If you went to college. I'm majoring in Operations and Information Management at UMass Amherst starting this fall.
I phoned in High School and didn't attend a single college course until was 21. My major was Criminal Justice but I never bothered to finish given I ended up with a high paying job at 23 (for the time) that took up what time I had. I went to mostly Scottsdale Community College but also did a course or two at some of the other Maricopa County colleges.
Purdue Civil Engineering Class of '24
I just made a decision for myself a couple of weeks ago after various acceptances. Going to Purdue engineering for Class of 2025. They don't auto admit to major, as first year students complete a general engineering program, but after that, leaning towards civil with a transportation focus.
Quote from: SkyPesos on May 04, 2021, 08:23:48 PM
I just made a decision for myself a couple of weeks ago after various acceptances. Going to Purdue engineering for Class of 2025. They don't auto admit to major, as first year students complete a general engineering program, but after that, leaning towards civil with a transportation focus.
That's my plan as well, except I finish FYE tomorrow. I only had 2 FYE classes this semester, my other 3 were CE core classes (but not from the school of Civil Engineering, I took CGT 164 (graphics, CAD), PHYS 241 (Electricity, Magnetism, Light), and MA 261 (Calc 3)).
FYE is mostly math. ENGR 131-132 focuses on Excel (131) and MATLAB (132) to evaluate formulas, Chem is a lot of math, Physics is a lot of math, and labs use Python (in 172), and Calc is Calc. Be familiar with the software mentioned above. And for your FYE science selective choose CHM 116 over CS 159, as it will help with technical electives later (junior/senior years).
If you have any more FYE questions you can let me know.
WPI Civil Engineering "˜18 - the department didn't allow any formal concentrations, but my senior capstone was in transportation so that was unofficially my concentration.
(By the way, WPI has the best mascot ever - a goat!!!)
Coming soon from RGT, "What is your SSN and your mother's maiden name?"
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 04, 2021, 09:09:26 PM
(By the way, WPI has the best mascot ever - a goat!!!)
School should change their name to API: Alanland Polytechnic Institute. That'll fit better :bigass:
Quote from: SkyPesos on May 04, 2021, 09:15:42 PM
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 04, 2021, 09:09:26 PM
(By the way, WPI has the best mascot ever - a goat!!!)
School should change their name to API: Alanland Polytechnic Institute. That'll fit better :bigass:
I think I made reference to a Quindaro Polytechnic Institute (QPI) in one of my Alanland posts around when AP Alanland & Alan State University (ASU) were hot topics :-D
Edited to add: Yup:
Quote from: jmacswimmer on April 13, 2021, 12:17:48 PM
Indeed...illegal horny goat weed is good for admittance at public institutions such as ASU, but legal horny goat weed is needed at private institutions such as Quindaro Polytechnic Institute (QPI).
Geography at some state school in the middle of Ohio.
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 04, 2021, 09:21:18 PM
Quote from: SkyPesos on May 04, 2021, 09:15:42 PM
Quote from: jmacswimmer on May 04, 2021, 09:09:26 PM
(By the way, WPI has the best mascot ever - a goat!!!)
School should change their name to API: Alanland Polytechnic Institute. That'll fit better :bigass:
I think I made reference to a Quindaro Polytechnic Institute (QPI) in one of my Alanland posts around when AP Alanland & Alan State University (ASU) were hot topics :-D
Edited to add: Yup:
Quote from: jmacswimmer on April 13, 2021, 12:17:48 PM
Indeed...illegal horny goat weed is good for admittance at public institutions such as ASU, but legal horny goat weed is needed at private institutions such as Quindaro Polytechnic Institute (QPI).
QPI vs API - Alanland's Techmo Bowl
Quote from: SectorZ on May 04, 2021, 09:14:31 PM
Coming soon from RGT, "What is your SSN and your mother's maiden name?"
"How long is your weiner"
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 04, 2021, 09:53:25 PM
Quote from: SectorZ on May 04, 2021, 09:14:31 PM
Coming soon from RGT, "What is your SSN and your mother's maiden name?"
"How long is your weiner"
https://youtu.be/QO2DH1Dl1M8
I'd like to major in Architecture and Civil Engineering with a minor in Landscape Architecture. I'd like to go to Virginia Tech.
Quote from: Angelo71 on May 04, 2021, 10:27:19 PM
I'd like to major in Architecture and Civil Engineering with a minor in Landscape Architecture. I'd like to go to Virginia Tech.
Are you in High School?
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 04, 2021, 10:28:46 PM
Quote from: Angelo71 on May 04, 2021, 10:27:19 PM
I'd like to major in Architecture and Civil Engineering with a minor in Landscape Architecture. I'd like to go to Virginia Tech.
Are you in High School?
Yes.
Civil Engineering, UW-Platteville.
Accounting. Goldey-Beacom College in Delaware.
I have a BS in geography from UW Eau Claire. I minored in geology (kick-ass field trips, yo!).
With that degree, I have been a production cartographer at one gig and a geospatial specialist at my current gig; among other titles. I currently spend most of my time coordinating field crews in the collection of roadway system data including pavement imagery, LiDAR data and roadway imagery. Think of Google Streetview, but you can also look down at al the cracks and ruts in the road.
As a note to all the roadgeeks reading here, I have been able to monetize my spatial aptitude with at least two employers so far in my professional career. I raised some bars at the publishing company I worked for in my 20's in terms of cartographic standards and I have been able to combine my field experience with my general awareness of road shit and the shortcomings of government to streamline the type of data collection I currently oversee.
This may or may not come as a surprise to y'all reading this but sometimes, governments don't always have a firm grasp over the scope of the infrastructure over which they have jurisdiction. It is those bureaucratic blind spots where a geography nerd like you or me can literally save dozens of hours of confusion and discoordination. Something as simple as checking a state's 511 site can save crazy amounts of time bypassing closed roads the state expects to be collected. All it takes is someone with the interest and drive to check these things ahead of time.
Quote from: triplemultiplex on May 04, 2021, 11:25:37 PM
I have a BS in geography from UW Eau Claire. I minored in geology (kick-ass field trips, yo!).
With that degree, I have been a production cartographer at one gig and a geospatial specialist at my current gig; among other titles. I currently spend most of my time coordinating field crews in the collection of roadway system data including pavement imagery, LiDAR data and roadway imagery. Think of Google Streetview, but you can also look down at al the cracks and ruts in the road.
As a note to all the roadgeeks reading here, I have been able to monetize my spatial aptitude with at least two employers so far in my professional career. I raised some bars at the publishing company I worked for in my 20's in terms of cartographic standards and I have been able to combine my field experience with my general awareness of road shit and the shortcomings of government to streamline the type of data collection I currently oversee.
This may or may not come as a surprise to y'all reading this but sometimes, governments don't always have a firm grasp over the scope of the infrastructure over which they have jurisdiction. It is those bureaucratic blind spots where a geography nerd like you or me can literally save dozens of hours of confusion and discoordination. Something as simple as checking a state's 511 site can save crazy amounts of time bypassing closed roads the state expects to be collected. All it takes is someone with the interest and drive to check these things ahead of time.
Your job sounds fantastic.
I majored in mathematics at Notre Dame and then got a masters in mathematics at Michigan State.
Bachelors in Science for meteorology at Northern Illinois University
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on May 04, 2021, 09:26:29 PM
Geography at some state school in the middle of Ohio.
Maybe your geography degree will help you pinpoint a location. :-D
For myself a BA in Math at Hope College, some graduate course work in computer science at MSU, and almost 30 years later a MS in Computer Science from Lawrence Tech.
Quote from: Big John on May 04, 2021, 10:59:33 PM
Civil Engineering, UW-Platteville.
Ditto! I'm there right now, hoping to graduate a year from now, Spring 2022. :biggrin:
Concordia University, River Forest (IL) – Undecided major, pre-seminary program. (I had enrolled with the expectation of being a Spanish major, but it turns out the e-mail confirming the existence of a Spanish major coupled to pre-sem was apparently not from the college I thought it was from, so I ended up being officially "undecided". I also had a conversion experience at the beginning of the year, upon which I realized I wasn't called to be a pastor; I imagine a lot of you are quite relieved by that.)
Slacked off, stopped going to class, flunked out
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn (IL) – earned an AA degree, which is basically a high school diploma with a blue star on it.
Intended to transfer into Southern Illinois University, but never got around to it.
It always surprises me that so many people in America have no college degree. In Needham, almost every adult has a college degree and all high schoolers go to college.
Quote from: webny99 on May 05, 2021, 10:59:17 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 10:58:11 AM
In Needham, everyone has a college degree
:hmmm:
Not everyone, but a much higher percentage of the population than elsewhere... oh were you talking about people under 18 who are still in K-12 schooling? I get it now.
Yet another Geography major; UCLA Class of 1992.
Quote from: webny99 on May 05, 2021, 10:59:17 AM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 10:58:11 AM
In Needham, everyone has a college degree
:hmmm:
this (https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=What+is+hyperbole%3F)
Linguistics/International Studies/Pre-Law at the University of Kansas, hence my username.
Chris
I majored in French & Spanish at THE Ohio State University. Buckeye for life!
Quote from: frankenroad on May 05, 2021, 11:23:01 AM
THE Ohio State University
I get reminded many times that the "THE" in THE Ohio State's name is very important :D
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 10:58:11 AM
It always surprises me that so many people in America have no college degree. In Needham, almost every adult has a college degree and all high schoolers go to college.
In Needham, 46% of people over age 25 have a graduate or professional degree. That's not exactly typical.
Also, the median household income in Neeham is literally twice that of Masachusetts as a whole. That should be a clue that things aren't necessarily typical.
Quote from: kphoger on May 05, 2021, 12:13:26 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 10:58:11 AM
It always surprises me that so many people in America have no college degree. In Needham, almost every adult has a college degree and all high schoolers go to college.
In Needham, 46% of people over age 25 have a graduate or professional degree. That's not exactly typical.
Also, the median household income in Neeham is literally twice that of Masachusetts as a whole. That should be a clue that things aren't necessarily typical.
I do know, it's still sometimes hard to wrap my head around.
Originally dropped out of Clemson Univ in 1989 (secondary education major). Had trouble getting up at the crack of noon.
Finally got a Bachelors of Science and Applied Science Technology Degree from Thomas Edison State College (NJ), with a major in Radiation Protection in 2002. I never stepped foot on the campus.
Quote from: stridentweasel on May 05, 2021, 12:45:01 PM
Meanwhile, the degrees I do have make it harder to get jobs that I want.
Yep, being overqualified for a job can be just as damaging as being underqualified. They look at your résumé and say,
He won't stay working here for very long, and then move on to the next application.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 12:28:01 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 05, 2021, 12:13:26 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 10:58:11 AM
It always surprises me that so many people in America have no college degree. In Needham, almost every adult has a college degree and all high schoolers go to college.
In Needham, 46% of people over age 25 have a graduate or professional degree. That's not exactly typical.
Also, the median household income in Neeham is literally twice that of Masachusetts as a whole. That should be a clue that things aren't necessarily typical.
I do know, it's still sometimes hard to wrap my head around.
Despite that you're surrounded by at least two towns that are even better off than yours.
Quote from: SectorZ on May 05, 2021, 02:21:43 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 12:28:01 PM
Quote from: kphoger on May 05, 2021, 12:13:26 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 10:58:11 AM
It always surprises me that so many people in America have no college degree. In Needham, almost every adult has a college degree and all high schoolers go to college.
In Needham, 46% of people over age 25 have a graduate or professional degree. That's not exactly typical.
Also, the median household income in Neeham is literally twice that of Masachusetts as a whole. That should be a clue that things aren't necessarily typical.
I do know, it's still sometimes hard to wrap my head around.
Despite that you're surrounded by at least two towns that are even better off than yours.
Dover and Wellesley lol.
Morehead State University
BA, December 1982 (major in journalism, minor in government)
MA in communications with an emphasis in journalism, December 1983
BS, biology, Penn State, class of '84.
Geography, University of Washington (Seattle), didn't finish degree.
Quote from: stridentweasel on May 05, 2021, 12:45:01 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 10:58:11 AM
It always surprises me that so many people in America have no college degree. In Needham, almost every adult has a college degree and all high schoolers go to college.
It always surprises me how so many good-paying jobs don't even require a college degree.
There is literally only one job I would be interested in that requires a college degree, and that's traffic engineering. And guess what? It requires a degree I don't have!
Meanwhile, the degrees I do have make it harder to get jobs that I want.
There's an awful lot of employers who require a college degree just because it's evidence of being able to stick to a large project, or being able to learn things efficiently, and not because of any specific thing you might learn.
I went to Missouri State University for one year. Officially I was registered as a computer science major, but once I was accepted and saw how many math courses were required for that degree (come on, the whole reason computers were invented is to do math for us), I set my sights instead on a Geospatial Sciences (a GIS, or, essentially, cartography) degree.
I managed to screw myself over by blind luck before my first semester at MSU even started. At orientation I took a math placement test, and, following my standard practice with every other multiple-choice standardized test I've ever took, when they called a five-minute warning, I just went down the column of unanswered questions and filled them all in, figuring a 1/4 chance of getting it right was better than a 0/4. Of course, I didn't stop to think this was a placement test, and through some fluke of blind luck, I apparently managed to get a chunk of them right, because I was placed in a very difficult math class my first semester, not made any easier by having a professor with a thick accent and a condescending attitude. So I ended up having to drop that class, which meant that I didn't reach the required number of credit hours to keep my scholarship.
I always intended to transfer my credits to a school closer to home, and made an attempt to do so with OU, but got rejected from OU because "I didn't meet the requirements for an out-of-state student" despite having lived across the river from OU my entire life other than the time I spent at MSU, and when this was pointed out to the admissions clerks, they gave a response that didn't indicate a firm grasp on reality on their part. By that point, it was late enough I was going to miss a semester anyway, so I ended up getting a job while I waited, and then got so caught up in that that I never went back.
Quote from: Scott5114 on May 06, 2021, 06:50:40 PM
I took a math placement test, and, following my standard practice with every other multiple-choice standardized test I've ever took, when they called a five-minute warning, I just went down the column of unanswered questions and filled them all in, figuring a 1/4 chance of getting it right was better than a 0/4. Of course, I didn't stop to think this was a placement test, and through some fluke of blind luck, I apparently managed to get a chunk of them right, because I was placed in a very difficult math class my first semester, not made any easier by having a professor with a thick accent and a condescending attitude.
I may have told this story on here before...
My dad moved the day before he took the ACT. So, when test day came around, he was worn out from the moving process, and he was in no mood to take the test seriously. Now, he's the kind of guy who could read the back cover of a book, flip through its pages, and then write a convincing paper about that book–not having actually read it. When he was handed the ACT, he didn't bother reading the questions. Instead, he just read the answers and chose whichever one seemed best to him.
Based on his score, he was placed into a remedial English class. This, the guy who ended up having an English literature concentration.
Yet, based on his score, he was also placed into an advanced physics class. This, the guy who had never taken a physics class in his life.
He re-took the test when he was more in the mood to answer the questions.
I just moved into college, I'm super nervous but also excited.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on August 28, 2021, 01:02:00 AM
I just moved into college, I'm super nervous but also excited.
Congrats. Learn to be comfortable with independence.
When I started college: Communications at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ
What happened between freshman year and senior year of college: After spending three-quarters of the freshman school year at the U of A, I decided to switch majors and switched schools. After spending another semester up in Wisconsin (Fall 2019), I decided to switch to online classes for the Spring 2020 semester where COVID ruined some plans that I had during the year.
Now that I will be a senior in college: Video Productions at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, WI with some plans on involving a podcast and possibly a new YouTube channel on major infrastructure projects around the country.
Overall, I do much better doing classes online than in person, especially since I have gotten much closer to my parents than ever!
I was a math major at Northern Illinois University, but didn't finish. I originally was going to be a teacher but after taking an education class realized that wasn't for me. Then I realized math wasn't for me, and then it devolved into one giant argument about what college was for between me and my parents.
Quote from: Ned Weasel on May 06, 2021, 05:01:13 PM
Quote from: kkt on May 06, 2021, 01:09:00 PM
There's an awful lot of employers who require a college degree just because it's evidence of being able to stick to a large project, or being able to learn things efficiently, and not because of any specific thing you might learn.
I sure hope there are a lot of employers who value a college degree, because otherwise, it just seems like a rite of passage with no material reward.
I got worried at my latest job interview, when the interviewer commented about how I seem like an educated guy and how I've had all these desk jobs, and wanted to know how that reconciled with my applying for a delivery driver job that involved a lot of physical labor.
My reasoning seemed pretty straightforward: (1) I have a CDL-A, and I finally have a medical certification again (after moving away from prescription meds that weren't allowed), and (2) I feel like I'm wasting away at these desk jobs, and wouldn't it be nice if I had a job that helped me stay fit and active while doing it (not like I'd stop my workout routine, just saying, the more exercise the merrier).
Literally none of the jobs I've been applying for lately require a college degree. I've lost all interest in urban planning jobs after seeing what that field is like. And I'm tired of wasting my time applying to traffic engineering jobs, when they all require a degree I don't have.
Not sure why you would even try to apply for traffic engineering jobs with your educational background.
If delivery is really what you want to do, hopefully that works out for you. Maybe drop the education from your resume -- "dumb it down." They're not going to care or have the resources to track that stuff down anyway.
Trust fund kid, eh? :D
Quote from: Ned Weasel on August 29, 2021, 08:39:06 AM
Quote from: Rothman on August 29, 2021, 08:17:41 AM
Not sure why you would even try to apply for traffic engineering jobs with your educational background.
Because it's interesting? But I'd also be stuck behind a desk most of the time, so I'm not sure that's something I really want to do.
As interesting as they might be, you're just not qualified for them and it's a waste of time to apply.
That said, there are other ways of getting into the general field without being an engineer. DOTs also hire data analysts, for example.
University of Wisconsin-Superior, 2009-2013 with a BS in journalism.
I majored in Management Information Systems at Old Dominion University, however, I only completed the equivalent of 3 years of college as I went part-time after my freshman year. I ended up working in the restaurant industry as a manager for 30 years (along with working in the trucking industry as a driver for 8 years).
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 29, 2021, 02:31:33 PM
... with a BS in journalism.
Journalism is a science? I'd have thought that would be a BA degree.
Quote from: GaryV on August 30, 2021, 08:55:55 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 29, 2021, 02:31:33 PM
... with a BS in journalism.
Journalism is a science? I'd have thought that would be a BA degree.
There are a lot of disciplines where one can get a BA or BS degree. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a BA in mathematics.
I have a BS in biology from VCU. Wish I'd majored in chemistry instead, but the math would have kicked my ass.
Math kicking my ass is also why I haven't gone back to school for meteorology, even though I'm a hardcore weather enthusiast.
I got my BASc in Civil Engineering at the University of Waterloo, class of 2018. It was a 5-year program with eight 4-month school terms and six 4-month co-op work terms.
B.S.C.S.E. (Computer Systems Engineering) at the University of Arkansas.
Took a while to get through what with working while taking 15-16 hours, other than during the last semester's capstone course and taking Cal II twice due to being taught by a grad student the first time with as thick of a Chinese accent as you could possibly imagine. Amazes me how little calculus I've had to use since graduating. Like, none.
I have a BA in history, with a minor in religious studies, from the University of Virginia and a JD from Duke University.
Quote from: MikieTimT on August 30, 2021, 06:45:00 PM
Amazes me how little calculus I've had to use since graduating. Like, none.
Same here :)
(https://datavizblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/maths-evolution-1.png?w=2048)
I wasn't able to finish college, but I majored in radio/TV at Northern Kentucky University. I wanted to get into radio, but this of course was right when the 1996 Telecommunications Act murdered the radio industry.
Quote from: bandit957 on August 30, 2021, 09:50:00 PM
I wasn't able to finish college, but I majored in radio/TV at Northern Kentucky University. I wanted to get into radio, but this of course was right when the 1996 Telecommunications Act murdered the radio industry.
Would have thought you attended Bubblebama Pooniversity.
Quote from: 7/8 on August 30, 2021, 07:02:55 PM
Quote from: MikieTimT on August 30, 2021, 06:45:00 PM
Amazes me how little calculus I've had to use since graduating. Like, none.
Same here :)
(https://datavizblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/maths-evolution-1.png?w=2048)
No differential equations?
Quote from: WillWeaverRVA on August 30, 2021, 09:10:04 AM
Math kicking my ass is also why I haven't gone back to school for meteorology, even though I'm a hardcore weather enthusiast.
As a current meteorology student at Georgia Tech, I can confirm the math is brutal. And it's not like some fields where you just have to take the math classes as a prerequisite for something else and then never use any of it again. In meteorology you actually
use multivariable calc.
Quote from: Big John on August 30, 2021, 11:42:27 PM
Quote from: 7/8 on August 30, 2021, 07:02:55 PM
Quote from: MikieTimT on August 30, 2021, 06:45:00 PM
Amazes me how little calculus I've had to use since graduating. Like, none.
Same here :)
No differential equations?
Heh. I'm UC Berkeley, BA in Economics, Class of 1984. I had a high school teacher telling me how important calculus was. When I got to the third quarter of freshman calculus at Berkeley I looked around the lecture room and realized there was nobody but engineering students in there. The calculus did help me in an advanced Econ/Statistics class later on, but I was on the liberal arts side of the Econ major so there was really no point in my taking that class and I instantly forgot everything I learned in it. Yeah, for most people calculus beyond what you suffer through in high school is pretty pointless. I do think the principles you learn in high school algebra (constructing a problem when there's an unknown and finding a solution) and geometry are useful in the real world.
As someone who went through both a bachelor's and a master's program in math, I can tell you that anything in the continuous mathematics series beyond freshman calculus is really only useful if you're going into engineering or to get a PhD in math or physics.
Discrete math courses like Probability, Statistics, Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Set Theory are more useful, and to most people also more interesting.
This reminds me of my first semester at KU. I had taken the AP Calc test in high school and gotten a 5, but I still thought I needed more math for my major (which was originally Engineering Physics). So I signed up for Honors Calc II. Turns out I didn't even need the credit, but enjoyed it a lot and got an A, so it was basically the worst/best GPA booster of all time.
Chris
Bachelor's degree from Manhattan College --- Electrical Engineering
Master's degree from Penn State --- Engineering Science
P.E. in PA
BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) in Finance with a minor in Accounting from the University of Montevallo (graduated December, 2020)
I was an engineering major once upon a time, but never finished.
A.A. General Studies
B.A. International Studies, Far East and Russian Concentration
M.P.P.A Master's in Public Policy and Administration
BS Civil Engineering, Michigan Tech