Originally Posted by jake.fl.1987

Thank you all for your wonderful input. Although a lot of you make comment about ivy leagu colleges. I have no desire to attend one. I would be happy to achieve a masters degree from state. In this case, FSU, UF, UCF, etc. And before some one says something about gators. I live in gainesville and am not a gator fan.

I am a first generation High school graduate / college. However my father is still my role model. He dropped out of HS got his GED and joined the navy. As a kid he was a single father (rare) of two children. We struggled but we made it. Now he has his mechanichal contractors license, his general contractors license, and medical gas license (I forget exact name, but he can run Oxygen lines in hospitals). We went from weeks where we lived in his work van to now living on 10 acrs, 2 garages, a green house, and a beutiful 3,500 sf house.

The reason he is my motivation is he achieved all this with not formal education. He worked as an A/C man and was very good. When I was five he took me to the book store. He told me I was allowed to get any book I wanted. I chose a book teaching how to use unix. While we where there he picked up an HVAC book. Then from there kept buying self teaching books and kept taking state exams.

So I do understand the value of self teaching. I do think this is a route I would like to go. I signed up for the instant cert monthly payment. And ordered a couple books from amazon. I love amazon.

I have been reading these forums a lot and researching these schools. I like what I am seeing.