The education question has lead me to this...

[john]

What do all of you do? How did you get there? Would you have chosen the same path? For those of you still in school, what are you going for? What are your goals? Just thought this would be interesting since Craig knows more and makes more that everyone.
I will start.

-I go to Normandale Community College for general courses. I will be
transfering in the fall possibly to The Carlson School of Mgmt if I can get in.
-I work at Ace hardware.
-My goal is to be an euntreprenuer.

I am now going to bed

[Halon]

I am in the Marines. Went through 1 1/2 years of school learning how to be an electronics technician. It's a military equivalent to an associates since it's year round schooling, monday thru friday, 8 hours a day schooling. Now I'm a Sergeant. Not making insane money, but enough that I'm happy. When I get out come July, I should get a decent paying job as every single one of my friends have gotten out making decent money. So I hope I can match how they did. If not in MN, then I move where the money is.

[Iceman]

Full time student at UTI. Went to a few HTC classes that my high school offered. No, if I had the grades I would differently be doing something different. Would like to start my own business.

[santa]

I worked at a full service shop called hansens autocare for about 1/2 year. I worked part time at Elite autosport from time to time when it was needed. I'm not attending WyoTech ,and My goal's while I'm here is to keep above 90% in all my class's. I'm over half ways done now, and well over my goal. I have perfect attendance too minus my first phase I missed 4 hours. I've been our Shop leader and Classroom leader while here also. I plan on going on to becomeing a Master certified Technician, and opening a performance shop a few years from now with a few good friends of mine.

Kevin

[b00stingsx]

Took a semester of autobody at hennepin tech(didnt like it), then transfered to normandale to do my generals, hopfully transfering in 2 years to mankato where i want to do mechanical engineering. I work at a pharmacy part time.

[carltalon]

I work consrtuction. no education nessesary. I bought my house when I was 22. I plan to sell it in a few years for a NICE profit and start working less.

[Alpine TSi]

Dammit wrong thread....

[Matt D.]

I'm 26, have tried the whole 4 year school both in the classroom and online and didn't like it. Took 6 months of classes to learn networking and Windows in 1999 when NT4 was the big deal. That eventually got my foot in the door to my first network administration job. Things fell through with that and now I do tech support for point of sale systems to over 800 franchises in the US and Canada.

I expect that over the next few years if I can accomplish getting a Cisco certification or two and learn more stuff about Linux and programming in general that I will be set up nicely for a decent job upgrade.

[JET]

I started out in a company that makes windshields for cars and after 2 years got into the toolroom. I began making SS molds that bend windshields for cars ($12/hr). I then went to a die casting place in their toolroom repairing molds for 2 years ($12.75/hr). I moved closer to home and took a production machining job ($12.50/hr).

At that point I said screw living in a little town and moved to the cities machining medical parts ($18.50/hr). My boss there was a complete asshole so I moved to another medical parts manufacturer. During this time I had learned how to program a very complicated 11 axis CNC maching. I stayed at this place for 2 years until a very large layoff because management made some poor decisions ($23.50/hr). During all this time I had worked part time to get my degree. I got some aid to go back to school and spent 9 months going full time at 18-20 credits a semester. During this time I was also a Corporal in the Army National Guard for 6 years. It helped to pay for some schooling and I served my country.

The current place I work at is a smaller startup company with a very good possibility to become a huge company soon. I started as a research and development machinist, but quickly was moved into the inspection department. I began doing repair when it was needed and now I am in charge of the customer service department. I make a decent salary now, but the potential is basically unlimited. I just got back from a business trip with the president and CFO of the company. It was unreal! They spent at least $2k on me while we were there for 4 days. We went to all of the places that the stars go. The president of our company started the Sleep Number bed company, Select Comfort.

Would I do it again that way? I am very happy with the way things have turned out. I own a nice house and live with 2 of my best friends. My career is definately moving in the direction I want it to. One thing about management, you are going to find it very hard pressed to move up while being young. They really want people that have a lot of experience. That is one problem with looking younger than I am, noone thinks I have the experience than I do. I am in middle management now and my plan is to be in upper management in the next 10 years. I may start doing a master's degree in that time to beef up the resume.

[cudvig]

I plan on going to UW river falls and do pre-pharmacy. I am still in HS right now, taking 3 AP classes that if i pass the test in may with a 3,4 or 5 i can get college credit for. If i were to do HS all over, i would of completed all of my HW to get better grades. Granted I got a 29 on my ACT, but I'm in the bottom 35% of my class with a 2.6 I could of done way better, but I'm focusing my negative actions into a positive learning action when I got to River Falls, considering I need a 3.85 and a good score to go to school for Pharmacy.

[Raptor]

Well, I am not going back into the last 20 years of job experience, but I will hit the basics if it interests anyone. I was welding when I was 10, building motors when I was 15 and worked at a garage when I was 16 till I got out of HS. I also worked as a fishing guide at my family's resort and in our resteraunt since I was 12. Went to Dunwoody for welding after HS, worked 10 hours a night welding at the same time, got burned out after the first year and moved to Brainerd, Worked in service shops up there for 3 years. Moved to washington, worked at many welding jobs and was foreman or lead in over half at the age of 21. Met my first wife, started a machine and welding shop which grew to a max of 8 employees, sold it for health reasons 3 1/2 years later and moved out here. Got into Linux when it first came out on floppy disc and tought myself programming. Started building computers on the side while working at a metal fab company in Elk River. Started working for Guidant, programming and DB management for a few years then did some consulting, was a huge part of the local hacking groups for 4-5 years (good education) and got a job at a medium sized ISP as a network admin. after 2 months, was promoted to head admin, worked there for 5 years built it to one of the biggest ISP's in the state, quit, started a consulting company. Hired tom for a job, laughed at that stupid mistake for a while
Did on call support for the ISP for about a year and decided to start this place.

Now, what isn't mentioned is where I gained a lot of the experience etc for what I do now. Some of it was from previous jobs, at least the basic repair and troubleshooting skills. The engine building and more technical stuff comes from a passion for speed. When you have an interest in something that is that strong and you commit to it, you dig in and remember every little detail of every experience you have available. So, all the years I have been working, at any job, I have been building something fast, helping someone else build their beast or just learning everything I could. I tend to push things a little harder than most since I have been told my life would be considerably shorter than most, I don't generally plan things out for more than a year in advance. I have to make things happen sooner than that which helps explain the businesses I have started etc. That is a really basic non detailed overview of a lot of my work history. I don't want to type all the weird little experiences scattered amongst the years, but they are there, building blower manifolds, back halving a rail dragster etc. Most people would probably never guess I built about 20 hydro lowriders at my first shop either. Just a lot of varied experience and you learn from all of it, combine it and use what you can.

That should be as clear as mud

[dylan]

Worked at papa johns since I was 16, worked at bestbuy for about 9 months and left. It was pretty much leaving or running in with a minigun and shooting everyone in the face. Still workin at papa johns now every now and then. I also went to school for real estate and I am in progress of getting my real estate license. Next will be working at coldwell banker near lake calhoun for a while. After I get enough experience I would like to get a broker's license and start my own business.

[Kougar]

I'm 19 in finshing my generals at Dakota county tech college. I worked for a movie theater as a bullshit job, then quit that after i got a job down at Jeff Belzer's dealership in lakeville. I will remain the the dealership field until i get my ASE Certification through school, then probably work up some money so I can get a life of my own. After that, I have no idea what's going to happen. I'd love to work for a tuner shop, since a buddy is supposedly starting one in a few years, but in reality I have no clue as to what my future holds.

[bigbrothajake]

Worked in my grandfather's shop, Leis Motors, as a car detailer while in high school from 16 to 18. Quit and went to UMMorris for 3 years. While dating a girlfriend I got job working for her father as a t-shirt screen printer, which lasted 4 years. Within that time completed an Aerospace Engineering degree at UMTC. Continued my job with Comcast until September (1.5 years as a contractor). Got hired by AeroSim Technologies to debug C++ flight simulator code. Found out I couldn't debug C++ too well. Got Fired. Hired by WaveBroad Cable company of Port Angeles, WA. Quit do to ultra-poor management. Been unemployed for nearly 2 months, but I average a job interview per week. Hopefully will get hired at GoodRich Aerospace as a Simulations and Modeling Engineer (Matlab instead of C++, thank God).

[Super Bleeder!!]

eww Matlab!! i had to use that shit a lot in calc 3. interesting to hear that someone in the real world actually uses it though!

sorry if i'm being OT

[JiN]

I work at the Ford Plant in St. Paul. Im going to be going to school hopefully to attempt a career in Graphic Design and Animation....my dreams...

[Jacek]

Finished college down here in Winona for aviation maintenance technician. I am currently working on getting certified which I have 4/9 exams completed to be a certified A&P. Planning to move to Chicago if I can find something in my career field or something involving planes. If nothing then I'll look somewhere else..

[ABV]

I work as a designer. I work mostly with plastic injection molding, but have worked on sheet metal stampings and some simpe electrical systems. I love what I do, and don't think I would change a thing. I think the best part about my job is being able to walk into a store, see a product I worked on, and say "hey, I designed that".

[jd1828]

Im 21 and a junior at UMD. Double major in chemical engineering and chemistry. I plan to finish both my BS degrees in about 2 years and go to the UofM for a Phd in engineering.

[1QUICK4]

Lived on my own since 16 , dropped out of high school at 17. Hooked up and moved in with a great girl a couple years later. Put myself through 2yr Carpentry Degree, then a 2yr auto-tech program (both at Henn. Tech E.P. campus).

I have been working in the auto feild for the last 8yrs with a couple of framing/sheetrocking jobs for cash on the side. I make good money and should never have a hard time finding work.