Engineering degree - worthwhile for me?

PLCBox

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Hi guys,

I have a technical diploma and am a technologist working in automation.

I am considering going back to school for an engineering degree with the thought that there will be less travel, more pay, and greater opportunities for advancement as I get older.

I have two questions:

1) I have the opportunity to enter into the Elect. Eng. program, and also Mech. Eng. and Software Eng. The most transfer credits I will receive is in the Mech Eng. program due to the way my technology diploma was structured. However, I can also take the Electrical or Software with just a few additional make up courses. I enjoy working with PLCs and controls and I like programming (at least at this point in my life). Should I do the EE program? Can Mech Eng's still do controls stuff? Also any opinion on the Software Eng. degree?

2) I am almost 30 years old, but I have this opportunity to go back for 2 or 3 years and get the degree. I don't have kids/wife right now so it is possible to do, but I worry about graduating at 32 with minimal experience. If I don't go back there's 2 or 3 years extra experience and money I could get with the tech. diploma. I think after 10 or 15 years the money would even out and then I would start making more with the Engineering degree. What do you guys think? I guess the question isn't "Am I too old" since everyone always seems to say "no you're never too old". Maybe the question should be "Is it a good decision to go back?"
 
I went back to school at 31 graduated in 1989 with a Masters. Worked more in that field until 1996 when I decided that had been a poor career move. I to some extent regret what I did especially dollar wise but had some very enjoyable times, learned a whole lot both in school and in the field and most important to me I NEVER ask myself "what if I had tried?.

They cannot take the knowledge and experiences back.

When I was exploring going back to school in 76 and asked several electrical outfits what my worth would be having been an electrician and as a EE they told me nearly invaluable you can talk with both the electricians and the engineers (in today lingo it would be "been there done that"). I predict same for you.
There are several posts maybe a year or two old that ask the same question. I believe it is worth your time to do a search and get all the opinions.

I would recommend the ME and then the EE. The reason is that if the machine is not properly designed mechanically then controls are not going to overcome bad design. Being able to wear the mechanical and the elelctrical hats should put you in very good shape.

Dan Bentler
 
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definitely do it. I know alot of mech engineers that do automation. think about it like this, the job market is going to be alot more inflated with all of these jobs being lost and stuff, whatever you have to add to your resume is a plus. I only have a technical degree and wish I could go back to school. I make great money, but they cant take the degree from you.
 
Don't count on the degree leading to jobs that require less travel, but it should open up more opportunities for you and the more opportunities you have, the better the chances for higher pay. Many more doors are open to degreed engineers than to those with associates degrees or tech school diplomas.

Tom Jenkins and I (and probably several others) are proof that a person with a degree in ME can do controls successfully. You can make a pretty compelling argument that in some controls disciplines (motion control for example) a background in ME is equally important as an EE background.

but I worry about graduating at 32 with minimal experience
The experience you've accumulated up to now will still be valid when you get the degree. The fact that you already have some practical, hands-on experience will make you a better student. You will be better able to grasp the implications of the material you'll be studying. For example, the study of Physics won't be memorization of a bunch of abstract equations, but a method of understanding observable behaviors.
 
Don't get an engineering degree unless you have a passion to use it.

Too many engineers get their degree and then forget what they have learned and become the engineers the electricians and maintenance people find worthless.

Ditto, what Steve said. I have an EE degree but do mostly control theory, hydraulics and mechanical work. We are getting a lot of robotics, 3DOF and 6DOF applications now and most engineers can't do the math.

Good mechanical engineers are hard to find and it is a pleasure to work with them. In the end I don't think it makes much difference what degree you get as long as you are flexible. I rarely work with current of voltages. I didn't plan it that way it just worked out that way so you never know what to expect.
 
Go for it. Your 32nd birthday will come and go whether you have a degree or not. You're never too old. The degree will open doors easily where you would have to struggle and fight to open those same doors as a technologist.
 
Go for it. It took me 8 years to get my EE degree. I worked as a tech on 2nd and went to school during the day. Heck I almost had tenure as a student. The degree has opened so many doors for me.
 
Do it. You have a long career ahead of you. There isn't a case where you'd be the worse for it. You only have to weigh the opportunity cost of those 2-3 years.
 
I was in the same boat

I was in the same boat as you, and ended up pursuing EE. This is what I have found. If you work for a large company, without some sort of BS degree, you will hit a glass ceiling. If you work for a small company, the degree carries less weight, but the knowledge picked up in pursuing the BS will help you greatly. I cannot imagine truly understanding the physics behind control without having the upper level courses and calculus classes. Even while going to school, I found myself outperforming other techs, just because of the newfound knowledge and fundamental understanding. This would come just as well with an ME background, I believe. FYI, for both ME and EE, North Dakota has an online engineering degree that is ABET accredited. I took 2 classes there in my pursuit, and it worked well. You should check it out if you're considering learning while still working.
 
I prefer to work with controls engineers with ME degrees in the process control field. They have a better understanding of how the equipment operates, e.g., compressors, boilers, heat exchangers, air handlers, pumps, valves, etc., and therefore can do a better design. A lot of EE programs have eliminated statics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics, so the EEs in those programs will probably not do as well in process control. Go for the ME degree.
 
So I guess ME is just as good a choice as EE if I still want to do controls. I'm not sure if that's what I want to do forever though, so I guess I should consider the career options outside of controls and how those related to the EE and ME degrees.

Nobody's mentioned the software engineering degree yet so I'll take that as a sign that it's not the best match for controls work. From what I've seen, the general consensus is to stay away from SE anyways.
 
I know that some of bigger oil companies make their engineer's cross train in the different disciplines. you may do electrical as a EE for a few years then be switched over to ME work.
 
What programs

I prefer to work with controls engineers with ME degrees in the process control field. They have a better understanding of how the equipment operates, e.g., compressors, boilers, heat exchangers, air handlers, pumps, valves, etc., and therefore can do a better design. A lot of EE programs have eliminated statics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics, so the EEs in those programs will probably not do as well in process control. Go for the ME degree.


What programs have eliminated these? They sound like flimsy programs that aren't ABET accredited. My advise is to not waste time on a non-accredited program. Instead, find one that is if you're going to put the effort forth.
 

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