I'm in St. Louis right now.

Why?

Cause the company's paying for it.

I left Rolla this past November, for some personal reasons and some academic reasons. Burn-out, I needed money, I was going through some hard times personally. Whatever my reasons, I thought I was going to regret my decision at some point down the road. And for a while, yeah, it was kinda hard.

Then I went to school at a tech college like an hour from my hometown. Got an apartment all my own, my own space. Worked a temp job for a couple of months just to make ends meet.

Until one day, I got a job at a manufacturing plant. The tech college helped. My mechanical aptitude helped. The university helped. The fact that I was doing it for myself, though, was the biggest reason I got hired.

I worked on the floor for a month and a half, before I was promoted to an engineering aide position. It's not glamorous work, and it's not going to pay as well as some of the intern positions my company's offering this summer. But there is one very important benefit to my job.

They pay my college tuition. 100%. They give me time off to take college. I'm enrolling at Mizzou. No, it's not UMR. It's not dedicated engineering program. But does UMR have an Industrial Manufacturing engineering minor? Can I take Chinese at UMR? Can I get my MBA there?

Because my company needs a fluent Chinese speaking engineer to design and manage a plant in China within the next ten years. That person could be me. And I'm gonna get the knowledge while I'm getting experience, and all on the company dime.

I'm sitting in a Holiday Inn Select with my wife. In 5 minutes, we're going to go swimming before we cuddle up for bed. The company's paying for my trip. I'm taking training, and it's all on an expense account. Meals, lodging, travel, and 24 hours of full-time pay.

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.

No, it's not for everybody. But I'm living proof that you don't have to graduate from Rolla to make it.

Well, my hat is off to you. Congratulations on your success, and I wish you the best of luck with your plans.

Yep, that Rolla is a terrible place. I don't know why anybody goes there .

Seriously, it's good that your decisions have worked out well for you. But why do so many former students who go on to other institutions feel the need to drop by and say "Hey, my life is sooo much better without UMR; sucks to be you all!"?

I, for one, am proud of my UMR degree and am grateful for the doors it opened for me.

Well, I'm glad for my time at UMR, I've grown a lot as a result of my experiences, I've learned a lot, academically and otherwise, and it's been a great growing experience. I wouldn't mind coming back. But for now, I'm happy I lucked out.

Cause that sauna was fantastic.

Uh... Congrats on your good fortune... But I really don't know why you feel the need to stop in an tell us about it. I mean starting a thread called "In your face, suckas." is just insulting. I don't really see why your case is that special. Most companies have great work-study programs, most companies promote their workers, most companies send their workers for training. And I hate to break it to you, but most people who "make it" didn't graduate from Rolla. So your case is not that "out of the ordinary".

I stuck it out for 4 years, and I'm pretty happy to be leaving with my 4-year degree. I think that finishing a BS or MS will ultimately have more benefit, in the long run, than going without (that's why I chose to go to college in the first place).

So, like I said, congratulations on your good fortune. I truly hope that you and your wife have a wonderful life together, and I hope that your hard work reaps great benefit (as it always should). However, please do me a favor and don't be a self-rightous A-hole.

Yes, there is life outside of Rolla. Congrats you figured that out.

You go Brad you sassy dreamer!

Ok...just to let you know you are NOT at all a special case. The exact same thing happened to my father. There are only two differences. One the company he works for is in Michigan. (i.e. not a communist territory) and two he did not waste how ever many years of his life on a college that he was ultimately going to drop out of. Good ol' Linn Tech got my dad where he is today.

Seriously, I truly am happy for you and your position in life right now. I hope luck continues to show you its fortune. However, the only thing I read out of this "in your face" post is, that at one point you were naive enough to believe that UMR was the end all and be all of success, and that apparently if you are posting on seek while eating dinner with your wife on an all expense paid trip then you are one sad individual. Go have fun with your wife. Go enjoy all of the free food and see the sights. Why do you feel compelled to tell the institution that you left behind how "successful" you are now?

awesome,

but to answer your question, yes you can get an MBA at UMR, and yes you can get an Industrial Engineering Minor, well it is an EMan degree, with an emphasis, so tomato-tomato (i guess that doesn't work on the internet). As for Chinese, I got nothin, but have fun.

LOL!!! You got a paid for trip to the beautiful city of St. Louis?? At a Holiday Inn?? Oh my god... if only I could be so lucky. Way to dream high. Ahem... if I may

I got back last night from a trip to Switzerland (paid for by school) where I presented half of my Master's thesis at a conference there. When I go to work for Sandia, my project group makes regular trips to Alaska and Hawaii for missile launches. Additionaly, when I decide to go back to school for my PhD, Sandia will pay for the school, pay 75% of my salary while I'm at school, and then give me a raise after I get back based on what my salary would be if I had come in originally with a PhD.

I don't say this to rub it in anyone's face, just the experiences of a Rolla graduate. While I agree that you don't need to graduate from Rolla to make it in the technical world and am glad your work is opening up opportunities for you (especially the China bit, that'd be awesome), implying that you stand head and shoulders above the rest of us becasue you "stayed at a Holiday Inn last night" kinda rubs me the wrong way. I second the post by the honorable Mr. ZKissane.

I second him^^ and zkissane. I made a trip to Phoenix because General Dynamics wanted to see me. I'm also making the highest starting salary that I've heard of for a comp sci bachelor's degree. Yes, you can survive without Rolla, but who cares?

If only it had been a Holiday Inn Express...