My Current Dilemma: SCHOOL

[dhong089]

Hey guys. I wanted to make this thread because I just wanted to seek further opinions. I'm honestly at a point where I absolutely cannot decide what to do.

I'm a senior in high school at the moment, applying for colleges.

To make a loooong story short, my dilemma: tech school vs university?

What really makes me think about this is the fact that society has always thought of mechanics as "grease junkies, unintelligible people," you guys know what I mean? But for me, it's something I wish I could do.

Then again, there comes a normal college, or even a university. Could perhaps seek a degree in automotive engineering?

Currently I have a 3.9 Cumulative GPA and a low-average score of 1740/2400 on the SATs (i only took it once... absolutely hated it)

ALl these sorts of questions pop up in my mind. What will I enjoy my life the most in? What could produce the brightest future for me?

Right now, I"m too afraid to make a choice. My parents aren't of any help, my counselors barely helped at all either... Argh

So far i finished half of my college applications. I was thinking of University of Michigan, Clemson, and some other decent-ish colleges (supposedly they produce good automotive engineering students)

BUT then there comes this whole idea of me dreading the whole "college" thing. I was BORN to love cars, and I'm sure my passion will steer me in the direction towards cars.. But what step should I make?

I just can't decide guys... I know most of you guys have made your decisions already, and I jus wanted to seek further advice...

Right now, I'm sort of a mess. I can't really get my ideas down straight. I just came home from school, my mind completely boggled up on this situation... It's been almost 6 months of me thinking about it, researching, all that good jazz.

Goodness, someone please help out a poor ol' 17 year old here ... I absolutely have NO idea what to do

[reason]

whats up.. i know what you mean with being born to love cars.. but i just graduated this past may and the one thing i learned the most is that if you have a plan stick to it.. ie. switching majors or programs.. adding minors/majors.. playing sports

college is very fun experience.. you will love it more than hate it.. the atmosphere is second to none.. have you thought about early classes(freshman/soph classes are earlier than upper classmen classes due to class size) and interning/volunteering at a shop? tech school is very fun if you work on the make of car you most desire.. check which degrees/certificates tech schools offer.. if you really want to stay in the field.. become a boss and try to open your own shop!

you have a lot of time figure out what you want to do with your life..

[marrow]

When I was in high school we made fun of the vo-tech kids, the people who became plumbers, electricians, bmw mechanics, range rover mechanics etc. Well, they have been making more $ since high school and still do. I have a PhD, a mortgages worth of student loans and could not afford to buy a house in the town I went to high school where we laughed at the vo-tech kids. Quite a few of those Vo-tech kids bought land while they were still relatively young and are farther ahead of the game then I will ever be. More importantly they seem pretty happy with life.
See if any of the big companies or small ones have internship programs or training programs (or will let you create one at their site). You don't have to decide right now, get a little experience in the jobs you find interesting. Document and make active use of the experience you do get, so if you do decide to go to college, you don't have to say I spent the summer smoking fatties and helping my friend put a turbo in (not that there is anything wrong with that). Engineering historically has been a good field though. Some activities are better left an avocation and lose their fun when they became labor for others. Avoid for profit tech schools if you can, the outcome data on them is pretty discouraging compared to smaller colleges.

[Bluebimma]

I interned while in high school, civil engineering, and was there for 5.5 years of my life and slowly but surely came to see that i would be unhappy in life in that field. I chose to put myself in college for mechanical engineering and found that it wasnt as "hands on" as i had thought it would be. I chose to take a break after the first year and look in other areas of the automotive field. I came across a program here in toledo with Owens community college, something the University of Toledo doesnt offer, Automotive tech and business. Its a 2.5 or 3 year course. You earn all your certs, if you pass obviously, as well as an associates degree in business, as your classes properly overlap between the fields and puts you in a nice position when done.

About two years ago, i was laid off from civil engineering. I picked up a job at a local autoshop and really havent looked back. Granted, i started off at 10$ per hour as an intern my junior year of high school, a decent amount back then, when i started here, i was at 8 an hour. After 5.5 years of civil engineering, i was literally stepping down half in pay due to my raises and such. I STILL havent looked back. Less stressful in a sense and more involvement with other human beings. You dont always have the pleasure of meeting new people or interacting with coworkers as much as you would in this field, i know i didnt.

Yes i work with quite a few dummies, but for the most part, theyre cool people and try to help whether they know more or less than you. In a tech school, everyone helps everyone out, for the most part. I havent had a chance to get back in school, chose to pay off all my prior debts and build a few cars before going back.

Some days i regret not just jumping into the auto field, but, at the same time, im glad i experienced a small piece of the engineering field and gained a lot of real world aspects that people my age dont care to see or just dont have a chance to see.

[cloud9193]

where in PA do you live?

[dhong089]

thanks guys.

I've read every single word of each post with extreme thought. Overall, becoming a technician seems to be more favorable.

Sigh... I just don't know what to do. I just wish someone could decide for me...

To be honest, deep down inside me wants to work with cars ... but the opposing side of me tells me the poor standard of living technicians live, which probes me into thinking that an automotive engineer will be a good career. Sigh... I'm in such a horrible stressful situation.. i just don't know what to do with myself.

I'm going to have another long talk with my parent tonight and perhaps ask one of my physics teachers (he used to be a racecar driver... haha how sick?).

BLeh. But any other input is greatly appreciated.. I could use every single opinion out there...!!!

ANd cloud, if you were referring to me, I live in Central Bucks area of Pennsylvania. The city i live in is Warrington!

[Bluebimma]

I work harder, physically, than i did as an engineer, but at the end of the day im satisfied with myself as well as my job. Both help in the safety and maintaining of life in the community, but sometimes, there is a larger feel of gratitude knowing that you may have potentially saved someones life because you checked over a car and found faulty parts, something the owner may have not even known about.

My thing is, i like helping others, even when i dont feel like it, so this job suits me. Granted, i hate getting dirty, but at the same time i dont mind it. Im able to put my hands on cars that i can only usually walk through a parking lot and say to myself, man, i wish i could see what goes on with this car or how it drives, etc. In this field, i can do that. I thoroughly enjoy BMWs so i want to become a BMW tech. It would step me in a direction to see and be apart of something that i enjoy while making money doing it. At the end of the day, sure you gotta pay the bills and may not be lavish always, but youll be happy doing what you want.

Take it from me, i was making ~40k, had my bmw and crx, 2 bedroom apartment, 1000sq/ft, lived alone, had what i wanted, could afford to eat out all the time, really nice stuff, but everyday, waking up knowing that i wasnt trully happy with work wasnt cutting it. It is a MAJOR part of your life and if you dont like it, nothing else is going to matter, no matter what the income is like. Now, i go to work, work my ass off, get home tired, but i feel like i accomplished something, learned something new, maybe met a nice person or new friend, helped someone out, and look forward to doing it again the next day.

[vsonix]

Good advice Bluebimma, I left a job in tradings system support to go work for a techno music label and felt so much better despite the fact I was only making a third of what I did before. However, I am thinking about retraining with some new skills, cos I'm getting into my mid-30s and I need a bigger income so I can hopefully open a bar/club somewhere...

[cloud9193]

Well I'm in the same position you're in, but decided to go to a trade school in exton, pa called ATC, mainly because I don't have a high gpa like you do. But another thing that is appealing to me about being a mechanic is the relationships with your customers that you make. I know from experience seeing as I'm really good friends with the people that work at the garage that I bought my ti at and would never even considering letting anyone else work on my car even though its 40 mins. away.
That's just my $.02, but if you end up going to a tech school, and you go to atc, let me know, cause we would be going together :P

[elchicano]

I was in the same place as you were back when I was a senior in high school. I decided to go to business school with some pressure from my parents. After 3 years and dropping my GPA to a 2.0, I decided that accounting wasn't for me. I did some research and Psychology got me interested. I raised my GPA and was planning on graduating in the spring of 2011 but my past actions have given me a GPA that still isn't good enough for Graduate school. I will now have to do a double major in order to get my GPA to 3.5, but I'm happy with my decisions.

What I'm basically trying to say is don't let other people pressure you and do some research. If possible try to take a semester in both options. Or see if you can do something through your high school with the technical school or take some college classes while in high school.

[dhong089]

thansk guys for the help )

I've been through one heck of a week ... As much as I wanted to attend a trade school, I simply can't ... My whole family heard that I was interested in a tech school and they all flipped... whew... my family from korea called me and gave me like an hour lecture ... sheesh...

Looks like I'm going to college i guess. . . sigh :/ but either way, i had a feeling it would be like this. I'll make sure I have a good time in my college years

and cloud, what high school did you attend ?

[marrow]

I spent three years in Korea as an English teacher. I can imagine how they reacted. I think the words Korean and family should always be capitalized and in bold when they are together. Just do well in college and all the pieces will fall into place in time.

[airborneSGT]

Join the military! Seriously it has not been a bad gig for me and paid for school. Plus I have been able to travel the world.

[cloud9193]

@dhong,
i go to wilson senior high school, located near reading, pa
im a senior this year

[UberWagen]

I just graduated high school this past Spring, I can relate to what you're going through. I went through an Auto tech class in High School. Because of that, I'm able to work in a dealership garage and pay my way through pre-Engineering and then transfer to Auburn for EE. Perhaps you might want to get an Associates in Science? This way, you get an associates degree, but also get technical training. Have you considered going to a local shop and asking to just help part time or do some apprenticeship or anything like that? Don't let the world get to you. Do what you like to do. There are several guys in the garage I work at pulling almost $100K p/yr turning wrenches, because that's what they love to do. Wherever your heart lies is where you need to go.