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I have a couple questions about the Engineering field and I could use advice from you guys who are currently in an Engineering program at a University or who have already graduated. I recently graduated from a University with a bachelors in philosophy. I am very happy I went through with this degree, however, I am discovering that my career plan (software development) is not really the path I want to pursue. I have attained the position and after working for a couple years I want something more, also something that pays better and is more interesting. I love the problem solving part of it but I don't like the 40-50 hrs/week of computer screen staring involved. After some consideration and some excitement drummed up by this thread I am considering going back for another Bachelors, but this time in Engineering. I am leaning towards Electrical Engineering as it involves a lot of problem solving but also involves some non-'screen staring' work as well. I guess my questions for you guys are: -Is taking an accelerated Bachelors (3 years) to get an engineering degree insane? -What are some of the defining characteristics of your work compared to other types of engineering. Contrast Mechanical, Environment, Electrical, etc. -Can any Engineers tell me the types of careers involved with Environmental Engineering and what kind of things does this major focus on. -What should I expect when going back to school... Can I hold a 30hr/week job and finish this program in 3 years? -Is the school that I attend all that important for the degree?
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Oct 19, 2009 19:05
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 11:00 |
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falcon2424 posted:How many courses do you need to take? I do not know anyone in the field so I would be going the Internship / Co-op / Job fair route. My Dad was an Engineer/Inventor of sorts, but he was in the Medical Device field, but I don't think that would help with the direction I want to go with my engineering degree (see below). As for the number of classes it looks like it will be 26ish, quite a few of them 4 credit courses. So at 4/5 classes a semester it would take 3 years if I stick to the Spring/Fall semesters (I would probably take summer courses if it ended up being the economic choice). More Info: I am specifically interested in alternate energy creation. So after doing a lot of reading today I was thinking Power/Mechanical Engineering, but I don't know if that's a viable major. Some sources point to mechatronics as being the major that deals both with Electrical and Mechanical but I am not sure if I will be able to focus enough on Power Engineering in this major. Maybe do Power Engineering for Bachelors and go for more schooling in Mechatronics afterward? edit: Does this sound more like something Environmental Engineering would cover? I guess a lot of this depends on my drive as a student to actually go for this degree, I am just looking for why this might be a mistake as I will definitely rack up a very large amount of student loans. Also if you know of any engineering scholarships stupid enough to fund a second-time undergrad that would be very helpful! Any other tips on how to make this cheaper for myself is welcome, though this isn't really the thread for this. I should start a thread "Help me get an Engineering degree! (Should I even get one?)" haha. Thanks for the responses by the way. Dangbe fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Oct 19, 2009 |
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Oct 19, 2009 22:19
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falcon2424 posted:
This is some really great advice, exactly what I was looking for. I felt like maybe I'd have a disadvantage going in to this major since I am older and already have a bachelors but I now think this could really work in my favor. I have also decided to slow my pace down and take 3-4 classes a semester so I can maintain a high GPA while still making money on the side. The school I plan on going to has a good engineering department focused on research which is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks for all of the advice and the encouragement to become an Engineer! I feel like the thread has been de-railed a bit partially because of me, so let's hear more stories of Engineers being Engineers.
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Oct 20, 2009 15:32
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Gatts posted:I just called up Ohio State. Even with credits transferred it'd probably take 4.5 - 5 years to do an Engineering Degree because I'd have to take pre-engineering classes. That's a long time at 28 next semester. I'd be starting over at 33. At least I've saved enough where I wouldn't have to worry about loans. This is what I'm scared of. I have a philosophy degree but I still think its going to be an entire bachelors degree instead of just a 2 or 3 year bachelors. Lucky for you, you have money saved up. I'm going to have to do the entire thing on student loans. Even expense of living will have to be covered by those. Is an electrical or chemical engineering degree worth 70k worth of debt?
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Oct 23, 2009 20:51
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Juriko posted:If you enjoyed engineering? Yes. You would be paying 700+ dollars a month back to the loan office, but you would also probably be making twice out of college what you would with another degree assuming you had no real work experience elsewhere. I wish I could know whether I would enjoy an engineering job prior to actually working one. I've read a lot about the jobs I'd be doing and they range from absolutely miserable to wonderfully interesting. So, I guess it depends on what job I land. I'm currently a software developer and the job market is similar, so, I guess if worse comes to worse I'll be in the same position I am now +70k worth of debt. Ouch.
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Oct 23, 2009 21:15
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El Kabong posted:Consider a community college pre-engineering program. The one I'm attending has a two year deal where all the credits will transfer to several four-year schools at a cost of about $11k for tuition and all fees, which is cheapcheapcheap compared to a single year at my alma mater. Would my education be compromised by doing this? I feel like at a good engineering school I should go there for all 4 years to get the best education possible. Is this not true? Besides missing out on "the best education" I feel like I might not be prepared for the higher level courses if I take lovely community college classes. Thoughts?
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Oct 28, 2009 15:32
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plester1 posted:I use that stuff at work and it's not that bad if you know what you're doing and observe the proper safety protocol Can you give me an idea of what working with catalysts in the energy industry is like. For example, what is it that you are engineering and what is it used for?
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Nov 9, 2009 18:18
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Is anyone in here studying electromagnetism? And if so, what does this involve? I'm trying to find information on what an electromagnetic engineer does but it is kind of convoluted and isn't explaining what kind of things are learned through this path of study. I assume there is a lot of physics but what makes this different from a physics degree? Also if you are in grad school please tell me what types of things you are doing academically.
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Dec 1, 2009 17:29
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