Master in Structural Engineering

[davab]

Hello everyone,

I majored in Structural Engineering this summer and I am struggling to find a SE job. I want to have a structural engineering job and get PE license. I do not have a spectacular GPA and I think that is why I am having trouble finding structural engineering jobs. If my GPA is the issue, does having a Master's in SE help? (Assuming that I graduate with a decent GPA anywhere above 3.5)

Also, I wonder if anyone knows about Cal Poly Pomona's reputation and its network. Career is all about networking and I wonder how Cal States would compare to UCs. I have heard good things about Pomona although it is not as prestigious UCLA, UCB, or USC.

Lastly, does it really matter where and what school you graduate? If one can be top tier in any decent school, isn't it better than being mediocre in great schools like USC and UCLA?

I am trying to enroll into a Grad program as soon as possible and I want to hear your opinions. Thank you.

 

[Forensic74]

I'm assuming you're aiming for an SE job in California. Therefore, a MS degree may be beneficial to land a job.

And as much as people like to dispute this, in my experience it does matter where you attend. My former company was located right next to a mediocre engineering school and they specifically leaned away from those graduates because the coursework was obviously a breeze and those guys didn't have the skills.

 

[JedClampett]

First of all, I would advise you to stick with it. I'm not clear if you're going to graduate or graduated last summer, but the first job is always the toughest to get, closely followed by all the rest. You might have to move to a less than desirable (for you) location or go into a field that's not too exotic (we all don't do bridges or high rises).
As far as schooling, I've never heard anything bad about any of the Cal Poly's, but I'm not in CA, so I'm not up on that, but going out of state might counter any negativity.
What I've figured out after many years is that all the schools teach the same thing. But entrance requirements and competition do make a difference in the overall quality of graduates. It's not the end-all or be-all, but the Cal Tech and MIT graduates are just likely better than ASU graduates (before you pile on, my wife went there). But that doesn't mean you can't get a damn fine employee out of any school. It's what you do with the knowledge that makes the difference. And a fancy degree doesn't measure work habits or desire.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

When I hire - I do ask about GPA's but more so I look at how they got through school. If Mommy and Daddy paid for it - forget it. IF they worked part time - I'll take a 2.5 GPA anytime!!

 

[IRstuff]

Cal Poly SLO was where my brother elected to go, on his way to an SE PE. Of, course, that was MANY years ago.

TTFN
faq731-376

 

[davab]

JedClampett- what do you mean by going out of state may counter negativity?

I have a job in construction industry And my plan is to attend grad school part time. My choices of schools would be cal state pomona , USC, or UCLA. With my GPA, I am likely to be accepted to Cal Poly Pomona. Because of the competitive admission rate at USC and UCLA, I probably need more work experience because my GPA alone won't do it. My original plan was to work several years to build my experience/resume and then apply to schools like USC and UCLA. But I figure if Cal Poly Pomona regarded highly among employers, I would not mind attending starting next year. This would save my time and money. That is why I want to know people's opinion about the school and what employers look for. (as MikeTheEngineer stated)

 

[MiketheEngineer]

A Masters is a Masters - as long as it from an acrredited ABET (sp??)school. After your first job - nobody will care - even your first job they might not really care. I don't as long as they have a degree from acredited school and preferably an EIT!!!

 

[JedClampett]

"JedClampett- what do you mean by going out of state may counter negativity?"

What I meant by that is that while Cal Poly Pomona might have a poorer reputation than other schools in CA, if you get a couple of states distant, that's unlikely to be the knowledge. Heck, I'm in AZ and I've never heard anything bad about it.

 

[fegenbush]

MiketheEngineer,

Generally, ABET does not accredit graduate schools. A quick search (on ABET's own website) turned up only 3 schools with accredited graduate programs (University of Louisville, Naval Postgraduate School, and Air Force Institute of Technology). I only searched the big 4, so there may be others. I know that U of L only got their Bachelors program accredited in 2010, so you had to get the masters in order to sit for the PE.

 

[davab]

That makes sense, JedClampett. It's going to be brutal to go to classes after work. How did you guys do it? I am committed in learning and improving myself so the hard work for three to four years won't matter. Just wanna know how it was with fulltime work and classes.

 

[Forensic74]

Since you brought up choice of school based on its networking ability....IMHO, networking through grad school is going to be limited if you're going to do part time, after work classes. Typically, you make more connections with industry by performing research. Where I went, I the guys who did research rubbed elbows with a lot of industry, attended conferences, etc and usually had job offers from those contacts when they graduated. The people who just did classes, full or part time, just came for the classes, did assignments, and took exams. That was really it and they got a diploma at the end and were looking for jobs on indeed.com.