's in - because it signifies that a person toughed it out and finished. Employers hate hiring people that leave in six months, especially if there's a lot of training involved.

Again, if you're not sure what to study, I'd suggest something that's "cross platform" in terms of applicability.

Good luck. It's a tough decision.

C.

 

[number9]

Originally posted by smooth_criminal@Oct 9 2003, 04:54 PM
All i can say is it would be better to have tried and failed (or not have liked it) then to never have tried at all. (can't remember who's quote this was)

"Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." -Tennison

 

[Celerity]

The Sikorsky jobs seem great, but rarely does an opportunity arise in that company. I'm going to have to wait for an assembly line position working 3rd shfit in order to get the prime classroom exposure I'm looking for.

I am looking though.

Several questions:

1) Do Colleges offer some sort of testing program - That can accelerate me beyond intro classes?
2) Do they have classes offered to that same person for retard-level? (For instance, I'm excellent at my chemistry, yet have never touched Trig)
3) Should I feel under pressure to get a substantial, full time job?

The idea of running out of money in the middle of my studies terrifies me. I have no backup, no golden parachute.


Also, every job I have ever gotten or applied for has required college degrees. I don't have them, but I manage to make my resume do the talking. Yes, I needed that one company to give me a shot - but I succeeded comfortably.


-> Steve

P.S. - Throughout my career as a Network Engineer I have taken tons of classes, certifications, That have done SHIT for me. (MSCE +i, CNE, MCP, LotusSphere) My experience with the whole system has been dismal at best - My intention is to change careers into something ... Well, Something that will get me into outerspace

 

[phunky.buddha]

Originally posted by Celerity@Oct 9 2003, 11:18 PM
1) Do Colleges offer some sort of testing program - That can accelerate me beyond intro classes?
2) Do they have classes offered to that same person for retard-level? (For instance, I'm excellent at my chemistry, yet have never touched Trig)
3) Should I feel under pressure to get a substantial, full time job?

1. All the good universities do, and for the ones that aren't set up for testing- you can usually work out something with your department to prove that you know enough not to take a class.

2. Again, all the good universities do.

3. I wouldn't. To me, the education is the target, and most of academia feels that way too. If you're doing well in school, and you get in good with a few of your professors- they can usually scare up some job opportunities for you around campus, sometimes even doing part time research for them. Just chase the degree and don't worry too much about funding to begin with... even student loans have pretty low interest rates, and sometimes it's even more beneficial to pay off the minimum on student loans after you're out of school and invest your cash in something that gains more interest than you pay on what you owe.



There are tons of programs out there to help students that need money- just get into school first and then start looking at funding. Something always comes up, especially if you're able to excel in your classes.

 

[posol]

do it.

i dropped out, and regret it.

im now stuck making 20/hr in a dead end job. not too shabby for a 23 yr old, but still, its doubtfull i really have a chance to go anywhere higher.

if you want to go to space, join the air force. its the easiest way to get into nasa.

 

[94RedSiGal]

Steve: There should be scholarships and such available for you to apply for. One of my friends went to RISD on a full scholarship because they were so impressed with his attitude and life experiences (he entered college in his early 30's). Some colleges like to invest in people that they think will do them proud after they graduate.

My dad took courses in higher math at UC Davis a few years ago, just as soon as he qualified as a California resident. He loved his courses in chaos theory.

Chip: It's Tennyson. It's okay, as you were a Math major.

 

[94RedSiGal]

Originally posted by pissedoffsol@Oct 10 2003, 01:07 AM
i dropped out, and regret it.

im now stuck making 20/hr in a dead end job. not too shabby for a 23 yr old, but still, its doubtfull i really have a chance to go anywhere higher.

You're ONLY 23. It's never too late to go back to school. Remember that. Sometimes it's better later on when one is more focused. Follow what makes you happy.