In need of some good advice?

[Calamity Josh]

I've been doing Motorsport engineering at college for a while now, firstly it's not quite what i expected it to be, (for starters barely any practical and all health and safety) and secondly because i live in Essex and the college is quite a few hours away i have to do home-stay 4 days a week. It's not that the home-stays horrible, there lovely people, i'm just really not feeling the whole living away with no friends or family.

I understand that i should keep going for a while longer, work out if i'm making the right decision and if college defiantly isn't best for me, but i wanted to pick some brains on here about options for if i did quit.

1) i could keep on at college not enjoying it
2) i could quit college, do the odd job, maybe find some more permanent shift work or something and save up
3) i could find an apprentiship somewhere and pursue that.
4) this is my favorite, i could sell everything and start up a car related business of some description.

If i sold everything, got all my savings, my grand parents helped me out, i could probably get in the region of 8k together, where would this get me in regards to starting a business? i know there's the obvious like vynal wrapping/ stickers e.t.c... but what other options are there? what would i be looking at for wheel refurbing? or any other suggestions?

-Thanks in advance
Josh

[Andy]

What level are you doing??
Believe it or not i now do this level 2 imi Motorsport and do 3 days a week,full day practical,half day twice- applied units ie-science,maths,electronics ,then the normal theory half a day twice.Then do my business 3 days a week with help,i like it.
Seen loads like your age drop out though
Im 27 and i just l0l cos they fail
Stick at it,its a better qualification than standard level 2 motor vehicle.

[mk1nova_rich]

Stick with it at least for a bit longer. Don't drop out into any old job...at least find yourself a half decent apprenticeship.

I don't know you well enough to say you shouldnt start your own business, but I would give it some serious research as to whats involved in terms of costs and legalities etc

[Calamity Josh]

What level are you doing??
Believe it or not i now do this level 2 imi Motorsport and do 3 days a week,full day practical,half day twice- applied units ie-science,maths,electronics ,then the normal theory half a day twice.Then do my business 3 days a week with help,i like it.
Seen loads like your age drop out though
Im 27 and i just l0l cos they fail
Stick at it,its a better qualification than standard level 2 motor vehicle.

i'm doing level 3
i have two lessons of each of these 3 days a week :
- mechanical principles
- Health and safety
- Communications for technicians
- Welding
- Cad
- Engine principles


so basically we get two hours a week practical which is welding

[Calamity Josh]

Stick with it at least for a bit longer. Don't drop out into any old job...at least find yourself a half decent apprenticeship.

I don't know you well enough to say you shouldn't start your own business, but I would give it some serious research as to whats involved in terms of costs and legalities etc

my dad started up an embroidery business 3 years ago, so i could always go to him for help in that respect, just haven't really spoke to him about the whole thing yet

[pottersrebel]

personally id say stick with it until the end, when i left school i got a yts with an accident repair company, i did one day at the training school every fortnight i loved the job but for £45 a week i couldnt afford to stick at it when you could get a job in a warehouse earning £180 a week ( i used to cycle over an hour to work to save on the bus fare)
I did roughly 9 months and got a warehouse job long story short i now drive a forklift on a building site and massively regret not finishing the course, i could now have my own garage doing something i love.

Unfortunately money makes the world go round and thats why i went the route i did, now im stuck in a job id rather not do and have bills and mortgages pay and a stock car to run so no chance of going back and getting the qualifications

[mowgli]

health & safety is a necessary evil in this modern world... what ever you do, it will be needed in some form, even if you start your own business..

i really don't want to be saying this, but there seems to be a hell of a lot of kids doing motorsport courses, yet low to mid level motorsport, where the starting jobs are, are struggling, the f1 teams are proposing more budget caps, and the high level national series are also keeping costs down. just what are the employment prospects for these motorsport courses? if needs be, would you be able to get a decent high end garage job out of it??

i ask this cos a nephew announced he was going to be a CSI, & was going to enrol on a course, then i heard that there are 3000 people a year graduating with csi degrees, yet in the uk, the total forensic csi workforce numbers more like 300... i'm wondering about the long term prospects of some of these courses.. if you are getting homesick, man up, you'll have to move away with work at some point.

[Calamity Josh]

health & safety is a necessary evil in this modern world... what ever you do, it will be needed in some form, even if you start your own business..

i really don't want to be saying this, but there seems to be a hell of a lot of kids doing motorsport courses, yet low to mid level motorsport, where the starting jobs are, are struggling, the f1 teams are proposing more budget caps, and the high level national series are also keeping costs down. just what are the employment prospects for these motorsport courses? if needs be, would you be able to get a decent high end garage job out of it??

i ask this cos a nephew announced he was going to be a CSI, & was going to enrol on a course, then i heard that there are 3000 people a year graduating with csi degrees, yet in the uk, the total forensic csi workforce numbers more like 300... i'm wondering about the long term prospects of some of these courses.. if you are getting homesick, man up, you'll have to move away with work at some point.

the college i'm at is very close to Silverstone, the likes of red bull, force india, lotus, prodrive, go there as first option for apprentices, i've already done some mechanicing for stockhatch/ saxmax team for a while

[mowgli]

where are you lodging? towcester? there isn't much in the way of exciting nightlife round that part of the world tbh.. are you rushing home every friday? do all the other students do the same?

[Spudly]

the college i'm at is very close to Silverstone, the likes of red bull, force india, lotus, prodrive, go there as first option for apprentices, i've already done some mechanicing for stockhatch/ saxmax team for a while

Id stick at it mate, the possible opportunities alone make it worth it, youre young enough to stick this out, get the qualification, and if you dont decide to follow it up and go into motorsport, you have plenty of time/options for career changes and such, but trust me, finish it through, i dropped out of my nvq level2 in motor vehicle engineering when i was 17 to work full time in a supermarket as there was money involved, always regret that and wish id followed it through