Brinkley

Earlier this month, I was reading one of Rennlist's many areas, where a lister asked which college/university the group graduate from.

I work with lower income kids and have introduced them to P-car racing as my hobby. Many have reviewed the threads and pictures and ask what do people "like this do for a job"? I continue to promote the importance of continuing their education after high school. We discuss the benefits that come with a college education however with the lower income and weak push from parents and family college is like Mt. Everest to many. We discuss the benefit of community college as a low cost alternative that can be local and help insure more opportunity when they grow up.

With that said, I would like to introduce these kids to some of the careers that the rennlist'ers have undertaken. I believe they have to find something they love and do that, however with limited exposure to "the outside world", i.e. college educated americans, I think their understanding of what is possible is limited. Therefore, by hearing about some of the careers that we do, it may introduce them to a career they otherwise would have never known about.

This is not a Marketing trick, simply an idea developed from reading about everyones college experience.
Any and all input would be greatly appreciated.

oreo5665

I have a community college degree. They are very good you just have to pick the right one. I work in production management.

mglobe

I've got a degree in Physics. I work in the oil and gas exploration business as a petrophysicist, which is kind of like a mix between an engineer and a geologist.

924RACR

I have a BSME in Mechanical Engineering from RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic). While neither my car collection nor my racing activities are all that impressive (been racing a lowly 924 for 7 years), the day job might catch their eye...

I work for Bosch Engineering Group, North America (in the Detroit area). I am a Senior Applications Engineer on Chassis Control Systems - ABS, Traction Control, and Electronic Stability Control (ESC). The same stuff that Porsche labels PSM. In fact, BEG in Germany does most if not all Porsches and in fact most of the supercars that are out there - Ferrari, Lambo, Bentley, etc etc. Specifically, the job is to test and tune these cars at the limit of their performance, in the dry, in the wet, in the winter, and on the track. You've seen the video on the internet about the guy who tests Ferraris to destruction? Very much like that, except we do try to NOT destroy them. In the US, we have some similar projects (which, sorry, I don't feel at liberty to discuss on an open forum on the internet, but you'd recognize the 2009 car I'm just finishing up working on).

Basically, in plain English, we get paid to play with computers and drive like idiots! On a proper test track, of course!!

As such, the discipline involves skills from driving well, to understanding how cars work and are put together; vehicle dynamics (which is all basic Newtonian physics) and software engineering/programming - since, after all, our product is primarily software. We drive prototype cars - the ones you occasionally see in the spy photos, when we get caught - that are typically 2 years away from going to production. We are finishing off a 2009 car, as I said, have been working on it for the past 2 years, and are already started on 2010 cars.

What kind of background does it take to get there? Well, yes, an engineering degree, such as ME, but also EE or the like. But it takes more than that - you need some direct hands-on understanding of and interest in cars (can you change your own brakes? Tires? Oil? Rod bearings??) and electronics and computer networks too - that's how advanced cars are and will continue to be, of course. Plus you have to have a scientific/engineering bent - we are continually running tests, day in and day out (on a productive week I'll typically spend 30-35 hrs in the car, testing) and it requires discipline, organization, and a methodical approach.

One more thing I'll mention - there's still high demand for qualified engineers in our line of work. Even in the recession that Detroit's been in for at least a year (my wife, a Communications Manager, has been out of work for much longer) we are having a hard time filling open spots. Job security, in general, is much better in the technological fields than many others...

Hope that helps, and best of luck for your efforts!!

Veloce Raptor

I have a Bachelor's in Economics. I used to guard the life of the Secretary of State of the United States for a number of years. Then I sold computer software for many years. Now I work for myself, doing a little of this & a little of that.

pat056

I have a BS in Chemistry. I too work in production management it textiles, no less
Once this field is killed altogether in less than 5 years, I may go overseas where my expertise is still apreciated, go back and finish my pharmacy degree, or look at the service/sales area, which is all this country is going to offer soon...becoming a 3rd world country servicing China, India, or whomevere. I don't say that to rant, I truely believe it and want to make sure I have a foothold for the new global economy.
It's a new world and I need to fugure my new role.

Circuit Motorsports

I have a BA in Geology and did my graduate work in Evolutionary Biology/Paleontology and Geology.

Didn't like the world of academia and went into running restaurants. Now I'm a stay at home dad while wife finishes job training and starting up small business.

Barfly

I grew up in a blue collar home and was a class clown in high school. I had no aspirations to go to college. In fact, I had always thought that I would join the military as the thought of studying scared the life out of me. I was also getting into trouble and occasionally fights in high school. My senior year, my family wanted me to start fresh in a new high school away from some of my previous influences. The initial lack of friends that year really got me thinking about my future. I knew that if I kept slacking off, I probably wouldn't end up anywhere and probably in a dead end job. I started actually paying attention in class. I went from mostly C work to A work that year. I enrolled in a 1st generation, low income family scholarship plan which paid for my first year of college. I completed a bachelor's degree, but wanted to keep pushing myself. I went to medical school, subsequently residency and fellowship. I now have a job that I enjoy, and can't help but look back on what could have been. In fact, my step brother is in prison right now, if that gives you an idea.

My advice would be to do what's important for you. Don't get caught up in your surroundings and immediate gratification. A little hard work can go a long way, and anyone can do it. It also doesn't take a lot of money to follow your chosen career path as there are scholarships and loans out there for anyone.

Good luck in finding your dream.

porschedog

I have a BA in Economics and a MBA. I started out life as a banker originating mortgage loans on residential and commercial real estate, then got into real estate development, then went into investment banking, then became a magazine editor. Now I'm a VP of marketing for a marine products manufacturer. The trick is to learn from everything you do, explore all options, do what you enjoy, and be open to new opportunities and experiences.

SWA911

This might not be what you are looking for but I only have a HS diploma. I am one of the few who have managed to be relatively successful without going to college. I have an Airframe/Powerplant license acquired during a 6 year stint in the USAF and now am employed by a major airline as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician. I'm sure I don't make as much as others on here but I provide a pretty comfortable lifestyle for myself and family.

Downside is that I do get quite dirty at work, put in long hours on occasion, work nights and weekends outside in all sorts of weather, have the lives of passengers and crews in my hands, and have the Feds (FAA) looking over my shoulder. Other than that, it's a good gig.

It is possible with hard work and determiation to do quite well in the blue collar sector.

sbelles

I started off at Community College and then went on to get a BS in EE from a fine state school with a burrowing rodent for a mascot. I worked my through doing various low paying jobs including janitor, house painter, gas pumper and some even less glamorous vocations. While at University I was lucky enough to land a job with Honeywell doing defense R & D. I got to work with lots of brilliant people and got to play with cool state of the art technology. I remember the day that they brought the first PC into the lab. I didn't much use for it compared with the mainframes I had at my disposal.

After that I moved toward IT development and consulting. I got to travel the world and live in Asia for three years doing trading floor disaster recovery for banks. Now I work for myself in software development. It's not as exciting but I get to work out of my house and set my own hours.

It doesn't take exceptional talent or funding to succeed, just determination and a little luck.

chancecasey

I paid for about 90% of all my college education through student loans and part time work. I graduated from an "open admissions" college. Basically, all you need is a high school diploma and pass some very basic english and math tests. If you don't pass, they have remedial classes you can take. It's very similar to a community college except they offer 4 year degrees. Got my computer science degree and immediately got a job in programming that paid more than my mom or dad ever made. Not enough to make me rich, but enough to have my own apartment, a new Toyota Corolla (woohoo), and still have some money left over to take some low-budget vacations around the world. Although I'm still in the software business, I don't really do much programming anymore, and mostly involved in sales. I see most of the programming jobs going overseas. However, pretty much none of the software companies would consider hiring anyone without some kind of degree.

I think it's definitely possible to be successful without a degree, it's just very unlikely when you look at the numbers. MOST people without a degree make far less money than people with one. There are exceptions of course, but that is the general rule. The other thing I've noticed is that usually, what a person learns in college is not really used very much in whatever their job they have a few years later. So don't get too worried about whatever your degree is in - often times it's just a "ticket" to better paying jobs. And a degree with B's and C's is still way more valuable in an employer's eyes than no degree at all. You don't have to kill yourself to get a degree.

I think that just as important (if not MORE) as putting yourself in a position to make more money, is the discipline to live within your means. I don't even want to think about all the money I've paid toward credit card interest over the years. So easy to get fooled into that "play now pay later" mentality that is basically shoved down our throats everyday on TV, movies, etc. Don't use credit cards, ever. Keep your credit score high. These are just as important as your income level, imho.

OK that's about all the advice I have for today. Not that you asked for advice.

sjanes

I have a Bachelors in Computer Science and I am a software security consultant. A degree isn't necessary to be successful, but it sure helps. My parents are high school educated but are entrepreneurs (having started several busniesses over the years, each more successful than the last). They semi-retired at 50, but typical for them, their investment turned into a business which they work at a couple of hours/day. The drive to succeed is more important than the education IMHO, but typically that drive includes getting education you need to get where you want to be.

multi21

I make my money by standing outside the Federal Reserves window and catching as many falling dollars as they will throw out to everyone.

If you do a search for "What do you guys do for a living" there is a thread that was started years ago by a high school student. It has thousands of threads and is very detailed.

Brinkley

Thank you very much for your input. You all make great points and your experience will help provide guidance.

I would like to hear from more!

Scott, burrowing rodent? I'm racking my brain as to which school this is.