<p>I still don’t understand why you don’t want to get the degree so you CAN get an engineering job and make money. Even if you get the same knowledge by self-studying (which I do not believe as you won’t have labs, teamwork, and hands-on experience), how will that help you get a job?</p>
<p>Unless you plan to be a really well-educated beach bum (and I am not trying to insult you here; if you want to live on the beach and surf or whatever the rest of your life, I don’t care.)</p>
<p>Oh, I am looking into the possibility of attaining a degree at the same time I pursue my plans here. Check the link below:
<a href=“Gaia university - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums”>Gaia university - Parents Forum - College Confidential Forums; </p>
<p>It’s either Gaia or Goddard for me but I really hope that I can attend Gaia. That’s my goal. Also, I like my plan because my interests are extremely varied and span multiple majors. Can you imagine how ahead of the game I will be after having gone through most of the textbooks for so many different majors? (metallurgical engineering, geoscience, welding engineering, etc. ) </p>
<p>My professor will say these are the texts for our class and I can just say “oh yeah, I’ve already read them all”. lol.</p>
<p>@QwertyKey - I have to say super thank you for the gigapedia recommendation. I am studying and reading some of the textbooks for the MIT Geology course and I found a lot of them via gigapedia! Great advice! I heard that it (gigapedia) is much better than bitme in this regard…</p>
<p>“Gaia University” costs 7,000 dollars for the first year and does not have credible accreditation. This doesn’t make sense.</p>
<p>"I’m on O’ahu but I can’t afford to pay it. I’m glad you can say only 88 dollars but I just can’t. (at least not at the moment) "</p>
<p>You know that more than likely you qualify for low income federal loans that would cover your community college costs?</p>
<p>Community colleges are reputable and accredited. Can’t say the same for Gaia.</p>
<p>Remember, either Gaia OR Goddard.
[Low</a> Residency BA Program](<a href=“http://www.goddard.edu/bachelorarts_individualizedstudies]Low”>http://www.goddard.edu/bachelorarts_individualizedstudies)</p>
<p>If Gaia doesn’t work out, then Goddard is a viable AND accredited alternative. Since they also offer an Individualized Study program then my plan would work with their school also in the same manner as it would work with Gaia. However, I’m not sure if Goddard is an action-based learning institution…? </p>
<p>I plan on contacting someone at Goddard later on this morning for more information on the programs they offer and how it will relate to my current plans.</p>
<p>How you can afford Gaia or Goddard but can’t afford your local community college, which is likely to be much cheaper?</p>
<p>There also may be relatively cheap on-line options via your state’s public universities and community colleges.</p>
<p>If 88 $ is to much for you, I’m very sorry about your situation. Have you looked into scholarship programs?</p>
<p>If $88 is too much for you, how can you afford the $6,400+ that Goddard would cost?</p>
<p>Studying mechanical engineering at home is ridiculous. Helping you achieve your dream is not feasible if the dream makes no sense.</p>
<p>To understand better, why not become a dentist by reading dental books? Engineering is a practical profession too. A student uses complicated and expensive equipment in advanced labs under expert supervision. The problems and labs are too hard to do alone, so everyone helps each other. The workload may be 40-60 hours a week. Autodidact, schmotodidact, you are NOT going to put in that effort sitting alone in your bedroom.</p>
<p>@Northstarmom & kmf953 - In my statements about the possibilities of attending Gaia or Goddard, I was agreeing with everyone here who mentioned financial aid and/or scholarship programs. I probably didn’t state that clearly. Sorry. But yeah, I agree with you all, I should definitely qualify for some financial aid and maybe some scholarships as well. I will have to see what’s out there. I will have to start a separate thread about what the absolute best resources are for finding different types of common and rare scholarships and financial aid. For now, I found this:
[Scholarship</a> and Financial Aid Books](<a href=“http://www.fundsnetservices.com/fin_aid.htm]Scholarship”>http://www.fundsnetservices.com/fin_aid.htm) </p>
<p>@sorghum - I know I will not be a complete engineer just by reading books alone. BUT that still does not mean that my plan won’t help me to understand the material. The training of an undergraduate engineering student and dental student (in your example) is not all labwork. The portions that aren’t labwork is what I can do on my own. Heck, if I connect with the right people then I can even do the lab work without being a student. With the internet the way it is now, anyone can learn ANYTHING (dare I say) on their own. Have you not heard or read about Leonardo da Vinci? He was an autodidact and was a self-taught painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, botanist, writer (and there are many others besides him. I guess that’s the kind of info colleges don’t want to get spread around lol)
<a href=“http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=144583[/url]”>http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=144583</a></p>
<p>So, I’d recommend against labeling something impossible. It can be done. And I find it ridiculous to actually believe that college is the only way to achieve that end result. It doesn’t work that way; it’s not a linear progression like that. There are many options, some of which I don’t even know about yet…</p>
<p>OK, if you are the da Vinci of a world that is 500 years more complex, go ahead and do it your way.</p>
<p>Otherwise just take your GI education benefits and study like a normal person in a school where lots of people can help you.</p>
<p>
The thing is I’ll never know until I try, right? That’s why I try hard to steer clear of discussing whether or not my plan will work. I just try to enlist the advice of others regarding the various ways I can actually make it work. ^^</p>
<p>It is entirely possible and likely to become a " self-taught painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician,engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, botanist, and writer." </p>
<p>However, in modern society, degrees and certification are required to actually earn money for doing these things (with the exception of the arts). Go ahead and study engineering…it will probably be fascinating. Just don’t expect to get any monetary rewards for it ever in the future.</p>
<p>(I’m not a parent, just to make that clear.)</p>
<p>
I, like Da Vinci, am not an American citizen by birthright. The above is, I believe, referring to the American way of doing things. That most likely is not the case in other countries. 
But it doesn’t matter anyway, I’m in it for the knowledge not for the money. ^^</p>
<p>But getting back on topic, I do have another question. What do you all recommend as far as online mentoring goes? I’m reading a number of textbooks now but I have questions regarding their contents. I have a couple of forums in mind that I will refer to for help but I wonder what resources do you all know of that might be able to help explain some difficult concepts. The text I’m currently working my way through now is: </p>
<ul>
<li>Sears and Zemansky’s University physics : with modern physics</li>
</ul>
<p>So have you looked at this resource for help in finding your “goal”:
[Welcome</a> to the GI Bill Web Site | The Home for All Educational Benefits Provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs](<a href=“http://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/education-resources/]Welcome”>http://www.gibill.va.gov/resources/education-resources/)</p>
<p>“@Northstarmom & kmf953 - In my statements about the possibilities of attending Gaia or Goddard, I was agreeing with everyone here who mentioned financial aid and/or scholarship programs. I”</p>
<p>You can more easily get aid --loans – to attend your local community college. If you get aid from the colleges you’re considering, that aid is likely to be very big loans, far more than you’d need to go to community college.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>We know you ain’t a modern day da Vinci … sorry.</p>
<p>You can look into earning college credits by CLEP (read about them on college board . org) and DSST (you don’t have to be military to earn credits this way). You’d self study for these exams and then after earning the credit, you’d transfer them to the school you want to attend (just check in advance if they will accept them). </p>
<p>This book may be helpful to you:
[Amazon.com:</a> Accelerated Distance Learning: The New Way to Earn Your College Degree in the…](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Accelerated-Distance-Learning-College-Twenty-First/dp/0970156316]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Accelerated-Distance-Learning-College-Twenty-First/dp/0970156316)</p>
<p>kman1 - I get the impression from reading this thread that you are hell-bent on NOT going to a college. Why this big aversion to going to school in the regular way? Why tie yourself up in knots trying to devise and execute elaborate long-shot plans that carry a low probability of success? Have you tried and failed at tradtional education in the past? Or is is out of some drive simply to be contrary or to defy The Man? </p>
<p>It’s got to be more than just a question of money or you wouldn’t be rejecting cheaper tradtional routes such as community colleges over more expensive but more unorthodox routes. I don’t understand the need here.</p>
<p>I have a friend who is closely tied to the opencourseware movement. At least google opencourseware. tI think that the people working on sharing this material are your kindred spirits.</p>