Well Two years ago i got home from the airforce and started going to college. I knew how important college was to my sucess later in life. So for two years i studied , got good grades , payed for books. All that college stuff. For two years i worked my ass off. At the begining of this summer i was supposed to graduate. But i was told "no sorry you need four more classes". I register and pay for the classes. Only to find out the VA wont pay for them. Turns out i needed two and now its too late to fix it. I had to sit out of college for a few weeks awaiting to be allowed to take the next two courses. I sign up for geometery to pass the time (they had a spot availble). That teacher was stright off the boat from moscow, barely spoke english (the onyl language i speak besides fowl). I had to drop. So fall semster rolls around , i sign up for the 2 coarses i need to graduate and tell everyone "i will graduate in december". Well today i got a call saying "i hope you know that....." , turns out i needed four and now its too late to do anything about it. So if i signed up for spring classes i wouldnt graduate till next summer , one full year after i was supposed to.

All this and i find out where i go may not be "acredited" by the group i need it to be...Ive wasted 2 years of my life and 3/4 of my GI bill .....

I give up ....it just wasnt ment to be .....im gonna hire a lawyer and see what i can do ....but i think im screwed ....what a ****ing scam ...

I had so much hope , thought i was doing the right thing and was going to make my life beatter .....now .....i just know im doomed to park cars for the rest of my life .....Now where is that captian morgan ...

Let that be a lesson to you all , know what your college is , make sure there REALLY accreditied for what you need....know what your getting into .... i was in such a hurry to get started that i didnt pay attention to what matters ....now im paying for it BIG TIME....

It sounds frustrating, but don't go to college because you think it's some kind of golden key to better things later on. It's just an expensive piece of paper. In life it's not what you know, it's who you know. A college degree will just get you a good job working for someone else, which isn't really the key to wild success. I know plenty of very successful people who have never had anything beyond high school education. Find your niche doing what makes you happy. When your doing what you love for a living success finds you.

Jim

Turbo Jimmy is right. Even though you have that degree, its not worth anything at times. There are lots of solid professions you can get yourself into without a college degree. Trust me, people working full time at McDonalds sometimes have Ivy league school degrees because they can't get a job.

Don't sweat it buddy.

Ive really felt since i been there that i havent leanred anything. The most ive learned was in economics and in drafting ...outside that i got a's and b's just showing up for tests , it was all common sense ....
And yes , the whole reason i was going was so i could have that stupid peice of paper , my parents ever since i was little were all "college college college" and "education education education"...dad never got a degree and hes felt thats why he isnt with the big dogs when it comes to pay ...i want he good things in life , and i dont want to worry ever agin about being able to afford a bag of top ramen , when i lived in alaska that was my life for a few years ....i dont want to live like that again ...no one will hire anyone with less than a college education , they want a damned doctor and they want to pay him 6.15 per hour ....

Im happy where i work now , but i want to ensure that will get promoted and everything as i should ....and the way i understand life i wont unless i have that stupid peice of paper ....

price thu far for said paper , $21,376 and i havent gotten close to getting it yet ....

Quit bitching soldier. A degree isn't everything. Trust me. Search for an electricians apprenticeship. Electricians make 100k a year, and they aren't college educated.

shit if i picked up my wrenches again i could make that LOL ...

Where do you go to school?

a dipshit podunk community college here in floirda , def not a major university

on a side note , makes me really wish i did this as i originally planned ...i was gonna do all four years at USF ....but some ******* at the VA said "you could save money if you go to a community college"...turns out i spent more and will run out of VA money before i even go to a real college

Sorry to hear youve had to drop out

It is, as the others say, possible to make a good living without a degree

youre already a disel mechanic arent you stoney? maybe build on it? i dont know
you could have a future at the cadillac dealership, could you see yourself selling cadillacs one day?

good luck, and im again sorry to ehar about you dropping out.

I dropped out of college and make more than alot of doctors and lawyers. How do I know? I do their mortgages, so i know what everyone makes. The point is, not having a degree isnt the end of the world. Its just a different road.

I went to college for a year and a half. I took all kinds of courses from CAD, Calculus, British Literature, even Cinematography. While there, I got pretty heavily involved in working on my '66 Mustang, and my buddy's '76 TR6. After a while, the whole college thing just got old. I knew I would have to do something, so I started lloking at the automotive field, since working on car's has always been a huge hobby of mine. I eventually found UTI which has been around for almost 40 years, and had a great reputation. The harvard of automotive trade schools if you will. I went for it, and have now been accepted to the Mercede's Benz ELITE training program, and I'm going to the Orlando campus in the spring. I guess what I'm trying to say is, that just like RBraczyk and Jesda said, college isn't everything. Sometimes you just have to go with what you think is right, instead of what other people say is right. I heard the whole college speech growing up many times as well. "If you don't get a degree, you'll never get anywhere in life"...Hell, garbage men make more than most software engineers now. The market is so flooded, that many people just can't find work. I say focus on what you enjoy doing, and look for a career oportunity in that area. Your much more likely to be successful, if your doing somehting you enjoy for a living. Good Luck, hope everything works out. :thumbsup:

Don't give up Stoney! If you must, work your way through college. My dad came from a poor family, bussed tables to pay his way through college, and ended up being one of the best Journalists in the state. Now he works as head PR guy for the State Chamber of Commerce and hangs with all of the big wigs from Dillards, ALLTEL, Tyson, WalMart, etc. He plays golf with these guys for a living and has the time of his life! Of course, he had to work hard to get to this point, but he toughed it out and YOU CAN TOO SOLDIER!

Trust me, no matter how appealing a job at a Cadillac dealership may be, you will regret it, especially since you were SO close and gave up at the very end.

BTY, what are you studying?

Good Luck Stoney..... I know from my own experiences that sometimes life deals us some very crazy curves. You will decide what is best for you in the loong run. Make sure what ever you decide that you wait untill you are calm and can think it through. Sometimes I regret never finishing, but what the hell. Tom has never went to college and does very well. It's not always about what the paper says, but the type of worker you are. Well good luck in what ever your decision is, but remember that there is really no time limits only the ones you wish to put on yourself.

Sorry to hear that Stoney. I have a friend back home in MI who has a bachelor's degree in healthcare admin and he was working for 7.90 /hr. Got laid off and now he's unemployed. Not to say that a degree doesn't have its perks but sometimes as everyone else has said it's not the only way to success. From what I've seen posted, you are an excellent mechanic and have other viable skills as well. I would definitely look into getting a lawyer though. But keep your head up, things will work out for you.

well right now its just an AA , after that it was gonna be a BA in business management , and perhaps some formal journalisim .

i wish i knew how close i was , but for a year ive heard "2 more classes" that was 8 ago ....and i got 4 to go now ......supposed to get 60 credits , that came and went already .....but they keep chaneging my shit and saying "oh that doesnt count anymore"...the rate this is going ill have my ****ing doctorate in ....nothing but frustration

Go for it! If you're smart enough, do it! Trust me, its always better to be the guy with the white collar than the guy with the blue collar. (No offense to you blue collar guys, but its the truth). There are some exceptions - plumers, electricians, some mechanics, but in the long run, its the guys in the business suits that buy new Cadillacs;)

Find an accredited junior college (with reasonable fees), follow through, and get your degree. It sounds to me like you've come too damn far to give up now. What will you tell a person who interviews you for a great job when they say, "what good excuse do you have for not getting a degree when you only lack 12 credit hours?" The only person with that many credit hours and no degree: Senator John 'Bluto' Blutarsky. ;)

The cold hard fact is the job market is shifting rapidly toward a more technical orientation. More and more jobs require education and training beyond high school. College graduates have more jobs to choose from overall than those who don't pursue education beyond high school (speaking in terms of the majority of course).

A person who goes to college usually earns more than a person who doesn't. According to the US Census Bureau, on average someone with a Bachelor's Degree earns $51,206—almost double the $27,915 earned annually by someone with only a high school diploma. The average bachelor's degree holder earns 96% more than a person with a high school diploma or equivalent. The average master's degree holder earns 146% more per year.

If a college degree does nothing else, it tells an employer that you are capable of learning complex ideas and skills, which can open doors that would otherwise remain closed. :eyebrow: Stick with it man!!!

So close you can taste it though! As long as you still have a fulltime job, just do it, if nothing else than to say you overcame. I received my BA of Science in Computer Science and it took 5 months to find a job...for $15/ hr??!! After a Bachelor's?? Damn..that was the past and I quickly got promoted in pay and position...and all of a sudden a second job for software developer found me, and I bet they don't even know or care that I have a BA...btw...2nd job pays -- well...a very comfortable salary...all at age 23 -- and I still live at home and have no prob with it!

Either way, the BA I worked for and payed for myself was worth it because I felt great and I know you'll feel just as proud after you complete it after the numerous setbacks...YOU ARE SO CLOSE! If absolutly nothing else...use it as bait for the females -- you have a degree!! The past few years will not be wasted if it just takes a little bit more time!!!!

well tomroow we will find out .....ive sent emails all over the school with my story ...each dean has also gotten it ....everyone knows i will be there tomorrow looking for my awnser , and that i want it on paper signed by every dean at the school ...

honestly, I would finish it just to get it, your this far.

I agree though, a college degree isn't everything, for the last 2 years (while in HS) I work in the kitchen at a nursing home, not a bad job, and decent pay for a 16-18y/o

But a few month back a guy started, he is 25 y/o, he has a 4 (FOUR) year college degree in fine arts, and he says it is a shit degree, nothing can be done with it. So here he is, 7 years older then me, doing the same thing as me, but making less (since I get a crappy yearly raise) Now this is one of the nicest guys around, he does far more then is required from, and gets taken advantage of alot, but he dosn't care. I asked him what his future plans are and he says to just keep working there...

I dunno, but when I am 25, I have so many plans for me.

I personally believe the best thing you can do is pick up a trade, and go form there. My vo-tec offered sooo many things, plumbing, HVAC, Electricain, cosmo, auto body, auto mechanic... and what I took, become a pilot.

Granted I didn't get my pilots license, I did get 30 hours of flight time, and loads of information.

So, for my after high school education, I am moving to Clearwater, FL where i am going to a 14-month technical school to be a certifed A&P mechanic, thats airframe and powerplant, which means practually anything on an airplane, I can fix or rebuild.

14 month, stright through, 7:30-3:30 5 days a week, I graduate January 31st, 2007, my birthday is July 1st, what that means is 5 months before I am even 20 years old, I will be done with tech school and either 1) be at a really good start to my carrear, working or 2) be sent off by a company to specialize in their product.

No gym classes, no art or history.... just what I need to know that pretains to my field of study and thats it, THAT is what I love about tech. schools.

So that is my advise to anyone, find a trade you enjoy and do it, you would be so surprised how much money you can make.

I mean, think about it... the vo-tec as has adult classes, so figure if you go to school to become a plumber, I think it was like $5,000 or so for the certification, you know know practically everything you need to do that job, then you buy an older utility van and some tools and put an ad in the paper, do some simple house jobs, after 2 years or so you buy a nicer van and move up, pretty soon you can be working with a few contractors that build houses, so you have a steady income.. and for what? $5k in school, a van and tools that are all yours?

Yea, dude...I don't know whether to tell you to stay or go, but you should think more on it either way, before you throw in the towel and move on. Sometimes that IS the right thing to do, and only you can decide that. Just be sure. I'm in my sixth year of college because one semester of 18 units which was supposed to transfer didn't, which I didn't find out until after I had taken a semester off becuase I thought I was so far ahead. I've been working 70 hours a week for the last year and a half, while carring 15-18 units, this semester I'm only pulling 60 hours and 12 units, but I'm able to sleep and enjoy life again. That is not for everyone either...I don't know how I do it sometimes, and I have little free time to myself. Sometimes I regret it, but its getting me closer to what I want to do...I have big plans to hire on a federal law job, preferably DEA Special Agent, and have worked my ass off to get here. Figure out your options, sit down and think about it, and decide where you want to go. Good luck with whatever you decide!

4 (FOUR) year college degree in fine arts

Fine Arts? No wonder he works in a kitchen. You don't go to college to learn how to draw. Come on now!

You go to college to be an engineer, to be a lawyer, to be a doctor, to be something that pays OODLES of money:devil:In other words, get a Bachelor of Science Degree.

Then you can wear a t-shirt that says, "I have a BS degree" and stupid people won't get it, and will think you're talking about...oh, never mind:alchi:

I quit with nine hours to go. Not sure college helped me all that much. I got a really good job when I was 20 and going to classes was wearing me out. When I came home and went to work in the family business I just dropped out.

I went to an extremely tough high school where they were preparing Ivy Leaguers. One of the slowest kids in my class is now a cardio-pulmonary doc. I didn't start learning anything new in college until my fourth year. I achieved "senior status" at Memphis State University after just 30 months. It was a joke.

If I had it all to do over again, I would've gone to Vanderbilt or Tulane (which probably doesn't exist anymore) and I would've considered medicine more seriously. Maybe Auburn and veterinary medicine.

Stoney, If I were you I would try to get a job working for a utility company. You could retire by age 50 and get a full pension. I know a guy here in Memphis who just retired at age 47. He rose to the position of senior communications officer and was the "face" of MLG&W (Memphis Light, Gas & Water). His last W-2 said $120,000. He put in his 25+ years and decided he had enough of dealing with the mayor.

Residual income thru marketing and business ownership! <---highschool push-out

stay in school son, didnt yo mamma tell you that!!!

Well , i came to a middle ground , ive decided not to go for my Bach in Business Managment ...

But the AA that i was supposed to get in decmeber i have made one of my "at all cost" type projects ...currently after a day on the phone im set up for 5 classes in spring semerset and another five in summer semester , then a balance of EVERY single class that stupid ass community college offers untill one day they tell me "we have nothing else"...at that point , i will tell them to "give me my degree"

its gonna be a long year and a half , my total time to get a 2 year community college degree ? 4 YEARS......i will have TWICE the credits needed to graduate (i have all credits needed now).....

And the school will finnaly wint he 2 year battle to get me to take a class called "human sexuality" which is my very first course next semser , i never wanted to take it ...and told them it was a crock ....to get what i want tho i will take it so they can get off my back...other classes are "phloisohpy"(i was thrown out of that one after i diffred view with the teacher) , intro to drawing , world religon, music apprication....

keep in mind ive taken every business class they offer .....everything left now is a ****ing joke ....

honestly save yourself the money, your not gonna go anywhere with that diploma

maybe ralph can get you a job, i hear he's hiring fluffers

Well Two years ago i got home from the airforce and started going to college. I knew how important college was to my sucess later in life. So for two years i studied , got good grades , payed for books. All that college stuff. For two years i worked my ass off. At the begining of this summer i was supposed to graduate. But i was told "no sorry you need four more classes". I register and pay for the classes. Only to find out the VA wont pay for them. Turns out i needed two and now its too late to fix it. I had to sit out of college for a few weeks awaiting to be allowed to take the next two courses. I sign up for geometery to pass the time (they had a spot availble). That teacher was stright off the boat from moscow, barely spoke english (the onyl language i speak besides fowl). I had to drop. So fall semster rolls around , i sign up for the 2 coarses i need to graduate and tell everyone "i will graduate in december". Well today i got a call saying "i hope you know that....." , turns out i needed four and now its too late to do anything about it. So if i signed up for spring classes i wouldnt graduate till next summer , one full year after i was supposed to.

All this and i find out where i go may not be "acredited" by the group i need it to be...Ive wasted 2 years of my life and 3/4 of my GI bill .....

I give up ....it just wasnt ment to be .....im gonna hire a lawyer and see what i can do ....but i think im screwed ....what a ****ing scam ...

I had so much hope , thought i was doing the right thing and was going to make my life beatter .....now .....i just know im doomed to park cars for the rest of my life .....Now where is that captian morgan ...

Let that be a lesson to you all , know what your college is , make sure there REALLY accreditied for what you need....know what your getting into .... i was in such a hurry to get started that i didnt pay attention to what matters ....now im paying for it BIG TIME....
Get a lawyer.

Michelle, my girlfriend, took a course for medical assistant and had to take two weeks off due to her Mother having a heartattack and they expelled her. They still expected her to pay for it though and sent it to a collection agency. She sued them and got her money back.

Blaze

Here's the deal with me. I hope nobody will think less of me for it too...

I dropped out of school when I was in the eigth grade. Never set foot into a high school (G.E.D. was acquired)...I got into a little bit of trouble growing up and that's how things turned out for me until I enlisted into the United States Army. Once I enlisted, I got my shit together real quick. Stoney, you of all people should know how the military shapes attitudes :) ...Anyways, the Army really helped me get things in gear up until the point of my discharge.

After I was out, I had a few choices: do meaningless work for the rest of my life, go to school and then do meaningless work for the rest of my life, or do meaningless work while going to school in a field of my choice then do meaningful work for the rest of my life...I chose the later and I refuse to let things hold me back. I'm making this point because I had to take a lot of remedial courses in things like algebra and the like. I have a nice 3.6 GPA at the moment and from here until my graduation day for my AA degree, every course I take counts towards my transfer to The Ohio State University.

As of now, I am working on a BA or Arts in Political Science and may enroll into law school thereafter.

Basically put Stoney, don't let anyone tell that getting your degree is pointless. It's not! If you really believe that you're getting nothing from it, then maybe you should consider something else...But something tells me that you're a little upset by this because you've put the time in and you want to finish things up, which it's good to finish. It just takes a little time. Again, consider me: I had to put in extra time because I didn't have any background in algebra at all. I have a high B average in the subject and I'm looking for my first A when I'm done with college algebra.

Anyways, good luck bro!

I dunno, but when I am 25, I have so many plans for me.



There's the biggest difference between you and the other guy. A loser with a college degree is still a loser. Get and education, get motivated, and then get out and hustle. That's how you find yourself into a good career.

After college you'll probably go looking for your first job, and then your second job will come looking for you.