Potential big life change ahead...

[OmniGLH]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I'm definitely not ready to start my own business yet.  I've seen a few of my friends start their own gigs, and I've seen what goes into it.  I'm not ready for that yet - I at least want to get my personal finances much more squared away before I dig myself another huge hole.

One of my close friends hooked me up with 2 leads at the place she works at, which might turn out well.  I spent a few hours today updating the 'ol resume, and plan to send it off tomorrow afternoon.  If this doesn't pan out, then I'm aiming to put the house up in March, and go to grad school full-time in the summer term.  I spent a few hours talking to my dad about it and he seems to agree... shocking since he's normally not the type to just jump for radical changes.  But it's nice to know I have his support.

Hopefully this all works out.  Wish me luck  :)

PS - if anybody out there has any openings for a project manager... preferably in an E-Commerce/Internet Marketing position, let me know.  

My resume can be downloaded here: http://www.kingpinracing.com/Pics/Resume-Pfx.doc

[r1owner]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I'm definitely not ready to start my own business yet.  I've seen a few of my friends start their own gigs, and I've seen what goes into it.  I'm not ready for that yet - I at least want to get my personal finances much more squared away before I dig myself another huge hole.

One of my close friends hooked me up with 2 leads at the place she works at, which might turn out well.  I spent a few hours today updating the 'ol resume, and plan to send it off tomorrow afternoon.  If this doesn't pan out, then I'm aiming to put the house up in March, and go to grad school full-time in the summer term.  I spent a few hours talking to my dad about it and he seems to agree... shocking since he's normally not the type to just jump for radical changes.  But it's nice to know I have his support.

Hopefully this all works out.  Wish me luck  :)

PS - if anybody out there has any openings for a project manager... preferably in an E-Commerce/Internet Marketing position, let me know.  

My resume can be downloaded here: http://www.kingpinracing.com/Pics/Resume-Pfx.doc

Jim,

Would you consider moving to STL for a job?  I work for a pretty cool consulting company.  www.fergcons.com.  I don't know if they have any openings down here for what you're looking for, but if a move isn't out of the question, I think they'd be in the salary range you're looking for and I can ask.

LMK

Scott

[OmniGLH]

Jim,

Would you consider moving to STL for a job?  I work for a pretty cool consulting company.  www.fergcons.com.  I don't know if they have any openings down here for what you're looking for, but if a move isn't out of the question, I think they'd be in the salary range you're looking for and I can ask.

LMK

Scott

I would be foolish not to consider any opportunity that comes along.  I would definitely *prefer* to move someplace warm if I had to relocate.... and STL definitely isn't my "ideal" place to live - but money and opportunity talks.

If you've got an opening at your company - then I'd be interested to hear more about it.

[Super Dave]

Jim STL is a pretty cool place.  The climate is quite a bit milder than Chicago.  Yeah, they will get snow, but not like Chicago near the lake.  Spring actually arrives in STL.  Hot, humid summers...but if you're a wuss...you might not be able to handle that.... ;D

[motomadness]

U. City High 'til the day I die!

University City, St. Louis, High School cheer.

I miss the 'Lou.  The climate is spot on for me and my family is there.  What could be better?

[motomadness]

Okay, now that I have read the note, I would second or third the decision to go back to school.  After I graduated with my bachelors (23 yrs. old), I worked two years (25 yrs. old), then went into grad school full-time (MS Mech Eng).  One because I needed to do something different and two I just got married and my wife was already going away to law school.  Basically my had was forced, but I'm glad it was, otherwise I would have dragged out getting my Masters for several more years.  

While in grad school for the next two and half years I was broker than broke ($1400/mo for being a teaching and research assistant) living in Boston, one of the highest price housing markets in the country.  Needless to say I had to take out loans to pay my living expenses, but afterwards I made more than 60% more money than I made with my BS, I've had more opportunities to work on "meaty" projects and things are getting better every year.  Part of it is the company, but some times those pieces of paper actually speak for you.

If you can afford to live life as a full-time student, the experience at 27 is actually a lot of fun and may make a huge difference in your future.

[cornercamping]

This is a tough argument. The economy sucks, jobs are few and far between, and everyone is getting laid off left and right.  I'd say go back to school, and get in a new field that is unique.  That is one thing that guarantee's tons of money in the future.  Do something that people either don't want to do, or is hard to do.  For instance, if you were an EE, I'd sugguest getting into medical electronics.  That right there is a VERY high paying field.  Electrical Engineers that design things like hospital equipment, heart monitors, ect. make TONS of money.  I regret not persuing that a long time ago.
Regardless, I'd get into a specialized field that is unique.  Anyone any everyone can show up and get a degree.  The people that actually can put some things together and "make it happen" are the one's that make the money.  If your in a field that is specialized, the jobs may be a little harder to find, but the pay is greater and so is the stability.  For instance, I have a friend that is a ME.   He went back to school, got his masters, and went from designing transmission components, to designing armor systems for tanks.  He now makes $51K more than he did working at one of the automakers.  
PhD is worthless if you ask me.  Those guys are only good at one thing:  Writing White Papers

 ;D

[motomadness]

PhD's are good.  The jobs are probably even more stable outside of the ivory towers, at least prior to getting tenior.  However, when I went back into industry with my MS, I made more money than my peers with PhD working in univesities.  Long term, they'll probably make more and have greater control over the things they do, but it's a slow building process.  Sometimes those dissertations can be very lucrative investments.

[cornercamping]

Honestly, I don't think I've ever met anyone with a PhD that was worth a damn at what they do.   Yeah, they can write technical crap, calculate theories, ect. but when it comes to "hands on deployment" they are mostly worthless.  I deal with 3 of them every day, and 2 of them are completely lost the minute they walk away from their computer, and the other one breaks everything he touches.  To give you an idea, I let him borrow my Powerbook 15" laptop, and when he returned it a week later, it looked like someone thru it down a few flights of stairs.  He broke the power adapter, spilled coffee on the keyboard, scratched the LCD, and broke the Airport Antenna adapter.  This guy could hurt himself taking a crap.  ;D  To this day, I have never met anyone with a PhD that is worth a damn. :-/

[cornercamping]

lol....

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/3905816/detail.html

[motomadness]

That maybe true for some, but not all.  Too many are just taught theory and not enough practical skills.  I have met several that are worth their weight, it all depends on the job.

[OmniGLH]

That maybe true for some, but not all.  Too many are just taught theory and not enough practical skills.  I have met several that are worth their weight, it all depends on the job.

A very wise friend of mine (multiple MS and 2 PhD's) once told me, "The longest bridge in the world is the one between theory and application."  Couldn't be more true.

You see the clash between degree'd folks and non-degree'd folks a lot in engineering - and even MORE so in automotive engineering. You got the older guys who don't know the "how" or the "why" - but they've been doing it for 20 years and just "know."  They know the "application."  Then you get some kid fresh out of school who only has book smarts, and tries to tell the old timer that he's all wrong.  The kid knows the "theory."  It was always fun to watch the two types argue back when I worked for Navistar  :)

On yeah - and the "useless factor" doesn't JUST apply to PhD cardholders, either.  I know plenty of people with their BS or MS that are about as useless as bellybutton lint.
  
But anyways... thanks for the insight on the reset.  I always said that if anything bad happened to me at work, that I would just sell everything, go back to school, and start over.  It's just a little scarier now that I'm actually legitimately considering it.  It definitely eases my mind a LOT to hear other folks that have done it and are happy they did.