I really am tired of school, and originally had no desire to get the B.S. I would, however, consider it if the pay were much greater. Like I said, I want to stay in the cinema industry.

I am in the same boat that you are in.

I just completed my A.A.S. in Machine Tool Technology (C.N.C. Machinists Option) and am having difficulty finding work because of our current economy--and there are many skilled machinists with my predictiment...(thanks to Reagan sending our jobs overseas many years ago!)

I am currently working on my B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.

While jobs are currently scarce for machinists, I have noticed that experienced engineers are in high demand w/excellent salaries!

Always pursue your education, especially in todays high competition job market.

I have personally seen some of the most experienced Tool and Die/Mold Makers laid off of excellent jobs simply because they did not have a college degree!

A degree is definately worth it...even if it is in "Underwater Basket Weaving"! It just shows an employeer that you have the ability to "self-improve"...if nothing else!

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"Learn as though you will live forever.
Live as though you will die tomorrow."

I heard this when I was a freshmen in high school and I have alway's used this statement as a guide.

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To be a cinema-tech, I have found out that electronics background is VERY IMPORTANT!

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I agree, and the A.S.E.E.T. will satisfy that. Remember, I want to work in the cinema industry. For me, being a projectionists isn't just a part-time job until I finish school. It is the beginning of a career. So what can the B.S. do for me in this field? I'm grateful for your input.

I've got a BS in Chemical Engineering (hated getting that degree) and a MS in Materials Science Engineering (with a focus on semiconducting materials -- loved getting that degree!). What am I doing now? I push papers, not designing refineries nor working a semiconductor processing line. I don't hate my job, but I don't love it either. However, I do get paid pretty well, and that's what pays for the many joys in my life.

Your earning potential with a BS EE is multiples of what you will be making without it. And it's a tough degree, which is why EE majors are at the top of the engineering pay scale. Even if you don't use that degree, you'll have it in your back pocket ... just in case. If you can do it, I suggest that you don't let this opportunity pass you by. The chance that you'll want to or will be able to pick up that degree later on in life is pretty darn small.

And if you end up hating electrical engineering once you get your degree, as others said it is proof of your capabilities ... beyond the subject of the degree.

If you are young enough, here is a suggestion for you....and it comes from personal experience...

Try out for ROTC, active duty or the Reserves! The USAF has the best living conditions of all the branches of the US Armed Forces....been there, done that....but the USAF is HIGHLY political!!!!!

You can go in for 4 years and get your G.I. Bill. While on active duty, they also pay for 75% of your tuition over and above the G.I. Bill...

If you don't like active duty, then transfer to the Reserves....EXCELLENT FRINGE BENEFITS, and retirement to boot!!!!

To be honest, I don't know what I would be doing now if I wasn't in school. Also, I don't know what I'll be doing once I get out (less than two years). I want to stay with the cinema industry, like you, and am self-assured that an EE and a CE degree from the University of Florida will help me do that. With almost full-time work and full-time school it is sometimes a pain to get through it all. I know that it is necessary though, and that is what keeps me going. I'm 19 now and look forward to moving on with my life but I think there will come a time when even an undergrad degree won't be enough--which is why I'd like to stay in school until I complete my Master's in Electrical Engineering. Industry seems to like engineers from UF--you're in Florida now, and should definitely consider the UF Engingeering College (its a top notch school) if you want a BS. We've got a theatre (Regal) here and it would be great to have another film-techer on staff. Let me know what you decided because I'm interested in knowing.

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Newer degree programmes in humanities - communications studies, media studies, film studies - tend to get draw a lot of flak from traditionalists who think they're academically lightweight (i.e. you get a degree by watching TV for three years), and by professionals in related industries finding themselves dealing with graduates coming off these courses who believe they have a vocational qualification but in fact have not been given a chance to develop the skills and experiences they need.

There is some truth to this. For the last 10 decades it has been government policy to increase the number of school leavers going into higher education as much as possible. This has lead to a huge increase in the capacity of the system, some of it in mickey mouse degree programmes that you can get into with very weak school qualifications and which have woeful umemployment figures for their graduates. One politician on the radio last night said that 'even a degree in media studies from the University of Neasden' [Neasden is a poorer suburb of north London, and has no university] is better than no higher education at all.

However, I don't agree that the academic study of media and communication is wrong per se just because many of these degrees are not a direct preparation for employment in a specific industry. One telling statistic I saw recently was that in the UK, 8% of graduates in media studies (and related subjects) ended up making their living in the broadcast, print journalism, film and Internet industries, compared to 0.002% of graduates in English literature who ended up making a living by writing published fiction. So by that criterion we should get rid of literature degrees first, and there aren't many people calling for that.

The bottom line is that higher education in science and engineering consists of specific programmes of training for specific jobs; the kind of job where the training is most effectively delivered through a structured programme of education. Humanities subjects teach you more generic skills - forming an argument, structuring a piece of writing, research techniques, time management, organising yourself, working under pressure (e.g. through written exams and the process of preparing for them). All of these are transferable skills which can be and are used in workplace situations which contribute directly to the economy. It's just a different way of organising the education and training process.

Take it from someone who has completed an arts degree. While it is difficult to find employment in an area where I can 'use' what I studied, the degree itself shows - at the very least - that I have persistence and that I can complete something over several years.

At the same time, I now find myself interested in areas of employment for which it will prove invaluable, and without which I would be even more limited in my options than what I am now (and I am somewhat limited, although not in too many areas that would really entice me anyway (he says begrudgingly!)).

So my advice is: do it, and choose a course which leads into an area that is most likely to *genuinely* interest you. The worst thing that you can get out of a degree is that you learn something you won't use in daily life (there are worse tragedies).

As an aside, I have many friends that are in a similar position to me now (graduates of arts degrees or soon to be) and are now finding themselves working in theatres/cafes/department stores/whatever but, like myself, cannot see themselves becoming engineers/doctors/lawyers/IT people. These things are not for everyone. To these types of people I would still recommend an arts/comm degree. Why? Because it makes a contribution to your life in a cultural way. Not everything can be measured with money (although the degree itself must be paid for!).