I enjoy working. I wanted to own my own landscaping business and I still do side work for old customers. Luckily I am young and I have a lot of time to think about if I should switch jobs.

I like my desk job, but I do know there would be more fun and interesting stuff elsewhere perhaps. My company is moving me into the maintenance department soon and I will be taking on another role here shortly.

 

I wait so long for @arthursc2 to build me stuff that I enrolled and a fab school and will be finished next spring, which is far quicker than waiting for his backlog to clear out

Seriously don't get any more student loans it's not worth it.

 

I don't know what your average BS in ME costs.... but I know the average BS of ME isn't making 6 figures- mostly 80-90k

You total up everything; tools, school, certs and I am at 50k, max. Can you get an ME for 50k? Can you make 100k/yr within 2yrs of graduating? Maybe, if you're lucky

But with a vocational degree and some OT; 6 figures is easy to hit. I have union welder friends making 58/hr, plus on call, plus hazard and one of them is also Class A CDL: those dudes have so much money its unreal. Yeah they bust it hard. They weld in the rain, the snow, the mud; they live in their trucks 6 days a week- but they have houses paid in cash and boats and RVs and projects cars and 40x40 shops

Similar stories for journeymen plumbers and electricians I've met. You're worth what you're willing to do. Never too late to go to school. Find something that excites you and chase

 

I graduated high school in 1976 and went back to school in 2002 for a degree in IT. Computer repair was big way back then and it kept me pretty busy. Today computers are mostly throw away items when they have issues or lack the processing power to run newer data hungry programs. I still use data recovery and networking I learned back in the day. So the answer for me is 26 years.

I of course was the oldest in all of my classes and the best during "hands on work" in the lab. One lab that comes to mind the instructor said "a power supply must be connected to the motherboards ATX connector to power up". I corrected her saying "to correctly check the rail voltage yes, to test for power, no ATX connection necessary".

After a friendly debate she said "prove it". I pulled a jumper from my lab tool kit and jumped the green wire to a ground on the ATX connector and the PSU powered right up. She was surprised because her book learning suggested otherwise. I laughed "you're supposed to be teaching me this stuff"

It's never to late to go back to school but there is a freshness date on students...
I was mostly a loner because of my age at 45 and identified with staff more than the rug-rats in my classes

 

I was a frac engineer for Halliburton years ago and was nearly the lowest paid person on location. Nothing wrong with trades at all, especially when they make more money

 

Hahaha Red there were plenty of dudes like that in class with me, had a few guys just needing a new job. Although a lot of them were ex-farmers or ex-cons who needed a fresh start.

Trades are where it is at I agree. I have no problem with busting ***, means I'm living at least.

We'll see where I am in a year or two. I probably should wait more than a few months after graduating before asking that question lol

 

Go back when your job pays for it. I think most pay $5k/yr (because that's all they can write of on their taxes IIRC).

So take 1 class per semester until you're done with your degree.

 

Thanks guys for the responses. I will wait until my job starts hooking it up.

 

I have a BS in aerospace engineering and a masters in mechanical engineering. I make more money welding stuff in my garage with a lot more freedom than dying in a cubicle

I do work a lot more hours though and it took a few years of doing both before side work grew enough to take over, but screw working in a boring *** office until im 65 and my spirit is crushed. Plenty of ways to make money these days.

 

Joe Rogan thinks office life is stupid too and that no one should do it.

To each their own, Some people like the routine and the guaranteed paycheck, healthcare, retirement plans, paid vacation time, etc....

For the record, I work an office job. I have a cubicle. I'm currently happy doing what I do. I don't want to make a hobby my career and risk ruining something that gives me pleasure.