engineering outlook for us young guys 19

[kchida]

I need opinions from experienced engineers. You guys have seen the short-term and long-term trends. Do you all notice a trend that might indicate that engineering will be a krappy choice of occupation in the coming decades? I've just come into the field, so my perspective is skewed.

I'm turning 25 in a month, so I have a good 40 years to go in my career (that's a whole lot longer than the amount of time I've been hanging out on this planet). I need some serious advice. Should I jump ship now and do something else besides engineering? This would require me to go back to school.

Medicine is strong in the states and will probably remain so, at least for my lifetime (maybe?). Well, what about biomedical engineering then? Could this possibly be a future engineering "oasis"?

Keep in mind that I have high expectations for my future standards of living. At the peak of my career, I'd like to maintain a lifestyle comparable to that of somebody today earning $200k (household), in Southern California. Again, this will be based on a dual-income, so I would need to be making at least half of that. I don't want my kids to grow up in a poor household. I want to ensure that they have access to things that I didn't have.

Seriously, should I defect to another field? Should I throw it all away, run and never look back? I think I'm good for at least 10 more years, but will I hit an unavoidable roadblock at that time. What would you do in my situation?

 

[qcme]

i just recently graduated college w/ an engineering degree...the words/phrases/ideas/thoughts/concepts/whatnot used to describe an engineer in my generation are:

smart, "make lots of money", can endure all the toughest problems/circumstances/etc., smart, innovative, intelligent, fast-learner...etc etc...and also don't forget: nerd, geek, booksmart, any other geek-related adjectives =P but when i say "i'm in engineering" i get more "awes" than "oh...you're in engineering" (probably because i'm a female?)

from what i know, i thought the IT industry isn't doing so well? they are actually looking for REAL engineers (i hear civil is hot...there are a whole bunch of electrical in my school)...but then again i can be wrong...i mean, i just graduated, what do i know about the market for engineering? =P

perhaps my generation are just...can we say delusional? hehe...

 

[Ashereng]

I think that the engingeering outlook is what you make of it.

If I recall correctly (at my age, it's starting to go), Jack Welch was a Chemical Engineer. He rose to CEO of GE.

Microsoft and Intel recently announced billions of dollars for R&D committed to their respective India research facilities. They both currently employ lots of engineers.

Engineering as a field have a future.

Engineers have a future.

The future possibilities are what you make of it, what you are willing to "sacrafice" if I may use the term, to achieve your goals. What your priorities are.

Are you willing to relocate (eg. move to another country)?
Are you willing to put career ahead of famiiy (eg. move the family 8 times in 5 years).
Are you willing to work 60-80 hours a week while "climbing" the proverbial corporate ladder.
Are you willing to risk it and leave the corporate world to strike out on your own.

What kind of future do you want?

 

[proletariat]

I think the only chance to save engineering in this country is increasing the education requirements for licensure and the privelage to call yourself an "engineer". Why have doctors and lawyers maintained status in society? Because of the MD and JD degrees they need to ply their trades. If a person was required to obtain a masters or doctorate in engineering, supply would decrease and pay would increase. There would still be demand for lower-level engineers with BS degrees, and I venture to guess that salary would remain the same for those positions. Think about it... a civil engineer gets his 4 year degree, and embarks on a 4 year "apprentice" program to qualify for a PE. This is similar to the track that plumbers and electricians take. Why would we expect to enjoy the same fruits as the more highly educated professionals? This would also quash most offshoring without resorting to unions.

-This is not my original idea. It's a paraphrasing of a letter I read in the latest ASCE magazine, but it is the BEST solution yet to the problems facing engineers.

 

[nmnm87]

suugest to chnage the way engineering is taught , why universites give degress in engineering without practice , I suugest that engineering be taught like medicne , make student practice in real enviornments before , giving thema degree so that they will not suffer

 

[GregLocock]

Proletariat. That idea would be fine IF the average engineer gained anything useful from the longer/higher courses. I see little evidence that in practice a Masters or PhD actually results in a better engineer, at least in automotive engineering. I'm reasonably convinced that that proposal is being promoted by the academics, who of course would have a great deal to gain.



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[RDK]

There are a lot of co-op programs out there that have a practical component.

The bottom line is that the profession is simply too broad to be able to have a mandated practice part of the curriculum.

Besides, at least in Canada you are not an engineer until you have your P.Eng status and that takes 4 years of practical experience beyond academic graduation.

Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[proletariat]

"Proletariat. That idea would be fine IF the average engineer gained anything useful from the longer/higher courses. I see little evidence that in practice a Masters or PhD actually results in a better engineer, at least in automotive engineering. I'm reasonably convinced that that proposal is being promoted by the academics, who of course would have a great deal to gain.
Cheers
Greg Locock"

You could say the same for doctors and lawyers. I could probably become a pretty competent surgeon or litigator by hanging out in the O.R. or courts every day for a couple of years. Generating a "better engineer" is dare I say, irrelevant when discussing our viability in the marketplace. The abundance of engineers in the market has made us a commodity. Limiting supply is one way to reverse this effect and increase salary. One way of limiting supply is through greater academic requirements. I think this is preferable to the alternate solution of unionizing and other protectionist ideas floating around out there.

 

[GregLocock]

"I could probably become a pretty competent surgeon ... by hanging out in the O.R. ... for a couple of years."

Well, I'll just check what you've said with a theatre nurse.

No. You couldn't. Or at least, with a 4 year degree and 10 years of theatre work she says she could, at a pinch, sew everything back up and stuff it back into the right hole and close the skin.







Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[cuky2000]

What happens when you realize the grass is NOT greener on the other side of the fence?
See the enclose median salary for Hollywood celebrity and other non-engineering career according to the BLS report and other sources published by MSN:

VIRTUAL JOBS:
• Judge/Talent Scout- Simon Cowell, American Idol – Salary:??? $34 million, [blue][sup] according to the London Daily Mirror. Even though Cowell is a real person, his stratospheric salary is far from typical. [/sup][/blue]
• Hollywood talent agent: ~$30,600. [blue][sup] With 25 years of experience[/sup][/blue]
• Acting Company President, Michael Bluth, Arrested Development – :$140,350. [blue][sub] Top executives can bring home the big bucks, but thanks to Bluth's father's dubious accounting practices, his paycheck might be a bit paltrier. [/sub][/blue]

PROFFESIONAL CARREER:
• Lawyer :~ $94,930, [blue][sup] according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.[/sup] [/blue]
• Plastic Surgeon: ~ $156,500
• Medical Resident :~ $37,000, [blue][sup]From an American Medical Association Report. If you break his salary down hourly, it just gets worse.[/sup][/blue]
• Forensic Scientist:~ $44,000

OTHER JOBS:
• Nuclear Safety Inspector : ~ $64, 000.
• Detective: ~ $54,000
• CIA Agent/Investigator: ~ $50,000.[blue][sup] The CIA keeps its salaries top-secret.Typ starting salary range is $34,000 and $52,000.[/sup][/blue]
• Interior Designer: ~ $40,700,
• Children's Book Illustrator:~$38,060

 

[davefitz]

well now, if a family needs to earn over $150K to own a home in LA, san diego, san jose, and san fran, then there is only a few combinations of spouse occupations that can live in those areas.

 

[Ashereng]

Salary surveys are interesting.

William Clay Ford Jr. is the CEO of Ford. He says he will not draw a salary until Ford is profitable again.

Well, I guess then that this would fall under

PROFESSIONAL CAREER:
- CEO: ~ $0.00

It doesn't mean that he has no income. It just mean that his reported salary is $0.00. His income I am sure is much higher.

Many doctors own their own clinic(s). Most draw a salary. I am sure some also leave some capital in their corporations, either as working capital, for tax reasones, or to smooth out their personal income. When reporting salaries, they report what they draw. They probably would report a different number for the corporation's revenue.

Salary surveys does not necessarily give a complete picture of all salaries/benefits/compensation/perks from all sources.