Masters in Mechanical Engineering Straight out of College 3

[Physigician]

I recently graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I then jumped right into graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (MME). I have no loans for this or previous schooling and the master’s degree is being paid for by the school. In addition to the tuition waiver, i receive a stipend of just more than $1,000 each month. My question is this: have I made a bad decision to go to master’s school without any engineering experience? If so, should I stop my master’s program, forfeit the assistantship and jump into a job in industry, or should I take this as a great opportunity to finish my master’s degree (I am just starting my first of 4 semesters)? I am not at a prestigious school by any means, but it is ABET accredited. Also, I do not intend to seek employment as a teacher, but rather merely become a productive member of the public sector work force. There are essentially three reasons that I feel like I should quit school and go to work: 1) I want to get out of school and see what the real world is up to and, 2) I am tired of living like a poor boy, and 3) I do not want to be "overqualified" for a job (if there is such a thing). I am 25 years old. Thanks for the input! Please be very honest. As a last note, my undergrad GPA is just above a 3.0 (not bad, but not exactly stellar either...so I don't want to anger one of the few schools that might offer me an opportunity like this or disrupt possible recommendation letters for the sake of me being a quitter).

 

[GregLocock]

With only 4 semesters to go I'd be inclined to finish the damn thing. I don't think that you'll be overqualified, more like under-experienced, you might like to think of ways of getting some real world experience prior to graduating.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[zdas04]

If you'll look through this site you'll see several similar threads where several of us have said that a MS without relevant experience is a detriment to finding an entry level job. I would advise someone in your position to find a job.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[SAITAETGrad]

Life can come at you fast. Once you get going on your work assignments, you may be in five years before you look up from the task at hand. By that time your life may be considerably more complicated. A masters is not as much a scare as it once was for employers. That said, I don't you will not get as much out of a masters program without prior work experience as you would with it (speculative). There is no right answer but I would say that a compromise would be best- do the first year over four or five years a class at a time. Then once you have a basic work experience level, take some time off to finish it. Don't get entangled in personal matters without clear plan to accomplish your other goals. Just 2c from the gallery.

 

[TheTick]

Finish grad school before you get accustomed to a regular income and before family demands sap the time out of your calendar.

 

[TomDOT]

Free degree plus a stipend?

Yeah, if I could keep up the grades, I would stick around for that.

Can you do any part time work or internships during the program?

 

[Twoballcane]

Life is a catch 22. Go full time into your Masters now and later face an uphill battle from Jr. Engineer to where you think you should be with a Masters Degree or work now and wish you finished your Masters to get that little bit extra pay / title that the other engineers with Masters get later down the line. I was half way through my masters, but a job offer came up that I could not refuse (pay was 45% above average start). The plan was to continue my Masters at another college in the state I was transferred and have my company pay for it, but life moved fast. Before I knew it, I got married, bought a house, and then had kids and now I’m wondering where the past 16 years go. I still have mixed feelings if I should have finished or not. I’m very satisfied on where my career is right now, but it would have been nice to have the Masters Degree. I guess fate will decide for you.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
"People get promoted when they provide value and when they build great relationships"

 

[SNORGY]

We just hired a young engineer who has *two* Masters degrees, one in Chemical Engineering and the other in Mechanical Engineering.

I met him yesterday as he was making his rounds for introduction. He aspires to be a Project Engineer / Project Manager.

I advised him to start drinking copious quantities of beer and killing millions of brain cells so that his IQ can be adjusted to a level appropriate to his career aspirations.

My opinion is, get as high a degree as you are able to while you still have the interest and the opportunity, and then look for a career that matches *your* standards, as opposed to settling for a career that expects you to lower your qualifications to *their* standards.

 

[Physigician]

Thanks for the responses! It really gives me more insight into my dilemma. Does it change any opinions if I said I am burned out with college? Or, is this a rather pathetic thing to say given that I do have a great opportunity (tuition paid for plus stipend) with the school that I am at? In looking at job adds, I have noticed all but one that reads "experience required," each of which are prefaced with '2 years', '3 years', or even '10 years', etc. Not a single one, however, has stated a need for a master’s degree. It appears experience is far more valuable than a graduate degree? Also, if I consider that I can make $50,000 dollars a year (avg. starting pay is about 52,000 right now) over the next 2 years that I will otherwise spend in school, this leaves a $100,000 deficit in opportunity cost. Is it reasonable to assume that a masters may merely just get me another $8,000 a year or so? If so, this would take me 12.5 years just to repay the lost opportunity cost of the next two years. This is before the degree does anything financially for me? Am I looking at this all wrong or does this make sense? I am young and simply do not know how to look at this because of the fact that I have no experience. Is it better to forget about the grad school tuition waiver and move on? I want to get going with life and start feeling productive. This is what I feel most inclined to do, but I do not want to blow a big opportunity here that I would regret later on. If you were me, with this new information, would you tough it out and keep going, or get on with your life and find the quickest cleanest escape route from the school?

 

[MiketheEngineer]

That might be the "dumbest" (not saying you are a dummy) question I have ever seen on the forum. FINISH IT!!!!!!!!!! It's FREE and you are getting PAID!! What part of that don't you understand??? Wish I was in your shoes - but being politically incorrect most of the time - somebody would probably get rid of me...one way or the other!!!

Experience and jobs will come!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Physigician]

Also in response to TomDOT, I cannot do any other work because I have an agreement that I will not work for another agency as long as I am in school. Thus, when I get out, I will be a Mechanical Engineer with a master’s degree and zero real experience. I fear that when looking for a job in 2 years, I will be inexperienced yet "overqualified" for most positions that I will be seeking. In your experience, is this a legitimate fear? However, if I do quit school, I may have to pay back the tuition waver for the first semester that I am attending. If I go 1 of the 2 years though, I would not have to pay back the tuition waver, but then I would be ½ way through the program and arguably too close to not finish. Never seems to be a good answer. I'm usually a very planned person, but I'm beginning to feel like I was misguided by the academic advisors at the school. Any more input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TomDOT]

Phys -if you are running the numbers, you must include your stipend. $100k-$24k = $76k opportunity cost. 9.5 year payback. Then, how long will your working life be? Then subtract this semester's tuition you will have to pay.

If you want to talk purely financially, the best thing you can do for yourself is keep the "poor student" lifestyle for as long as you can, and stash as much cash as you can into savings once you have employment. Or be really lavish and increase your lifestyle by 25% of whatever income increase you get.

Some jobs (mine included) will count postgraduate education years the same as experience years. So, 2 years of Masters meets the 2 years experience requirement.

So you have an agreement with the school - if you have time on your hands and want to work, I see three options:

1) Ask the school/agency for an internal internship/job/opportunity.

2) Ask the school/agency for a wavier from the "no jobs" requirement. Find the admin who works for the department head and inquire nicely if this is ever allowed (she will most likely know more than the department head!) and use that information to move forward.

3) Figure out something else. I've spent 5 minutes thinking here. You have a lot more time to spend on your problem than I do.

You have been given a set of parameters. Learn all the details, think about them and understand them. Apply your engineering logic to work within them and achieve your goals. You CAN get experience and the degree.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Having a Masters degree at least suggests you can do some engineering math, which is not a detriment at any place you'd want to work.

Places you'd want to work are not hiring, officially, so take advantage of your peers and especially your professors in getting introduced to people who are working, and who might generate a demand for talented people, like, e.g., you.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[77JQX]

Having a masters won't make you overqualified for an entry level engineering job. Also, as you move through your career, it will make you more employable and might open up more opportunities for you. I'd say stick it out.

 

[Twoballcane]

"have noticed all but one that reads "experience required," each of which are prefaced with '2 years', '3 years', or even '10 years', etc. Not a single one, however, has stated a need for a master’s degree.”

When you are first starting out you have to pay your dues like everybody else and start as a Jr. Engineer, however, once you gain five years plus of experience you will start seeing post for Sr. Engineers with Masters Degree preferred. The Masters will come into play later in your career, but funny enough not at the beginning. Once you have good experience coupled with a Masters Degree, you will get paid more than an engineer with just a Bachelors Degree. Companies like to show off how knowledgeable their staff is by their experience and education level. Also, if you get the chance to present at conferences and symposiums, your introduction indicating that you have a masters will carry your presentation with a little bit more weight than others. Also, Engineers with a Masters Degree (what I notice in my company) tend to do more big picture / analytical work than pure design / detail work.


Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”
"People get promoted when they provide value and when they build great relationships"

 

[KENAT]

For what it's worth, like TOMDOT says, 'Free Degree & Stipend' - I'd probably look to stick it out.

Sadly no there aren't a lot of job adss on 'monster' etc for fresh grads. If nothing else companies may not feel like paying to advertise on sites like that for new entry positions. However, contact enough companies directly (or at least check out their career sections) and you may find something. At least some job adds say a masters degree counts as one year of experience.

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[cvg]

since the job market is not that robust right now, especially for entry level engineers and assuming you do not have a standing job offer, and you do not speak fluent chinese, than you are really speculating that you could even find a job. I would stick with the bird in the hand. In the meantime, start networking and look for an internship, get some real world experience. Much better way to find employment than reading the job ads.

 

[GregLocock]

I may not have been paid much when I was a student, but I was paid a damned sight less when I was running my own company. Incidentally your opportunity cost needs to bear in mind taxes paid on the enormous $50000 income.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[kylesito]

FREE degree.

Yes, finish the degree. Just don't expect to come into the real world after at anything higher than entry level. You will be a more qualified entry level but you will still be entry level.



PE, SE
Eastern United States

"If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death!"
~Code of Hammurabi

 

[calguy07]

Yes, having a master's degree with no experience IS detrimental. I'm speaking from experience. I've had a company call me and basically say that I'm overqualified and were wondering why I would apply for a job like that. Perhaps the thought of someone actually taking an "entry level" job and working their way up regardless of degree level never occured to them. Having said that, just finish the degree. You made it this far; make no sense to quit...but be prepared to deal with the degree/experience mismatch that has been created. Also I was in a similar position as you as in taking an entry level position at a slightly older age and realizing that there will be those younger than you (started working right after BS) that know more than you and may even be directing you. Kinda made me feel like I wasted my time in grad school while others were getting ahead. Having said that, it's not the end of the world and it's still nice having a master's degree.