More Graduate Degree Questions 3

[Justinmc326]

I know this has been done to death but I am looking to go to Grad School for Structural Engineering. I graduated with a BS in Civil and took mostly structural electives. I have been working at a structural firm for 2 years and had the equivalent of about 1.5 years of internship when i was in school. My feeling is that i did not get enough knowledge from my undergraduate degree. Although people i work with say that for what we do (i.e. small buildings and the such) a masters in structural is unnecessary. They are not saying "don't do it" but that the benefit will not be too great. What I want is a better understanding of what is going on, and i don't want to base my decision on what I am doing "now". Anyway, should i go for it?...Or would an MBA be more practical if I want to possibly start my own business one day?....Also, is a MBA necessary to have your own business?....Any kind of guidance would be extremely helpful....thanks

 

[JAE]

Your pattern of experience is exactly mine. I got a B.S. in Civil Eng. - went to work for a firm for two years (had 3 summers of intern work in engr. previous to that). Soon discovered that the "good" structural engineers in our firm all had M.S. degrees. One even was going back and getting MBA on top of that.

I went back to get my M.S. and it made all the difference in the world for me. I wanted to DO engineering and this really made my career. Light bulbs really started popping on over my head through graduate school and what sort of made sense in my B.S. program, really maded sense in the M.S.

MBA is fine, but if you forsee wanting to do a good deal of structural design and then, 10 to 20 years from now go into business, the MBA can wait. I have a friend who a few years ago (with an M.S. in engineering) got his MBA without too much trouble. This with a wife and two kids.

 

[HemiBuell]

As a mechanical engineer 90% of the knowledge I use on a daily basis is information which I learned after my MS from co-workers, reference material, professional development seminars and in house training.

The main thing a MS will get you is more money and more job opportunities. Where I work now, they will not even hire an engineer I position without a Masters. It's pretty sad.

The best engineer I ever worked with had no engineering degree at all.

At my company, the people who rely on the fact that they have a MS of PHD to get them ahead in life are very easy to spot.

This might be different for a Civil engineer, but in the mechanical world the best advice I can give a young person is to get a job at a massive company which has the funds to send you off for a lot of real world useful training.

 

[Noway2]

I know this is asking for a bunch of "flame mail" responses, but according to people I know who have done it, an MBA is 'pretty' wallpaper, but it is still just wallpaper.

When I was looking into my options for a graduate degree, I asked others I knew that had either a masters or PHD for advice. The advice I received was to get the MS, forget the MBA. The feeling was that an MS would be better for helping you start a business than an MBA would.

 

[IRstuff]

As an engineer, either in-house or to the public, an MS would probably carry more weight than an MBA, since you are trying to sell your engineering skills, experience and knowledge, not your business acumen.

TTFN

 

[Ashereng]

There are lots of ways to learn.

A MS is one way to learn. Experience is another.
What is the best way for YOU to learn? If you answer that, I think you can decide whether a MS is worth it. Keep in mind that while you are doing your MS, you are also "giving up" some stuff, like:
- money to pay tuition
- salary you would otherwise be making
- time from family while you study

An MBA is useful if you plan to work for someone else. If you become an owner, the business knowledge, not the paper is important.

Bill Gates does not have a MBA, but Jeff Immelt probably does. Bill Gates was an owner. Jeff Immelt works for someone else.

 

[jpankask]

I started taking business class prerequisites for an MBA right after I graduated with my BS (while working). Ultimately, I switched to a MS (mechanical) because I felt it better fit my immediate and short term future goals. I don't regret that decision at all. You will learn a lot more about why everything works in your MS. The BS taught you how.

I have never started my own business but I plan to some day. I don't believe you need an MBA to start your own business. I would venture to say very, very few people who start their own business have an MBA. I think particularly in engineering, the MS would be a better asset for a business than an MBA. If you plan to move into management and work for someone else, the MBA will probably help you there.

I'm assuming that you are planning to continue working and let your employer pay for your MS while you go to school part time. If not, you should really consider this. There are many quality programs that have distance learning MS program in civil. With a few years of hard work (and some missed-out-on fun time) you'll have that degree, no additional debt and no missed salary. You have to be committed to the MS and the knowledge you will gain or your chances of completing the degee are low. Good luck!

 

[JStephen]

You say a MS won't help you at your present place. Do you always plan to stay there and do that work? If so, skip. If you have plans for something bigger and better, then check into the degree.

 

[tygerdawg]

20+ years after I suffered through Graduate School and got my Master's degree in engineering, here are my conclusions about the experience:
(1) I learned a few new, interesting topics along the way. Some helped in my work life, some didn't.
(2) My brain was re-wired by the experience and I learned HOW TO LEARN a subject independently. I've never needed spoon-feeding since then. That quality tends to threaten most co-workers because not knowning a subject is no longer a roadblock to progress nor an excuse for mediocre performance. I've even taught myself business, accounting, finance, and marketing skills and successfully ran a consultancy.
(3) I now tend to dig deeper, do more analysis, ponder consequences, and bring a greather depth of understanding of a topic to the party. Again, threatening behavior on my part <slap wrist bad boy>
(4) It helped my career....a little. It boosted my pay a little and opened a couple of new doors. But the glow wore off after a few years and the only thing hiring authorities look at are my accomplishments and ability to play nice with others. Which is pretty much how it is with those without graduate degrees.
(5) I'd do it again. But then I've been described as a sick SOB who gets a thrill when the brain juices flow. My buddy who went through the same program with me, and whom I consider much smarter than I, hated his experience and wouldn't do it again. He says it was a huge waste of time and money.

TygerDawg

 

[MrMojito]

I would suggest that you take a look at the particular MS programs that the various schools offer. Some schools seem to be more theoretical while others seem to be less. Try to figure out which approach would be best for you should you decide to pursue the MS.

 

[JAE]

My brain was re-wired by the experience and I learned HOW TO LEARN a subject independently

Yes, for an M.S. degree....exactly!

 

[HgTX]

I also felt I didn't really know enough when I finished my BS (civil engineering with structural concentration). I didn't see how I could possibly get an interesting job with the little I knew. Even though I'd had a very bad experience with grad school earlier in another field, I went for an MS.

I wound up getting hired by the agency that funded my thesis research.

No regrets.

Hg

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[VirtualWorker]

I went the full-time MS route straight out of school. I don’t regret it and the experience has been helpful. However, if I had it to do again, I would work a year or two and then start working on an online ME (no thesis) in structural. There are a handful of quality programs that offer this. It will cost more, but I think the net economics work in your favor because you will not forgo a few years of salary. The real advantages I see are:
1) you will pick better classes.
2) you will know what is important within those classes.
3) you will not have to postpone getting real world experience.
4) should you decide to quit along the way, nothing, other than a few thousand bucks, is lost, and a lot is gained in terms of knowledge.

All of this assumes not living in a city with a good program. If that is the case, I would attempt to get my employer to let me go to class part-time. In any either case, I would find an employer that wants you doing this and is willing to help. If they are not, chances are they will not value what you have done when you finish, and you will need to leave get compensated for it.

 

[electricpete]

I'm not from the structural world but a parallel experience to many of the others.

Got my bsee. Went to work for 5 years. Got my PE. Then went for my MSEE while working.

The comments from above that ring true to me:
- things that made a little sense in undergrad now made a lot more sense.
- got better at learning independently.
- The benefit was more in learning and less in prestige. I got no raise from my employer.

One more piece of advice would be to get your PE at the earliest opportunity. Very little effort and big payback in terms of how you look to employers (but not what you know).

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