Complete the Phd or go for MSE? 3

[PFF]

I'm currently enrolled in an hybrid Phd. It's an Industrial Engineering program through Colorado State University. Some courses are taught via internet others have parts of the course taught on campus. I'm also admitted to an MSE program at a highly rated engineering school were I live. This program would be straight forward engineering. The Phd program is mostly applied mathematics (may background BS, MS mathematics). I'm 51 years old and wonder if there's any chance either of these degrees would help me find a different career. I've worked as a statistician for 26 years but have always loved hard core science. Anyway, does anyone have a feel for this? Thanks.

 

[COKA]

It may not be a politically good way of saying this, but you are at a disadvantage because of your age (and therefore experience). With 26 years of experience, you are an "expensive" employee to hire. On the other hand, just because of your work and life experience, you coulod become a great asset for a University. Getting a PhD will definitely improve your chances to get a teaching position at a University, or a position at some research center.
Good luck!

Coka

 

[paulfrancis]

I have a PhD in Chemical Engineering. My advice, based on my experience, at least for Chemical Engineering, is ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY DO NOT GET A PhD IN ENGINERING. You would probably be better off doing something, anything, really anything else. DO NOT GET A PhD IN ENGINEERING! The number of PhDs massively, grossly, drastically exceeds the number of PhD level jobs, with the remote possible exception of postdoc positions, which suck. Long hours for work that pays less than the janitorial staff on a per hour basis. Give up on academia. Any open position for a tenured job gets hundreds of resumes from people with years of postdoc experience. It gets worse, at least in the oil and chemical industry, a PhD makes you over qualified for jobs that do not require a PhD, and they don't have any PhD jobs open. I now work as an IT consultant. Even with all the screaming about how IT now sucks as a job, it is still better than Chemical Engineering. At least jobs better than a postdoc exist in IT.

Paul

 

[paulfrancis]

Don't bother with academia for project management skills. Experience is the most important thing. Learning project management from a professor?????? Maybe they manage a dozen or so grad students (at best, yeah, most profs have never managed that many people. Most profs maybe managed a couple or maybe even three people). The reality of the situation is that any sort of degree in project management is next to useless. Project management is one of the most extreme examples of those who can do, those who can't teach, or are unemployed. For any academics, yeah, I can do a Gannt chart, those are always fun and amusing. The Gannt chart is so much less relevant than being able to deal with the devil in the details and keeping the client happy even when the s hits the fan.

Paul

 

[paulfrancis]

I am more or less quoting someone, but I can't remember who. Don't want to plagiarize, but don't remember the source, it's not me. I think he was a General or something. As far as project managers go, there are two simple rules:

When placed in command:
Take charge
When faced with a decision:
Do the right thing.

In my experience, that sums up project management pretty well.

I would add:

When the BS hits, which it very often does:
Figure out some way to deal with it. Procrastination is a losing strategy. Deal with the BS asap. Cover ups rarely work.

Gant charts are a trivial thing as far as project management goes. If you want to get into project management, get experience, not academic credentials. Or, just step up and do it.

Paul

 

[moltenmetal]

c'mon paulfrancis- how experienced can you possibly be in project management, if you don't know the First Rule:

"The first task in any project is to identify the scapegoat"!

Of course BS helps! It helps more than a PhD sometimes!

 

[HgTX]

Your mileage, as always, may vary. Get placement stats from the program you're looking at. If you go to one of the top programs in the country, then you'll be an excellent candidate for one of the relatively few jobs (academic or industry) that are meant for PhDs. Also check out places you think you'd like to work and see if they have a tendency to hire PhDs.

I'm rereading the original post, trying to figure out what you're asking. Since you're already in the PhD program, you must have done some of that research already. I guess the question would be whether you should drop out of the mathy PhD for the applied MSE. Given that you asked your question in October, is it too late for an answer now?

Hg