Any Eng. Managers or Engineers with advanced degrees? 1

[2jmotorsports]

I graduated in 2003 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UC Irvine & have been working full time ever since. I would like to plan my next career move & look into grad school but I have so many choices I dont know which is the best route really. Masters in Engineering, MBA, Masters in Engineering Management, etc. etc. etc. Either way I would like to stay within industry as opposed to teaching or lab research.

I know it comes down to MY personal preference eventually, but I guess I just want to hear from others who pursued advanced degrees & why & how they are doing as a result. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Jose
Manufacturing Engineer, CCI Valve

 

[davefitz]

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish- do you primarily wan t to "get ahead" and be hgily paid in your industry, or do you primarily want to reamin interested in what you are doing ?

For the first option, one would determine the path followed by most of the people in your industry that got promoted- sometimes it is via field engineer==> saleperson==> MBa==> chief mucky-muck. For the second option, a masters degree works, but without any field or sales or financial experience, it is unlikely you would get past engineering manager.

 

[rb1957]

that being said, some companies have a dual career path, with technical positions "gurus" up to director level. mind you there are more functional directors than technical, but at least the career path is there.

personally, i think the school of hard knocks has lots to offer. experience is interesting, and valuable. i don't think you get that much for a M.E. ... you're going to give up 2 years of full time salary, and pay someone a bunch of money, for what sort of salary increment ? and you've limited (slightly) your career options, by specialising.

i do have an MBA ... it was an interesting experience, gave you a different view of the job, beyond the technical aspects. now i'm happily technical, and contracting (having been punted).

the previous post is right, do you intests you. unfortunately you'll only know if your decision was right in hindsight ! if you do cross over to the dark side, try to keep a technical skill, to give you something to fall back on. on the other hand, not having a fall-back (like william the conquerer, who burnt his boats) does focus the mind mightily.

and remember, everything scott adams writes is real, and you'll have to do some of it ...

 

[RDK]

If you want to be a technical engineer doing technical things then go for the Master’s in Engineering. If you want to be a manager doing managerial things then get the MBA or Master in Engineering Management.

I doubt that there is a lot of difference between a Master in Engineering Management and an MBA once you get out of school and start using it. An Engineering Management degree would most likely be a lot like a MBA with an operational management concentration with a more of the hard science of managing (PERT, statistics optimization etc) than a general MBA.

I have an MBA because I like managing projects better than designing them. An Master’s of Engineering management was not an option for me at the time.

In any case better to get a few more years experience to see what it is about engineering that appeals to you. You will be better able to make informed choices and then and in the case of a management degree will be better able to put the information into a business content.

Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[DrillerNic]

I'd guess it depends upon the industry- in the oil & gas industry, a masters is beocming a requirement in certain sections of engineering.

Talk to a recuiting agency perhaps, for their take on it?

 

[kiwinjuneer]

If available and you like working on new technology AND seeing it become a reality, go for a Masters in Technology Management or Masters in Technology and Innovation. Such a program teaches you to look at the commercial reality before getting too far down the track of designing something that nobody wants. Oh and such a course is slightly different to an MBA/Masters Engineering Management in that it focuses on making technology happen rather than how to manage a bunch of engineers or a business.

IMHO, R & D of the practical variety,is the most fulfilling carrer path an engineer can follow and if it relates to products that save energy or the environment, so much the better.

 

[DRC1]

I got a BS in Civil, worked in road construction for 2-3 years, which I enjoyed. I decidedhowever I did not want to do that forever and geotechnical looked promising. I went back to grad school and got a Maters in Civil. I worked for a consultant the first few years out and got into heavy construction. I am now VP of engineering and land operations and utilize what I learned in my masters frequently. I would have been happy to wait a few years to go back, but Ironically, I knew at that point in time I was poor enough to afford grad school, and if I waited, I would have gotten to a point where I would not want to give the salary for a year or two. I say if you feel ready to go, go. The future will change and so may your oppertunity. I have never regretted it. As for the type of degree, I am glad I got a technical degree. 90% of management is understanding the process you are trying to accomplish, and a technical degree may help you more than a management degree, however, nothing will help you more than field experience. As for an MBA, if you can learn engineering, you can learn the finacial end. Most MBA's (all with non technical backgrounds) beleive that you can manage the process by managing the numbers, which is not true. The market will be desperately short of bright people with strong technical skills and who can actually design and execute.
Which ever choice you make, we wish you the best of luck.