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).

 

[KENAT]

Hmm, maybe an ethical question but...

If you do have the separate Bachelors which meets their minimum requirement, do you even have to let potential employers know you have the Masters?

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[TomDOT]

KENAT - depends if they ask or not. A resume is your personal advertising. There's no need to put that part time hot-dog job at the ballpark on weekends, either.

 

[KENAT]

That was my thinking Tom, obviously you have to be careful it doesn't leave a glaring gap in your timeline or something but I would think that's not too hard.

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[calguy07]

I thought about back then. The problem is that if you leave it out, you'll have to account for the gap in time. What I sometimes did was to list the research experience in the gap without specifically stating that it was associated with the graduate degree.

 

[stanweld]

You have some kind of "assistantship", which may be used as experience. I certainly did on my first and second job search resumes.

 

[PhilBW]

I got a bachelors degree from one university, worked several years, then got a masters degree from a different university. Both of the universities I graduated from have job placement services. They do things like review resumes, hold job fairs, and coordinate on-campus interviews. They would be your best resource. They should be able to give you hard data on hire rates and salaries for BS/MS graduates with no experience. If they host job fairs, go to some and talk to potential employers about your plans. I know some companies prefer to work directly with universities when hiring new graduate engineers rather than advertising the positions.

 

[MusicEngineer]

I was in the same situation as you. I finished my bachelors and got offered a full time research assistantship that paid for my masters. I was able to get it out of the way and still get a job after graduation. I think you are taking an appropriate route.

 

[RossABQ]

Are your Bachelors and Masters degrees both focused on one aspect of Mech engineering? i.e., Heat Transfer, or hydraulics, or materials? If they are, I think you may have limited the kind of work you qualify for, but will be more attractive to those who need that emphasis. If your Masters studies cover a broad survey of topics, it may help you qualify for more positions.

 

[lacajun]

Why let fear rule your life? You haven't made a bad decision. You've made a decision and, from where I sit, it's a pretty darn good one.

I was tired of school after the BS. I had a deal similar to yours and quit. Years later, I worked and earned the MS. Tough way to get it. Wish I had been smarter younger.

If you want it, get it. If you don't, quit. But, think of how quitting will look. Many mangers dimly view quitting something once started. In fact, many in general dimly view quitting something once started. I've heard that my whole life. Many engineers, given your deal, would take it and think you foolish for not completing it. Personally, when interviewing people, I quiz those who didn't complete their master's program about why they didn't.

Even though life is not all about money, the payback on an MS is not bad. The Ph.D. pays for itself after a few decades, which played into my decision to not pursue it. However, I have met PhDs that experienced rapid payback on theirs. Wish I had launched straight-away into a doctoral program. Years ago a trade journal published stats on payback for the BS, MS, and PhD. I've not seen one in years. Perhaps you can use your favorite search engine to get more recent data.

You are very young so don't worry needlessly about this stuff. An education is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. No one will invest in you like you do. Treat yourself good and invest in you!

Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC

 

[spongebob007]

The pros and cons are about equal for each choice so if you want to be scientific about it, flip a coin.

A few points:

-Full time an MS can be completed in under two years. Part time could take as long as five years (or more).
-Many companies offer tutiotn reimbursment, so part time you can get it paid for, earn a living and gain some experience. On the other hand, you are getting a free ride full time.
-If you quit school and go to work full time, quitting work at some future point and going back to school full time is really not an option.
-Working all day and going to school at night is really tough and it's made even tougher if you have a spouse, a house, and kids to look after as well.
-Don't waste too much time scouring the want ads for entry level jobs. Your school career development office, campus job fairs, and other contacts you make while at school are your best ways to get your first job. Internships are good too. If there are entry level openings my company often hires our best summer interns full time.
-In looking at your opportunity costs, you need to look long term and consider 5 or 10 years down the road how much more you can be making with an MS vs BS assuming you gravitate toward jobs where the MS will pay off.

 

[RossABQ]

Note that internship programs I am familiar with are only available to students, not graduates. It is lower pay but frequently leads to full-time employment, sometimes even help finishing the degree ($$$). The experience is far more valuable, tho.

 

[Maui]

You should read the downside to earning an advanced degree in this discussion:

thread731-330281

Most of this won't apply to you since you aren't going for the Ph.D., but some of it may.

I went straight through school and earned my Ph.D. When I first entered the workforce it hit me like a shovel upside the head. I remember thinking during my first week at work, "What's wrong with all of these people?". And I see the same basic dysfunctional behavior everywhere I've worked. Stay in school. Earn your degree. The masters will likely serve you well down the road.

What you describe as "burnout" is not even remotely close to the bruising you are about to receive once you start working full time. Life can take an endless variety of ugly turns once you enter the workforce and find yourself reporting to Dilbert-like pointy haired bosses who have an MBA but no clue about engineering. Enjoy school while you are there because once you leave, in many ways you can never go back again.


Maui

http://www.EngineeringMetallurgy.com