Engineer + MBA 2

[Trackfiend]

I am fairly new to this forum and hopefully I can glean some wisdom and helpful advice from some of you who have been in the "game" for a while. I am a new engineer having just graduated over a year ago. I have been working as an EI at a midsize firm (350-400 employees) since my graduation. Upon my graduation I immediately enrolled in the Engineering Management/MBA graduate program at my local university. The engineering management masters is obtained by completing 33 hours of coursework, after which I can continue in the program and obtain my MBA by completing an additional 7 more "core" classes for the MBA.

I love my job (90% design) and feel that I am learning a lot due to the constructive environment of my workplace. I still have a few years until I can take the PE exam and realize that there is still a lot left to learn (I can't seem to stress that enough). I also feel that in 5-10 years I may not want to do design anymore and may want to try other challenges (I know, be careful what you wish for...). My question is, is there anyone who has obtained their MBA, transitioned into another field non-design related (management, construction, non-engineering, ect), and never looked back? Are you happy that you made that decision.

I realize that any type of continued education is helpful and applicable, but I want to make sure that I am getting the most bang for my educational buck. A lot of my peers are going the technical route (Master's of Science) and I seem to be the lone duck. Any opinions, constructive or otherwise, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[melone]

MBA opens up many more doors than a MSEE. Business is business. Whether you make toothpick or space shuttles, it is still a business.

 

[csd72]

If you want to stay in the engineering field then a project management degree may be more relevant.

 

[Atomic25]

I have seen civil engineers do a whole lot more with a JD instead of an MBA if you don't want to get a MS. General consensus, at least in my region, is that an MBA's worth is watered down and doesn't set you apart from the pack. You can obtain management experience in the engineering field and be just as good or better off. A MS will allow you to move into this position more easily.

I personally wouldnt go for a engineering management program because it neither gives you a strong MS or MBA. Of course, if you have a specific goal in which this type of degree is sought, then it may be worth it to you.

 

[PSE]

Used properly, an MBA can be a powerful compliment to your engineering degree. It can also end up being a destructive tool. The trick might be to choose the program, or the courses you take in the program, carefully. The type of MBA I can't stand (an unfortunate majority it seems), is the one that "knows" how to run a business in order to make money. They tend to be the ones who don't have a clue on how to generate wealth. Money is the by-product of wealth generation. An MBA who knows how to make money is merely moving around the product of existing wealth generation and not creating anything new. Worse, they might decide the best way to make money is to decimate the wealth building structure of a company. They then move on to the next one as the former crumbles.

MBA's are relatively plentiful so in my opinion, there is less "distinction" in the degree aside from perhaps the institution from which it was obtained. Since you are enrolled already, I would hope that you would consider putting the education you will receive into wealth generation rather than simply making money.

End of rant, the company I currently work for has been somewhat infected by the making money type of MBA and the effects are starting to become apparent [flush].

Regards

 

[cvg]

In my opinion, unless you plan to run a business - the MBA at this point will not advance your engineering career. And, at a young age - starting your own engineering company or taking over an existing company is just not a realistic goal. With 10 years experience under your belt, then the MBA might be useful to that end. I agree that a MS or PhD or JD might be more useful and if you are smart enough, motivated enough and talented enough, you can still transition into owning or managing an engineering business some day.

 

[Trackfiend]

If I may ask, what is a JD?

Secondly, the main reasoning in obtaining an engineering managment/MBA degree is partly due to the university at which I am enrolled. Their technical degree (MS) has more courses structured towards environmental/wastewater applications than structural and/or hydraulics (both of which I am highly interested in). I feel that if went the route of MS then the majority of the classes that I would wind up taking (in order to graduate within a reasonable amount of time) would not be applicable in my current position (structural/hydraulics). This is not to say that I couldn't learn from these classes or from the few structural/hyrdaulic classes offered. My other reasoning behind my decision was to make myself more flexible within my company or with any future job prospects should they arise. Or maybe I was just enamored with the thought of possessing an MBA degree. I'm still trying to iron out if I will continue with the MBA portion or enter into the MS after my Eng. Mang. program is done with.

I also understand that an MBA won't provide any sort of instant recognition or advancement. Only experience and a history of good design will bring both. Down the line though, who knows? Hence the beginning post.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

 

[jistre]

JD is a Juris Doctorate. Law degree.

 

[keepinitcool]

You might want to look at the site

http://www.theladders.com

it's a job site for jobs paying mostly 100k and up. See what they are looking for and you will see what pays that much.

 

[ykee]

Curious about what a civil engineer with a law degree does -- is it anything to do with civil engineering?

 

[keepinitcool]

Oops. I posted in the wrong thread.