College

[John J.]

I start college on the 22nd. For all those who have graduated or has sons/daughters, nephews/nieces or grandchildren who have just graduated high school and are heading out to college, I wish you all the best. College is an huge, important step, I hope everyone will make great decisions in their lives! I've already got my plan! I hope everyone else does too!  8-)

God bless  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Good luck John J!  

You are embarking on a great stage of life, the trick is to balance enjoying it and applying yourself to school at the same time.

[justfishin]

Good luck to you. Stay focused and don't get caught up in all the crap. Its going to be a new found freedom so from a old guy to a young guy, use your head and not your head, understand? Best to you in all your plans.---Jim

[John J.]

I got what you're saying Jim   ;D I won't loose that head until I am married  ;D ;D ;D ;D 8-)

Russ, thanks! And I agree, big step for my future right here. I will surely balance school work with fishing, most of the time I think fishing may win lol!  ;D

God bless  8-)

[Fisher of Men]

John,

Russ is right. Try to keep a balance. Don't let the studies get to you. Take a break every now and then, but don't let the breaks, parties, etc. get in the way. It sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders. Good luck to you and God bless!

-Fisher

P.S. Do you have a major yet?

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Good Luck to y9u. It is a lot of work and well worth it. I am 56 yearsold,not the sharpest tool in the shed and i am down to my last 2 courses. IF I CAN DO IT YOU CAN DO IT! Feel free to write if you need a little support!

Muddy

[Floridabassking352]

Best of luck to you John. I start on the 27th. What college are you attending?

[hootersdoug]

As some of the others have already said, be careful how you use your new found freedom while in school.  During college I was taught a lot of new things by people that were really into what they were teaching, made a lot of friends, and developed a career throgh which I could buy a bass boat.  I also saw the other side of the coin.....a lot of people who drank so much that they flunked out and wasted thier parents money, one who killed himself from driving after drinking too much and one who died of alcohol poisoning.  The common thread through most of the failures was wonton misuse of alcohol.  Don't get me wrong, I did my fair share of partying, but I also used the resources provided to me by the state and my parents to get a degree.  Enjoy the years of college, they will take you from being a boy (or girl) to being a man (or woman).  Dont forget to do at least one road trip.

[Sam]

Congrats to all who are starting college this year.

It will be the best 5 or 6 years of your life!!! ;D

I hope John J. can start a college bass fishing team to compete in the National College Bass Fishing Tournament.

You guys let us know where you are going to continue your education.

And remember two things:  First, no one can take your education away from you; and second, a college degree is worth at leat $1,000,000 in additional income over your lifetime.

Just think how many boats, motors, trailers, trucks, rods, reels and lures you can buy with that added $1,000,000!

Opps!  I forgot about your future wife so drop that list down to a john boat and cane pole with a gold number 4 hook and corn kernals for bait.

[cpvenom]

I started college 11 days ago and i must say... its awesome! I'm at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Florida. The school is right on the water of boca ciega bay, so I can fish whenever i want, but no bass unfortunately. I agree with what the others have said, it was hard to keep focused the first few days, but just remember that you are there to learn first then to have fun.  

[drakedeming]

college was the the greatest 8 years of my life, enjoy it while you can cause once you are done no more sleeping in and no more slacking off all summer.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

[

Just think how many boats, motors, trailers, trucks, rods, reels and lures you can buy with that added $1,000,000!

College is not necessary to make a good wage all the time, this is a highly overrated statement! I know lots I mean lots of Steelworkers,Plumbers,Electricians, Carpenters and 2 guys who own a company making decks and sun rooms and they make a lot more than most

[drakedeming]

[Just think how many boats, motors, trailers, trucks, rods, reels and lures you can buy with that added $1,000,000!

College is not necessary to make a good wage all the time, this is a highly overrated statement! I know lots I mean lots of Steelworkers,Plumbers,Electricians, Carpenters and 2 guys who own a company making decks and sun rooms and they make a lot more than most

that is true, but i know electricians need to take continued education which is similiar to college just without the added crap that has no relationship to your degree. So you might say they are going to college also.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Thats true many of the trades, require advanced training to keep up with building technology

[Dan:]

Muddy, I think the additional income is just an average so of course there are exceptions but by and large people with college degrees make more money in their lifetime.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Yea  I understand that but thats in Technology and the Money markets.

NY City Police officer; ( needs an Assoc.) starting pay 28,000, School Teachers, Medical First Responders, Many College Instructors, Counsleorsnever see 60,000 a year and they all need Bachlorates and many need Masters! So it depends on what they are doing with thse degrees.

 Most athletes , who go pro, even skate boarders make more than the average teacher :

[jwo1124]

Take it from me. I am in college, and it is what you make it. College itself is a tool for you to use to better yourself. It's where you higher your education in order to work in a respectable career.(No disrespect to the trade guys since you all have to go to school too, plus you guys actually do labor, where most of us college grads sit on ours a$$es all day)

Keep a social life in college, meaning, know where there will be a few parties on the weekends, make a few good friends, and know when to get your head out of the book and have some fun. But don;t get caught up in the party life, it will get you nowhere in the long run. Sure its fun getting drunk all the time and getting with the ladies, but that only lasts so long.

You are at college to learn, not party. Make sure you remember the good old saying, work before play. Just make sure you do take time to play every once in awhile.

You are an adult now, you make your own life choices. These choices will determine where you end up down the road, so make the right ones. So if you have a big test or a paper due and your roomate comes in while your doing your work and says "Hey we're all getting drunk let's go". Don;t fall into the trap, cuz that will be the first of many poor choices. Habits are hard to break, so if you make partying a habit, it will be tough to leave that life, but if you make studying and doing well academically a habit, you will only reap rewards of success which are so much sweeter than a few years of drunken foggy memories.

But like I said, make sure you get out on the weekends and meet some people and have a little fun.

[gopherbass]

Sure its fun getting drunk all the time and getting with the ladies, but that only lasts so long.  

All the more reason to drink as much as possible.  Your transcript is only useful in obtaining your first job (and getting in to grad. school should you go down that path).

[Dan:]

Sure its fun getting drunk all the time and getting with the ladies, but that only lasts so long.

All the more reason to drink as much as possible. Your transcript is only useful in obtaining your first job (and getting in to grad. school should you go down that path).

Yeah, but in some professions you have to have graduated with a certain GPA to get the job you want. And a good transcript will open more and bigger doors than a poor one will.

[gopherbass]

Sure its fun getting drunk all the time and getting with the ladies, but that only lasts so long.  

All the more reason to drink as much as possible.  Your transcript is only useful in obtaining your first job (and getting in to grad. school should you go down that path).

Yeah, but in some professions you have to have graduated with a certain GPA to get the job you want. And a good transcript will open more and bigger doors than a poor one will.

I don't disagree with you.  I simply said a transcript matters only for a first job, from that point forward, it will never be brought up again.

[fish-fighting-illini]

Gopher I've got to disagree on this one. Your GPA is on every resume and every job application that you fill out. Forget about all of the other stuff but to me GPA is the single most important thing you get out of college. Often your reeesume only gets a few seconds of time, if the GPA starts with a "2" it has a much better chance of going in the trash.

 Maybe not the full transcript but the GPA from it does IMO.

[Dan:]

And heaven forbid you want to be a teacher or a gov't employee, most of those jobs require at least a 3.0

[John J.]

Best of luck to you John. I start on the 27th. What college are you attending?

I am starting off with a community college and then working my way up to a 4 year college. I am currently attending Germanna Community College here in Va. I may transfer to VCU or VSU, haven't decided yet.

As far as a major and a minor I think I will go along with minoring in Marketing and Majoring in Computer Tech. or Computer Science...yes, yes I know, I will be a computer geek  ;D

I enjoy college so far, granted I am limited to the many things I can do (ie: too young to drink, etc. lol!)

I appreciate everyone's support!

FBK and everyone I wish you all best of luck with your futures!

God bless all!  

[JCrzy4Bass]

Don't know bout' you guys but I finished Mason with a Comm Degree in 2005. I got a 2.67, not listed on my resume. Landed a job at Cox Communications as an internet tech support specialist after not even a month of job searching. Was there six months and they wouldn't accomodate my night schedule to some days so I switched. Landed a job at the NVCC campus in Annandale and I now work for the state and have great benefits and am making in the mid 30's. The average Comm major out of Mason only makes 28.5 starting salary. To me and from what I've heard employers say (I've had bosses actually tell me) that the number one thing they look for is good interviewing skills, if the person HAS OBTAINED a degree, and if the degree fits the field they are going into. Most don't even worry about job experience. This is just my experience, I know the real world is different for everyone. But all I'm saying is I wasn't a hardcore studier, I applied myself, did great in most of my classes, had some harder ones that I didn't do so well in... but I pushed through it all and I'm making it here just fine. Northern Virginia, Maryland, Dc and so forth have the one of the greatest job markets in the country despite 9-11 and the fall of the tech industry thereafter (all the layoffs in the industry).

Do your best, succeed, graduate... then think real world. Don't have a heart attack over the gpa if it falls under a 3.0. Sure shoot for that or higher, but don't think it's your only ticket into a job market. Practice your interview skills throughout college with friends, family, etc. Take a University clasws, probably the best class I ever took at Mason and it was 1 credit. It explained how to create great resumes, how to go about doing great presentations, building confidence in speaking and interview skills, and how to conduct reserach in an organized fashion. It helped me more than any of my major courses ever did.

Most importantly, pick a major you really think you will enjoy, I swicthed halfway through college and still graduated on time because all the main courses I took applied to both majors.  Make sure you will like being a part of that field or industry and will not be bored with the things you are going to learn.  The first couple of years you won't really get into your major much so don't be alarmed or worried if what you are learning doen't seem like it's where you want to go.  Other than that... good luck.  You will do great if college is where you picture yourself for the next 4-5 years.

[Sam]

Hey John J, may I make a suggestion?

Take the courses you hate at Germanna.

That's right. If you are strong in English and poor in math, take all the math classs you can to transfer to VCU.

If you are strong in math and weak in English, do the same for your English courses.

Get them out of the way as they are not as challenging as VCU and other schools.

Don't forget LSU.  Tuition is about the same or less than instate for Virginia schools and you can major in Marine Biology or Marketing and be with some of the nicest people in the world who love to eat and have a good time.

A degree from LSU is also different than for Virginia schools as we have found out that recruiters want to talk about Louisiana, Mardi Gras, the food, fishing, football and the French Quarter on interviews with LSU grads.

But VCU is a good school, too, so do your best and transfer for next September to a universityand GET THAT DEGREE.

In the meantime, keep us abreast of your fishing successes on Lake Orange and Lake Anna, etc.