My 2 cents
 

Hey Jeff,
I'm also a SoCal resident (Tustin) and will be attending CSFU this fall as a Mechanical Engineer student. I have spent the last 7 year trying to get a career as a firefighter. I don’t regret my choice to chase down my dream, but I do wish I finished my degree in engineering, hence my returning to school. Choose a major you like and you will not see it as a headache when you study. You will finish and have a degree that is what is important not what is written on it. Hear me out here it shows your possible employer you stuck it out…..you persevered and graduated with a 48% drop out rate (2009 USFU statistic) Also you can be taught, yes there are people out there that can't be..... trust me, and that is a very attractive quality to an employer. I have a little time in “the real world” and it will behoove you to have a degree no matter what degree or job you get. I hope I have said something here that will help. If you decide to continue on the path you are on as an engineer maybe we can help each other out.

Best of Luck,
Dan Pursley


Yeah only one post, and a member since 2005 what can I say...I'm not a talker/poster.

thanks for the words, Dan. Everyone on here seems to be pretty certain i should stick out engineering as well as have all been very insightful. Shoot me a PM on here when you start taking classes. Best of luck to you as well with your career and educational endeavors.

I am a sub engineer in aerospace. Now working on rectification. An engineer could be deployed for different sections, inspection, test, rectification, design etc etc.

Why not you try to check your aptitude? Many types of attitude and aptitude tests are available to check one's IQ, approach and mind set.

As for my experience, if you like to repair or (damage) the home appliances (trying to fix them), you have an attitude towards mechanical engineering.

WOW!!! I didn't know they had submarines in space! How cool is that?!?! :lol:

Seriously, when I was 24 I joined the Navy. (3rd oldest guy in boot camp!) It took that long to figure out I wasn't going anywhere in life. I got four years REAL job experience in the Navy and then they paid for me to go to school for four years (G.I. Bill).

I have never heard of 'CSFU' but I think I went there! I graduated from the other CSUF (Fresno) with a BS in Industrial Technology....lazy man's engineering. I concentrated on manufacturing automation (more plc's than robotics) and am now an IT guy at a cheese plant. Pay is good. Work is plentiful. I wanted a job where I can get my hands dirty AND I get to plan projects and think through problems.

Like so many other of these guys have said, don't sweat so much making the decision what you want to do for the rest of your life. I've moved around in/out of similar fields for about 15 years and I am still learning.

Life is like building a car.... gotta start with a good foundation. If you don't like the color of the car or the style of the wheels, they can be changed later! And it doesn't matter how damn good looking the car is if it doesn't run. Get your degree in something that interests you and THEN worry about what you want to do.

Oh, and your current college credits should count in your favor if you join the military. I had enough to get out of boot camp with my first stripe. And while I was in the Navy they paid for me to continue to go to college. The military is not a bad deal for a lot of people, but it is not for everybody.

Good luck!

My 5 best friends from high school all went to UCSB, and are now all mechanical engineers. They all came out of UC after 4 years, made very good money right out of the box, and are all now living comfortably. They have skills that I only wish I had as a car guy, and can pretty much design, and make anything for their projects. 2 work for Lockheed Martin, two for Raytheon, and one for Loral Space Systems.

If I could go back and have a discussion with my 18 yr old self, I'd say get your SH together and either go M.E., or go to UTI.

Check this out- http://www.48days.net/

I've found this site very helpful- bottom line is - nobody can tell you what makes YOU happy- fullfilled - you have to discover that for you self- I am doing something totally different from my major- but I enjoy it- Chris

Definately stick out the schooling if nothing else just to have the paper behind you. I speak for many in the automotive community that got into the business out of highschool or voc tech school and made good money right out of the gate for being 18-21. Which was great and wonderful until 10 years down the line when you are trying to support a family, pay the mortgage, save for retirement, build projects, save for college, ...... and you start realizing that those guys that went to college are working half as hard and making the same or more money.

Just like starting your own business- it's much easier to do when you are young and single without kids and the added expenses of life that come down the line. Even if you decide to get into the auto business in some form or another at least you have a degree to fall back on that 1) gives you a backdoor if things aren't working out, 2) in most cases justifies you a larger paycheck than the guy next to you without one, 3) all things being equal gives you the advantage when it comes to promotions. 4) gives you exposure to skills that the guy next to you doesn't have which feeds into 1-3

Good Luck!! and get that degree! You can be the one owning the cool cars instead of the one that has to work on them! :thumbsup:

I went to Santa Clara University and got a degree in Electrical Engineering. After I graduated I worked in aerospace for 3 years (Space Systems Loral). Decided I wanted a change, so now I'm in law school in southern california.

My biggest point of advice to you is to get the engineering degree. It'll set you apart from a vast majority of college graduates right away, and it's pretty applicable to a ton of different fields.

Also, just a thought, but consider switching to Electrical Engineering. I know it may not seem as interesting to you now, but at the end of the day you'll have a more versatile degree in the future... not that an ME isn't versatile, but EE is a growing field, and it's already really broad.

Man i thought this thread had kind of fell by the wayside but i just noticed its bump when ill steez left his response. thanks for the heads up guys. im thinking about sticking it out the more i think about it and the more advice i get.

Justin-- My buddy's uncle went to Cal State Fullerton and graduated with a M.E degree. He also works for Raytheon. Not sure if you are familiar with anyone there being that your friend is the one that works there, but his name is Rick Stanton. He actually built a '69 Torino Talladega that was featured in HOT ROD. http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicl...ega/index.html . Really sick car.

But i digress. I really enjoy reading your guys' insight, experience and opinions. keep them coming and thanks to all that have answered!:cheers: