North Carolina for college?
 

I'm thinking about moving to Charolette to go to college at UNCC. Its a big descion to move that far from home (I currently live in Kansas), so I was just wondering about a few things.

#1. Job Availability - I have had ZERO luck trying to find a job here in wichita. Is there jobs for high school/college kids?

#2. Emissions - What are the emissions/inspection requirements? In Kansas we don't have any. My truck will stay titled in Kansas, but I didn't want to be suprized if a cop pulls me over and questions my kickin stereo or rumbling exhaust.

#3. Careers - I want to go into automotive engineering and was just wondering what kind of careers are in that field are in the area.

Okay those are my specific questions, but any other comments about the Charolette area would be appreciated. I don't mean to sound like a royal ass in my post, but 14K a year is a lot to spend and not be satified with where you are at. I know this doesn't have a lot to do with trucks, but I have a 1973 F250....so :-jammin

Thanks guys.

I'm not sure about your first question, but for NC inspection is visual only for emissions on vehicles older than 1996. If you keep it titled and tagged in Kansas it shouldn't be any problem. The Charlotte area is home to most of the Nascar teams, Michelin and BMW have facilities a couple hours away in Greenville, SC, and there are some engineering opportunities at Husqvarna and Jacobsen working on lawn mowers and power equipment. A search of some of the job websites will give you a more specific idea of what is available in the area.

Charlotte is a large city for North Carolina but it's not on the scale of an Atlanta or Philly. As already mentioned it's in the heart of nascar country. I would think there would be some demand for the auto industry although I'm not sure what the job market is like there right now. Hope some more folks from the area chime in and give you a better idea of the job climate.

Thanks guys for the replies. I'm just worried about job availability. It would suck to get out there, get tutition paid, and then find out a month later I have to either drop out and move home or live in a box until the end of the semester.

Also was worried about inspections just because I have some for "off highway use only" parts, but if there is no inspections for anything older than 96, I'm set.

Kilgore, You will still have to get you truck inspected yearly in NC. The cost should be around $13.00. For anything beyond a '96 model it will be a safety only inspection. Don't sweat it. The job market shouldn't be too bad depending on what you bring to the table for an employer. Besides this is where you want to go to School. If you are planning on setting roots there it is a large area that covers most backgrounds. Giving someone who lives in that area an idea of what line of work you will be looking for might help also. I wish you good luck in your decision and future.

I'm looking at "Motorsports Engineering" (A mechanical engineering degree extension) at University of North Carolina - Charlotte. I want to either use the motorsports side or the engineering, that I'm indifferent about. There are several specialized classes relative to vehicle dynamics/ engineering.

The Charlotte area is the site of many NASCAR (and many other) race teams. Specifically, the town of Concord (Exit 49 - I85) and Mooresville (Exit 36 - I77) have many race teams. There are also many companies that "support" the NASCAR race teams, such as building frames, engine parts, engine accessories, etc.

You may have to start out sweeping floors or cleaning parts but communicating your future degree will help you get into these companies. You couldn't find a better place to start a career with a race team.

Considering that your truck is a F250, it only requires a visual inspection. I have a 1997 F250 and a 2005 F350 and both only require the visual inspection.

This thread is a little old but I just registered and saw it, so in case you're still deciding...

I went to UNCC from 95-99 and although it has grown up alot in the campus area it is still not really a big city feel where the school is located. There are tons of places to work nearby, including in the automotive/speed industries as others mentioned.

I'm not sure if this is a recent change (I wasn't aware until I was buying the truck I just got a couple weeks ago) but your truck would require only a visual inspection and photographing if you wanted to register it in NC. After that initial inspection, it wouldn't require any further inspections because it is over 35 years old.

If you have any other questions just shoot me a message.

Sounds like some good info there Gadsden. Thanks for offering up what you know.

X2 thank you. I am not able to go to uncc atm because my states graduation requirements dont quite match up with the engineering school requirements. I would be spending quite a bit of money in summer cc classes to make up for the classes my Hs doesnt cover, so for now, its not an option