I'm 17

[3dfx]

and have been since Jan 1st 2003, what am I doing with my life you ask ? I'm doing higher's which are basically the Scottish equivalent to the English A-level system. I'm doing Spanish, Physics and computing and i have History and Philosophy. Right where do I want to go ??

Well I'm thinking of taking a coarse at my local college which just happens to be one of the best equiped colleges/Uni's in the Uk for networking

The course I want to take is a HND in networking and systems, the first year! is an HNC and it basically is IT but the second year is more focused. The second year which is a HND is all about Cisco networking. Once I have these, which will be approx 2 years. I can do a degree in 9 months like a top up, so in under 3 years I'll have a Top notch degree and should be approaching 20

What Does the Murc think ???

[GNEP]

Sounds like a plan... thought of getting any sponsorship from companies? Or work experience/placements?

[Brian Ellis]

You are lucky to be in Edinburgh, where such things are possible. Because of a quirk in 1939, when teachers were being called up and there was a great shortage, I missed out on a whole year and was able to pass my Highers at the ripe old age of 15 (at Watson's) and went onto the Heriot-Watt, where I left at 18 with an engineering degree, after a 5 year course squeezed into three. That meant I was able to do military service (it started the day after graduation!) already armed with a pro qualification. This would not have been possible in England.

Will you be going to Napier? Haven't been in E'bro for well over 20 years, except for my mother's funeral (my family, now all dead, came from Hawick but I spent most of my childhood in Colinton Road).

Anyway, good luck with your career.

BTW, I'm 17 too, but stuck in a 71 year old body!

[drslump]

Wow 3dfx!

I wish I had it so clear when I was 17!

btw what do you think about a taking a lap year, just for travelling around, seeing new cultures, languages, food...

ciao,
ivan

[GuchiGuh]

go go go!
all the best man!
rite now, 17, mechanical eng at curtin uni of tech...but not sure if am doing the right thing!


*YoU Go GuRl!*

[Pace]

Can you not just enter a degree course directly? Napier will obviously accept HND students into a third year, but 2 years of University study might prepare you better for third year than an HND (from a different institution?)

Brian: How much time did you spend in Hawick - did you leave quite young? Got any names? My girlfriend has 'McCracken'/'Coltman' roots from down there Edit: Add 'Yule' roots to that...

[Liquid Snake]

I'm 16, in my junior year of high school. Like a lot of kids my age, I have almost no clue what to do. Cool that you have all this stuff figured out already.

Speaking of Cisco networking, I'm taking a CCNA course at my school right now. It's pretty easy; I can get 90 - 100 on all the tests without much effort.

[3dfx]

Hi thx for all the replies guys Brian speaking of Colinton Road, I live close by on the Lanark Road. I have spoken to the lecturer/teacher of the HND course and he said that doing his course will prepare you better for the degree. In fact we will go in to more detail than the degree students. Infact the project that we do in the HND can be re-submitted for the degree at Napier

I just want to get my degree as soon as pos and then I want to travel the world over

[Brian Ellis]

3dfx

Doing HND first is, IMHO, a good idea. It is more "hands-on" than a straight BSc in engineering. As an ex-employer of engineering grads, I can say that those that did a straight degree course were generally hopeless for real work in industry for their first year. Those that went on to a degree from an apprenticeship were much better. and commanded higher salaries from the start.

I'd like to offer you one item of thought: IT engineering (soft and hard) is extremely competitive and the supply of graduates will probably exceed the demand in a couple of years or so and starting salaries may drop. This is especially so because the UK Unis are now attracting large numbers of Chinese and Indian students in these fields and many of these are taking jobs, after graduation, for a few years, and they are often the crême de la crême of their countries. If you want big money and security, think about power electrical engineering. There is a dearth of grads in this field and less than 50 students enroll for this, let alone graduate, in the whole of the UK. Perhaps less romantic, but it is the highest-paid branch of engineering, comparable even to dentists! If you want to know more about this, contact the President of the IEE, Prof Michael Sterling - he is very approachable and has made a deep study of engineering opportunities and chairs many governmental committees on the subject. I think a newly graduated power engineer can expect a salary of nearly GBP 40k, doubling in a decade.

I say this because I was one of the early grads in electronics engineering and found, a few years later, that the competition for places was terrible and salaries became worse. This was why I branched out in other fields, ending up in the environment because I was able to acquire knowledge in chemistry, physics and atmospheric sciences. This science, combined with my engineering background, put me in an almost unique position, as I was able to apply science to real hands-on work in factories throughout the world.

Pace

My knowledge of Hawick is relatively small. My family moved to E'bro when I was 5 and I left Scotland when I started my military service in 1951. My father died in 1956 but my mother continued to live in E'bro until 1980, when she moved to Hawick, to be close to my brother who had lived there since the 1950s (he was chief accountant at Turner & Rutherfords Knitwear). My mother died in 1996 at the ripe old age of 98, followed by my brother a year later and his widow (a Whillens) a year after that. I therefore have no family left in the Borders. My mother was a Long from Helensburgh. The only contact I have left with Hawick is a Douglas Campbell, who owned some grocery shops there. By sheer coincidence, he happens to live in the same village as myself in Cyprus (he married a Cypriot woman in Hawick, while she was heading the sales department at Pringles knitwear).

In fact, although I have visited Hawick many times as an adult while I had family there, and my roots were there, I know relatively little of the town and the people. I think I'm the last of the Border Ellises, unless you can count an adopted son of my brother, living in London.

[3dfx]

That sounds like a very interesting idea, I’m referring to electrical engineer. Though I have one question, would you recommend studying it at degree level?? Or HND first?

According to a few ppl I have spoken to there is a large shortage for networking engineers.

[Paddy]

I am 23 and I don't know what I want to do

[KvHagedorn]

Get married. Have babies. Geez people are so dumb nowadays.

[Tempest]

Originally posted by KvHagedorn
Get married. Have babies. Geez people are so dumb nowadays.

I'll soon be 25. I don't know what I want either, but KvH just succeeded in naming a couple of the (actually very few) things that I know I do NOT want

[Paddy]

Getting married on the 29th November. No kids yet (I hope)

[KvHagedorn]

Originally posted by Tempest
I'll soon be 25. I don't know what I want either, but KvH just succeeded in naming a couple of the (actually very few) things that I know I do NOT want

So ends the world...

Too many of the best and brightest refuse to reproduce and nasty ugly fat stupid people, crack whores, criminals, irresponsible types DO.. and so many of you complain about the morons you have to deal with in life.. the chance to do something about it is in your hands.. so quit wanking and put the thing to real use!