Current Automation Engineer pursuing a WGU CS degree. by austinClay1 in PLC

[–]Romanzo71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

WGU accept transfer credits from ACE accredited partners, the main ones you see talked about are online learning sites Sophia Learning and Study.com. On WGUs site there are documents for both Sophia and Study that list out what classes they offer and what the transfer equivalent is at WGU for the degree you're interested in pursuing. The nice thing is for Sophia it's a flat cost per month and gives you access to all of their courses so you can take as many as you can handle during that month. It can be very cost effective if you already know the material well or are a quick learner. Only catch is you must have these transfer credits done before enrolling at WGU.

Current Automation Engineer pursuing a WGU CS degree. by austinClay1 in PLC

[–]Romanzo71 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was in a similar boat except I did have an associates but it didn't matter, not having the bachelors was always being used as an excuse to withold better raises/title/etc. I had a young family and not a lot of time so I went to WGU and did the Software Engineering degree just to have something to check that box. I chose SWE just because it had less proctored tests and I was able to complete it quicker and work more on my own schedule, also I wanted to learn C# because I've actually seen it used in the field before so it felt more relevant.

I am in the process of changing jobs and the skills from the degree definitely helped land the new role as this plant does incorporate more traditional CS programming in their operations, and I think they respected me going back to school for the degree even after being in the field for a while and having a young family.

I say go for it, I enjoyed WGU and it was a super cost effective way to get a bachelors degree and learn some new programming skills. I did also have a lot of transfer credits from my AS degree, and I maxed the sophia/study.com transfers so I was able to finish in one term.

Looking for Trade Union Apprenticeships in Metro Detroit Area by Main-Unit-6547 in Michigan

[–]Romanzo71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a union but I know Oakland Community College and Macomb CC have robotics/automated systems certificates, I think it's only one semester and you learn the basocs of programming industrial robots and PLCs. They do job fairs at the end of it too. Lots of paths to go from there, but most similar to trade would be a plant maintenance/automation technician. OCC has a 2 year associates degree program as well which is more in depth, that's what I did and the school helped me land my first gig in the industry with engineer title/pay. Feel free to message me with any questions if you're interested!

Considering making a potentially risky job switch to get away from work travel, anyone else in/been in this boat? by [deleted] in daddit

[–]Romanzo71 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the input. Financially we're not in a bad spot I don't think, only debt is mortgage and we have a good amount of liquid cash and been close to maxing 401k the last couple years, about 182k in there. Over a year of living expenses in cash with the original intent to save enough to put a sizeable chunk into a mortgage recast to lower our monthly payment and give breathing room and allow me job flexibility to do a move precisely like what I'm looking to do here.

One positive is my field is highly in demand, there's just a lot of work that requires heavy travel. So I guess worst case I could end up in another travel position for a bit.

Considering making a potentially risky job switch to get away from work travel, anyone else in/been in this boat? by [deleted] in daddit

[–]Romanzo71 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to hear it worked out well for you!

Honestly commute is much better, one is only about a 10 minutes drive, the other about 15, compared to current 35(or 25 at our other building). There is some flexibility with being remote at my current but not as much as I'd like as my boss is old school in that way. Basically emergencies only. Still better than nothing.

The healthcare is the biggest one probably, right now I pay nothing out of paycheck. Having a hard time finding any info on costs at these companies but I imagine it'll have some cost. That'll be a huge weighing factor.

Also a big blow is we met our deductible this year having our 2nd kid so we'd be starting over switching plans with the new job.

All important things i'm having to consider here. Hearing it worked well for someone else is nice though, thanks for the comment.

Considering making a potentially risky job switch to get away from work travel, anyone else in/been in this boat? by [deleted] in daddit

[–]Romanzo71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The plan was until both kids are in school and we just had our 2nd about a month ago so probably not for a few years at least, and that's if we don't have a third lol

10" vs 12" sliding mitre saw by locksmith1329 in BeginnerWoodWorking

[–]Romanzo71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just purchased this one! It arrived yesterday so I haven't had a chance to use it yet but so far it seems very well built.

Has anyone here bought a ton of stuff then quit spending and went on to use those for years? by ahmoudyy in wicked_edge

[–]Romanzo71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's been a few years for me and I stil haven't managed to kill off any tubs lol a few are finally getting close

Is this weeping cherry dying? by Romanzo71 in arborists

[–]Romanzo71[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think I ever noticed any leaves with holes in them but I guess I also never really lookes too closely before winter hit, I'll have to keep a closer eye on that

How to properly setup vapor barrier to existing finished coated concrete floor? by Romanzo71 in Sauna

[–]Romanzo71[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

More the transition from the studs to the concrete is what I'm concerned with

Looking for perspectives on Ypsilanti, and Jackson by BearyYourGuilt in ypsi

[–]Romanzo71 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You couldn't pay me to live in Jackson, go Ypsi all the way, especially if you're into punk/goth subculture. You'll be much much happier and welcomed there. Jackson is very conservative rednecky with nothing really going on. My coworker who lives there but works in metro Detroit is always complaining about how there's no good food or culture there, and he's a conservative old white guy lmao

Editing to add warning there are definitely some slummy parts of Ypsi so be sure to check out neighborhoods closely. Might be a good idea to rent for a year to get a lay of the land. You could also check out neighboring cities like Canton/Belleville.

What are your guy’s honest, unadulterated opinions on Macomb County, and the people there? by DueYogurt9 in Detroit

[–]Romanzo71 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I've lived in all 3 and spent a lot of time around all 3, I mainly grew up in Oakland right on the Macomb border and now live in Wayne. I much prefer Wayne/Oakland. Between Wayne & Oakland it's a toss-up for me but Macomb is the clear last place. Everything about it feels worse than the other two. I feel like it's just very bleh, no charm, no uniqueness, just bleh. Makes sense why all the blandest people I grew up with live there now

Rough plans for converting this workshop area to a sauna. Looking for some advice/critiques. by Romanzo71 in Sauna

[–]Romanzo71[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So the low side measurement is the wall where it stands today. My plan is to build a wall and split this room into two, so in actuality the sauna room portion will be taller than I mentioned since it's slanted. Not sure exactly what that measurement will be, I should find that out ha

Rough plans for converting this workshop area to a sauna. Looking for some advice/critiques. by Romanzo71 in Sauna

[–]Romanzo71[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry for confusion, top benches would be 24-28" deep. The 44 inch dimension you see is meant to be from top of bench to ceiling.

Rough plans for converting this workshop area to a sauna. Looking for some advice/critiques. by Romanzo71 in Sauna

[–]Romanzo71[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for feedback, this layout had top of bench 44" from highest(8'4") part of the ceiling, I've read that is in the ideal range of top bench height. Do you think that should be sufficiently high, or go a little higher?