yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jul 2, 2016 6:40:57 GMT -5
The degrees were generally 4 years at my school also unless you were getting a masters, switched majors or studied abroad.
I took calc in high school but repeated in college. I was in an honors class with about 10 kids where we did calculus and physics combined for a whole year.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Jul 2, 2016 7:02:41 GMT -5
I checked the requirements for my local CC, and it has what they call a 2+2 program, partnership with a local university. By the # of credits, though, I would imagine it requires at least a few spring/summer classes.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jul 2, 2016 12:11:55 GMT -5
Why do you want to be an engineer? Have you been around engineers and know what the various types do? Were you always good at advanced math, etc. courses and now, in retrospect, think, "Why didn't I pursue that". What is your motivation? I believe in you just as much as everyone else on this board does. But five years is a lot of time to spend on a second degree. If there isn't some burning desire in you to be an engineer because you know what engineers do, etc., aren't there other degrees that you could get more quickly that pay well? I know I am raining on your parade here or feeding your worst fears. But I think a lot of people are glossing over the difficulties of financing this. Can you borrow enough? You don't think you will be able to find a part-time job but you still have full-time obligations to your ex and your son. If you are really certain that this is the path to pursue, can you talk to your ex? He might be willing to work with you on some of these issues. Is he getting the child care credit and/or exemption for your son? Do you alternate it? You may be able to trade some of this for not paying the child care part, etc. TALK to him . . . If your relationship allows that. It is in his and your son's best interest for you to earn more money. Good luck! I have a BA in philosophy because since I was little I told everyone that I wanted to be a hot shot corporate lawyer. Life decisions completely changed my motivation and drive so that didn't happen. Plus I have no desire to work 80 hour weeks. I have always liked old buildings. They seem to tell stories. As I got older I started to appreciate building design. I would LOVE to do architecture but not sure I have the artistic vision. I could do a M. Arch in 2-3 years but I still need math and science prereqs - plus I need to gather all my good art works into a decent portfolio. I love making art but I am no Picasso. Also apparently it is a fiercely competitive field and I should be willing to move for work. Sounds too similar to the lawyer path for my liking. I also considered urban planning but again, not enough available jobs. I could get an A.S. in 2 years and do drafting, but once again not enough jobs and the salary can only go so high. Considered getting into a construction related trade (still kinda am) but I worry about the lack of flexibility regarding work schedules. Most places have start time of 7am or earlier so I'd need a babysitter to take DS to school. Also I have sciatic nerve issues so can't do really heavy lifting. That's all I have time for right now. Lol
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jul 2, 2016 12:14:37 GMT -5
I talked to X already and let's just say he will not be doing anything to help me in that regard.
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TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Jul 2, 2016 12:18:11 GMT -5
I would love to say just do it but I have been there and I opted for work full time school part time thing... I could not handle the uncertainty and everything that came with it; was too much for me. Heck my wife was onboard and I could not get onboard.
Good luck figuring it out!
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jul 2, 2016 12:32:49 GMT -5
He does some. He's taken some game development classes. I just looked and the book next in the curriculum we've been using says it preps for AP calculus BC, as best I can figure I was right in that the book he just finished is more than pre calc but not through AB so somewhere in the middle. Eta: some say the next book only goes half way through BC... grr. He likes statistics, although never took a full course. From camp he liked sessions on pharma, electrical and statistics. It was a cool program. Not sure if your son might like it? Kids flew in from all over. They had sessions in tons of different types of engineering. Im not sure he's going to go the engineering route. He's been keeping his options open and at this point, while I don't really want to limit a 17 year old, it is time we need to focus maybe on what he thinks his first interaction might be... I wouldn't worry too much about the details of what is actually in the calculus books or calc vs statistics, or figuring out exactly what he wants to study. It is more important just to keep studying math and starting out in college taking calculus. I started out college pre-med, but taking calculus and doing well in it gave me the idea to switch to engineering. DS the math geek, took AP calc in high school but decided he wanted to retake it in college. At end of his first year of college he decided to be an actuary. He chose to major in finance and economics, and took all his electives in higher level math.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2016 13:00:13 GMT -5
Why do you want to be an engineer? Have you been around engineers and know what the various types do? Were you always good at advanced math, etc. courses and now, in retrospect, think, "Why didn't I pursue that". What is your motivation? I believe in you just as much as everyone else on this board does. But five years is a lot of time to spend on a second degree. If there isn't some burning desire in you to be an engineer because you know what engineers do, etc., aren't there other degrees that you could get more quickly that pay well? I know I am raining on your parade here or feeding your worst fears. But I think a lot of people are glossing over the difficulties of financing this. Can you borrow enough? You don't think you will be able to find a part-time job but you still have full-time obligations to your ex and your son. If you are really certain that this is the path to pursue, can you talk to your ex? He might be willing to work with you on some of these issues. Is he getting the child care credit and/or exemption for your son? Do you alternate it? You may be able to trade some of this for not paying the child care part, etc. TALK to him . . . If your relationship allows that. It is in his and your son's best interest for you to earn more money. Good luck! I have a BA in philosophy because since I was little I told everyone that I wanted to be a hot shot corporate lawyer. Life decisions completely changed my motivation and drive so that didn't happen. Plus I have no desire to work 80 hour weeks. I have always liked old buildings. They seem to tell stories. As I got older I started to appreciate building design. I would LOVE to do architecture but not sure I have the artistic vision. I could do a M. Arch in 2-3 years but I still need math and science prereqs - plus I need to gather all my good art works into a decent portfolio. I love making art but I am no Picasso. Also apparently it is a fiercely competitive field and I should be willing to move for work. Sounds too similar to the lawyer path for my liking. I also considered urban planning but again, not enough available jobs. I could get an A.S. in 2 years and do drafting, but once again not enough jobs and the salary can only go so high. Considered getting into a construction related trade (still kinda am) but I worry about the lack of flexibility regarding work schedules. Most places have start time of 7am or earlier so I'd need a babysitter to take DS to school. Also I have sciatic nerve issues so can't do really heavy lifting. That's all I have time for right now. Lol You have obviously thought hard about this. So you've researched and the demand for this particular type of engineering is strong. Is it one where you don't have to follow the work? Good luck. You know you can do this. It will be the hardest thing you've ever done, though.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jul 2, 2016 14:24:50 GMT -5
I would actually be satisfied with construction project management. It (theoretically) requires little to no additional schooling. It does require some construction experience though.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jul 2, 2016 14:25:48 GMT -5
It might be time to start hunting down some apprentice or trainee opportunities in that field. They seem to be relatively rare.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jul 3, 2016 18:12:57 GMT -5
Finally got to sit down and read the whole thread.
First, birthday party...
You said you had a place to hold it, if it's a park or something, activities are taken care of. Kids don't really need a structured activity, just time to play together and have fun, maybe a quick game if they really want one (Simon says--do it with goofy stuff, I had a math teacher in Jr High who would do this, and have us put our "hands like an Egyptian" and say "King Tut", duck duck goose, any of the od playground games that just involve moving bodies).
Theme--if there is a certain theme he wants, save money by buying plain plates, cups, and napkins in the general color, and then buy packs of stickers and let the kids decorate their own cup with the stickers. You can often find popular stickers in a dollar store.
Food-- don't stress out! Make some sandwiches and cut them in triangles. Have some fruit. Make a big bowl of pudding and let kids fill a small cup then dip the fruit/pretzels/whatever. (If you can keep something warm, I did melted chocolate chips with a little bit of oil/butter, enough to keep it melty and soft, and the kids loved it! It was supposed to be for a chocolate fountain, given to me by my brother, but it was too windy so we just kept the chocolate warm.)
Cake-- you can bake a simple sheet cake, and add "action figures" to the top to make it match the theme. You could decorate the cake, or just give it a colored frosting, or put candy on the top.
Don't worry about balloons, party favors, activities, etc.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jul 3, 2016 18:23:10 GMT -5
The program I went through was two years. I almost had to make it three because the divorce in the middle, being a single parent responsible for everything, etc, was extremely tough. A friend talked me out of it. I'm glad I did it in the two years, school full time, work part to full time, because I got it done. The one thing I wish I'd done? Worry less about my grades. I just had to get the straight "A"s, and in the end, the guys who got the "C"s have the same job, and it didn't really count for much. Now, if you're in a competitive position where those grades will mean a lot more for getting hired, then do your best to keep them up. But, after a few years, the grades probably won't matter as much.
One possible issue with taking longer to complete the degree--some credits "expire". I'd had AP calculus that counted toward my degree, however, when it was close to time to graduate, I found out that because I'd taken it more than five years prior, they wouldn't accept it, it had "expired". Fortunately, in an effort to help classmates/coworkers, and as my own refresher, I had sat in on their calculus class with the teacher's permission. I had him for a few classes, and when he found out the situation, he gave me an "A" in the calculus class, even though I'd never done any of the homework, tests, etc. If it hadn't been for him, I might not have graduated with everyone else in the class.
It's going to be tough, I can pretty much promise you that. One horrible memory I have is my son riding around on a little train thing in the living room, with his teddy bear. He would ride the train to the couch, pick up the teddy bear and say "I love you, I'll be back to pick you up in a little while" and ride away to "work" or "school". That had been our routine six days a week (I only had Sundays off) for over a year. Seriously broke my heart and I felt so bad that I was away from him all the time, even though I had full custody (the ex saw him three(?) times after the divorce).
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jul 3, 2016 18:33:31 GMT -5
There are some different trades you can look into that do not have to be super physical if you decide to go a different route. Heavy equipment operators, operations in a power plant, being a relaying technician (for a local utility company or federal power outfit) often don't have to do the really physical jobs (but are still required to pass a lifting test, etc). Jobs requirements and expectations will vary, but many just require a trade school or two-year program. How physical the job is will vary widely.
In the northwest, renewable energy is hot right now. Some of the jobs require having to climb wind towers to do maintenance, etc, but others only require you work in the control room, do rounds, monitor things, etc.
Finally, are there any jobs tied to your engineering program, where you can work there part time as long as you are attending classes? If the classes are a condition of keeping your job, some of the college expenses will be tax deductible.
You can do this.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jul 4, 2016 10:27:49 GMT -5
Apple, thanks for all your input. Well, thanks everyone for your input really. Re: the party.... I really just need an extra set of hands to help set up. I'm planning to bake vanilla cupcakes with either blue dyed frosting or regular vanilla frosting with special sprinkles. Snacks would be pretzels and chips, but the dip idea is cute (messy though, lol). Sandwiches sound good but idk... I was thinking of ordering like 3-4 large pizzas, 2 plain and the rest pepperoni. Pricey I know, but I'll try to keep an eye out for Papa John's deals instead of springing for the good pizza at local joints. I know about the plain colored plates/cups/napkins. He keeps talking about a cat party ( ) but I can't find any boy geared cat party decorations. I like the "decorate your own cup" idea. If I do gift bags, they will be bubbles, stickers, and some other cheap thing.... Candy? Kazoos?
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jul 4, 2016 11:58:56 GMT -5
Can X help you set up the party? It seems like you guys are friendly enough that he'd help you out?
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 4, 2016 12:32:39 GMT -5
Fruit snacks. For the love of god, no kazoos. ETA: For a Cat party, would Cat in the Hat work? There should be free printable things...
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jul 4, 2016 12:54:45 GMT -5
For pizza check for codes with Papa John's. They have a lot of sports ones that get you 50%.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jul 5, 2016 6:54:56 GMT -5
Can X help you set up the party? It seems like you guys are friendly enough that he'd help you out? When he decided that he wanted to do something "simple" (read: cheap and easy) instead, I suggested that he could mow the backyard and we could have it at the house. Got no answer. Then I basically told him that I could do this by myself but that I would remember this later should he ever need a favor from me. So I think that avenue is closed.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Jul 5, 2016 7:29:19 GMT -5
One year for my son's birthday I did a party at the park. My town lets you "rent" a gazebo for free so I did that and had a few games planned plus a pinata. For food I did pizza and hot dogs. I also baked a cake. Just a plain sheet cake though. The decorations came from the dollar store and other than what was in the pinata I only did dollar store stuff for the goodie bag all I remember is small packs of bubbles.
The cake cost about $4, decorations and paper plates/cups $8, pinata $20. Food all I remember getting is one ex large pizza with half cheese and half pepperoni cut into tiny pieces and a couple of packs of on sale hot dogs. Maybe $6 for the got dogs and buns and $15 for the pizza. Other than that I had juice and water as well as soda for the adults. Most kids just wanted water though.
There were over 20 kids there and I still had lots of food left over. They were more interested in playing on the park's castle playground than sitting down and eating. I know I spent over $50 but things like the cake mixes and juice were just bought on sale and pulled out of my pantry. So only the pizza, pinata and decorations/favors were actually bought right then for the party. All I actually remember spending is $40 and the kids still remember what a blast they all had that day.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jul 5, 2016 9:47:56 GMT -5
I pushed the date out a week and now my mom and aunt can help me. I checked out the proposed venue - they now have a larger pavilion area for picnics and such. You still can't reserve anything so I'll just have to make sure I get to the park by 10am and stake my claim. There's a spray pad area and a regular playground, so the kids will have plenty to do.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Jul 6, 2016 14:21:01 GMT -5
Maybe some of the engineers here could weigh in on this. I know you all mentioned a specific foundation of calc and physics before taking the engineering ones. How did those compare in interest of content and complexity of material? Is taking a year of calc and 1-2 physics classes a sufficient piloting for this? does it get more interesting/easier after? Or similar? how could one adequately gauge their interest level? Technically I was an applied math major, but I think the "hardness" is similar all the way through and IMO, it's all hard. I had a good GPA, maybe 3.8/4, honestly I don't quite remember but I spent a shit ton of time studying. There were definitely people I went to school with who had the same GPA and could study/do the homework in a quarter of the time. I think interest is hard to gauge. Some people are very interested, honestly I'm not. I was "good" at math in high school but it was easy then. In college I was still "good" but it was a lot harder and time consuming. I think I found satisfaction in the challenge but I'm not super interested, as in I don't spend my free time solving equations and what not.
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on Jul 6, 2016 18:11:05 GMT -5
Maybe some of the engineers here could weigh in on this. I know you all mentioned a specific foundation of calc and physics before taking the engineering ones. How did those compare in interest of content and complexity of material? Is taking a year of calc and 1-2 physics classes a sufficient piloting for this? does it get more interesting/easier after? Or similar? how could one adequately gauge their interest level? I APed out of most of the foundation classes, so I can't say much there. At my university, the weed out courses were sophomore level. Junior year is when the classes got smaller and more interesting in my opinion.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2016 19:17:06 GMT -5
Most engineering programs at good schools start with some of the engineering courses right out of the gate while you are taking the calculus and differential equations courses the first two years - even in civil engineering programs. This is why a community college then engineering school may not save you any time or money. To get into the correct sequence of classes, it takes at least 3 plus years at the engineering school. The program below for civil engineering at a school that uses three 10 week quarters with a week of finals after each quarter shows the sequencing starting with the first 10 week session having the first engineering class:
Freshman Year
Fall Term Credit
MA 111 Calculus I 5
PH 111 Physics I 4
RH 131 Rhetoric and Composition
CLSK 100 College & Life Skills 1
CE 101 Engineering Surveying 2
Total 16
Winter Term Credit
MA 112 Calculus II 5
PH 112 Physics II 4
Elective(HSS) 4
CE 111 Geographic Info Systems 2
EM 102 Graphical Communications for CE 2
Total 17
Spring Term Credit
MA 113 Calculus III 5
EM 103 Introduction to Design 2
EM 120 Engineering Statics 4
Elective (HSS) 4
Total 15
Sophomore Year
Fall Term Credit
MA 211 Differential Equations 4
CHEM 111 General Chemistry I 4
EM 202 Dynamics 4
HSS Elective 4
Total 16
Winter Term Credit
MA 212 Matrix Algebra and Systems
of Differential Equations 4
EM 203 Mechanics of Materials 4
CHEM 113 General Chemistry II 4
CE 250 Sustainable CE Design 2
Elective (Science)*** 4
Total 18
Spring Term Credit
MA 223 Statistics for Engineers 4
EM 301 Fluid Mechanics 4
CE 320 C.E. Materials 4
CE 380 Transportation Engineering 4
Total 16
Junior Year
Fall Term Credit
CE 321 Structural Mechanics I 4
CE 336 Soil Mechanics 4
CE 205
CHE 201 Thermodynamics
or
Conservation Principles
and Balances 4
CE 371 Hydraulic Engineering 4
Total 16
Winter Term Credit
ECE 206
CHE 202 Elements of Electrical Eng.
or
Basic Chemical Process
Calculations 4
CE 441 Construction Engineering 2
CE 432 Concrete Design I 3
CE 471 Water Resources
Engineering 4
Elective (Science)*** 4
Total 17
Spring Term Credit
CE 310 Civil Engineering
Numerical Methods 2
CE 431 Steel Design I 3
CE 460 Environmental Engineering 4
RH 330 Technical and
Professional Communication 4
CE 461 Environmental
Engineering Lab 2
Total 15
Senior Year
Fall Term Credit
CE 486
CE C.E. Design & Synthesis I
**C.E. Elective 2
4
CE 450 C.E. Codes & Regulations 4
HSS Elective 4
HSS Elective 4
Total 18
Winter Term Credit
CE 487
CE 488 Technical System Design
& Synthesis
C.E. Design & Synthesis II 2
2
CE **C.E. Elective 4
*Elective (Technical) 4
CE 303 Engineering Economy 4
Total 16
Spring Term Credit
CE 489 C.E. Design & Synthesis III 2
*Elective(Technical) 4
HSS Elective 4
HSS Elective 4
CE 400 Career Preparation Seminar 0
Total 14
Total credits required: 194
*A Technical elective is any four (4) credit course in chemistry, computer science, engineering, life science, geology, mathematics, or physics.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Jul 6, 2016 19:21:16 GMT -5
Maybe some of the engineers here could weigh in on this. I know you all mentioned a specific foundation of calc and physics before taking the engineering ones. How did those compare in interest of content and complexity of material? Is taking a year of calc and 1-2 physics classes a sufficient piloting for this? does it get more interesting/easier after? Or similar? how could one adequately gauge their interest level? I APed out of most of the foundation classes, so I can't say much there. At my university, the weed out courses were sophomore level. Junior year is when the classes got smaller and more interesting in my opinion. This. We had a few basic engineering classes freshman year, and slightly more in-depth ones my sophomore year, but it honestly wasn't until first semester junior year that I knew I had picked the "correct" major for me.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2016 19:23:21 GMT -5
Great, so 40-100k in before you can be sure...
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 6, 2016 20:05:21 GMT -5
Posting on everyone's school experience isn't really going to help. Unless it's exactly like MJ's school.
Just to stir the pot, I looked up our CEE courses.
The first two semesters are mostly upper level calculus, chemistry, statistics, and a few liberal arts courses.
So, at my alma mater, indeed, it would be just fine to start at a two year tech school and transfer in.
Our university has even worked with the tech schools to develop a path..and you get a contract verifying that you've got a spot at the 4 year institution. The program must be 10-15 years old by now. I had boyfriends of clients getting a spot at our flagship university through the tech college program almost a decade ago.
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