Big Forum Hug please?

[Bailes1992]

Been like this for weeks though. I go to college do half hour and get sick of it so end upon forums
my fault completelu, im not at all behind i just cant motivate myself.

[lozz]

Sam im not being funny mate, but you think youve got things rough right now ?
think again mate you havent,
just wait till you fly the nest so to speak then thats when you will realise how hard things get,
College is a walk in the park compared to some of the things ihave to go through im sure many more will agree as they will have the same things to contend with,

think your self lucky that youve got family behind you that will support you ihad to walk alone on that one iwas as good as an orphan,

so chin up mate and stop sulking , if the focus is pissing you off get rid of it and get something else

[DaiRees]

In all fairness the wasting two years bit dosen't bother me

Hehe, that's easy for you to say! Give it another 20 years mate, then time will be flashing by so quickly that the thought of wasting 2 mins will scare you shitless!!

Fek me I just completed the transformation into my father!!

[Bailes1992]

Sam im not being funny mate, but you think youve got things rough right now ?
think again mate you havent,
just wait till you fly the nest so to speak then thats when you will realise how hard things get,
College is a walk in the park compared to some of the things ihave to go through im sure many more will agree as they will have the same things to contend with,

think your self lucky that youve got family behind you that will support you ihad to walk alone on that one iwas as good as an orphan,

so chin up mate and stop sulking , if the focus is mpissing you off get rid of it and get something else

Completley agree, i think a big problem is lazyness and the fact im doing something under false intentions.
The focus will be going soon. For another 406 no doubt

[lozz]

Sam im not being funny mate, but you think youve got things rough right now ?
think again mate you havent,
just wait till you fly the nest so to speak then thats when you will realise how hard things get,
College is a walk in the park compared to some of the things ihave to go through im sure many more will agree as they will have the same things to contend with,

think your self lucky that youve got family behind you that will support you ihad to walk alone on that one iwas as good as an orphan,

so chin up mate and stop sulking , if the focus is mpissing you off get rid of it and get something else

Completley agree, i think a big problem is lazyness and the fact im doing something under false intentions.
The focus will be going soon. For another 406 no doubt

Take each day as it comes,
stay at college for as long as u can stick it out that way it will give you time to work out what you want to do
dont rush into dropping out you may live to regret it,
if you dont like what your studying and it bores you shitless swap over to something else maybe something that you couid enjoy doing Mechanics course etc ,

evryone ends up at the crossroads mate no one can tell you which path to choose its up to you to work it all out,

[Bailes1992]

Sam im not being funny mate, but you think youve got things rough right now ?
think again mate you havent,
just wait till you fly the nest so to speak then thats when you will realise how hard things get,
College is a walk in the park compared to some of the things ihave to go through im sure many more will agree as they will have the same things to contend with,

think your self lucky that youve got family behind you that will support you ihad to walk alone on that one iwas as good as an orphan,

so chin up mate and stop sulking , if the focus is mpissing you off get rid of it and get something else

Completley agree, i think a big problem is lazyness and the fact im doing something under false intentions.
The focus will be going soon. For another 406 no doubt

Take each day as it comes,
stay at college for as long as u can stick it out that way it will give you time to work out what you want to do
dont rush into dropping out you may live to regret it,
if you dont like what your studying and it bores you shitless swap over to something else maybe something that you couid enjoy doing Mechanics course etc ,

evryone ends up at the crossroads mate no one can tell you which path to choose its up to you to work it all out,

Well as I said previously I got an apprentaship now which dosent help my motorvation at all

[lozz]

Well thats good that sam.
but what was your initial plan when you agreed to this aprentiship, work round college or just focus on that and drop out,?
have you spoke with your parents as what your plans are, how wouid they feel if you drop out obviously they will have been suporting you through it all but if that was me it wouid be like someone holding a gun to my head,

Good luck with all mate,
if it starts bashing your head abit all that stress take a time out mate throw a tent in the car and have a weekend away and chilax abit

[Bailes1992]

Well thats good that sam.
but what was your initial plan when you agreed to this aprentiship, work round college or just focus on that and drop out,?
have you spoke with your parents as what your plans are, how wouid they feel if you drop out obviously they will have been suporting you through it all but if that was me it wouid be like someone holding a gun to my head,

Good luck with all mate,
if it starts bashing your head abit all that stress take a time out mate throw a tent in the car and have a weekend away and chilax abit

Well I dont start till August, did plan to finish the course but it looks doubtfull
Thing is I know now this qualification will never be of any use to me, so I no longer want it.
And my Dad got it for me, im the 3rd generation to become and electrocoan

[FarmerPug]

i was good at school, finished the a levels with 3 A grades, but went to uni for computer science and hated it, but im going back in september to do technology which i actually liked in school. The only reason i was good at ICT was it was all reports and i could type endless reams of reports, it was really dry stuff, i actually felt sorry for the teacher who had to read it.
but id actually prefer to go and do an electrician course than the whole hassle and cost of having to go to university.

[sirwiggum]

Bailes, have a beer sir and think things through this weekend.

Firstly, get shot of that bloody Ford I did the same when I was a student, and am trying to convince the other half re: her Fiesta before it starts going all "Christine".
Once Fords reach that "pre-designed obsolescence" stage, they tend to become money pits.

Secondly, consider if it is worth staying on at college beyond the summer if you already know, and have your heart set on, an apprenticeship?
Get what qualifications and certifications you can before you leave though, as they will always add a bit of sparkle to a CV.

The Cisco certification route is useful if you want to become a network engineer - ie. get your hands dirty with real meaty routers and switches.
CCNA then CCNP are real good to have on a CV.
My last job, while we worked with many devices, most of them were Colorado based, with us connecting and testing from Belfast. When I was doing my CCNA I used a combination of a second hand Cisco 2500 and a Linux box running Dynamips / GNS3, which sounds similar to your packetshaper.
Once you have the theory in place, actually connecting the things is easy enough. Console using an old laptop with a serial connector, rollover cable, the settings for the terminal software (usually hyperterminal in windows) are in any CCNA book.
If you wanted to practice wiring, you could get a length of Cat5, some RJ45 connectors and a crimping tool, practice making straightthrough and crossover cables, test them by connecting PCs to your broadband router and PC-PC for the latter.
Highlander is more of an expert on these things.

The thing about IT courses is that there are several kinds.
People think that if you have done an IT course then you can fix any problem on any PC just as a mechanic can fix any car.

In reality, most IT courses such as ECDL are more like how to drive a car (given the name "European computer driving licence").
The likes of the Computer Science course I did, and by the sounds of it the course you are on, is mostly theory of *how* the low level internals and software within a computer work, with the odd practical. But within the car analogy, more of a theory into VTEC / HDi then mechanicing.
Whereas you wanted to get your hands dirty, "mechanicing" on putting them together, which is more of a computer maintenance and upgrading course.

Not everybody is, or wants to be academic, and even those that are change their minds (Prince Wills himself for example changed his course halfway through university). You seem like a smart cookie, but if your heart isn't in it, you are at the right stage of life to make a change!
Working in IT is not the golden path that everyone imagines. It can be dry, tedious, boring at times. If your heart really isn't in it it can be torture, and can lead to low motivation, low morale and low productivity.

Go with what you know in your heart you want to do.

[highlander]

The problem with networking is that the coursework is VERY dry and just chock-full of theory. Stuff you don't necessarily need to know, but can help you understand why things are the way they are.

I have no formal Cisco qualifications whatsoever; I was hired for the team I'm in specifically because I knew nothing about networking and would therefore have no bad habits to unlearn The advantage there is that the guys I work with have been able to teach me as I went along, but I learn by doing - and so I found myself buying a bunch of Cisco gear off eBay and using it to set up my home network.

I have a Cisco 827H as an ADSL router (which establishes my internet connection and performs one layer of NAT, plus it has a stateful firewall on it), a Cisco 1721 (which does a second layer of NAT), and a Cisco Aironet AIR-AP1241G-E-K9 wireless access point (which helps the Wifely Person use her iPad). I also have a Cisco 2651 and a Cisco Catalyst 3548 switch in a little 3U rack as a lab - but I don't actively use these two devices as they're not fanless). Old stuff, right enough, but it's cheap, it works, and is very good for teaching yourself - certainly better than staring at a book or using any of these CBT courses where you get a router/switch simulation and are told to perform a specific action - these are only of any use to people for sitting the tests, rather than actually learning how to work with the kit.

That said, if you're not enjoying the actual material, and you don't feel it is of any use to you in your future career, then you basically are wasting your own time; there are plenty of electrician's training courses out there, and you could be learning your chosen trade instead.

[ToddM]

Ah, sorry to hear that mate. You need some rest, think things through. Take it from the more experienced here (gizzards!) that prematurely ending your education is definitely not the way to go. As somebody else said previously you owe it to yourself to finish the course otherwise it's like going 10 metres under Mt. Everest's peak then saying "Ah, I could've gone there but nah, can't be arsed." You'll feel much better once it's over. It sounds cliched and American, but when life gives you lemons you make yourself that lemonade! Look at the positive side of things - a few more exams and college's ended! You're out, forever, free to do whatever you like. If you don't put in the effort at the last moment you'll definitely regret it later. Thanks for sharing though chaps, as I haven't finished my education yet and what you've all said might prove helpful not just to Bailes!

[trem1]

In all fairness the wasting two years bit dosen't bother me

Hehe, that's easy for you to say! Give it another 20 years mate, then time will be flashing by so quickly that the thought of wasting 2 mins will scare you shitless!!

Fek me I just completed the transformation into my father!!

i agree totally with Dai here, you will regret this in the future. Life really is too short. i look in the mirror and some old git looks back at me these days

[sirwiggum]

In all fairness the wasting two years bit dosen't bother me

Hehe, that's easy for you to say! Give it another 20 years mate, then time will be flashing by so quickly that the thought of wasting 2 mins will scare you shitless!!

Fek me I just completed the transformation into my father!!

i agree totally with Dai here, you will regret this in the future. Life really is too short. i look in the mirror and some old git looks back at me these days

Father Dougal: "Who was that then, trem1?"

[Bailes1992]

Well I passed my Cisco exam. Pass rate was 70% and I got 76%, supprising as I haven't been paying attention or done any revision. Only 4 or 5 of us passed out of 15.

I think monday (I've got the morning off and then two free lessons). I'm going to just crack down and try get my Project done. After I've done my Project I only have digital imaging to do (corrections from another assignment) and that should be it then

And today I moved my Uncles 406 about a private lane. You know you have a coat, or a pair of shoes. And when you put them on they feel similar, like an old friend? Well Yeah
I definatley be having a 406. Hopefully November / December time Insurance will go up £200 - £300 but it's worth it
With the apprentaship aswell I'l be able to afford to fix any problems, get bits and bobs painted and what not.
I'd love an SE, but they seem to go for abit more than the Executives.
Executive would be lovely though! Definatly having a HDi110.
If I did get an SE I'd have the interior retrimmed to full leather.
I can more than assume that the next 406 will last me a fair while regardless of it's problems.

Bailes.