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Career Question

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This topic has 1 voice, contains 16 replies, and was last updated by Avatar of xns xns 709 days ago.

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February 9, 2010 at 3:55 am #1188
Avatar of Zach
Zach

Hello everyone. This is the first thread ive started here, and i thought id ask some questions concerning my future career. im still in highschool, and would like to go to college for a job that is applicable to seasteading. right now there are two major things in my mind: genetic engineering or mechanical engineering. Im leaning towards genetic engineering, but i dont know if that can really be used to help this project.

Thanks for the help,

Zach

February 9, 2010 at 7:04 am #9526
Avatar of tusavision
tusavision

Civil engineer or physicist are most relavent. Manufacturing engineer and mechanical being close trailers, however everything from chemical engineering, to oceanography, to biology can all be applied. It’s as multidisciplined as any other frontier of science.

The reality is: Get your first 2-3 years of mathematics and english in community college, and then use the money you would have spent on those 2-3 years in a 4 year school to study as many disciplines of advanced studies as you can afford. Avoid graduation for as long as possible and get your masters if possible, but avoid a PhD as it pretty much dooms you to acedemia.

Law can even be applied IE: patents.

They want you to believe you have to choose fresh out of high school, but after several years of working and studying manufacturing engineering it has become obvious how symbolic declared majors really are.(For example: I changed mine to economics as a joke)

People who study engineering rarely know what they’re signing up for. Compare median salary’s with in your chosen specialty to know if the job justifies the debt. Machinists and mechanical engineers can make comparable amounts of money.

Do what you love and the money will follow, but math and writting are universally useful for whatever it is you love. Focus on general studies. The first two years of most majors are virtually the same across the board. Go to community college.

February 9, 2010 at 3:15 pm #9528
Avatar of Shouri
Shouri

I think both careers you have in mind are applicable. Since you lean towards genetic engineering i think you shouldn’t hold yourself back (but honestly engineering faculties are harsh if you are interested in nightlife ;) we had 1-2 girls in our classes here in comp. engineering so i changed to IT then to economics) That said, genetic engineering has various uses in seasteading as well, like engineering aquacultural plant and animal species. Genetic engineering is being hold back by publics’ traditions and religions in most if not all countries. I do believe seasteading communities will be the best enviroment for genetic engineering studies.

Good luck in your studies and as tusavision said focus on your general studies for starters make sure your math is enough before starting college it might become a pain in the ass if you approach it like ‘i’ll learn what i need in college anyways’….

February 9, 2010 at 4:43 pm #9529
Avatar of elspru
elspru

Really, university is just a distraction.

There might be lots of “hype” that it’s worthwhile,

and perhaps for getting a few extra dollars ontop of a slave wage it is.

University is just lots of theoretical stuff,

engineering with large math components,

the vast majority of which is garbage no one uses,

just like grade school.

They only teach how to be a boring academic person.

Universities limit themselves to knowledge produced through the difficult and expensive process of “peer reviewed journals”,

the internet has a lot more information available, in much more practical and usable fashions.

If you’re actually interested in mechanical engineering,

then do some, build some mechanical things.

Like robots.

here’s a simple robot tutorial:

http://www.societyofrobots.com/robot_tutorial.shtml

If you’re interesting in genetic engineering,

then do some genetic engineering.

here’s a simple dna extraction (video) tutorial:

http://www.eyeondna.com/2007/08/18/dna-video-diy-dna-extraction/

might as well get practically involved.

tranquil aware desire choice love express intuit channel

Lowki

P.S.

You can go to university for free,

just get a lecture schedule and attend some classes,

you’ll see what I mean,

it’s just some guy or fem drawling on,

since they have a few hours to fill with noise from their oral cavity.

There are labs, where people do “experiments”,

but really everyone does the same experiment,

and has to get the same or very similar answers to the teacher.

It’s conformist and doesn’t teach you to be a creative individual that can make your own creations.

As for “tools” the university might have,

if you’d like to be a genetic or mechanical engineer,

you might as well get the tools,

there is openmanufacturing.org mailing list,

the open hardware movement basically allows one to have a lab at home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n39RK4inzg

might have to build some of your own tools,

but that’s part of the fun. :-)

Also cheaper to repair if you know how you built it,

also a contribution to the open source community.

February 9, 2010 at 7:41 pm #9534
Avatar of tusavision
tusavision

I would say one of the main benefits is access to equipment for extracuricular activities.

I wouldn’t discourage you from going for the lampskin not because it’s a garunteed job, because it isn’t(employers would rather pay for experience than paper) but because the alternative is where I’m at in life. More educated than a highschool graduate, having to pay for an education I’ve already gotten the hard way so I can get academic credit for it towards a degree.

Might as well get that education the easy way the first time and get credit for it. I’m pro-college. Especially while all the old people who gambled and lost on the 401K/IRA thing are taking your jobs flipping burgers for the next 10 years. Eventually: this glut of cheap labor is going to be on Social Security and the cost of living will have to adjust.(via higher taxes resulting in less disposable income)

Focus on your foreign languages, mathmatics, and your extracuricular activities. Those are the things that get you jobs. Not grades alone. Always make friends with the professors. It makes school easier when your teachers like you. They know the ins and outs of the system, and you get special privledges regarding equipment/opportunities as a consequence.

February 10, 2010 at 1:45 am #9537
Avatar of xns
xns

Hi Zach,

Speaking as an employer, both your options are equally valid, but keep in mind that genetic engineering might not give you as many options as mechanical. Other options you might want to consider are:

Marine Biology(aquaculture)
Maritime Engineering
Naval Architecture
Chemistry(Food and nutrition)
Civil Engineering

Though I should point out that those are with regards to my own company. And I have to agree with Tusavision; Extra-curricular activities and languages will help you far more than your major. I’ve interviewed far too many academically qualified frogs who’ve just recently climbed out of their wells. Travel as much as possible, visit other cultures, study other religions, live different lifestyles. That’s what’ll make you hirable, the degree just gets your foot in the door.

King Shannon of the Constitutional Monarchy of Logos.

February 10, 2010 at 6:20 am #9539
Avatar of OCEANOPOLIS
OCEANOPOLIS

Go for pimpin’. 10 hookers on a seastead will make you tons of cash dude.

February 10, 2010 at 8:10 am #9540
Avatar of tusavision
tusavision

OCEANOPOLIS wrote:

Go for pimpin’. 10 hookers on a seastead will make you tons of cash dude.

http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-10-10/news/17314668_1_massage-parlor-south-korea-traffickers

Practically a how-to article if that’s your bag.

No need to promote the idea. There will never be any shortage of lazy people willing to get shot over the pipe dreams of easy money and glamour.

I assuming we’re talking criminal?

Of course: the relevent degree would be an associates in business management.

:P

MBA in Human Resources is another fun one. That one’s good for industrial espionage if that’s your cup of tea.

February 10, 2010 at 4:13 pm #9544
Avatar of OCEANOPOLIS
OCEANOPOLIS

Just give the young man some sound, solid advice. After 4 years of college, and thousands of $ in debt, the year is 2015 or so. 90% of the US job market will be outsourced thanks to US Gov Inc., a big time whore, pimped by US Corporate Inc. How many unemployed engineers with 10-20 years experience will be looking for a job then? Thousands,…Who will get one? Not Zach, for sure,…but some foreigner brought here on a G1 visa who will work for a third of the wage of an american one, no healthcare, no workers comp, no benefits whatsoever.

February 10, 2010 at 5:38 pm #9545
Avatar of tusavision
tusavision

OCEANOPOLIS wrote:

Just give the young man some sound, solid advice. After 4 years of college, and thousands of $ in debt, the year is 2015 or so. 90% of the US job market will be outsourced thanks to US Gov Inc., a big time whore, pimped by US Corporate Inc. How many unemployed engineers with 10-20 years experience will be looking for a job then? Thousands,…Who will get one? Not Zach, for sure,…but some foreigner brought here on a G1 visa who will work for a third of the wage of an american one, no healthcare, no workers comp, no benefits whatsoever.

Sounds like a good reason to learn Chinese. Someone has to get on the phone to the American sweatshops and communicate design revisions for the newest 3d karaoke machine.

Hyperinflation=weak american dollar ->return of manufacturing to the USA…

America will auction off it’s sovereignty before it’s citizens will give up the crack rock of treasury sales/cheap plastic imported garbage.

Anything to keep the government jobs(bribes)/services(bribes) flowing.

February 11, 2010 at 2:24 am #9546
Avatar of Zach
Zach

Thanks for the advice everyone, i will look in to all of the suggestions.

@elspru- thanks for the links. im looking at both of them as im posting this.

@OCEANOPOLIS- i will start pimpin on land now, that way when the seasteads are built i can be the first pimp to get there.

@xnsdvd- thanks for the other job suggestions. its good to hear things from an employers point of view. i already travel as much as i can around the world, so hopefully that will end up being helpful.

February 11, 2010 at 6:40 am #9547
Avatar of xns
xns

Drop by our farm the next time you’re in Asia/Singapore Zach, be happy to show you around and introduce you to other biologists/naval architects.

King Shannon of the Constitutional Monarchy of Logos.

February 11, 2010 at 11:43 pm #9555
Avatar of Melllvar
Melllvar

My advice would be to pick the major you enjoy studying in school more. You’ll be spending the next so many years in those classes, with those profs/students etc., doing whatever work they throw at you to graduate. Its a lot easier and more pleasant if what you’re doing isn’t a total drag for you. For example, just cause you like chemistry doesn’t mean you’ll want to spend four years doing chem labs, or hours every day coding just because you like computers. Picking the perfect major based on your perceived future needs is one way to look at it, but the chances you’ll actually end up doing exactly what you planned on now is pretty low (statistically speaking, most people don’t). If you like gen. engineering classes, major in that, if you like ME classes more, pick that, IMHO. Its not like you can’t change careers during or after school.

Also, I recommend getting all your requirements out of the way before taking classes in your major. That’ll give you more time to decide, and if you do change you won’t have wasted the past x number of years. And as someone else said, community college can save you a lot of money and get you better grades. And see if your school accepts CLEP credit, that can save you whole semesters and thousands of dollars too.

I’m almost finished with school after 8 years, part of why its taken me so long is that I did none of what I recommend above. Anyway, good luck!

PS: To answer your actual question, mechanical would seem more generally relevant to seasteading.

February 13, 2010 at 1:19 am #9567
Avatar of DeepSeaBee
DeepSeaBee

You may want to check out the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps and the Naval Ocean Facilities Program (just google them and the links will come up).

February 17, 2010 at 2:52 pm #9585
Avatar of SailorTrash
SailorTrash

I’d also suggest finding a college that has a sailing program, to get familiar with some aspects of boat repair, wiring, real hands-on trades. I really think that’ll be a big money/barter business out on the ‘steads.

http://seagypsies-mikeandkatie.blogspot.com/

Taking our cue from the Eskimos, we boat people have over 30 words for “leak.”

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