School

[Rob]

damn!.. woulda took me all day to write that!

Six for me.

Rob

[Double L]

not at all, that's just what I learned in school.

Well I learned a lot more than e=mc squared and i before e except after c. I learned how to do electronic calculator, filing, transcription, correspondence, memos, mailable letters, and all that wonderful business related stuff. At least I paid attention in school unlike some people I know! No I'm not referring to any of you!

[RowdyRebel]

Well I learned a lot more than e=mc squared and i before e except after c. I learned how to do electronic calculator, filing, transcription, correspondence, memos, mailable letters, and all that wonderful business related stuff. At least I paid attention in school unlike some people I know! No I'm not referring to any of you!

I would be one of those who never paid attention.

I never cracked a book in the fall semester (parents would bring my stuff down...I rode my motorcycle...they'd buy my books for the semester before they'd head back home).

I never even BOUGHT a spring semester book.

WOULD have graduated in 4 had I not found motorcycle riding to be more important than attending class my last semester...ended up having to re-take 2 classes. One because I didn't turn in a pass/fail paper in time...the other because I had a borderline grade but didn't realize it and the "optional" final dropped me below passing.

Live 'n learn, I guess. The next go-around, I reprinted the same danged paper I had typed 2 years earlier and turned it in on time...and in the other class, I was nowhere to be found on "optional" finals day.

Never studied a day in my life...and I don't intend to start anytime soon. Even passed all the written CDL tests on the first go-around. Most of it is just common sense anyway.

[Rob]

Well I learned a lot more than e=mc squared and i before e except after c. I learned how to do electronic calculator, filing, transcription, correspondence, memos, mailable letters, and all that wonderful business related stuff. At least I paid attention in school unlike some people I know! No I'm not referring to any of you!

Damn, it sounds like you are qualified to be an office secretary. Are you certain you will have time to operate machinery if your knowledge base is solely concentrated on administrative functions?

The office administration is a large part of any business operation, (large, or small) but those without the drive to perform the work, then track the performance will not acheive success they long for, and are blinded by. Do you realize that 50% of small business startups fail within the first three years? Only about 12% of new business startup actually survive five years. Any business that starts on bank loans and high administrative costs is almost doomed at the start as the law of averages does not play favorites.

I did not learn much in school as I quit when 16. I do know that I've raised my two wonderful kids to adulthood without grandkids, and put my wife, and both of those kids through college without debt or outside help on the limited knowlege that I do have.

Personally I think a college degree is what is needed in this timeframe to make up for the lack of work ethic displayed by the younger generation that survives on handouts, or sponsorship. Do I sound like a prick? Here is an example: I terminated a decent bodyman a couple of months ago for taking a personal telephone call as I was counciling him on his lack of attention to detail. I can be an intolerable asshole when my business interests are not looked after, or jeopardized. Otherwise, a reasonably nice guy.

I bring this up because there is a good side to doing business, and a not so good side. If you are not willing to strike an equal balance between the two, and know when to apply them, there is very little chance of long term success.

You have been offered some very good advice from persons that have lived the dream and the choice is yours to be correct. At 18 years of age, looking at getting married with possibly starting your own family is not the best time to gamble on your immediate future together. At your age you do not have the world by the "short hairs" and will need to gain real world experience before possibly losing control of what you may, or may not have, at this point. It sure is demoralizing to have to start over, and several are trying to help you along; Get some real world experience by not jumping into your dream right out of the gate. Find employment with a company and as part time experience, haul grain and such during the harvest and planting seasons. Some of the best experience out there is REAL work!

Rob

[Double L]

Damn, it sounds like you are qualified to be an office secretary. Are you certain you will have time to operate machinery if your knowledge base is solely concentrated on administrative functions?

The office administration is a large part of any business operation, (large, or small) but those without the drive to perform the work, then track the performance will not acheive success they long for, and are blinded by. Do you realize that 50% of small business startups fail within the first three years? Only about 12% of new business startup actually survive five years. Any business that starts on bank loans and high administrative costs is almost doomed at the start as the law of averages does not play favorites.

I did not learn much in school as I quit when 16. I do know that I've raised my two wonderful kids to adulthood without grandkids, and put my wife, and both of those kids through college without debt or outside help on the limited knowlege that I do have.

Personally I think a college degree is what is needed in this timeframe to make up for the lack of work ethic displayed by the younger generation that survives on handouts, or sponsorship. Do I sound like a prick? Here is an example: I terminated a decent bodyman a couple of months ago for taking a personal telephone call as I was counciling him on his lack of attention to detail. I can be an intolerable asshole when my business interests are not looked after, or jeopardized. Otherwise, a reasonably nice guy.

I bring this up because there is a good side to doing business, and a not so good side. If you are not willing to strike an equal balance between the two, and know when to apply them, there is very little chance of long term success.

You have been offered some very good advice from persons that have lived the dream and the choice is yours to be correct. At 18 years of age, looking at getting married with possibly starting your own family is not the best time to gamble on your immediate future together. At your age you do not have the world by the "short hairs" and will need to gain real world experience before possibly losing control of what you may, or may not have, at this point. It sure is demoralizing to have to start over, and several are trying to help you along; Get some real world experience by not jumping into your dream right out of the gate. Find employment with a company and as part time experience, haul grain and such during the harvest and planting seasons. Some of the best experience out there is REAL work!

Rob

I've called several places and they want me to be either 21 or have experience. I found a grain company in Carlinville but I didn't have a CDL at that time. Maybe if I get my CDL by harvest I can haul grain and get my certificates at the same time since I can do those online. I just hope the economy hasn't hurt the grain hauling business any.

[other dog]

Well I learned a lot more than e=mc squared and i before e except after c. I learned how to do electronic calculator, filing, transcription, correspondence, memos, mailable letters, and all that wonderful business related stuff. At least I paid attention in school unlike some people I know! No I'm not referring to any of you!

they only taught the "three r's" when I was in school.

[Double L]

they only taught the "three r's" when I was in school.

I learned them in elementary school! Then everything changed with the "no child left behind" crap! The work got way to easy and those who were ahead had to wait on everyone else or the ones who were doing mediocre work who were failing got passed by the teacher. Dumbing down America and with Barry Hussein in office it'll only get worse! Back then y'all had no child left behind act, y'alls problem was that y'all just didn't give a damn with the GTO's, Chevelle's, Trans Am's, weed, lsd, acid, and all that other good stuff of the 70's. Sorry I couldn't help myself with that one.

[other dog]

I will admit I'm hard headed and I can sleep under the bed along with other stuff. I gave this a lot of thought and have been for the past oh 4 years or so.

fixin' that post

[Mike]

I learned even less.

Rob

I'm still trying to learn how to sit, fetch and to shake hands. Must be the BullDog in me.

mike

[ThaddeusW]

Do yourself a favor and get a degree, even if its just a 2 year associates. Its been 10 years since I graduated high school and I don't have a degree. I went to a 2 year school for a total of about 5 years and bombed out. I did nothing but screw up and fail and then retake the classes. The sad part is I put myself in a serious hole and now I have to transfer out of that school to another that offers the same course. 10 years later and I still have nothing but a high school diploma. And it has prevented me from getting a few jobs I wanted simply because the prerequisite was a degree. Sure you can get a sweet money making job without a college degree but it never hurts to have that piece of paper. One day you might find yourself unable to drive or out of a job and then what? At least with the degree your job options are much greater. Heck you might find that after a few years on the road that you hate it and want to persue something else.

The worst part is I am no dummy. I went to college for electrical engineering and did very good in all of my technology classes (well i did fail one but that was due to not handing in labs). I can still sit down to this day and work on electronic projects and computer projects. Hell right now I am building a small computer cluster (mini super computer using MPI) using a bunch of older motherboards I got from a friend. Its not easy to but I have been diligently working on getting it working for 5 days now. I never learned how to do it in school but that was never an excuse for me not to learn something new. I know my shit but without that stupid piece of paper you could be Einstein and still no one will hire you. Its a bad situation to be in so don't make my mistake. Go to school, don't screw around and get a degree!

Maybe you could drive a dump/mixer/etc during the construction season and then go to school during the off season. The two will overlap but you might be able to work something out with your boss. You can make money and get a degree. Oh and go to a community college first, no sense in spending big bucks per credit only to realize you dont like college. If you like your major in community college you can transfer the credits to a real university and then persue a batchelors or even a masters. No sence in spending a grand a credit for stupid english and social science classes. Even the basic math and science classes can be taken in community college for cheap.

[Double L]

Do yourself a favor and get a degree, even if its just a 2 year associates. Its been 10 years since I graduated high school and I don't have a degree. I went to a 2 year school for a total of about 5 years and bombed out. I did nothing but screw up and fail and then retake the classes. The sad part is I put myself in a serious hole and now I have to transfer out of that school to another that offers the same course. 10 years later and I still have nothing but a high school diploma. And it has prevented me from getting a few jobs I wanted simply because the prerequisite was a degree. Sure you can get a sweet money making job without a college degree but it never hurts to have that piece of paper. One day you might find yourself unable to drive or out of a job and then what? At least with the degree your job options are much greater. Heck you might find that after a few years on the road that you hate it and want to persue something else.

The worst part is I am no dummy. I went to college for electrical engineering and did very good in all of my technology classes (well i did fail one but that was due to not handing in labs). I can still sit down to this day and work on electronic projects and computer projects. Hell right now I am building a small computer cluster (mini super computer using MPI) using a bunch of older motherboards I got from a friend. Its not easy to but I have been diligently working on getting it working for 5 days now. I never learned how to do it in school but that was never an excuse for me not to learn something new. I know my shit but without that stupid piece of paper you could be Einstein and still no one will hire you. Its a bad situation to be in so don't make my mistake. Go to school, don't screw around and get a degree!

Maybe you could drive a dump/mixer/etc during the construction season and then go to school during the off season. The two will overlap but you might be able to work something out with your boss. You can make money and get a degree. Oh and go to a community college first, no sense in spending big bucks per credit only to realize you dont like college. If you like your major in community college you can transfer the credits to a real university and then persue a batchelors or even a masters. No sence in spending a grand a credit for stupid english and social science classes. Even the basic math and science classes can be taken in community college for cheap.

I am going to the a community college, gonna do all my classes online and whatever I get back from pell I'll use to get my CDL!