Quote :

"I discovered all too late that employers don't give two shits about whether or not you have a college degree "

well great.

I spent years of my life working part-time jobs so I could get through college

Guess I should not have bothered going to college at all and saved my money if I didn't have time for an internship.

7/10/2008 1:16:36 AM

Yes, because that's all that I said. You didn't take that sentence out of context at all. No sirree.

7/10/2008 6:39:46 AM

Quote :

"FIND YOURSELF AN INTERNSHIP OR A CO-OP AS SOON AS YOU CAN."

Definitely definitely definitely do this. GPA doesn't mean shit if you have a lot of experience. And you really can get internships at any point throughout your academic career. Here at work they hire tons of summer interns that have just graduated high school and haven't had a single college class yet, so don't get stuck thinking "They won't hire me because I haven't taken any relevant classes yet".

7/10/2008 9:54:06 AM

^^dont worry...vix is probably top 3 stupid broads on tww honestly

7/10/2008 10:32:02 AM

^^That's because most engineers have no social skills at all and employers want to make sure you won't be awkward/uncomfortable working in an office setting.

7/10/2008 4:14:50 PM

Just the foreign ones... Good ole us bread engineers do ok with communication these days.

I mean I'm actually being moved into field work because of my communication skills

7/10/2008 4:18:02 PM

^agreed.

Honestly, I think it is very very wrong to say "most engineers" have no social skills these days. ALL of the "young" engineers I work with (I'll say anyone out of school for 5 years or less) are on par with any other person coming out of college. They are all well spoken and I haven't met one yet who seemed like what you used to expect from Engineers in the past perhaps.

In fact, I think all of the Engineers that people envisioned from the past, those who are nothing but bookworm super dorks, are actually having a LOT harder time getting jobs and moving up in companies these days as Engineering becomes more popular. They are getting passed by people who can get the work done but can also communicate in meetings etc.

Definitely do NOT assume that since you are going to be an Engineer that you do not have to worry about social skills and writing clearly etc. because otherwise you will be letting a lot of people obtain an edge on you when looking for jobs and promotions etc.

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 4:36 PM. Reason : ]

7/10/2008 4:33:32 PM

Oh yeah, I'd also say if you do have any problems communicating that you consider working a stint in retail where you have to interact with people. When you have to do customer service and technical support stuff, or if you have to help customers find stuff on a regular basis and carry out transactions and stuff, you really improve your communication skills (and learn how to be patient). Working at the bookstore, combined with my internship doing stuff as a project engineer and learning how to cooperate with a bunch of people from a bunch of specialties, was immensely helpful in turning me into a more sociable person.

I realized that after I interviewed for a job today. It was all super helpful. But yeah, make sure you get an internship as soon as you can if you don't want to do co-op. I did one the summer after my freshman year, and one every summer after that (except this one :/). At the interview today that was really helpful as I had a lot more experience than they were expecting (it's another intern position, but it's some serious shit ).

7/10/2008 6:42:43 PM

Quote :

"You didn't take that sentence out of context at all. No sirree"

Maybe you should say what you mean then. If you mean "employers care more about internships than college degrees" say that instead of "they don't give a fuck if you have a college degree"

Of course they'll prefer someone with a college degree to someone without in most cases.

7/10/2008 10:02:15 PM

Quote :

"I discovered all too late that employers don't give two shits about whether or not you have a college degree ([saying_of_meaning]I'm not saying you don't need a college degree, I'm saying that they basically expect you to have one. Don't make the mistake I did and think that a college degree somehow makes you special when interviewing for a job).[/saying_of_meaning]"

7/11/2008 3:28:10 AM

what he's saying is a college degree ain't shit. for any job that's worth a shit, you don't even get an interview without one. everyone they interview will have a degree, so you need some experience to set you apart.

everyone unerstands what you meant man. don't pay vix any mind.

7/11/2008 7:11:30 AM

^,^^

and

Quote :

""FIND YOURSELF AN INTERNSHIP OR A CO-OP AS SOON AS YOU CAN.""

one of my biggest regrets right now is not taking an internship at some point in college. it really does make it harder to get a good job. as far as the engineering-communication discussion... i don't believe i've seen a job description in my field yet that didn't expect good communication skills.. fortunately i'm not one of the stereotypes in that area.

Engineering 101 :
1. Go to class.
2. Work your nuts off during the week.
3. Have some fun on the weekends.
4. Get an internship in the summer.
5. PROFIT.

[Edited on July 11, 2008 at 1:40 PM. Reason : ]

7/11/2008 1:40:21 PM

Quote :

"Maybe you should say what you mean then. If you mean "employers care more about internships than college degrees" say that instead of "they don't give a fuck if you have a college degree""

The jist of my message is that I made the error of assuming that a college degree somehow automatically qualified me for a job and made me distinct from everybody else applying for the job. Instead, employers are already counting on you to have a college degree, therefore you need more things to distinguish yourself from your competitors. A college degree is necessary, but not enough. The best thing for you to do in this situation is get one or more internships/co-ops so that you can get some working experience in your industry.

For once I agree with dnl. You really are a dumb broad. Please quit polluting this thread with your presence.

Props to the people who understood me and backed me up.

[/feeding the troll]

7/13/2008 10:17:18 AM

Quote :

"4. Don't skip class. Motherfucker I said don't skip class!!! It's that important. Yes, it's super boring sometimes, sometimes you don't want to get out of bed (and it's only CH101 and that teacher is boring and you want to fap while your roommate is away), sometimes you just want to go to the gym. It will also make it harder for you to keep your grades up as you'll miss that hint the teacher gave about the question that WILL BE ON THE TEST, and in that class that doesn't take attendance you'll be pissed when you show up and hear that the teacher took "bonus attendance" to give everybody a free homework grade. This stuff happens, and it's better to constantly show up and keep the material fresh in your mind. "

I can't stress that enough. That was my downfall my two freshmen years...yes I said two, it took me two years to get enough credit to be a sophomore because I never went to class. I ended up having to pay for it, and move back home and go to community college for a year. Go to class.

7/13/2008 1:44:45 PM

If you are dumb, don't skip class. If you are smart, skip class and enjoy college life

7/13/2008 3:04:56 PM

Don't skip class!

do as many internships as possible, especially if you're not rockin out a 4.0

even if you have a 4.0, do internships.

internships = excellent work experience, great on a resume, lets you know if you actually want to continue with your studies, $MONIES

7/13/2008 8:44:56 PM

^^ Nah, that has nothing to do with it at all. You're paying to be here and you're here because you want an advanced education so you can land a job that won't leave you wondering how you'll pay the bills at the end of the month. Skipping class is just throwing away the money you spent to be here. In addition, you'll pick up a bit more about a subject if you don't skip class, which could increase your competitiveness in the long run. Anything that will give you a leg up against your peers when hunting for a job (especially when things get shaky in the job market for people with no work experience) is worth doing these days.

[Edited on July 13, 2008 at 9:17 PM. Reason : You can enjoy college life w/o skipping class, especially early on in college if you're unemployed.]

7/13/2008 9:13:28 PM

^^having a 4.0 is overrated anyways. Internships aside (Im assuming both characters in my story here had them) let me tell you something:

I graduated with a 3.2 and got a job offer from every company I interviewed with and ended up with a job at a more powerful company (in my opinion) and a higher salary than a few friends of mine in ME who never went out, and slaved over HW and studying the entire time they were in college to get 4.0s.

Sure they got a few more interviews than I did (but not many) but in the end I would always choose a 3.0+ and doing more in college than a 4.0 and not having all the fun you can while you are there.

Of course we are talking about Engineering here too where its usually not worth the extra slaving effort to get that A instead of a B. Even "slacking off" like I did in Engineering I spent more time than my other friends in other majors who had 4.0s heh

[Edited on July 13, 2008 at 9:24 PM. Reason : ]

7/13/2008 9:21:09 PM

Quote :

"Of course we are talking about Engineering here too where its usually not worth the extra slaving effort to get that A instead of a B. Even "slacking off" like I did in Engineering I spent more time than my other friends in other majors who had 4.0s heh"

word.

7/15/2008 2:55:44 PM

engineering employers really don't care about your GPA. keep it up if you want to go to grad school, if not....

7/15/2008 4:40:58 PM

grad school and scholarships are what you need a GPA for

unless you're a minority in engineering

7/15/2008 4:52:46 PM

1.) Sign up for FYC but make sure you take all the necessary prereqs for your choice of engineering. Until sophomore year there is no benefit to already being in COE. Also living in Owen or Tucker allows you to meet a lot more people and get exposure to a lot more stuff going on then being locked up in the tri-towers or stashed far away in Wood.

2.) Get involved in xtra curricular activities non-engineering related. Unless you enjoy hanging out w/ solely dudes and attending parties that are complete sausage fests.

3.) Don't be that guy that asks a bunch of stupid questions.

4.) College has many parallels to the real world one of them being cheating collaborating. You may get ahead but don't bitch when you get caught and have to face the music. Cheating on hwk is usually stupid as it almost always comes back to bite you in the ass during test/project time.

5.) Get out Now

6.) If you struggle with E101 or get a D in your intro level engineering class (ECE200, MAE206, etc) save your self the trouble and go ahead and switch to COM.

7.) Contrary to high school a 75 can be a Good exam score depending on your professor.

8.) Avoid 8 am classes at all costs!!!; yes you woke up early in high school but 8 am classes unless you work in teh afternoon blows ass. You will end up having skipping a bunch of classes or exclude yourself from a lot of social activities.

9.) Pay attention in E115; my life would have been a lot easier had i learned all this shit when i was taking the class.

10.) For roughly 1/2 your classes the text book will be a waste of investment. Go to the first week of classes then evaluate rather or not you need to get it.

11.) Have a life beyond Halo3, Dungeon and Dragons, and guitar hero.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT 4 TIPS


12.) Bathe Daily

13.) Deodarant and a Razor are your friends.

14.) Nobody thinks your badass or cool because you rebel against society by wearing your PJ's at 3pm.

15.) Only offer girls technical assistance (math tutoring, computer problem fixing, etc) UNLESS THEY ARE SUCKING YOUR DICK

7/15/2008 6:39:02 PM

^^, ^^^, etc.

Of course GPA matters. You will be competing for a job with many other students from this school and other schools, it's right up near the top of your resume, and for busy hiring managers, it's one of the simplest ways to weed people out. You'll also run into GPA minimums for the more organized (large company) internship & co-op programs.

So don't let it be a liability. On the other hand, if your GPA is your only asset, that's bad too.

as a tip for your freshman year? try for that 4.0 now to cushion you for later, maybe land a renewable scholarship, and teach yourself how to study efficiently. The first year is about learning how to learn, I think.

7/15/2008 6:55:27 PM

A whole lot of that is personal opinion.

I liked 8 am classes because if I wasn't interested in the class, I got it out of the way early (calc and phsyics).

E 115 isn't really necessary unless your bad with computers, otherwise if you can read and know the online books website you can find what you wanted in 10 minutes rather than 2.5 hours in class. Also your printer will thank you for not wasting all of its ink on dumb 10 page "in class" assignments

And i don't understand why if you have trouble with E101 you should "switch to com" maybe you shouldn't slack but all that class is powerpoints and bs activities. I dont see how it relates to anythng else.

7/15/2008 7:01:10 PM

Quote :

"Until sophomore year there is no benefit to already being in COE"

false. you'll miss out on all the freshman scholarships....the engr departments have an amount that they have to give away to incoming freshmen to try and recruit and retain good students. if you're listed as EU or in FYC you're completely missing out on these.

7/15/2008 7:01:11 PM

Quote :

"Until sophomore year there is no benefit to already being in COE"

Fine; unless you are one of the nerds or genius foreign kids with a 3.95 GPA unweighted high school GPA THAN

Until sophomore year there is no benefit to already being in COE.


16.) As long as your GPA doesn't blow ass your extra-curricular, club memberships, club sports, co-ops/internships, and interviewing skills will impress your employer more than having a 3.99. If you can do both than you are pretty much set. I'd recommend finishing school with a 3.25 but at the minimum a 3.0 should not exclude your from to many employers.

The jobs with the 3.5 minimum requirement may not be the best job for you anyway.

17.) Going to class is important; if for no other reason having seen your face everyday you are more likely to end up on the professor's good side.

18.) Meet your professors in office hours

19.) Don't buy those 'Top 10 Reasons to be in NCSU Engineering' unless you enjoy having the geek label.

20.) Get to know your classmates even if you decide to follow my advice above in which i said to have friends outside of engineering. Genuine collaborating in a non-cheating manner has saved my ass in many classes.

[Edited on July 15, 2008 at 7:17 PM. Reason : l]

[Edited on July 15, 2008 at 7:17 PM. Reason : l;]

7/15/2008 7:08:52 PM

^#20 is good. i still talk with kids from my calc I, py 205, e101 & e115 classes. it's kinda sad once second semester sophomore year rolls around and you realize you wont have very many classes with them anymore.

7/15/2008 7:19:46 PM

yeah my 'engineering' friends are mostly people that i know from one of my co-ops.

Although a large part in my getting my cisco co-op was simply b.c in ECE200 i randomly was lab partnered w/ this guy that the next year got a co-op there. We became friends than when i wanted a coop there he put in the good word for me.

7/15/2008 7:26:01 PM

Seeing how I failed really bad my first two freshmen years just ask what I did, and do the exact opposite.

7/15/2008 11:04:50 PM

dont do drugs

dont be friends with people who do drugs

try to get along with everyone even though you think they're idiots or racist

....... also, as a guy

dont get too drunk, learn your limit ( girls dont like a retarded drunk guy hanging around )

dont drink and drive ( get a cab number saved on your phone )

talk to girls in class, it wont hurt..... you'll probably never see them again after the class ends so if you're hooking up with them and want to quit it, it makes it a lot easier

join clubs, be active ......... for example; i play soccer on the IM fields with a lot of people and have made friends there.

7/15/2008 11:14:57 PM

drugs are bad ummmm kkkkkkk


^ I am sure just as many engineering nerds fuck up in school bc of world of warcraft as smoking pot. Surely anyone that does drugs is a hardcore gangster fuckup

[Edited on July 16, 2008 at 12:17 AM. Reason : l]

7/16/2008 12:17:16 AM

^ I do agree with the idea that all drug users are not complete and total losers.

I also agree that staying away from people who are avid drug users may be beneficial to most people who want to avoid conflict with law enforcement or being in situations where they could get involved with something that would distract them from their everyday. That is, hanging out with some pothead roommates and doing pot with them isn't going to help you to graduate college.

The simple fact of the matter is that if you do illegal drugs, you're more likely to appreciate the company of people who do. If you don't, you're more likely to appreciate the company of people who don't. Just a simple matter of how you were raised and the beliefs your parents inculcated into your rearing.

While his blanket suggestion may be a bit prejudiced, it's still justifiably good advice for somebody entering college.

7/16/2008 2:35:32 AM

^^ if they do its only because they already had poor management time to begin with. I accomplished just about everything there was to accomplish in that game and played it hardcore for a few years and it didnt affect my degree.

7/16/2008 7:41:59 AM

^smoking pot?!?!

7/16/2008 10:20:06 AM

lol no playing WoW

7/16/2008 10:23:59 AM

haha j/k j/k

7/16/2008 10:46:09 AM

Quote :

"dont do drugs dont be friends with people who do drugs"

great advice. all the people i know who were in engineering freshman year and got in to smoking pot and doing drugs lost all motivation to do well in school and ended up dropping engineering. maybe there really isn't a direct correlation, but that is just my observation.

7/16/2008 11:47:25 AM

i think the idea of smoking pot causes bad grades is an illusory correlation. In reality the kids who smoke lots of people probably do not hold much regard for the the law and have little respect for authority. Thus they are less likely to find it necessary to work hard and choose to spend their time participating on less productive activities such as smoking.

7/16/2008 11:49:13 AM

^^


plus women that do drugs are off the list...aint having no future with no broad that is a druggie

7/16/2008 11:49:31 AM

Quote :

"all the people i know who were in engineering freshman year and got in to smoking pot and doing drugs lost all motivation to do well in school and ended up dropping engineering. maybe there really isn't a direct correlation, but that is just my observation."

you obviously didnt hang out with the right people.

7/16/2008 12:53:05 PM

shit i probably smoked more my freshman year than any other time yet finished w/ a 3.8. On the other hand i rarely smoke anymore and am mostly a B student these days.

7/16/2008 12:56:37 PM

do lots of drugs and still graduate with honors. get the best of both worlds.

7/16/2008 1:04:04 PM

i'm not saying do drugs, but this is a correlation vs. causation issue

7/16/2008 1:14:45 PM

^^^ freshman year being the key. freshman year was like High School version 1.1, not real college yet hehe.

[Edited on July 16, 2008 at 1:59 PM. Reason : ]

7/16/2008 1:58:48 PM

true but in all reality it was drinking and going to the bars taht made the difference.

I can get high as a fucking balloon and go to sleep the next day and get up.

Pounding 10 beers w/ my frat buddies at the bar and trying to wake up early is not as easy.

Tip 21:

DO NOT WORK WHILE TAKING CLASSES FULL TIME. IF YOU MUST MAKE SOME LIVING MONEY LIMIT WORK TO 20 HOURS PER WEEK.

Taking just 10 hours last spring and working 32-40 hours per week was a living hell last semester

[Edited on July 16, 2008 at 4:50 PM. Reason : l]

7/16/2008 4:49:21 PM

Quote :

"you obviously didnt hang out with the right people. "

i didn't say i hung out with them. and if the "right" people are ones that smoke pot, i don't want to hang out with them anyway.

7/16/2008 6:16:46 PM

of course losers will come in here praising drug use


shit is gay and they know it but its tww so hey...

7/16/2008 6:36:03 PM

^chill out man, its all good.

7/17/2008 8:46:11 AM

you need to settle down Joey, you're a little out of control!

7/17/2008 9:12:56 AM

I'd say ditch the scholars....it wont help you get a job and you'll have to attend all those forums and blah blah blah.....it's just not worth it IMO.

Get an internship. It will get you a job more than a 3.2 vs a 3.4 will.

Don't freak out the first time you make a 12 on a test. Chances are the person next to you also made a 12.

Have fun! Don't fucking sit in your room all day and play video games and scratch your balls.....there's a whole group of new people on campus looking to making friends and meeting new people...it won't ever be this easy again so take advantage of it

7/17/2008 10:56:46 AM