Re: College Degrees? OT


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Posted by Sherman in Idaho [24.32.202.166] on Thursday, August 08, 2013 at 14:38:17 :

In Reply to: College Degrees? OT posted by Sterling from TX [99.58.180.94] on Thursday, August 08, 2013 at 11:30:23 :

I think if you're interested in mechanical engineering, go for it. Yes there's math involved. That's what separates the "seat of the pants" guys from the ones who can actually prove that the design will indeed be strong enough, and no stronger (more expensive) than necessary, and so on. Theory is good. I don't consider anything to be properly designed until it can both be built and made to work and PROVED that it ought to work. The first part is usually easier than the second, but a lot of things can be cobbled together and made to work, but are not manufacturable or have hidden flaws that come back to bite you later.

You're coming at engineering from the right direction -- a guy who has practical knowledge of how things are made and how they work, and now wants to learn the theory behind it. In the real world, the computers do all the math for you these days, but in school you still have to learn the math so that later on you'll know if the computer is lying to you (which they sometimes do). You might just have "math-phobia", and you'll find out that once you get into it, and a good teacher is teaching you step by step, it's not nearly as mysterious as you think.

Job-wise, engineers will always be in demand. The pay is good because not very many people are really good at it, and a good engineer can design things in such a way that the customer will think they work well and are affordable and the manufacturer will think is easy to build and profitable. It doesn't matter if it's a bridge or a cell phone, the same factors apply. In my experience, guys with an innate aptitude for engineering are never really happy in management, even though the companies tend to push them in that direction. If you like to design and build stuff, get an engineering degree and learn how to design and build stuff better, rather then getting an MBA and hanging out with the bean counters and stock analysts.

A BSME from any reputable school is a good thing to have. An MSME is considerably better. PhDs in engineering aren't worth the trouble or the money. Big-name colleges might pop out on the top of the resume pile, but realistically any good state university with a meaningful engineering program will be fine. I don't know that an MIT is worth the extra investment.

If you do decide to go to engineering school, try to get the most hands-on real-world experience you can. There may be a work/study summer program you can do with some local company. You might be able to do a "senior project" - a 400-level course in which you design and build something from scratch. If you get a masters, go for the thesis option, if they have that option, and try to do a thesis project in cahoots with some company. I got lucky and Boeing not only gave me a thesis project (electrical engineering) but paid me an RA salary to work on it. Good engineering schools have good connections with local businesses.

What you want, when you're writing up that first resume, is things you can point to to show that you know how to actually build things in the real world. That puts you ahead of all the guys who just have good grades and a bunch of theory, but who the companies know are going to have to go through an unproductive period of apprenticeship before they can do useful work.

Good luck!



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