Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Now before I begin I would like to say this is a serious issue for me and I would appreciate all negativity left out, if you do not have any interest in helping me make my decision and guide me to what could be the right path then please refrain from posting.

Ok, last year I started Architectual Technology at my local college, it was and is a great course, I have learned many interesting things about the design of a building and the knowlege of building construction.

Its been a year so far, I have been getting good marks and barly missed a day of class, up untill 2 weeks ago, I started coming to the conclusion that this is not the field I see myself in for the rest of my life, This course is no longer appealing to me for many reasons.

I am thinking of switching to an Automotive Service Technician course, Cars have always been my passion, and I think that this is where I would want to be, I would be looking in to getting an apprenticeship at a place like Porsche, BMW or something like that, then in the future I wouldnt mind getting in to Automotive Design.

The biggest concern I have now is how to break this to my parents, I just know how much I would be dissapointing them if I dropped this course, but I need to make a decision fast since the Automotive Course at my college starts in January.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Just say it straight up like you said here, it doesn't interest you anymore. Might be tough, just suck it up and tell them. I've had to do the same thing a couple times already :8

edit: Heck I'm kind of in the same predicament, don't want to take classes anymore, want to work at the Honda dealership... bah. Who knows. :8

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Yeah, just tell them for sure.

I would make sure to finish your current semester though, not miss anymore classes and pass with good grades. Then start off in the new program in January.

Good luck getting apprenticeship at BMW and the like.. lol

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

i love my automotive classes, you learn alot and have a great time. You should just tell your parents and get it over with, its better to break the news right away.

And as for the apprenticeship, i have heard some alright things about uti, they have porshe and bmw programs that might be for you.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Follow your passion Martin. You'll only really suceeed in life if you love what you do.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

This is probably the best advice anybody could give you. You just have to do what's best for yourself and not care about anybody else. It's your future (as corny as this sounds), so you need to do what you love.

Personally, I really want to take a bunch of welding/design/engineering classes because the only classes I really like going to are math and physics.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

You`ve only wasted a year which is nothing compare to finding out u don`t like it after 4 years of studying.
Tell ur parent stright up and make sure you talk like a man and know what you are doing.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Most things get old after awhile. working on cars will get old also, faster than you may think. but if you realy want to, go for it.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

How far along are you with your architectural education?
It might be a good idea to finish that and then do some automotive training on top of it.

If you get an associates or bachelors degree in anything, it will help you out in anything you do.
I think this would make you a powerful candidate in all kinds of jobs.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

I feel ya dog, i am in a similar situation, do what you think is absolutely right and what you think is best. i personally, feel that you should switch, because if you're already uninterested in arc. ---- then you should get out before you get more into and it just makes it harder to quit.

automotive design would be sick man, you could have fun with that, pursue dude.

good luck with your choice.

l8er
jake

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

I dont agree with everyone else. I say get the college degree and play with cars as a side hobby or side job. My dad said it sometimes it doesnt even matter what the degree is in, just that you have it. He owns the business he started working, and he only the original job because he had a degree... even though it was just in history. btw I got offered an automotive job while getting my masters in CS, the owner didnt care he said something to the effect that I know what I'm doing after looking at my car. My wife said you might want to look into getting a business degree and work at an autoshop as a manager.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

Nick

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Definitely finish what ever semester you are in, and changin after a year isn't that bad. nothing wrong with wanting to be a tech, but just know, if you want to do automotive design, your not going to do it from being a wrench. and If you want to do something like bmw or porsche, you need some kind of an in either go to a tech school that works with them, or if you know someone at a dealer that can get you right in to an apprenticeship

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

I dont really care where i'll end up, as long as its a nice place with nice people and I like what I do, heck, if I was rich I'd try to be a tech for Ferrari, but you gotta know people and have money, so even if I end up at Honda, big deal, I can always switch to other makes.

As for automotive design, there is a Design school in detroit that does that as well as other things, Does anybody know what its called?

Thanks for all the advice guys, I will finish this semester, and see what happens next, My buddy even said to go for automotive since he knows me and knows that when it comes to cars its like second nature to me. He is in the automotive course right now and he's loving it.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Don't worry about what your parents will think, just explain how you feel and that you want to make a change to a different course regardless of how they feel.

When I went into the Air Force when I was 20 I knew deep down after about 4 months that that ---- wasn't for me and I'd be ------- myself if I stayed in. I knew what I had to do, but letting your parents, freinds ect down by telling them your quiting didn't effect what I had to do. If you live life for others, you aren't living life for yourself. I did what I had to do, and I'm much better off because of it. Everyone got over the whole "quiter" thing, plus now that I'm doing what I want to do, I make them look lost in life, so they can't say I didn't know what I was doing.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Word, and on a side note bro,
If you want to get into design and all the braniac stuff of cars and motors, youll probably never get to physically touch the motor your working on for another company. So if you want to be a tech guy, go into an automotive program, if you want to design, go into mechanical engineering.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

I've been pretty much working on cars in any spare time that I had since I was 16-17, now i'm 22 and still love ripping engine apart and rebuilding them.

WHo knows, if I'm good at what I do I might get in somewhere that will make me good money. I dont expect to be rich, I just want a modest house, a cool wife, a 2 car garage and enough money to be secure. To me that would be considered a rich man, someone who has everything they need to live a great life.

oh and Steve when you said "If you live life for others, you aren't living life for yourself", That was probably the best advice I got in a long time. I'm gonna use that as my sig ;)

Thank you.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

i would finish what you are doing because as an architect chances are you will be able to make enough money to really endulge in your passion possiblely starting your own business on the side with car. But hell if it doesn't work out can alway go back to school.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

do what makes you happy, thats why you went to school in the first place, to have a better life afterwards.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

the same thing was happening to me bro. it was really difficult to break it to my parents. I was kinda scared they'd think I was a failure. As we were having a heated argument on why I was getting nowhere I broke the news to them, needless to say 1 year later I'm about to embark on an associates program at the current school I am going to and they are loving my grades and its been all good. my mom even has talks about opening a business with me in a few years.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

I wont be an architect, architects do 8 years of university, I dont have time for that. I can be an architectual technician, sort of the same thing, but the same shitty money as a car mechanic between 15-20/hour to start, now as a service tech I can make the same, plus I can always move on and get better jobs, I know some service tech's make over 25-30/hour.

Here is a little update, I kinda broke the news to my mom, now she wants me to go to university ::)

NEWS FLAsH BITCH, THERE IS NO AUTOMOTIVE PROGRAMS AT UNIVERSITY.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

lol that what my mom wonts me to do so i dont know yet i might go to uti then to a commiry collage i dont know or the other way around

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

See, I wouldnt mind going to UTI but I'm a Canadian resident, so it woud be hard getting in let alone funding such school.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

uif cars are your passion, they wont be after being a tech for a yr or 2...

im not an auto mech, because i like to keep this as a hobby.


so instad i fix kitchen equipment.. hahah

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

We all get tired of the things we do, I know you dont wake up every morning thinking "wow, I sure love my job with a passion, today will be a great day, just like yesterday"

Point is I see myself in this more than other things, hobby or not.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

I have to agree with Hotrex and what a few others have said here. I was into audio big time when I was younger. I got a degree in electrical engineering, but when I got out of college, I got into 12volt installation. Well, 11 years later it doesn't do for me nearly what it used to, I still enjoy it some, but I don't care about it nearly like I used to. I think if cars were truly your passion...you would have already been doing something that was going to lead you to some type of automotive career. Your young, you have time to make the right decision or even the wrong one....just do yourself one favor, whatever you choose, if you find out after a year or two of doing it that it is not right, don't wait for it to get better, in most cases it won't.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Thanks, that was good advice, see I wanted to go in to an automotive related subject before, but parents thought it was stupid and put pressure on me to choose something, so I did, and now i'm not happy. I'm going to try this at least and see where I go with it, you only live life once, might as well enjoy it.

Re: Need some Direction from fellow HMT'ers (School related)
 

Im planning on doing running start next year so that i can have my aa when im done with high school. Right now it seems like the smart thing to do, get high school and college credit and get free college at the same time ;)