In need of some life advice...

[superj]

I think IronJoe is right that the people who work to get the high gpa will apply that to the rest of their life so it pays off in the type of work.

those guys who barely passed are still working at the place that started them off at 8 bucks an hour and now make 10.50 an hour. they think they are hot shit. I am also not a cog in the machine and the very few other guys who do the same thing I do here where I work, are all motivated self starters who work their butts off. of 3k people where I work, we are in the 1% in this very particular job series' grade. and I would be willing to bet that each of the others does very well in classes we get sent to and continuing education.

but, I also can easily see where in certain fields having a higher gpa is part of the requirement for jobs. some jobs are very very specialized and require the best. the best try to be the best all the time.

[Sail Boat]

I used to think this too, that if only I had a financially stable job that I would be happy. Not the case, though. Don't pursue a career just on wanting to have a comfortable lifestyle, pursue a career based on what will make you happy, the money will come if you love what you do.

Correct.

A degree isn't necissarily a gateway to happiness.

[MR E30 325is]

I'll agree with you on this - GPA matters, but with eventual success it may be causation vs correlation here. Are people who get 3.8-4.0 exceeding expectations in their careers, getting promotions, higher pay, more responsibility, etc *because* of their GPA? Perhaps not explicitly. It might be that those people who push that extra %, study harder, commit themselves, sacrifice more to succeed, etc end up applying that same determination and attitude once they enter the workforce. If you are a "just do the minimum to get by" kind of student, what's to say you won't be a "just do the minimum to get by" kind of employee?

Your story about your education is definitely motivating, thank you for sharing that.

You're right. Their GPA in and of itself is not the factor that propels them to higher levels of success/achievement (however you personally decide to measure those things), but their GPA is the reflection of all of those things that you mentioned. I can guarantee that if you are a 'just get by' kinda student, you will be a cog in a machine. Even if you have very high pay!

This subject, for me personally, is much much much larger than simply having a low or high GPA. It has implications in life that can be incredibly profound if understood and acted upon!

[IronJoe]

I'd argue against those that say your GPA does not matter.

I'll agree with you on this - GPA matters, but with eventual success it may be causation vs correlation here. Are people who get 3.8-4.0 exceeding expectations in their careers, getting promotions, higher pay, more responsibility, etc *because* of their GPA? Perhaps not explicitly. It might be that those people who push that extra %, study harder, commit themselves, sacrifice more to succeed, etc end up applying that same determination and attitude once they enter the workforce. If you are a "just do the minimum to get by" kind of student, what's to say you won't be a "just do the minimum to get by" kind of employee?

In my undergraduate program, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to go any further with my education. I could have easily slacked off and still passed, got my fancy piece of paper, etc. But I pushed harder than ever in my senior year and actually raised my GPA even further (if you remember my story from my earlier post, I had dug quite a hole for myself my freshman year). Luckily, once I decided to go back for a Master's degree I had the grades for it. And in that program? Same thing, I was *sure* this was the end of my academic career but I still kept trying my best and ended up with a better GPA than I had with my undergrad. And now, my wife is finishing up her doctorate and I'm thinking I might be next... If I do decide to go that route I will have those grades in my back pocket.

[MR E30 325is]

I'd argue against those that say your GPA does not matter.

I'm not sure where their thoughts about that stem from, but it has not been in that way in my life and the life of my college classmates either.

I am not saying that kids with lower GPA's do not have higher paying jobs. That certainly happens. But the quality of their job is not equivalent to someone who earned a higher GPA.

A lower GPA graduate usually works in a job that requires they work with an already created and verified system. I.e. plug X into a system and get Y. Interpret Y. Make small change to X and reevaluate to get Y. Rinse and repeat.They work inside of a very narrow window. Think huge medical company, where an employee spends years checking the radial capacities of heart stints.

A higher GPA student (I'll use myself as an example, upfront apologies if I sound like an asshat) will make the same amount of money as a lower GPA student. But their day to day job is usually much more profound. In my case, my high GPA lead me to accept an offer with a smaller firm, and I am now shaping an entire industry.

I am engineering things that have never been engineered before. My job is as far away from plugging X into a system to get Y as you can possibly get. I get to engineer the system! I am not a mere cog in a machine, I am the creator of the machine. No one, not a single human being on earth, does this type of work more often, or more thoroughly, than I do. Many things, but certainly my GPA, played into this situation becoming a reality.

I sit on standards committees (ASTM for example) and my personal input shapes the way this small niche in the world will be dealt with for years and years to come.

My classmates with 3.8-4.0's are currently shaping industries and had job offers 3 months before we even graduated. My classmates with 2.5-3.0's are cogs in machines, some of them waiting over 8 months to finally find a job (most of them in other states even).

Long story short, I'd be apprehensive to listen to someone on an internet forum tell you that your GPA is insignificant, especially when it comes to something like engineering. Do the absolute best that you can. This is your life we are talking about, and there is no second place.

[superj]

reading some of the replies, as noted many other places, grades don't matter once you finish. I finished my tech school with a 98.3 average, 2nd highest in the class group I was in and very high in general but has it ever once been mentioned anywhere? nope.

a number of local aviation shops and airports took people who had almost failed the school because those people were willing to start at 8 bucks an hour over me because I told them I already made 12 bucks an hour as a certified golf cart mechanic so I wasn't stepping down to that pay. it sucked for a few years because I wasn't working in aviation because of how low they wanted to start people at but once I got picked up at my current company, it was totally worth it. I went from 15 an hour to 37 an hour in 6 years.

[superj]

I am not a college guy so I went to trade school, just for aviation instead of automotive. it was the best thing I have ever done. I tried some college classes and was so bored I quit going but in trade school, it was all hands on and stuff you actually need so it was interesting and kept you engaged.

college is not for everyone. some people are happy using their hands and working on stuff the old fashioned way. I really love my job working on helicopters and the pay is good.

[e30davie]

Mechanical engineer here. Though for what it's worth I'm in australia.

Just scraped by college/university. Grade point average of 4.3 for my whole degree. Score is out of 7, 4 is a pass.

Got my bit of paper. Noone cares what uni I went to or what my marks were. Wprking as a site engineer in a water treatment plant (I graduated 2010), just cracked the $100k on this new job.

College/university is hard but there is light at the end of a tunnel. You come out knowing nothing. And the best engineers know they know nothing and start learning on the job.

Once you have an engineering degree you get alot of respect from all industries. I got a job at a bank in Canada, they said "if you passed an engineering degree you must be smart, you start tomorrow". Luckily They never asked for my grade point average of 4.3;)

[Nader393]

Good, I see a lot of kids squandering opportunities I would have only dreamed to have access to (not to say that you appear to be squandering anything). Not only was college not an option for me when I was young, I wasn't even able to really go to high school, and I missed out on so much not only educationally but socially as well.

Be careful with trying to do "what feels right." That was how I lived my life and the results were anything but desirable. I could have really used some -ANY- kind of direction when I was young, I was on my own with limited positive influence.

This is some of the wisest, most insightful advice I have read anywhere on the Internet. Thank you for that. I wish you well, Vincent.

[Vincent Brick]

First off, thank you all for your input and stories.

Vincent- your tale makes me realize the opportunity that I have in front of me and gives me courage to move forward with everything I have, and not to take advantage of it.

Good, I see a lot of kids squandering opportunities I would have only dreamed to have access to (not to say that you appear to be squandering anything). Not only was college not an option for me when I was young, I wasn't even able to really go to high school, and I missed out on so much not only educationally but socially as well.

Be careful with trying to do "what feels right." That was how I lived my life and the results were anything but desirable. I could have really used some -ANY- kind of direction when I was young, I was on my own with limited positive influence.

[Vincent Brick]

One great place to go online is Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/);

That is exactly what I have been doing. I've worked myself up to 5th grade math on Khan Academy over the last month or so, spending a few days a week on it (back at it today after lunch). Once I get to like a high school level I think I would like to try community college again, but it's going to be a hard road with the school almost 50 miles away and still not having any clue what to go for on top of my age and health/cognitive troubles. I have already failed to achieve a career in any of the things I am passionate about (cars and music/audio/video) and so far I haven't found anything interesting that college offers (besides engineering, which seems way out of reach). But I have to do something, I need a way to support myself into old age, I cannot expect to retire.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[NEOe30]

As someone who is really wanting to go to college for engineering I have so many questions I don't feel I can ask them without derailing this whole thread.

School isn't for everyone and there are numerous other trades that are very respectable and high paying. But know that other paths may not be any easier...as with anything, there are and will be trade offs.

Life is weird and you just have to do what you think is right.

Everyone is different and as has been said...follow your inner voice and find what works for you. Ya never know how its going to turn out

Some good responses in here. I'll offer my take, as I am what one would consider a "pro" education individual and have most certainly benefited from my education throughout my career.

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Final thoughts:

First off, thank you all for your input and stories.

Vincent- your tale makes me realize the opportunity that I have in front of me and gives me courage to move forward with everything I have, and not to take advantage of it.

sgtskid- I appreciate the support of the idea that there are other routes in life and they can turn out perfectly fine. I understand some of the trade offs between UNOH and a university degree, I need to question myself about what will make me happy in the long run.

stonea- Thanks for your support as well, life has definitely been a journey so far, and I can appreciate the "life is a roller coaster" mentality that you seem to mention. Hearing things along the lines of "it will be okay no matter your choice" definitely help me out in this tough situation.

jeffnhiscars- Similar to everyone else, thank you for the moral support that you offered. The inner voice is strong on this topic, but my logical brain seems to be arguing with it.

IronJoe- Thank you for your story, it's definitely motivating to push forward and grind it out, I'm glad that your education has lead you and your wife to become successful in life. Although I wouldnt mind an e30 m3, I'm more of an e92 m3 guy myself ;)


Everyone, thank you for all the messages, support, life advice, and anything else that you had to offer. As I said I plan to finish up this semester with all that I have and see how I stand. I am unsure still if I will take a second semester, it will likely depend on my pass/fail grades in my important classes. After taking a trip home this weekend and seeing all the support from the forum, I have hit a second wind and hope that it will carry me until the middle of December. I will continue to read and reply to anyone who may choose to offer comments or advice on this thread and it's always appreciated. I had so many posts on this thread over the weekend, so I'm sorry if I didn't reply, but I can assure you I read them all. Thanks again.

P.S. - I got to tinker with the e30 a little while I was home, and the block and transmission are ready for removal. I'm probably going to clean up the engine bay a bit and paint up the new engine going in to make everything look pretty. i'm planning on fixing and updating my build thread soon. Sadly I don't have any significant time off until Christmas, and any time that I do have of will be used to catch up anyways. That being said,
IF ANYONE HAS A NON VANOS M50 BLOCK/ASSEMBLY FOR SALE I'LL BE HAPPY TO CONSIDER PURCHASING IT.

[2mAn]

Remember: Fangio didn't start Grand Prix racing until he was about 40.

/thread

[ELVA164]

As someone who is really wanting to go to college for engineering I have so many questions I don't feel I can ask them without derailing this whole thread. But I'm 40 with not much education past 5th grade so it's probably too late for me and I'm only dreaming, I just don't know what else to go to college for, and not having a college education isn't allowing me to earn a sustainable living wage or even find full time employment at all anymore.

It sounds silly, but you're going to want to spend time building your foundational knowledge from reputable internet and print sources. One great place to go online is Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/); they have courses for all different subjects. Many colleges and universities have free courses online, too, so check out their school sites and look for those. One example is MIT (https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm).

And if you want to do it, you can. Remember: Fangio didn't start Grand Prix racing until he was about 40.

[Vincent Brick]

As someone who is really wanting to go to college for engineering I have so many questions I don't feel I can ask them without derailing this whole thread. But I'm 40 with not much education past 5th grade so it's probably too late for me and I'm only dreaming, I just don't know what else to go to college for, and not having a college education isn't allowing me to earn a sustainable living wage or even find full time employment at all anymore.