Would You Encourage Your Kids to become Engineers? 4

[Christine74]

Suppose you had a child that was in the process of choosing which career path to pursue. Knowing what you know now about the engineering profession, would you encourage them to pursue that field of study, assuming that they had the necessary skills to succeed as an engineer?

I think most of us would agree that there are plenty of other careers out there that earn better pay, garner higher status, and get better benefits than engineers. And many of these degrees are much easier to obtain than an engineering degree.

What would you advise your children?

Thanks.


-Christine

 

[Lion06]

I would advise my child to pursue what they feel they enjoy the most. I know that is a lukewarm answer at best, but I really feel there is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from enjoying your chosen profession that extra money can't compensate for.
While it is true that doctors, lawyers, and many other professions make more money than engineers, I would not want to do anything other than what I do right now. I spent 10 years in manufacturing earning much more than I do now as an engineer (and I am not compensated poorly), but absolutely hated my job.
I really feel like chasing the almight dollar at the expense of choosing a profession that you enjoy will do nothing to enhance your life and can be very detrimental.
That's just my take.

 

[DaveVikingPE]

"Knowing what you know now about the engineering profession, would you encourage them to pursue that field of study, assuming that they had the necessary skills to succeed as an engineer?"

Undergraduate, yes.

From there, you can do anything - other than engineering. Law or finance...

Or, if the kid has talent in music or sports: pursue rock stardom or pro sports.

 

[ctopher]

I never advised what my kids should be. I have always told them to pick something you will like and will be good at. My son is currently enrolled in engineering school. His choice. Then he is going on to get his PHD in Physics.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 4.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-21-07)

 

[JStephen]

I became an engineer because I was interested in engineering. Neither of my kids are, and I think it would be a mistake for either of them to go into engineering for that reason.

The second semester I was in college, I got a new roommate in the dorm. His dad was a petroleum engineer, making big money with his own oil company, and felt the son should follow in his footsteps. Only the son had no interest whatever in engineering. He lasted one semester.

 

[metengr]

I think most of us would agree that there are plenty of other careers out there that earn better pay, garner higher status, and get better benefits than engineers./quote]

Yes, but would they be happy with their career choice? Do they like what they do, do they enjoy working 8-10 hours a day? I do not agree there are "plenty" of other careers earning better pay. Most engineers in their field with over 20 years of expierence are doing well, overall. Education or degrees so not guarantee wealth in this country, it is a combination of education and what you have inside of you (ambition or drive).

And many of these degrees are much easier to obtain than an engineering degree.

Completely disagree with this statement. You look at the time spent for schooling to obtain a PhD, MD, DDS, JD (more than 4 years +). In fact, the NCEES organization that regulates the licensing of professional engineers in the US is trying to increase the educational requirements for obtaining a license because of these "other" professional degree programs that are licensed.

 

[Qshake]

metengr - I respectfully disagree with your assessment of the quote and offer this....

what other fields of study (except those with loose connections to various engineering fields such as physics and chemistry) require students to pour over chapter after chapter of complex mathematical or scientific theory then with a good understanding of that theory play games with the input or output, which is essentially what engineers do. Engineers apply obscure theory to the practical gain of humans everywhere.

To highlight this I will take a case that I'm aware of and concede that this is probably an extreme. There was once a statement made by child of president when entering the university. She said that she would major in history and pursue Medical school afterward. Please tell me how this can be?

Regards,
Qshake

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[sms]

I love being an engineer, so yes if one of my kids was interested in engineering I would certainly encourage it. My Dad was an engineer, and so was my Grandfather. So far of my five kids, four have not been interested in engineering, my youngest son is a possibility, but he is only 12 and has not given career plans much thought yet.

I firmly believe that doing what you love is fundamental to success, and that money is not the best measure of success. Even so I am quite pleased with my financial situation as well.




"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970

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[JRESE]

My son just recently graduated with an engineering bachelor's degree from Harvey Mudd College, consistently ranked number one or two of the top engineering programs in the US for colleges offering only undergrad degrees. I actively encouraged him to get an engineering degree, and actively discouraged him from an engineering career. I believe that an engineering education is very valuable, and better preparation than a business degree or law degree for someone interested in pursuing a business career. I can't cite the source, but I read somewhere that 25% of the CEO's in the US have an undergrad engineering degree (think Jack Welsh at GE). I think that as companies become more dependent on technology, an understanding of that technology will become more important for business leadership.

However, I also think that the outlook for a career in engineering in the US is in decline. With the increasing ability for engineering to be accomplished offshore, and the H1-B situation, I think that salaries will fail to keep up. The general public doesn't understand nor value what we do, and the liability situation is out of control. Most engineering companies do a very poor job of developing their engineers for leadership.

My son's first job is with a management consulting firm, and plans to get an MBA within the next 8-10 years. As far as I am concerned, that the right thing for him to do.

 

[metengr]

metengr - I respectfully disagree with your assessment of the quote and offer this....

Qshake;

That is fine to disagree. I am glad I am an Engineer, I find it rewarding and challenging professionally, and am compensated well for my talents.

But your statement did not convince me of how hard/easy engineering is relative to other professions. Comparing the Engineering profession to other professions is like apples to grapefruit.

 

[SWComposites]

JRESE - I have a son probably going into engineering in a couple of years. Could you post some pro's/con's of Harvey Mudd from your and your son's points of view? Would be most appreciated; thanks in advance.

 

[jgoebel]

engineering is a dead end

 

[apsix]

jgoebel, I believe you spelt real deal incorrectly.

 

[ctopher]

Engineering sure beats flipping hamburgers!
You have to love the work. If you are into engineering for the $$, you will not be happy. An engineering degree can also help you in other fields. You can't say that about other degrees for the engineering field.

Chris
SolidWorks 07 4.0/PDMWorks 07
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 04-21-07)

 

[JRESE]

In response to SWComposites re: Harvey Mudd College

HMC is a small (750 students) private liberal arts college in Claremont, CA, part of the Claremont College Consortium. It is contiguous with Scripps College (women), Pomona College, Claremont McKenna College, Pitzer College, two grad schools. HMC offers degrees in math, biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics. It is consistently ranked in the top one or two of undergrad only ( i.e. no post-bacc. studies) engineering colleges in the US. HIGHLY selective. Website is

http://www.hmc.edu

Pro:

1. An exceptional education. Being a liberal arts college, the education includes humanities studies to a significant extent. All classes are taught by a Phd, no teaching aides. Average class size is 8 students. It is not unusual to be invited to the prof’s house for dinner, or have the prof show up at a dorm party or sporting event. HMC has an exceptional reputation with hard science grad schools.

2. The 5C (five Claremont Colleges) community. The colleges combine resources, meaning that each of the schools has libraries, facilities such as science labs, sports teams and facilities, etc. that a solo liberal arts school can’t provide. It’s very easy and common for HMC students to enroll and attend classes at the other schools.

3. Geographic location. 10 miles or so from Ontario, CA airport. Access to all that LA offers.

4. On-campus housing is nearly 100% for all 4 years. (By the way, being a private school, if they graduate, they do it in 4 years, none of this taking 5 or more years because you can’t get the classes you need. At the cost for tuition (see con’s), parents wouldn’t tolerate that stuff.) Students can do very well without a car on campus.

5. Misc. a) A very respected clinic program, like a senior project, but starts midway through junior year. This program includes actual work on projects sponsored by gov. agencies and tech corporations. b) High participation in intramural sports. c) We are very impressed with my son’s fellow students. No slackers/dummies here. d) An honor code which gives students access to college facilities 24/7, no cheating, etc. e) A tradition of doing high-tech pranks on faculty and other dorms, even going so far as to steal Cal Tech’s cannon from their campus.

6. Policy on parties and alcohol. Basically, it’s a hands-off attitude unless thing get even a little bit out of control. We all know kids will drink at college. HMC let’s them have alcohol parties on campus. Over the 4 years my son was at school, I did not hear of a single DUI or other off-campus alcohol related problem.

Con:

1. Cost. Freshman year total cost (tuition, housing, board, book) was $41k, senior year $45k.

2. Grades. HMC has a “no grade inflation” policy, which is unusual for colleges these days. Most students will see a 1.5 GPA drop from their high school GPA. This is not a problem when applying for engineering/science grad school, because the policy is known by them, but applying for jobs and non-science/engineering grad school is tough. Reportedly, only four students have graduated with a 4.0 in the fifty years the college has been in existence. Compare to Harvard, which graduates huge numbers of students with a 4.0 every year.

3. Political correctness. Race/class/gender/identity politics. This is an issue at nearly every college.

4. Food. It sucks. Trust me, I know.

5. Rigor. Expect to do in one semester the work you would do at a state college in one year. These kids do a lot of 16-20 hour days.

All said, a good choice for my son. Sorry for the long off-topic response. Maybe this should have been a new topic .

 

[sms]

jgoebel wrote "engineering is a dead end"

For you I would guess it is. Why are you wasting your time with it?


For me it has been far far from a dead end.





"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.

 

[SomptingGuy]

Backing right up to the OP:

I would try to inform my child what an "engineer" spends his/her day/week/month/year doing. In most plces, pay is better than flipping burgers but worse than counting burgers flipped.

If my child liked finding out how things worked, breaking them and then fixing them, what's better?

 

[Qshake]

metengr - I too love my profession. I meant point out that Business degrees, Liberal Arts (Literature, History etc), Fine Arts, Physical Therapy degrees etc, don't have the challenge as engineering does with Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Differential Equations etc. So yes, I do consider some degrees much easier to earn.

Regards,
Qshake

Eng-Tips Forums:Real Solutions for Real Problems Really Quick.

 

[Tunalover]

I've been in the profession for 23yrs after getting a BSME from a major university. While the general public may hold engineers in high regard you certainly can't tell from the workplace.

It started out that there were mechanical draftsmen and mechanical designers to handle the drawings and detailed layouts for the MEs. Then many companies (except for the bigger ones) did away with these guys. Now the mechanical engineers do the engineering AND the layouts AND the drawings (but it hasn't escaped my notice that EEs still have designers to help them). I feel that so much has been asked of me that my skills and creativity have become diluted. I feel that, as a design engineer, I've reached the point where I'm not really good at ANYTHING!

Getting back to the subject, if asked for my recommendation I would NOT recommend engineering as a profession unless he/she can enter a narrow yet promising specialty where he/she can become an expert (e.g. nanotechnology). Given the education, knowledge, and brainpower required in this profession the pay and recognition are inadequate. Also since the US govt really has no technology plan worthy of discussion and because business leaders see no profit in cooperating with their peers at other companies, where is high technology headed besides overseas?








Tunalover

 

[kchayfie]

Engineering is a way of thinking and a way of looking at the world. If the child's brain seems wired up the right way to be an engineer, I would positively encourage them to find out if it interests them. The final decision is of course up to them.