Wellllllll what now.......

[chunkygoat]

Well I graduated college a few days ago. I earned an Associates in Electronics Engineering Technology and finished with a 3.97. I worked 2 jobs for the past 15 months WHILE going to school full time. The last 3 months I've been working a coop at very reputable company where I did VERY well. I was offered a position making 3x more than I've made at any other position.

So I am super excited to be finished with school and have a great job lined up -- I couldn't be any more thankful and appreciative for what I have. I've worked tremendously hard to get where I am at today....but now that school is over, I find myself bored -- sitting idly by.

I guess my questions spawns out of pure curiosity. What did you all do when you achieved your goals and graduated? If anybody out there is at all like me, I cannot sit by and do nothing with my free time. It has only been 1 week since I finished school and I am already pulling my hair out from the boredom.

I've been building an RGB LED kit with some nifty patterns and hue shifts. I have been documenting this as I go and will finalize an official write up upon completion. I have also designed a video game and have been drawing lots of concept art for it to. I plan to pitch this idea to kickstart and a few other privately owned companies. I have got an patent pending idea that I have been working with my brother (patent lawyer) to finally get a patent on my idea.

And finally I have been developing 2 website plans that I will hopefully be sharing with the forum here in the months to come....


I am curious what you guys did after graduation? I can't help but continuously get involved and actually keep asking myself if I were to go back to school, what route would I take? What did you guys do after college?

 

[Erci]

I too hate not having anything to do, but with all the hobbies I've taken up, that very rarely happens.

Sounds like you've got enough things on your plate at the moment. Keep it up! It's easy to get lazy, but hard to go from lazy to really busy.

 

[Botch]

Sounds like you've accomplished more since graduation, and gotten involved in interesting projects, than I have in the last two years.

If you still have too much free time, get married and have kids. Hope this helps!

 

[FinalImpact]

A suggestion; don't lift, hang on and get a BS. Although many of us have the ability to do WAY more than our credentials list - the standard game in these parts is flash your degree (BS or better) and you have job providing all other things are equal, i.e. two people with the same hands on skills but one has BS while the other has an AA. That is, my observation at least.

My soon to be former medical company kept many of us from advancing yet we did the job of the fully accredited engineers but w/out the pay and title. Thus, you can take this now or stay in school and potentially lead a more comfortable life later through monetary reward.

Spend your time applying for jobs over your current training level and you may find that more education is required for the long haul.

In any case, Good JOB! :rockon:

 

[Verharen]

+1 to continue your education, both through your job experience and also more college/training. It will come in handy as you move forward in life - dream BIG. Now is one of those times when the choices you make will have a huge impact on where you end up in 5-10 years.

But I would also say, give it a little time. I mean, you just achieved this milestone (way to go! :cheer, but you will have many more milestones in life. Lean into the space that has been created at this moment in time and explore the limitless possibilities that are before you.

Stay curious! It sounds like you have a lot of exciting projects moving you forward already!

Sometimes you don't know where a "hobby" will lead. For example, I'm a teacher and my summer project is to redesign my course using game theory. Gamification has been big in economics for years, but it is relatively new in higher education. Your work with video games could make you a valuable consultant to people like me.

I hope I haven't sounded too preachy. You're in a really cool spot right now - it's the beginning of another stage of your adventure. Rock on. And yeah, having kids will keep you busy for the rest of your life...

 

[grider1]

agreed on furthering education...Honestly...an Associates degree is great, but MANY top employers look for a Bachelor's or higher..

 

[lonesoldier84]

http://pittrace.com/schedule.html

?

Lol

 

[Red Wazp]

I was offered a position making 3x more than I've made at any other position.

So I am super excited to be finished with school and have a great job lined up -- I couldn't be any more thankful and appreciative for what I have. I've worked tremendously hard to get where I am at today....but now that school is over, I find myself bored -- sitting idly by.



What did you guys do after college?

I am confused, did you take the Job?

Do you have a job?

Good time to do a 6,000 mile ride to see the US of A.

 

[lonesoldier84]

^he took the job but he hasn't started yet

/my interpretation

 

[Mudflap]

I did similar, got a BS degree in computer science while working nearly fulltime. It was a long haul. I remember leaving my first 'real' job the first day at 5pm, going home and sitting there stunned at the free time. I enjoyed it is the short answer. Caught up with friends and family, found some hobbies, did weekend trips and took real vacations.

My advice to you, don't be too quick to give up all that free time. . I've come to the conclusion that time really is the most valuable commodity. Money is nice, cars, houses, and bikes are nice... but fleeting really. Time is the one thing that is most valuable, and the one thing that most people misuse or throw away. Makes yours count.

Grats on the degree and new job buddy. :thumbup:

 

[Tagger]

If i had my fazer when i just graduated ... i would just ride it all day

 

[chunkygoat]

I did take the position, starting tomorrow. I have been looking at some bachelors programs....with my company doing tuition reimbursement it would make no sense for me to NOT go back....I'm just dreading another 4+ years hahaha.

I've had the last week off and I've done a lot of riding and exploring in my area. Perhaps in the near future I can swing a few thousand mile ride across the U.S. You had me at kart racing though :rockon:

 

[lonesoldier84]

You had me at kart racing though

I was referring to the motorcycle track days, my good sir.

 

[dxh24]

Sounds like you're well on your way.... Farkling time!

I'm in a similar situation though I'm still working on that associates degree

 

[why_not_Zoidberg?]

I've got to agree with everyone saying continuing education...I got my B.S. and now I'm missing school, missing learning. I plan on getting my M.E. when the GF is done with hers (we're moving south after she's done). Eventually I plan on taking classes that just plain interest me, with no thoughts towards the workplace (I always enjoyed throwing pottery). Pick up some hobbies too!

 

[ltdillard]

In addition to continuing your education, perhaps think about giving back to the community through volunteering efforts.

 

[DarkNinja75]

Once I achieve my goals I set new ones. I treat goals like steps.

I graduated HS, got into the college of my choice. Graduated college, got a job I wanted. I'm still working towards my dream-job on the side. I now have some free time, so I became a motorcycle safety coach. I have some extra income, so I'm working towards racing.

Once I do one thing, I move on to the next. I'm never satisfied, but I'm still content. I think my satisfaction comes not from accomplishing my goals, but working towards them. As an odd analogy, I have about 20 Xbox games. I've only beaten two of them, while the rest I quit just before the end of the game. I don't like endings. There's always something else to do.