|
How much better is an engineering degree then an engineering technology degree? I have an associates in electrical engineering technology, and I want to go back to college. I really want to go for a bachelors in electrical engineering instead of engineering technology but it looks like almost none of my credits will transfer for that. If I go for the bachelor's in technology it's probably going to be two years less work, plus it's something I enjoyed and was good at. What do you guys think?
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 00:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 10:23 |
|
|
I'm sorry, what is an engineering technology degree? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineering_technologist quote:The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology describes the difference between engineering and engineering technology as: "Engineering and technology are separate, but intimately related professions. Here are some of the ways they differ: First time I've ever heard of anything like this. What do you learn exactly?
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 00:32
|
|
|
I'm not entirely sure of the differences myself. I get the feeling that the technology degree is just a dumbed-down engineering degree. There's less physics, less math, no work co-ops. I was hoping someone could tell me how much of that matters after I graduate. Here's the programs I'm looking at, if you're interested: Electrical Engineering Electrical Engineering Technology
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 01:10
|
|
|
Aardlof posted:I'm not entirely sure of the differences myself. I get the feeling that the technology degree is just a dumbed-down engineering degree. There's less physics, less math, no work co-ops. I was hoping someone could tell me how much of that matters after I graduate. A place that I cooped hired these from time to time, though I never had much direct contact with them. From what I understand they are basically a tech, they may do some troubleshooting , but never any design or "real" engineering. They made a decent salary starting off (~$50k) but didn't have much opportunity for advancement compared to an EE. OctaviusBeaver fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Nov 16, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 01:33
|
|
|
EE=engineer EET=technician There's a big gulf in pay and job opportunities; go for EE over EET.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 02:19
|
|
|
Aardlof posted:How much better is an engineering degree then an engineering technology degree? He also showed us this very informative graphic: http://www.csupomona.edu/~et/img/slide1.jpg Sales is a big one because it's nice to have someone with a little bit of a technical background doing that. There's a lot more words on their page: http://www.csupomona.edu/~et/ Personally, I'm not really into it but I could see how some people want to be close to engineering but not exactly an engineer. Wolfy fucked around with this message at 06:01 on Nov 16, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 05:58
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:57 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 16:25
|
|
|
And for the intangibles: an actual engineering degree sets your smugness threshold much higher That's why I'm becoming an engineer
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 14:17
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 16:03
|
|
|
Thoguh posted:You've obviously never worked with a 60 year old lab tech who's been working on the same process in the same lab since before you were born. Not a real engineer 
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 16:48
|
|
|
My favorite is when they treat you like an idiot for not knowing how to use whatever ancient piece of custom-made industrial equipment they use every day. And when after a week or so of working with them, you realize that they really have no idea how it works either.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 16:52
|
|
|
It also varies by school, I got an MET bachelors for the exact same reasons as Aardlof, where I went to community college first and didn't want to repeat a year and a half of it to drop the "technology" from my degree. Our coursework was the same as a full bachelors except we were not forced to take DiffEQ to graduate, even though it was offered and most of the guys in my program took it as an elective. We had a few more hands-on classes than a pure ME would, things like welding and machining and wiring. Graduates from my program were allowed to take the FE/EIT exams and we had a better pass rate than the ME programs at the other state schools. Basically it was a really good technology program. I think another difference was that they didn't require a PhD to teach, only a master's, although most of my profs were PhDs. The best prof there was one of the non-PhDs. As far as I can tell it hasn't affected my career one bit, I'm employed as an engineer with competitive pay.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 18:32
|
|
|
Traitorous Leopard posted:Not a real engineer You will get soooooo arsefucked in the workplace if you actually have that attitude. I've seen it and it's awesome when they get destroyed 
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 15:22
|
|
|
I am in school for Mech E (not MET cause im better than that gently caress you all) My experience with METs is that they usually work at smaller companies and the college programs are more hands on. For example one college I looked at BSMETs have a course on dedicated to PLCs/Machine Controls that the BSMEs do not have. This is something probably every engineer should understand before entering the work place but it is omitted from a lot of BSME programs. Math requirements are lower and typical first 2 year weed out classes are far less/less difficult. Someone coming in with Trig level math knowledge can complete a BSMET in 4 years, it will likely take the BSME student 5.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 15:43
|
|
|
Nam Taf posted:You will get soooooo arsefucked in the workplace if you actually have that attitude. I've seen it and it's awesome when they get destroyed I was joking.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 16:31
|
|
|
I had a supervisor with an MET degree once, we mocked him mercilessly for it. He also claimed that he did all the math an M.E would have done, to which we asked him why he didn't get a real ME degree. He actually had a masters in engineering technology too. But I think mostly he got poo poo because he was just generally a douche, if I didn't know from all the poo poo we gave him I wouldn't have known otherwise. But that place was a shithole, our manager went to DeVry and knew less than anyone, and his boss was one of those "worked my way up from the factory floor, did my MBA at night school" types. honestly though, it does look bad and unless you're able to get a job via internships/connections you'll have a harder time getting a job. I see job listings that say "engineering technology degrees do not qualify for this position" all the time. and it really sucks to have a four year degree and end up working as a tech. it's decently paid, but the jobs are hard to find and really hard to move out of, and it is usually total bitch work.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 16:38
|
|
|
I've seen opposite. I am in Technology Center of a big petroleum company and we have Mech Techs with 20-30 years of experience, which can handle the development of new sensors better than some PhDs. Of course they may be lacking some fundamental knowledge, but they have pragmatic approach and very good feel of equipment and processes, which in many cases may be better that knowing the equation behind the sensor. With this said - although they have good compensation and are very respected their career opportunities are still limited, simply because they don't have "the degree".
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 16:42
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 16:49
|
|
|
Thoguh posted:Wait, what's wrong with doing your MBA at night school? Basically every engineer with an MBA did it via evening/weekend classes. Otherwise you have to take time off of work and not get tuition reimbursement. Nothing probably. I think he was implying the guy was an obnoxious bootstraps guy.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 16:58
|
|
|
wide stance posted:Nothing probably. I think he was implying the guy was an obnoxious bootstraps guy. There is something obnoxious about people who work up in the world?
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 17:16
|
|
|
Vomik posted:There is something obnoxious about people who work up in the world? Nope, but since it's becoming harder and harder to work up in the world it's becoming more and more obnoxious to wave your hands and say "just work harder!" Because sometimes it doesn't work. (Work hard anyway.)
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 17:46
|
|
|
Thoguh posted:Engineering Technology is applications without theory. So it basically means being a lab tech. Not a bad job at all and for a lot of people it'll be exactly what they want to do. The downside will be that an ET graduate is going to be very limited in their ability to move upward or even to a different company, since much of their knowledge will end up being process and equipment specific.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2011 23:28
|
|
|
grover posted:The market is so flooded with engineers ... Yeah, that's why I cannot find a good ME with experience for my team for a year already...
|
|
#
?
Nov 19, 2011 00:36
|
|
|
ole_bjorne posted:Yeah, that's why I cannot find a good ME with experience for my team for a year already... It's hard to find work at the entry level. It took me over a year to get my first engineering job. Now that I have some experience under my belt, looking for the next one has been MUCH easier.
|
|
#
?
Nov 19, 2011 00:39
|
|
|
Traitorous Leopard posted:I was joking. I figured you might be - I intended the 'you' to be the generic 'you', for any who may not be joking about that attitude (and who I've seen a few of).
|
|
#
?
Nov 19, 2011 02:33
|
|
|
grover posted:I'm sure there are exceptions out there, but literally every person I know with an engineering tech degree regrets not going for the full BS in engineering. The market is so flooded with engineers that they have a hard time competing as an engineering tech, even for jobs that were classically "technician" jobs; it's a HUGE limiting factor for both salary and job opportunities. Regret's a pretty strong word, but would I prefer a BSME to what I have? Probably. But I actually regret not taking the FE exam more than I regret the T on the end of my degree. Everyone in my class who took it passed it easily, and it looks great on a resume.
|
|
#
?
Nov 19, 2011 08:19
|
|
|
Vomik posted:There is something obnoxious about people who work up in the world? Those kind of managers tend to be people that know everything about their little kingdom, and think that therefor they know everything about everything, and end up being really reluctant to change or take any lessons from the outside world. And yes, the "when I started here in 1972" stories do get obnoxious.
|
|
#
?
Nov 19, 2011 18:11
|
|
|
Speaking of engineering techs, what have you all heard about people with engineering degrees taking up tech jobs? I'm not one of these people but tech positions at my company these days are getting filled by fresh graduates with ABET accredited engineering degrees. I was just curious how these people fare in the long term. I understand times are tough and it is 10x better to take a tech job than nothing. Hell, since techs get overtime, a lot of them make more money than I do. I'm just wondering if these people could qualify to get PEs and whatnot as engineering techs. The attitude from what I picked up seems to be that the longer you're a tech, the harder the chance it is to move on or up as an engineer. Edit: The reason I brought it up was the tech discussion here and that I noticed that tech jobs are being filled by engineers. Maybe the market is bad but it would be too bad for these people if they couldn't be an engineer 5-10 years down the road because they were a tech to start off with. The Experiment fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Nov 21, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2011 06:16
|
|
|
Does anyone with a Mech E even get a P.E.? The only ones I know are professors.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2011 06:29
|
|
|
A big construction firm I interviewed at said they required MEs to eventually get a PE. I'm kind of surprised that companies would hire engineers for tech jobs. Personally, I'd be looking to leave as soon as an engineering position came up/I could tick the "1 year experience" box, and I assume most other recent graduates would feel the same way.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2011 07:19
|
|
|
T.H.E. Rock posted:I'm kind of surprised that companies would hire engineers for tech jobs. Personally, I'd be looking to leave as soon as an engineering position came up/I could tick the "1 year experience" box, and I assume most other recent graduates would feel the same way. I'm curious, what kind of technician's jobs are we talking about here? I've only worked in the world of startups, where everyone has to do a bit of everything.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2011 13:20
|
|
|
Lord Gaga posted:Does anyone with a Mech E even get a P.E.? The only ones I know are professors. I have three close friends with M.E. degrees and only one is going for their PE. He is with a design firm doing HVAC and other air exchange stuff for architects. The other two are in oil and gas and roll around in money all day.
|
|
#
?
Nov 21, 2011 14:42
|
|
|
The Experiment posted:Speaking of engineering techs, what have you all heard about people with engineering degrees taking up tech jobs? grover fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Nov 22, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 22, 2011 01:02
|
|
|
CCKeane posted:It's hard to find work at the entry level. It took me over a year to get my first engineering job. Now that I have some experience under my belt, looking for the next one has been MUCH easier. Man, I am really thankful for my co-op program now. None of my classmates have had issues picking up jobs, mostly because they have ~2.5yrs of experience upon entering the market. Now whether that experience was actually worthwhile / taught them anything is left as an exercise for the reader...
|
|
#
?
Nov 22, 2011 01:04
|
|
|
Lord Gaga posted:Does anyone with a Mech E even get a P.E.? The only ones I know are professors. I interned at a fire protection consulting firm which requires PEs (eventually) if you worked there full time. Most were ME grads but the PE was for Fire Protection Engineering. So, sort of.
|
|
#
?
Nov 22, 2011 02:36
|
|
|
I had a Materials professor (not an engineer, but close?) who did expert testimony on cases where things failed and people got seriously seriously hurt. I think you need to be licensed to do that, and he made it seem both interesting and lucrative. It was very Phoenix Wright, the way he described it. One of these days I want to get a PE so I can solve mysteries in the courtroom.
|
|
#
?
Nov 22, 2011 04:01
|
|
|
movax posted:Man, I am really thankful for my co-op program now. None of my classmates have had issues picking up jobs, mostly because they have ~2.5yrs of experience upon entering the market. Yeah, pretty much the single biggest piece of advice for engineering undergrads is find a co-op or internship (or research position) while you're in the school, and the earlier the better. I had a hell of a time finding a job after I graduated and eventually opted to get my MS in the meantime.
|
|
#
?
Nov 22, 2011 04:58
|
|
|
my MET program require diffEQ, work co-ops, etc. our senior design project was more involved too. The big differences were that we had more lab classes and the classes were a little dumbed down. The derivation for formulas were explained but we generally only had to plug/chug with the base formulas. edit: currently design tooling for capital equipment assembly. edit2: also passed the FE, though I agree that there is generally a stigma attached to the programs. Molybdenum fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Nov 22, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 22, 2011 17:28
|
|
|
A scene from my old engineering student bar. I stopped by recently because it has the cheapest beer around. Some things never change!
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2011 03:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 10:23 |
|
|
You lie. Girls like that are never seen around Engineers!
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2011 13:32
|
|