Going back to school
- Thread starter bean
- Start date
mckillacuddy
Active member
Look for interdisciplinary courses cross posted in multiple departments
falco_femoralis
Well-known member
Here's auto mechanics in a nutshell:
You have to undo a rusty bolt with a wrench that won't fit exactly right on your back underneath the car and it's going to take an hour. When you tap into your inner hatred and finally get it off the whole neighborhood will know your deepest darkest sins
Now do it again like 20 times but you have to get up and grab a different tool every time
jessenator
Well-known member
Went through all of those steps in the course of working on jeeps. Well, I didn't use oxy-acetylene, just map gas to loosen a corroded stud. But boy Chrysler and their E-socket bell housing bolts...
Recently I legitimately considered going back to enter a trade school. AI is coming for the remainder of the creative world, and I need a backup plan.
tegendemuur
Well-known member
If you know your electricity, plumbing should be next. Equally useful, same impossible cramped spaces...
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bean
Legume Liaison
If you own a Jeep at some point you are gonna give up and just start working on it yourself. Mine just went to Jeep heaven a week ago.
jessenator
Well-known member
A buddy from another forum convinced me of the economy of getting an kind of broken XJ and repairing it, keeping it stock. Bought one (in 2014) with a blown engine, found a donor. After I sold that one on I bought another one (2018) and did it all over again! Haven't gone back. I'm finally at the "not enough hours in a day" stage.
Actually considered getting ASE certified back then, but that was back before the ai menace and didn't think it was a step in the right direction economically.
falco_femoralis
Well-known member
ASE certs aren't hard to attain, but the fee for taking the tests to be fully certified is just too much for a "that's kinda neat" thing
pricklyrobot
Well-known member
I signed up for the IBEW’s apprenticeship a couple months after I turned 40. Had never worked construction or been particularly handy with tools ever before in my life, but I thought I needed a quantifiable skill under my belt. Definitely not the easiest thing I ever did, but I powered through (pun well and truly intended
.
I just turned 50 a few months ago, and now I’ve got a Master Electrician license and a fairly mellow job doing maintenance work for the city.
Right before I settled on the electrician gig I took a GIS (i.e. map stuff) class at the local community college. I didn’t have the money and/or energy to try and work full time and pay for night school, though. If they’d had some kind of “cartographer’s union apprenticeship”, I’d have kept at it.
Definitely cool stuff though if you’re just looking to expand the ol’ mind.
Woodworking would be cool. Would be neat to learn how to build your own guitar. Or even custom instrument design… “Creative Luthiery”?
.I just turned 50 a few months ago, and now I’ve got a Master Electrician license and a fairly mellow job doing maintenance work for the city.
Right before I settled on the electrician gig I took a GIS (i.e. map stuff) class at the local community college. I didn’t have the money and/or energy to try and work full time and pay for night school, though. If they’d had some kind of “cartographer’s union apprenticeship”, I’d have kept at it.
Definitely cool stuff though if you’re just looking to expand the ol’ mind.
Woodworking would be cool. Would be neat to learn how to build your own guitar. Or even custom instrument design… “Creative Luthiery”?
bean
Legume Liaison
I signed up for the IBEW’s apprenticeship a couple months after I turned 40. Had never worked construction or been particularly handy with tools ever before in my life, but I thought I needed a quantifiable skill under my belt. Definitely not the easiest thing I ever did, but I powered through (pun well and truly intended
I just turned 50 a few months ago, and now I’ve got a Master Electrician license and a fairly mellow job doing maintenance work for the city.
Right before I settled on the electrician gig I took a GIS (i.e. map stuff) class at the local community college. I didn’t have the money and/or energy to try and work full time and pay for night school, though. If they’d had some kind of “cartographer’s union apprenticeship”, I’d have kept at it.
Definitely cool stuff though if you’re just looking to expand the ol’ mind.
Woodworking would be cool. Would be neat to learn how to build your own guitar. Or even custom instrument design… “Creative Luthiery”?
That's really cool. Just the other day I was remarking that if I had gone into trades that being an electrician on new commercial properties would probably be the ideal job. No homeowners or their messes to deal with
Anyway, woodworking is a full go once I get the shop set up. Looks like the Woodcraft in Nashville has a bunch of classes. So, that's on my list now.
Wood Turning with https://www.tnwoodturners.org/content.aspx?page_id=60&club_id=458845 is about $50 a year and get access to the tools and people teaching
One thing I never got around to is learning how to weld. I did a tiny bit of stick welding at school and that's it. I'm sure it's all changed. You can buy a MIG or TIG welder (always get them mixed up!) for not much these days. I have made tables with timber tops and steel legs but always needed a friend to weld the steel for me. And now he's given welding away. That's something which could be useful - to me, anyway.
bean
Legume Liaison
I definitely want to learn welding, too. Part of my fine woodworking experiment is going to include metal and wood furniture. Eventually.
Feral Feline
Well-known member
Welding was going to be my suggestion.
Harry Klippton
Not Interested
I was using tuition remission from my last job to get a welding certificate and make a career change when the pandemic struck. I never went back to either unfortunately though. Haven't had a job since
Aleph Null
Well-known member
I'm betting the bubble pops some time in 2027. Then there won't be any kind of work, since most of the market is tied up in the eight companies that are riding the hype.
bean
Legume Liaison
Based on the suggestions made I'm looking into classes on:
Woodworking
Welding
LASERs!
CNC
Drumming (might as well take some private lessons after hacking away at it for 30 years)
For community college I'm leaning towards something in History or the Arts. Maybe I'll do a songwriting class. Or learn German. German songwriting. Or, I could relearn some programming and start working with DSP finally.
I really appreciate the feedback. Super helpful.
Woodworking
Welding
LASERs!
CNC
Drumming (might as well take some private lessons after hacking away at it for 30 years)
For community college I'm leaning towards something in History or the Arts. Maybe I'll do a songwriting class. Or learn German. German songwriting. Or, I could relearn some programming and start working with DSP finally.
I really appreciate the feedback. Super helpful.
Mentaltossflycoon
Well-known member
I took both German and French for fun, funny enough my wife took Spanish and Italian (voice major) so we are still only able communicate in English.