Want to get a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, is it worth it? 2

[varun213]

Dear Engineers,

I'm kind of in a tough situation and could really use some unbiased advice. I graduate this April 30, 2016 with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering with a lame gpa of 2.5/2.6 overall. My last year and half was pretty good and almost close to a gpa of 3.0. Employment is already looking really bad especially up here in Anchorage and for an entry level like myself since I've sent about 20 applications so far and no word back, Alaska because of the oil drought. Most ME's work in the oil field up here. With the study habits I finally learned by the end of my junior year I really improved and realized conceptually there are no issues in understanding the material, with that being said I know a Masters in ME is a bit more theoretical but I think I'll honestly enjoy it. From anybody's perspective on this site how hard is a Masters in ME and should a student with a gpa below 3.0 go for it? I want to know what i'll be getting myself into before I do it. Ill be talking to my professors alot more in detail about this once I complete this semester with high grades so they can see a huge improvement and give me some supporting advice. thanks for any feedback.

 

[Artisi]

Well, GPA is a little on the low side, but that in itself doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue further study. Will you study by course work, thesis or a combination - this can open the possibility of study in a area more suited to your interests. Further, if employment is down you may as well consider further study as a means of increasing employment chances further down the line.

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)

 

[varun213]

I agree it is pretty low. Honestly it was my study habits and priorities. Last year and a half I finally decided to change up and every class was B or A potential. I improved but not enough to get it into the 3.0 range. My interests are definitely in the coursework side of a masters in ME. I like the Thermal and fluid sciences most.

How much more time consuming is an MSME usually? Cal State LA is the goal currently they have a 2.5 minimum gpa requirement to be admitted to their Masters in ME program. Not the best school but I think it'll work.

 

[dbill74]

It depends, what are your long term/career goals?
Do you want to design things? If so I question the value of a MSE. Even so it still depends what you want to design.
In this particular forum (HVACR Engineering) I don't know that a MSE is worth it, what HVAC employers are looking for more is a P.E. license, or at lest someone working to that end. (Make no mistake though, a MSE still looks good on a resume.)

With regards to other mechanical engineering design disciplines outside the HVACR field (I.E. machine design or aeronautics), I really couldn't tell you one way or the other. Have you asked in other forums?

If your career goals are academia or research, then the MSE is almost a must.

Lastly, if you aren't finding the job you want in Alaska, you should consider relocating to where the jobs are. You wouldn't be the first.

Good Luck.

 

[HVACMech]

I work in the industrial field (as and HVAC designer) and I know that all of my coworkers have MSE's. They are designing power plants, and other industrial processes. For HVAC in the MEP world I would say you do not need a MSE at all. Coming from that environment I know they want experience and you to have a PE.

 

[varun213]

To be honest I want a masters mainly to further my understanding of the concepts that were introduced to me during my BS. I think I can offer more to companies and honestly want to increase my chances of working in a more desirable field. Not so much HVAC (my fault for putting this thread in this section) I like turbo machinery and structural design using FEA modeling is pretty interesting as well.

I have applied to about 15-20 jobs specifically in the mechanical engineering field in the LA area since that is where I am from I would love to work back home.

From your experience could anybody provide some insight on this short scenario:
Suppose You want to work in Aeronautics but the only job you found was in HVAC, after 2 years of solid experience in the HVAC industry does that increase your chances of working in mechanical engineering industries? I have been told once you begin to build expertise in one area its tougher to work in other industries.

Its tough because I'm barely graduating and with a BSME I still dont know what is out there as far work that will truly interest me. With a masters I think i'd have more options to do more interesting work perhaps? Reason why i'll be applying for the Masters program at Cal State LA campus for fall 2016 term.

 

[miningman]

Well my comments here might thoroughly discourage you but I think you need to recognise the facts and reality. You've sent sent 20 or 30 applications ?? Tell me when the number of applications reaches 300, and then I might say you've put in a good start. I recently advertised for a junior / recent grad and had over 500 applicants. Its gotta be really brutal out there for recent grads. If you haven't yet recognised this fact , it might cause you to be a lot less fussy geographically where you apply to and it might help resolve the extra education question.

 

[QualityTime]

Getting a job is about being in the right place at the right time. Thinking that a higher degree will help get you that "job" is wishful thinking especially if you are at the entry level out of school. Most engineers do not even do engineering

 

[varun213]

No offense taken, I appreciate the honesty as I wouldn't have been in this position if I had not procrastinated my first 2 years of college. I will have to get busy with applications then sounds like. I plan to take the EIT after I graduate, but I also hear that EIT is not that important for ME majors. I'm sure it could help right?

TO: QualityTime

i would be quite disappointed if I didnt end up doing actual engineering on my job, but sadly I have heard that alot as well. Would a masters help me get job opportunities that actually do engineering on the job?

thanks again guys.

 

[HVACMech]

DEFINITELY take your FE exam!!!! I can't stress that enough! I have numerous friends who didn't in college and now 10 years later have a job that is pushing them to get a PE. If you end up in a job that wants you to get your PE, you will be kicking yourself you didn't take your FE exam back when you had the knowledge base for it.

I know some industries it is hard to get into right now. I since we are in the HVAC thread and I am an MEP engineer, I will just talk about my industry. In the MEP world there has been a large need for new engineers for a number of years now. I would bet you could find a job in Colorado, as an HVAC/plumbing engineer, at an MEP firm with only 10 applications!

As far as your other question I can shed a little light on being one engineer and then another. I am HVAC/plumbing engineer, and I worked at an MEP firm for a number of years, but now I am working for an industrial engineering company. While some of the principles are the same, both of us do engineering, the experiences I have from working the commercial MEP world are not helpful to working in the industrial world. When it comes to assisting them on a design or task, I am about as helpful as a new grad. So while you could absolutely switch fields after 2 years. I am sure no one would fault you for it, I am also sure you would probably have to take a pay cut back to where you were when you graduated. If you don't want to be an HVAC engineer, then you won't be good at it. Do what you find interesting and fun (like HVAC is!), that will make want to learn about your field, and make you a good engineer.

 

[varun213]

I like Hvac design but since I'm barely graduating we use Solidworks the most for simulating/designing anything. Or Pipe Flow Expert. I hear the industry mainly uses AutoCAD which I dread. I dont know why, i could never get into it as easily as solidworks and pipe flow. As far as what I want to design I am not sure, I can say I am an audiophile but that leads into analog circuitry design which is more electrical. Is there an industry of mechanical engineers working on Audio equipment for signal processing or Tranduscers?

 

[miningman]

Sounds like you haven't got a clue what you want to do. How does Audio equipment have any correlation whatsoever to HVAC??. Forget posting here hoping to hear someone reinforce what you want to hear......... you dont even know what it is you are seeking. AS someone else on these forums once posted, the place where you only hear what you want to hear is not here. Get a job, any job , go travelling, go do some volunteer work, spend some serious time thinking about what you want to do with the rest of your life and then go try it. No one here can help you with these decisions.

 

[varun213]

Its not necessarily HVAC related that im asking for dick.

Thread solved

 

[QualityTime]

I will relate to you my journey in my career. Life after graduation is all about the desire, the people skills, realizing when there is opportunity and sometimes luck. Life is not always fair but you learn from it and move on.

In university my professors said that most engineers change jobs twice within the first two years of graduation. They also said most engineers do not even do engineering. These words are very true.

When I graduated back in 1979 I did not have a job waiting for me when I graduated in civil engineering. That was true for 50% of my class. I really did not know how to look for a job. I was as green as they come. After about 3 months of looking I hopped on a plane to booming Alberta to look for a job. I got one working for the City in the solid waste department. I grew increasingly homesick and after about 6 months I quit and went back to Toronto. I got a job working for a very large American insurance company. They were hiring engineers to work in their loss prevention engineering department. Some of my classmates worked for them. I lasted there for 1.5 years. I did not feel that was my future. I did not know what I wanted to do.

By chance I walked in and applied for a job in a well-known Toronto based water and wastewater consulting firm. The fact that I did not know who this firm really was tells you how green I was. Other than taking a course in university I really did not know what this field was all about. I have been in this field since. I have been happy with my choice. There has never been a day where I have been bored or hated my job. With the marks I had in university I thought I would be the last person that would practice engineering as a career. I barely passed in university. I started off on a construction site as an inspector for civil works for a large expansion at a sewage plant. I took an interest in the mechanical and electrical drawings. I had good people on site to talk to. My takeaway from working on site is that I learned how to read drawings and visualize how things are built, where the problems occur and what it takes to build things. It really does help when you in later life because you can begin to talk with authority of how things are done. My other takeaway is that now I could see how things are built and watch water flow and really understand the concepts. If I had to I could now ace all of the engineering courses if I were back in university . All the stuff they were trying to teach me at university now all makes sense. Eventually I moved into the office and did mechanical process design starting as a project engineer. I eventually became a project manager and also did mechanical process design. My team would include structural engineers, architects, electrical engineers, instrumentation engineers, and HVAC/plumbing engineers. I took an interest in what all these engineers designed and how to read what they designed. I learned how they did things and how to feed them the information that they needed. I questioned them...why...what if...I learned how to keep the project running. I learned to see that some team members had the required skills and some were still learning but they were all on the team. I learned how to help the less experienced people in their field to get them moving. I eventually moved on to work for other firms…one in New York City. I am able to sell myself to others extremely confidently

For the last 12 years I have been working for myself. I am well recognized and trusted by municipalities. I can talk to clients with authority and confidence. Above all I have FACE VALUE with the clients. They trust me and my skills. But it was my initiative to learn as much as I could about the other disciplines that made me who I am today. I can go into a meeting to win a project or to talk about a project and the issues with confidence. The clients look to me. If anything really detailed is required you bring in that discipline but the client recognizes me as the leader.

The bottom line is that marks are not that important. The important thing is that you graduated. At work, nobody except new graduates ever talk about their marks in school and that is because they have nothing better to talk about. If you want to do engineering I suggest that you seek a job in a consulting firm and work to becoming a project manager so that you can run a team of engineers and be in front of the client and learn how to gain their confidence and learn how to sell. Once you become a “finder” of work you will be at the top of the pay scale. At the same time develop your people skills, thinking and technical skills in as many disciplines that you can. You will be amazed how handy this becomes. The payback is that you can always fall back on these technical skills to find work in tough times. A pure manager I am not so sure he will be that successful in finding work in tough times. If you are eager, willing to show the employer you will work hard and willing to ask questions you will find work. Once you find work the pressure will be off you and you will find that you start to think differently...and for the better.

Go knock on some doors asking if you can have a coffee with the engineer that is hiring to discuss what you have to offer them...which is eagerness, willingness to learn and work hard, spend extra time in the office to learn, willingess to ask questions, willingness to be on site. Anybody can submit a resume on line. Be different.

For your information I think that the people behind this eng-tips site are from the 1978 civil engineering graduating class at my university. I recognize the names

 

[EnergyProfessional]

here my advice:
1.take the FE ASAP: if I was hiring I would chose someone with FE (everything else equal) because a) that person made effort, b), I later don't have to worry about that person becoming a PE, and c) know that person has at least some verified knowledge. not taking the FE makes you look like uninterested in a career, and possibly not being able to pass it. Not a good plan to look like that. Many people never become PEs because they can't pass the FE. Prove to the hiring manager you are not one of them.
2. widen your area for applications and look more. If the situation is so dire where you live, move if needed. and there have to be more than 30 job openings in the US....
3. only go to grad school if you really want to learn. If you just do it for the addl. 2 letters behind your name, you will suffer and likely not be good. with your GPA it may be hard to get into a good school. you also need to take the GRE.

I went to gradschool when I had an engineering job (i still worked overtime...). it was very hard, and expensive. I also didn't get promoted due to getting an ME (I work for government, and HR openly say they don't care about graduate degrees since none of our positions require one). However, I'm glad I did it because I learned a lot and like to learn. Even if my current job does't pay me more, i know it would be easier to find a new job if needed.

Your main motivation for a graduate degree must be gaining knowledge, not money or desperation. I'm not sure if you are generally a good student, or if engineering is easy to you. If you feel you have talent, you should be able to get a graduate degree. i see you improved your GPA with motivation, good. It still was a bit low. i also don't know if your school was a had (good) or easy school. so it is hard to tell if a GPA of 3 is good or bad.

If you want to start grad school this fall, you should start now studying for GRE and applying. Obviously the first thing to do is find out what you want to do.

Not sure how the job situation is there, I know we have difficulty finding good applicants. We sometimes have to re-advertise later because no one suitable shows up. Applicants sometimes don't even show up for scheduled interviews (which would explain why they have to keep looking for jobs .

 

[QualityTime]

"...As far as what I want to design I am not sure, I can say I am an audiophile but that leads into analog circuitry design which is more electrical. Is there an industry of mechanical engineers working on Audio equipment for signal processing or Tranduscers?..."

Many engineers have careers in other engineering disciplines. Engineering school gives you the basics. It is at work where you learn how to apply it. The key word is that you LEARN how to apply it. No one is expecting you to design audio equipment coming out of school. It is not hard at all. Myself, for example, do process mechanical design and I am a civil engineer by training.