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College???

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Joe said:
Hey, I'm new to this this forum and not really sure if I know how to post, but I'll try it. I would appreciate your opinions on a question. Having grown up on my families ranch, I hope to someday have my own ranch, or at least cowboy for someone else. As a senior in high school I'm faced with the decision to go on to college, or go to work. I feel like if I go on to school I would be giving up valuable time getting hands on experience. But at the same time I think going to school would open my eyes to sides of the beef industry I know nothing about, and give me more opportunities. My question for y'all is: if you were an employer, would you be more likely to hire someone with a degree? Why? And for those of you that have a degree, has it helped you in running your ranch? I would appreciate any input.
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I'd let this be the last time that I make a decision and ask my self what other employers would like for an employee. You develop yourself for the benefit of you. You might like to work for someone else but you might not, either way, change your mindset.
 
When I was in highschool I was signed up to go away for college with my dream of being a order buyer which even today seams interesting to me. Ended up staying closer to home and takeing auto body. Dureing summer break someone broke into our garage and stole all of my tools. I did'nt have any money to replace them so I found a job at a Trailer Mfg. as a painter and learned more in the two years I was there. I quit and started my own repair business after 6 months of that I began Mfg trailers It was slow going for a year or so then they caught on and we had a pretty successful business.Then I started buying a cow here and there. Hard work will pay more than schooling in my opinion if your not ready to be serious in school don't waste your time and pick a direction that once done you can make a decent living.

I think most schools should be shut down take hair dressing those girls have to be liscensed pay for college have debt coming out of school for a $9 an hour job plus tips which they tax. When you can make more at a gas station why go to school.

Another thing when you get married marry someone with like interest's and a work ethic.
 
Denny said:
When I was in highschool I was signed up to go away for college with my dream of being a order buyer which even today seams interesting to me. Ended up staying closer to home and takeing auto body. Dureing summer break someone broke into our garage and stole all of my tools. I did'nt have any money to replace them so I found a job at a Trailer Mfg. as a painter and learned more in the two years I was there. I quit and started my own repair business after 6 months of that I began Mfg trailers It was slow going for a year or so then they caught on and we had a pretty successful business.Then I started buying a cow here and there. Hard work will pay more than schooling in my opinion if your not ready to be serious in school don't waste your time and pick a direction that once done you can make a decent living.

I think most schools should be shut down take hair dressing those girls have to be liscensed pay for college have debt coming out of school for a $9 an hour job plus tips which they tax. When you can make more at a gas station why go to school.

Another thing when you get married marry someone with like interest's and a work ethic.
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My story is similar to yours Denny without the business to pay for the ranch. We used the bank. It has been a rough road many times nut here we are.

Schooling can interfere with one's education. Courses desired can be obtained over the internet in this day and time.
 
Responses are plentiful here, but as a young person without a family ranch to inherit, I'd vote for the schooling route. If you go straight to work cowboying then there's a chance nobody will ever ask you to run the outfit. Oh, you could easily enough manage a cow herd or ranch for someone but this may not be a big enough adventure for you in 10 years. Get some school under your belt and tackle the education experience with all you've got. Get an internship at a ranch or whatever business that you admire and respect. Show some gusto and some try, these connections will catapult you to a level beyond checking the "help wanted" ads in the livestock publications.
 
You may want to take this with a grain of salt since my primary income originates from a land grant institution.

With that disclaimer issued, I can honestly say that I would not trade my 4 years of undergraduate work and 2 years of graduate work for anything. When I was in college, I tried my best to drink it all in (both literally and figuratively). In my opinion you only get one chance to be an 18 year old college student, to learn how to make your own decisions, and to learn and experience all the things the other posters here have talked about. And you never know, you might learn something in Art Appreciation or the History of Western Civilization that might flip a switch that makes you into something more than you ever thought you would be.
 
I like this YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_ZmM7zPLyI

If you don't build your dream, someone else will hire you to help build theirs.
 
friends with a big family ranch had this rule for generations now, once you out of high school , college or military, and after that you work on another ranch for a year or so before coming home. they are in their 5th generation with the 6th coming up.
 
Thanks, I really appreciate all your advice. Having struggled for the past few years of school, I find it hard to sign up for two more years THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR. But I realize it will probably help me in the long run as it will probably lead to more opportunities. Thanks!
 
Joe said:
Thanks, I really appreciate all your advice. Having struggled for the past few years of school, I find it hard to sign up for two more years THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR. But I realize it will probably help me in the long run as it will probably lead to more opportunities. Thanks!
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I took my 2 years over 4 winters, don't know if they still allow that. :D

Like some body said trade school helps. I weld more then I use Algebra on the ranch. :D :D Ranching is almost more Ag business than cows anymore. :?
 
Joe,

I'll keep it short and sweet. One does a lot of growing up when they go off to school. I know you won't think you will when your 18, but by the time your 25 you will look back and realize how much you have matured and changed since your senior year of high school. You can't get that working at home.

PS. What every one has said about making connections and networking in the industry has been 100% correct in my experience.
 
Joe,

I am a graduate of college with a bachelors degree. I think it has been invaluable to me and I have been given many opportunities because of it.

College does 2 things for you; It teaches you how to learn and /or that knowledge is King. Secondly as some others have pointed out you are able to meet other people that will have an impact on you later in life.

First thing to consider is you must get an internship. Do not think about right now (aka money). Think about what the internship will provide for you for the next 20 years. And shoot for the moon. Think of the biggest and bestest company you can think of and go demand becoming an intern.
I did not do this and am obviously still regretting it.

Second

You might consider working on a ranch for a year or 2 before you go to college. This act performs 2 things. 1 It help you realize how much you need to go to college. You will be less likely to spend to much time socializing and less time complaining how worthless college is. (2) Working on a ranch for awhile will help take what you are hearing in the class room and apply it to what you have seen out in the field.

Good Luck
and as I tells my kids "Go Dominate"
 
I say go to school. I'm 33 now and looking at an online bachelors degree in Agriculture Sciences with a focus in Agriculture Business Management at Oregon State University. I can't stress enough how much I wish now I had gone fresh out of high school. I'm going to have to juggle a full time job, a family and school now. I won't get the experience of campus life and the friends I could have made. So I think it would be a very smart move on your part to go ahead and go. It will help in the end and you won't have the problems of too much on your plate that I will have. Good luck amigo.
 
One more thing. A college degree is the new high school diploma. I miss out on a lot of opportunities at work because I only have a diploma.
 
Get your college education, competing in the next 30 years will be much different than the past 30.

You can never learn too much, or become over educated.
 
I'd say screw school get on with life and making a living in agriculture. Get an internship that way you can work for free and accumulte more debt that in the end drags you down. If Production ag is your goal I'd find a job on an outfit that pays you a decent wage and start building your dream. I have'nt inherited as much as a screw driver and all those CONNECTIONS you make in college what good are they unless you want a JOB. I'm 47 years old and have had hired men working for me since I was 23 years old I never let any grass grow under my feet and work does'nt scare me what in the hell does some Professor at a college know about work or risk.I'll take advice from the neighbor long before any professor or extension agent.

Any eduction you need can be learned at short seminars along the way a good work ethic and knowing that sometimes when your buddies are fishing on a saturday your working.

I bought a skid loader about 8 years ago a guy I know says GEEZ it must Be rough. I thought sometimes it is.

When I started I fed with a 2 wd pickup and a flatbed trailer. I'd buy a load of hay and drive out into the pasture and push the bales off by hand then I bought big squres that we unloaded with and antique forklift fed those with the pickup and a pitch fork.Now I have 3 loader tractors skidloader and 3 other tractors and all the equipment to run a large cattle operation. Now none of these are fancy new tractors but they all run and will work right along side a $90,000 john deere.

So these guys who say you can't build a place now days I say Horse **** its how bad do you want it and know you can't start at the top of the pile.

If work scares you I'd say go to college and get a JOB.

I think parents should pull the tit out of their kids mouths the endless schools and dreams that the kids have expecting the parents to pay for. My Dad taught me how to work and thats the best thing you can do for your kids. College is for people who don't want to grow up. Heck you might end up being a teacher then you never do grow up.
 
I am on both sides of this. I started farming my own ground when in high school. Basically used dad's equipment in trade for me working for him. I didn't go to any school after high school. Sometimes I regret that. But then again my sister went to 4 year school spent tons of parents money and now has a great job having nothing to do in what she went to school for. She didn't get this job because of her degree she got it because they liked her interview and thought she would make them money. I know of three very sucseful guys that hire lots of kids that went to college to work for them and they didn't even graduate high school. I would have liked to go just for the experience but then would have had quite a loan to pay off for that. And would still be doing the same thing I am now.
 
oh , I rented a little trailer house on a ranch out of town , worked most the rent off on the ranch. During summer I come home and hay, and I work long hours and get the family ranch hay up , pulse the ranch we were renting and then go do custom haying and I made more then enough to pay for college during the summer.
 
I agree with Denny 100%. All I ever wanted to do with my life was ranch,my dad always worked a full time job so he could have his cattle and raise some hogs. He told me when I got a little older that if I wanted ranch of my own I needed to get a good job or marry a gal with money.

So I got a 2yr degree as a Utility Lineman, great money and benefits. And even though it has allowed me to put my ranch together, I'm still working for the man 8-5. Dont get me wrong I feel truly blessed and am thankful for what I have. But 8 hours a day I'm not doing what my heart wants to.

If I had it to do over I would have just stayed with the ranch I was working for in high school. I know plenty of guys with ag degrees and all they got out of school was debt and a good drunk!
 

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