How high of a degree should I get? 3

[MechEngStud]

I realize that this is supposed to be a forum for real engineers (read ones that have actually graduated), but I will be finishing my degree soon and was wondering what people in the engineering fields think. I will soon finish my bachelors and am debating whether or not to try for grad school and get my masters? With so my people being laid off and jobs being sent overseas would this be a better guarantee of being able to find a job? Or should I start working when I finish my bachelors and come back later to take on a masters? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Damon

 

[SlideRuleEra]

Start with the basics, if you have not done so, take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam NOW (April 16, 2005 is probably the next date that you could take it, but you must apply soon). Then no matter which route you choose, you are earning "work experience" (a certain amount of grad school usually counts in most states) toward eligibilty to take the Principles & Practice (PE) exam.

 

[JAE]

If at all possible - I would urge you to work for at least two years with a good, licensed engineer. After a BS degree, your mind is quite tired and a change is in order. The work will also give you a better perspective on what real world talents you have and may not have.

I know that I took off a couple of years and was actually "hungry" to study again when I went back to graduate school. Did very well in my classes and my professors even commented on how I was much more studious and mature in my thinking coming out of a real job. I saw a lot of my classmates with less zeal for studying who had gone straight through from BS to MS.

Also, you may find a better feel for the importance of a masters degree in mechanical. I do know that an MS in structural is very very helpful.

 

[Tunalover]

First of all, if I were you I would take the FE exam ASAP while the information is still fresh in your mind.

Secondsly, go for the MS while undergraduate school is still fresh in your mind. I'm a design engineer in the electronics industry and the MSME is a good credential to have. Note that I said "credential." In the electronics business, often those who do the hiring are EEs who rarely understand (and often don't care!) the ME's role in the industry and, consequently, don't have a handle on what a BSME's capabilities are. They are simply impressed with the credential.

I've worked with a few pragmatic MEs who think that grad school is so far out in left field that it takes years to get the graduate back down to earth where he can make timely, practical, common-sense decisions.

Five years after graduation, I went back and completed ten courses in an MSME program under the belief that I could use that knowledge (thermofluids) in the electronics industry. In my jobs, I was able to apply none of the advanced theory to real world problems.

Of course I am speaking only out of my own experiences. You may get lucky and find a job somewhere where you can use the math and theory.

Tunalover

 

[zdas04]

I started Grad School 12 years out of my BS. I got my MS 12 years ago and now I'm seriously contemplating a PhD.

Yes, it is much harder this way, but hard stuff keeps us alive. The advice above is good, but it isn't the only way to skin that duck.

I can't say I've ever explicitly used anything I learned in my MSME. Many things that I observe in real life (the MS was in Fluids/Thermo) are easier to comprehend because I have that murky arithmetic lurking im the back of my head, but I can't say I've ever done any of that arithmetic in anger. The fact of my MS has avoided many tedious arguments, but it has also caused me to have to entertain a bunch of dumb ideas. Bottom line is that I'm really glad that I did it, but that is way more for personal satisfaction than for marketability.

David

 

[Nwaune]

Obtaining my MS degree was more a personal challenge then a job requirement. I went directly into an MS program after graduating with my BS. Looking back, I probably should have worked for a few years before deciding on my MS emphasis. I was fortunate in the fact that my significant other had one more year left for her BS and there was funding available(Do you have funding or will you pay for the MS education?). I crammed a thesis and all the required classed into 1.5 years. As mentioned by many other posters, I rarely use the theory and advanced mathematics in my day to day projects.

 

[MechEngStud]

I can probably get some funding for it, but my main plan was to finance it with they ever popular student loans. i would like to thank everyone for there thoughts on this matter, it looks like getting an MS right now isn't goign to be that much use, so I am thinking I might put it off for at least a couple of years and get some real experience first.

 

[IRstuff]

Another reason for delay is that many of the larger companies will subsidize, e.g., it's FREE!, your education.

The caveat is that you'll be stuck at that company for the duration.

TTFN

 

[HgTX]

Ditto to all those who said take the FE NOW.

Sounds like you've made the right choice--graduate school should only be undertaken if one absolutely, positively wants it.

I was really leery of grad school but went direct after BS anyway only because I didn't feel like I knew enough with just the BS to get an interesting job. It was the right choice for me, but it doesn't seem like your case. Different field anyway.

MS will be a little harder if you've had a chance to forget what it's like to be in a classroom and play with pencil and paper, but it beats trying to sit through it when your heart's not in it.

I've known people who advise going straight through because "once you leave school you might never go back" but I think that's usually because it turned out you didn't need to go back.

You should be able to get MS funding when the time comes.

Hg

 

[rosemaryeke]

i just finished a masters degree in environmental engineering in uk how do i become a chartered engineer in the uk,mind you my first degree was in the biological sciences

rosemaryeke

 

[APH]

You should get as high as you can....I know I would.

 

[jsummerfield]

Fundamentals exam now.

If you think that you need a masters or if you do not find suitable employment then stay in school if possible. Tuition reimbursement is nice if you can study at night school. Once you start work you may have to travel, spend lots of time on projects etc. that interfere with study. Also, after making good money it is hard to stop working and return to school.

John

 

[ctopher]

If you have the finance, the time and the gusto, go as high a degree you can. It may pay for itself someday.

 

[someonesdad]

I'd recommend a couple of years of on the job experience, then go back to school. It's especially nice if you can get the employer to pay for it. Where I used to work, some lucky souls would get 75% salary and get to go off somewhere to grad school for a year or two on a fellowship. Others would take video courses or courses at the local college and put together a degree by taking two courses a semester. Others would quit and go back to school full time. It does get harder to go back to school as you get older, for a variety of reasons. The most common are lack of time and you're dealing with a growing family.

 

[ScottyUK]

Rosemaryeke,

It's good form to start a new thread when asking a new question, rather than disrupt the flow of an existing one.

To answer you question about Chartership, which institute did you wish to become Chartered under? The big institutes such as the IEE, IMechE, and ICE have stringent requirements for academic qualifications and for training and experience after graduation. If you have extensive experience in industry, the institute may waive the full academic requirements subject to submission of a written thesis. I doubt anyone much under 35 years old will have that level of experience. The best thing to do will be to visit the website of the relevant institue and have a look for professional development paths.




----------------------------------

If we learn from our mistakes,
I'm getting a great education!

 

[cardoso115]

My advice is for you to get some real work experience.
See what you truly would like to do for a livin' within the engineering business. And then decide on what should be the best step to take.

Engineering is a field where we must always be up to date with new technologies, and the evolution is getting faster...

So a little study and a degree wouldn't hurt.

 

[mshimko]

As one who hires and supervises engineers, I put value on having a higher degree - but not that much!

What matters more to me is my perception of the candidate's ability to learn and grow; the candidates work ethic; and how I think they will "fit" in my company and business.

If I had two nearly identical candidates, I would obviously prefer the one with an advanced degree, but most likely the other factors I just mentioned will carry greater weight than the degree.

This is also the advice I've given my daughter who graduated in May.

 

[knji]

mshimko,

Thanks for the words of encouragement in regards to higher degrees. I was starting to get the impression that higher degrees are no good in industry even though I believe that a higher degree does allows one to have a thorough understanding of a subject.

I have now heard this word "fit" used several times. What exactly do employers mean when they use the word "fit"?

Does this mean the ability to start doing a job right away without training? Does this mean the ability to fit within the coporate culture? Does this mean the ability to work with a team?

TIA

Klaus

 

[mshimko]

Klaus - Good questions;

In my case at least, the best description of "FIT" is will the candidate "fit" in with my group of engineers, with other engineers "on the floor", and will he/she "fit" in with the customers we typically interface with.

Yhis includes, I think, being able to work within a team (my team). It includes only a little bit fitting in with the "corporate culture", but as I'm sort-of a rogue myself keep in mind the adjetive "little". "Fit" does not, to me at least, have much to do with technical competence. In fact, I suppose I could use two terms to fully describe a person: (a) their technical competence, and (b)"fit", which may imply everything else.

 

[IRstuff]

One possible concern regarding "fit" and a higher degree, particularly a PhD is that a PhD is usually a solitary pursuit and as such does not lend itself to determining whether the applicant can work within a group environment.


TTFN