Costly choices

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Still studying for the A+ computer repair certification, but considering returning to college. I kind of am fed up with Rasmussen though and I hope the disillusionment to college education I received from them is not indicative of elsewhere. I'm thinking of applying to the U of MN for a degree in aerospace engineering, although if my fixation in space fades away then perhaps it's not such a good idea.

Whenever I get all wrapped up in a special interest, I think, "I've got to go get a degree in that." And when it fades -- as it inevitably does -- I think, "Thank God I didn't go get a degree in that!" Perhaps your "fades" work differently than mine do, however. Good luck...

A few fixations haven't faded away over time, such as chemistry, the Bible, dinosaurs, lasers, and I've been interested in space travel on and off throughout my couple decades of life so far. I did temporarily have an interest in accounting, thinking it also to be mathematically determinate, but in addition to my learning about how the subject itself is more about format and arbitrary rules I lost interest in it and along with that the quality of education and textbooks for all other subjects at Rasmussen pretty much had faded my interest in college for a good while now. Just starting to consider college again though, hoping that the next one I select wont be as disappointing as Rasmussen but I think I'll just be pessimistic from the start this time so that I wont be able to be as disappointed as I was before.

I'm having a similar problem right now... I'm thinking of changing majors. (I came in here to start a thread).

All I can say is, choose something you're truly interested in.

Go for an enduring special interest, that you know a bit about, not one that might be fleeting...

It is an important, costly choice.

Well, don't do Linguistics. Don't get me wrong, it is my life. But nearly everywhere these days, Linguistics? I have been waning the best students to fly for their lives for years. Only do Linguistics if anything else is inconceivable.

There are a few areas of study that could apply to Space Travel besides aerospace engineering, as long as you don't pick something completely irrelevant, you should be able to apply what you know to your area of interest.

True, but I would like to design spacecraft. I notice two people (a majority vote!) selected physics for me, and that would be cool enough as well as related, but I don't know. Physics itself is rather general and jobs in basic research are rare and I have no stomach for catering to politicians for grants. Currently, with my wife making a suggestion about practicality as well, I'm considering a dual major in aerospace and electrical engineering, perhaps with a minor in chemistry. I had been fascinated with electronics since I was a kid and practically read every mini-engineer notebook that Forest Mims wrote, as well as his introductory electronics textbook was the first I had studied as a kid. (Later I studied a McGraw textbook which focused more about AC electricity and complex vectors involved in RLC circuits than it did for conveying understanding of schematics and the function of components as had the simpler textbook before it...) Anyhow, the deadlines at the college I'm considering have already past for entry into this fall's semester, so I'll need to apply next year and in the meantime I can autodidactically prepare for the courses by continuing to teach myself the necessary calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations. After I have a more solid footing on the mathematics, the science is just plain fun. Although, it was in studying chemistry and physics before that I saw how useful algebra and trigonometry are, so perhaps in learning more physical science it will encourage me to learn more mathematics. Always good to be prepared though.

U of MN is supposed to be a good school. Aerospace engineering is definitely a good field, as is mechanical engineering. You can do other work than just space-related stuff as an aerospace engineer.

Definitely don't get a physics degree unless you plan on going on for a PhD. A bachelor's in physics is just about useless. And even with a PhD in physics, you might not actually be working in physics- there are a lot more physicists than there are jobs for them, so a lot of them just go off into some random field after they finish school.

That's actually a very good plan. Modern aircraft are much more dependent on electronics than they once were (especially the JSF and other military planes) so having a background in both fields would definitely be attractive to employers.

If you have any interest at all, you might consider petroleum geology...

My geology professor says its a good gig if you don't mind working for Satan.

If you're interested in space flight, a good combination would be Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Materials Science (all about strength of materials, how to make quality composites, fracturing and degradation, etc.).

I'll consider that. One thing not so good about the aerospace program here in Minnesota, the U of MN having the only program for it, is that they have no labs. Perhaps if I could get a triple major in aerospace, electrical, and materials I could see about suggesting some of the experiments of the materials science program for my projects have tests simulating conditions of atmospheric reentry and the space environment. IDK though, as my father-in-law suggested that I take the "shortest path to employment" and more classes mean more time. But I don't know what to do about that.

Thanks. Do you know which employers would be most likely to hire me with such a degree?

My dad works as an aerospace engineer for GE- they do jet engines. Rolls Royce is another major jet engine maker. Then obviously Boeing and Lockheed Martin hire aerospace engineers. The federal government also directly employs a number of engineers. Having a second major in electrical engineering would allow you to work for pretty much any company, though not necessarily in aerospace-related work.

I've heard that U of Washington is the best place to go for Aerospace Engineering, but you'd have to move to Seattle. They have a huge Boeing plant nearby though, so it would probably be easy to score an internship.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.