Ever have those days where college seems like it's just wasting your time?

[AlienInv8r]

Well, I just took another one of VaTech's fabulous engineering tests that I studied my tail off for, only to get the test and have no clue what half of it meant. It seems like the more and more I try in this major the more I feel like I'm making no forward progress. Some of my classes I dont mind, like the design type classes and all, but the rest of them I absolutely hate and cringe about.

I'm coming up on the end of my junior year, and still feel like classes haven't gotten any better or more interesting. I'd change majors if I wasn't already 3 years into Mechanical engineering and wouldnt have to start from scratch on another major.

Do any of you guys who graduated, especially engineering grads, have any advice? I honestly don't know what to do anymore. My gpa is fairly mediocre, so I dont qualify for most internships and co-ops. I'd really like to know if it's worth sticking through just to get a BS degree. I really really hate school lately; I should've taken the opportunity to go to Music school on full scholarships...
/end ranting

But in all seriousness, those of you who have graduated already and struggled while you were in school, was it hard to get a job? Do you feel your degree was worth all the suffering? I'm just tired of being a poor college kid, working some pointless parttime job just to pay my small bills, all for a degree that I'm not sure I'm gonna even want to do.

[Wicked 3800 V6]

Keep your head up. It's tough, but try to learn it all. [img]smile.gif[/img]
<-- Aero grad in May 05

[95fbirdkid]

I felt like that every day for my last 4 quarters. Finally decided engineering wasnt what i wanted to do, and i only picked it for the pay check. So starting this quarter i switched to Criminology b/c its alot closer to the field i want to go into... Law Enforcement. but since i've switched majors, i havnt felt discouraged or down about school at all.

[AlienInv8r]

Well, there are aspects of it I enjoy. Like I really love doing CAD and 3d modeling type work and all that designing type aspect of it. It's all the freakin number crunching and mechanics portion I don't enjoy; having so-so teachers in it doesnt help either.

I just feel like since I'm coming up on the end of my junior year that's it's probably not worth it to really switch majors. I don't want to be stuck here 7 years or something, but finishing up these final two are gonna prove to blow chunks.

[3.4 slow to go]

Yeah, I had a whole semester like that when I ws going to NOVA for Mech Engineering/CADCAM. Just burned out & joined the AF [img]smile.gif[/img] . I clepped my final course to get my CCAF and plan on finishing those other two (but w/almost 12 yrs since last math/eng class, it's gonna hurt some). Stick w/it and at the end you'll be able to fend of the paper discrimination when applying for jobs, plus potential employers should appreciate all the work it takes to finisha degree these days.

[V6MaroFL]

I know exactly how you feel, I have one semester left and I honestly only do enough work to get by so I can get my BS.

[Th3 RiCk]

Hell, I've felt like that since day 1 of college.

[Dojo2000]

Originally posted by Th3 RiCk:
Hell, I've felt like that since day 1 of college.

Ditto

Why does school have to be about testing and exams and quizzes and exams and tests and exams and exams? Why can't it just be about learning? I don't really feel like I've learned much of anything that would be useful in the real world. I love history, but do I really need to know about the dynasty's of China, and write an essay about it? I love to learn--at my own pace. Most of this crap I memorize for a class and forget it later.

[sac2165]

Structural Engineer '00

Engineering classes are not enjoyable, the interesting classes are saved for those taking basket weaving or history. Going the extra effort and getting through a hard major well worth it. People I know now who dropped out are regretting it, and most are going back to schoool.

As for GPA,
Unless you plan on going to grad school, grades above passing really don't matter. I graduated at the bottom of my class & had the best time in school. The guys that spent Saturday night in the library are the ones that can't seem to get anywhere because they are social morons.

[Fredless]

to make you a more well rounded person.

Why the hell is intro to marketing on the requirement list for Ford's ASSET program ? I have NO clue. I do enjoy my other b/s classes I'm taking though (humanities, am. history, ethics). I also wasted my first 3 semesters. I was orignally going to be a high school teacher, then decided no way was I putting up with all that crap for 30k a year.

So now I'm just taking this semester to keep my scholarships and stay f/t and get some of the other required classes out of the way, the program itself starts in August.

[MTMike]

Felt like that every day for 2 years before throwing in the towel.

I had no idea what I wanted to do but my parents pushed me and pushed me so I went against my will and hated every minute of it. (cept the parties though :D )

When I finally realized what I wanted to do, and realized that a college degree had no impact whether or not I was successful, I said fudge it.

6 years later I'm almost to my goal that I set when I was 19 - be self employed in a successful business. I've worked my @ss off day and night to get to where I'm at now. I've still got plenty more to go, but it's much more rewarding than working my @ss off memorizing content for a test that the instructor ends up putting all different content onto, and even more rewarding that working my @ss off only for "The Man" to get richer while I live paycheck to paycheck.

[AlienInv8r]

Originally posted by sac2165:
Structural Engineer '00

Engineering classes are not enjoyable, the interesting classes are saved for those taking basket weaving or history. Going the extra effort and getting through a hard major well worth it. People I know now who dropped out are regretting it, and most are going back to schoool.

As for GPA,
Unless you plan on going to grad school, grades above passing really don't matter. I graduated at the bottom of my class & had the best time in school. The guys that spent Saturday night in the library are the ones that can't seem to get anywhere because they are social morons.

Phew, that was the kinda of reassurance I needed. I know there are plenty of jobs and I know the material decently well, the tests are just plain ridiculous here. And when internships and co-ops place all their emphasis on gpa, it just gets me worried sometimes. Good to hear you're doing well though, what kind of job are you doing as a structural engineer? I'm assuming that's a branch of civil engineering?

[malice10985]

college was a waste of my life. I graduated in december with a BS in Aeronautical Technology. I now live in my parents basement and I make 7.50/hr as a cashier at the filthiest gas station in the DC area.

The VA state inspector at my station is also 21 years old, and he makes 60K/year. He doesn't have a day of college. He also doesn't have 30 years worth of student loans to pay off.

College is a waste of time. I am just glad I have a comission waiting for me in the marines. I would be a 2LT right now, but the corps lost all my paperwork. They are taking thier sweet time finding it, too. If I didn't have the job security of the military to look forward to, I would probably shoot myself.

Good luck finding a job in our area, too. Unless you switch you major to BS in administrative assistance with a minor in brewing the bosses coffee, you're just building debt.

[Den69RS96]

Hang in there. I took 8 out of 10 classes in my major my junior year. I had projects, presentations, papers, and quizes almost daily. Can't tell you how many all nighters I had. Anyway I think you should finish your current major and get your degree. Work is much different than school. If you don't like it, you can always get another job. No one says you have keep an engineering job just because you have an engineering degree. My buddy was going to school to become a teacher. Once he graduated, he couldn't find a job. He does online marketing now. Your young, so changing career goals is common. I think they say the average person will have at least 5 different jobs over career. Good luck

[HokieBird]

I really felt like most of the classes we had to take were pretty much worthless. Most professors seem to preach about the real world when they spend their lives sheltered in academia and on top of that they hand out a lot of busy work.

I just graduated in Decemeber with a 3.3 in Business Information Technology, but haven't been able to find a job. If it makes you feel better most the engineers I know who have graduated from Tech haven't had any problems finding jobs. Although the job market seems to suck for us IT and CS people.