[AT] Agricultural Equipment Diagnostic Technicians

[James Peck]

I  took some engineering courses at a well-regarded unvisited back in the dark ages when girls did not study engineering. The  girls we knew from the common math, chemistry, and physics courses were likely prospects. I was married to one for a while. She eventually decided she wanted a more defined job and got a graduate degree in accounting. She passed the CPA exam first try.

[Jim Becker] I have a BA in Mathematics and I did OK.  At least half the things I worked with didn't exist when I was in school.  A good 4 year degree helps you be flexible and be prepared for a lifetime of learning.

The half-life of a troubleshooting procedure is maybe 5 years.  If you don't start using tech school training almost immediately, you'll find the only part still applicable is lefty loosey, righty tighty.

[[James Peck] I have an in-law that spent 6 years in the Navy and got sent to an A level school and trained as an Electronic Technician. After he got out of the Navy he got a BS degree in Mathematics using the Gi bill. After graduating from the Math program he was dissatisfied with the jobs being or not being offered to him and returned to study Electrical Engineering. Probably he could have used his Electronic Technician training to get a related job and then use his Math degree to get into an engineering level job at that same employer.

People choose academic programs with no idea that they will like the career or be good at it. Even worse, they choose programs for which there is NO career or is overfilled.

[John Hall] Interesting comments on trades vs 4 year schools. My son just began college, Math major. He has book sense way more than most--gifted in brains and the desire to learn on a higher level. On the other hand, he can't change the oil in his truck without my assistance. I tried very hard to teach him the basics of farming and mechanic work, but that's just not how his mind works. For folks like that, 4 year degrees are where it's at. 
Myself, I didn't have the brains or the desire to go to 4 years of school, so I went to community college and have spent the last 30 years in a machine shop.

Schooling should match the student, that is my families take on the situation.
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