Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You have been posting on here awhile and it is obvious you are a very intelligent person and you want to get ahead in your career, earning as much money as possible. You also want to be able to move to other areas.
Many of your posts brag about not having a college degree and how the trades are the way to go because you don't need that degree.
For you Andy, I honestly think you would do better with a degree. I know your gut is anti-degree. But I can tell you have to urge to better yourself. This urge seems to be much bigger than that of the average person. You have been trying to move to the south and your pay possibilities are not high enough. IMO, not having to degree is hurting your earning potential and limiting where you can live.(you are currently stuck in Chicago area which pays higher than many other areas of the USA for your line of work.)
So Andy, my advice to you. Get the Bachelors degree. You need to be able to free yourself of the limitations that exist today on your pay and on being stuck in Chicago. A 4 year degree will allow you to keep moving up the ladder and getting more promotions. It will allow you to switch companies for higher pay and more interesting opportunities if you choose. It will allow you to move to locations that are currently off limits to you now because the pay is too low without a degree. Also I think you will excel at school and actually enjoy learning new things.
One of the reasons you debate against the degree is the cost and the lost wages due to time spend in school and not working. Well, you just found a free degree and can work while going to school. Take this opportunity Andy. For your future. It's an opportunity that is on a silver platter for you. All you need for the next 3 years is enough money to afford to live in St Louise while you get that degree. Just get a small place to live and focus on school and work. And scrap the idea to get that boat.
Then once you get that degree, the sky is the limit. The fact that you truly believe in this new company is icing on the cake and will make work exciting for you. And the fact that they give you pay increases is a nice bonus. TAKE IT.
I recently got a call back from a company I applied to. They are a huge machine manufacturer in the St Louis area, and I absolutely adore their product line. Anyways, they have a program they want me to consider. I would start working full time while taking classes in the evening (paid for by the company). After 3 years, I would have a bachelors degree in industrial science. From there, they would have me work in the area they feel I am best suited, either engineering, production, tool room, automation technology, design, etc. Sounds like it could really open doors in the future.
Only problem is the pay is less than I am used to, although there are gaurenteed raises every 6 months ($1). What really appeals to me is I have a great deal of faith in this company. I would love to work for them, and get a complete overview of their entire operation. When it comes to their competition, I believe they will literally dominate the market. In many areas, they already excel. It's one thing to have a job... It's another thing to work for a company you love!
Anyways, is it worth taking a paycut for such an opportunity? I'm still relatively young, and can afford to take some risks.
This sounds good to me and worth the paycut! As long as you can make the basics on the initial pay (food, utilities, rent, gas for the car, other bills, etc.) ... what are you waiting for?
It took me 5+ years to position myself (place, references, experience, guts-this one being the hardest ) to get into my $280k+ job. if you enjoy the journey you'll get there in no time
You have been posting on here awhile and it is obvious you are a very intelligent person and you want to get ahead in your career, earning as much money as possible. You also want to be able to move to other areas.
Many of your posts brag about not having a college degree and how the trades are the way to go because you don't need that degree.
For you Andy, I honestly think you would do better with a degree. I know your gut is anti-degree. But I can tell you have to urge to better yourself. This urge seems to be much bigger than that of the average person. You have been trying to move to the south and your pay possibilities are not high enough. IMO, not having to degree is hurting your earning potential and limiting where you can live.(you are currently stuck in Chicago area which pays higher than many other areas of the USA for your line of work.)
So Andy, my advice to you. Get the Bachelors degree. You need to be able to free yourself of the limitations that exist today on your pay and on being stuck in Chicago. A 4 year degree will allow you to keep moving up the ladder and getting more promotions. It will allow you to switch companies for higher pay and more interesting opportunities if you choose. It will allow you to move to locations that are currently off limits to you now because the pay is too low without a degree. Also I think you will excel at school and actually enjoy learning new things.
One of the reasons you debate against the degree is the cost and the lost wages due to time spend in school and not working. Well, you just found a free degree and can work while going to school. Take this opportunity Andy. For your future. It's an opportunity that is on a silver platter for you. All you need for the next 3 years is enough money to afford to live in St Louise while you get that degree. Just get a small place to live and focus on school and work. And scrap the idea to get that boat.
Then once you get that degree, the sky is the limit. The fact that you truly believe in this new company is icing on the cake and will make work exciting for you. And the fact that they give you pay increases is a nice bonus. TAKE IT.
I'm not anti degree at all. I do believe that we are pushing far too many into college, with no clear objective. It's a waste of limited seats, driving up the cost for everyone. In the end, half drop out with mounting debt and no clear way on how to pay it off. My beef is with the arrangement today.
All that aside, I would still be working in my trade, and most likely doing much of the same work. What would be the difference would be the variety of opportunities outside that. I could do field service work for the equipment, or I could even end up in a designing/engineering environment. As of today, my job is simply making the part, with no possibility for more.
Besides the degree, I would also earn my jounreymans card. Surprisingly, there are still jobs out there that require one, that they go months before they can be filled.
I was researching their program... According to the coordinator, they spend about 50K per candidate in training expenses outside of wages. Much of that is due to the breadth and depth of their program, along with the ultra modern equipment and training they provide. It sounded like a truly great opportunity to have exposure to some amazing stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but
This sounds good to me and worth the paycut! As long as you can make the basics on the initial pay (food, utilities, rent, gas for the car, other bills, etc.) ... what are you waiting for?
The paycut is no big deal. Being a longtime saver and penny pincher, I could weather a deep paycut without having any worries.
That statement above should make this a simple decision for you. This is a golden opportunity.
I will certainly visit with them. I was concerned about being overqualified, because they tend to hire folks coming out of vocational school with a year of experience. What they told me was folks could "test out" of the first year and a half of their program, which would also boost the starting pay. The only sketchy part is, by committing to their regimen, you basically agree to work there for 2 years after completion. Don't know what happens if you break that commitment early, and I'm not sure I even want to ask.
I will certainly visit with them. I was concerned about being overqualified, because they tend to hire folks coming out of vocational school with a year of experience. What they told me was folks could "test out" of the first year and a half of their program, which would also boost the starting pay. The only sketchy part is, by committing to their regimen, you basically agree to work there for 2 years after completion. Don't know what happens if you break that commitment early, and I'm not sure I even want to ask.
Routinely employers will have you sign an agreement repaying school costs if you leave early. It is normally a sliding scale, paying less the longer you stay, and no doubt in this case, reaching 0% repaid by you after staying the length of time they talked about.
Think of that as their fair ROI.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
