sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information a fresh start

Hmm...DePauw is in Greencastle, IN..about 45 minutes out of Indianapolis. My territory...well, sort of...like I said, nothing is for sure yet, but I will keep that in mind.

Thanks for everyone's responses.

Education is allways a good thing. MCSE get all the comupter certs you can and the system mfg. certs will come later. The way things are going in our field you should look to the future and computer and networking exp. is a big plus. You will spend the rest of your life working but the truth is that it is much harder to go back to school when you are olderthen you think.

Don’t… Don’t … Don’t completely give up on college.


You may find yourself doing well and being pretty happy fairly quickly if you go the route of phone system tech… What you may find out just a few years down the road is your career is capped for life without a degree.

The absolute best and most comprehensive way to learn is by working full-time (in the real world) and continuing schooling part-time (gettin’ ya sum bouk smerts.) It’s a longer harder road BUT well worth it for the long run.

Being in the Greater St. Louis you have a GREAT opportunity to attend an electrical program at Ranken Technical College… I graduated there and am here to tell ya, the school is not a run of the mill tech school. It’s difficult to complete any program there but you’ll learn things there that you can use for life.

Also, being in the Greater St. Louis has somewhat of a draw-back… The unions control nearly ALL forms of electrical work here. I’d suggest contacting the CWA or IBEW (if you know someone) to look for an apprenticeship position.

Good luck to you whatever happens next with DePauw and whatever you decide is next for you.

Totally giving up on college is the last thing I want to do. Like I said, I'm just checking out my options as a back-up. I love DePauw! I'm registered for some great classes next semester that I can do very well in....I just hope the chance to prove myself isn't taken away! If at all possible, I plan to be back in Indiana in August! Too many friends, too many obligations to my fraternity. Even if I do get suspended, I'll do everything I can to be allowed to return.....and work with phones in the mean time.

I will check with CWA and IBEW and see if they have any suggestions.

But, regardless, thank you for all the input. Even if things work out and I do return, I may check into working part-time at an interconnect.

Right, Missouri is a strong union state. St. Louis is almost as bad as Chicago.

Local 1, IBEW, has a Fed certified training program, but you need to get with their training people === they do "summer hires" that pay good each year for the college crowd.

STAY IN COLLEGE !!!!

Even if your "issues" preclude you from your chosen school there are many other schools in the St. Louis area without going that far, like Indiania.

If you need more info, let me know, I may be able to contact some of the old timers back there for you.

KLD --- Hang in there!

Yes, I know all about the St. Louis union stronghold...I'm a part time cashier at Dierbergs, so I've had plenty of experience with UFCW....and it looks as though I may not have a job for fall break next year...contract is up, and sounds like there may be another strike!

If you get booted out (almost but not quite been there done that but that is a whole nother story!), get a job as a tech. Put on a pair of khakis and a nice shirt, shave etc. and walk into every company in the area and introduce yourself, drop off a resume, ask if they or anyone else they know are hiring. Follow up with a phone call a couple of days later and you should land a job in a city of your size. If you need to offer to start at a low rate with a promised raise if you produce or work part time or as a sub (get a dba and insurance etc) - it would shock me if someone didn't give you a chance. Once you work in our world for a little while, even if you like it, at least start taking courses part time toward a degree - take courses pertaining to our field that lead to a degree as well. If you are lucky enough to not get kicked out go back to school and get a part time job. You could work half days, or a couple of days a week and still take classes. Last thought is why not a change in your major to something more technical - then you would be getting both the theory and the hands on experience. Good Luck!

Liberal Arts school, so changing to a technical major is a no-go....I like my major, and do well in it...it's the other classes that get me!

Definitely stay in school. Your degree will open doors for you in whatever field you decide to get into. STAY IN SCHOOL!!!

Do you not have a faculty advisor? Could that person not help you drop classes now that are inappropriate and take other stuff next semester under academic probation?

There must be staff that get paid for doing the thinking you are not up to speed on yet. Asking for help is proving you are smart enough to stay in and if you were to stop at the end of this semester and work for a MCSE and go back a year later it would be no big deal. Many people in Europe go to university for a couple years, take a year off to travel and learn, then come back to university.

Leaving for a year to try something else with the option to return to university is not failure unless you learn nothing in the year off and work at McDonalds. Ask the facility, they get paid for advice and they have more options than we do.