[Matt60158]

I am finish up my undergraduate degree and starting to look into industry vs graduate school. Just looking for any words of wisdom or advice that anyone is willing to give.

Thanks.

Matt

[kfiducia]

this may have become obvious to you as you finish your BS (bachelors degree) but if not i'll share what i have found...

a BS degree is not anything more than training you to think and laying a framework for your future education, whether it is through industry or grad school. when i finished i really didn't feel i had the skills to actually perform ANY particular job, but i had the framework to do a lot of jobs with additional training.

deciding which path to take is mostly about your interests. if you already know where you are wanting to work and you have the skills to land the job, do it, let the company pay for your MS, then if you love the job, stay. if you wouldn't mind doing the same thing with a different company, look for a new job. transferring companies will net you more pay raise than staying put usually.

if you don't know what you want to do or don't think your skills are advanced enough for the position, look at higher education. the MOST IMPORTANT decision now is choosing a school and a concentration. pick research that interests you in a field you would like to work in. otherwise you will be there just for the degree and be just as lost as you started. make sure you meet the professor doing the research, this will make or break a project. i work on two, and although one is much more interesting, the other by far gets more attention because the professor is more respectful of his grad students. this should be well researched and should not be overlooked. the most fun, educational, and beneficial part of graduate level education is the research or projects you will work on. you will interact with professors on a much different level, they become colleagues, and when it comes time for finding a job, a well connected professor will yield some handy results in getting interviews.

personally i am finishing up my masters in electrical engineering and enjoy the projects i am working on, but have found i have no interest in being an engineer. so for me i lost a majority of the value, however, since i wasn't really sure what i wanted to do (and the MS was only an extra year) i went ahead with it. with further exposure to the industry and education in the field i was able to narrow down what i wanted to do or not do. and i wasn't stuck in a job i didn't care for that i took only to pay bills and then can't quit because i need it to support my lifestyle.

lastly, the finances. if you can afford it, and you want to do it, do it now. its harder later to remember the framework and take the time out of your schedule. its only a little more education, and as a LOT of people will tell you, "you have 40 more years of your life to work, don't rush it."

i'm glad i went for the MS, even though it isn't done, i got to spend more time learning what i want to do for the next 40 years, being young and free of many obligations, learning things irrelevant to my career, etc.

although i worked to pay for school, i was able to do both easily, even if it was just by saving a bunch over the summer while not taking classes. and after the BSEE, i felt no money crunch so i stayed on for MSEE.

and if you need one more reason to do more school, let your buddies from college graduate, find jobs, then call them to get an interview with their company, you'll be making more than them when you get the job.

i hope someone that went the other route chimes in, because i know there are people that get out, find a job they love and never look back. i know there are also people that look back, as there are a fair share of 40+ year old people in my grad classes. let me tell you, its tough for them, the young guys are smarter, faster, funnier and know more people, the older guys are lost in relearning the basics.

i'm sure i started to ramble a while ago and offered you no real answers, but its very conditional. i think if you are even considering it you should identify why, and focus on that. the only negative thing i can say about more school is that you are poor that much longer, but like i said, its only another year or so. PHD is too much school and too many poor years for me (another 3 at least), but if i found some project i really loved, i could probably justify it.

hope this at least offers some perspective for you.

[BrownBoy]

I'm in my second year of Mechanical engineering at university and that last post was very inspiring.

Thank you!

[Stew]

I got my B.S. in Chemical Engineering, my M.S. in Chemical with an emphasis in Petroleum Engineering. What kfiducia said about finding a program and instructors you like is soo important. I hated the graduate level Chemical engineering program, but loved the Petroleum engineering program. Today, a B.S. doesn't really distinguish you from everyone else, so a college degree isn't what it used to be a few years ago, so many people have them now. That was one reason for my decision to get a MS, that and the program since there are so few Petroleum engineering programs unless you live in Texas/Oklahoma.

Working in industry is great if you find a job you really enjoy, as I did. The best part is, if you work for a big company, they will most likely pay for your grad school - my independent company didnt =/ Its pretty amazing how you will network once you start working, and even in grad school, many professors are known in industry as well (in my case, most professors were full time professionals who taught classes on the side).

So either way you go, it would be a good idea to get a graduate degree, either by working and going to school, or going straight from undergrad to grad school. Whats another 2-4 years of your life compared to the next 40?

Engineering is one of the best professions because it lets you do almost anything you want. One of the coolest jobs I heard about was an alumni who came in to talk about engineering and industry. He is the technical editor of road and track magazine, and his job was to test drive all those fancy cars. He was a mechincal engineer.

[Khobin~]

Coming from more a technical background vs schooling...

The real question is what benefit with further education get you? For instance is there a particular job you want that will require it?...Will it pay off in terms of salary? Or is it a matter of personal triumph?

For a "yes" to any of the above, I'd say go for it.

For me I decided to take a 2 yr. technical program rahter then a 4 year degree. Why?...I was sick of being in school and needed to get a Job. (but that's because I had taken a year of general studies, and a year of pharamcy when I deicided it wasn't for me :biggrin

So far since grad. I've worked for almost 3 years in industry, and even after 1 year I had more worthwhile experience and knowledge then anyone coming out of a 4 yr degree program, in terms of what I do for a living.

I too could further my education by going back for another 2 years and getting an actual Degree, but there's no benefit for me right now. My employer doesn't care about pieces of paper, so it won't get more salary(here), and it would mean putting a lot on hold for another 2 years while I went back full time.

Who knows, maybe on day it'll be more lucrative for me, but honestly, there's no substitute for experience.

[Matt60158]

Thanks for all the input guys. I was pretty set on going to grad school to distinguish myself but I just wanted assurance that you have been able to hold a full time job and go to school. Plus I think my parents would let me live at home if I was continuing in my education until I'm financially stable from working.

I enjoy reading engine theory books in my free time so I would probably be interested in some related research. I wouldn't mind helping to design the next corvette ZO6 engine, one day.

[Fwapsk]

I recommend landing a job at a big company that will pay for your graduate schooling. Why burden yourself with that bill when companies will pay for it? You'll be making money and going to school. You also may want to consider an MBA over an MS. In my experience, its the managers of the engineers who make all the money, and all the highly paid jobs require MBA's. It does depend what kind of work you want to do though and perhaps you dont want to be a manager. You'll probably have to do some engineering work to qualify yourself as a manager of them anyway, so you might as get that experience as soon as possible. Although an MS would be helpful to land your first job, experience is worth alot as well. I was naiive when I was in college and thought engineers were the cat's miaow. Until I ended up working for a schmuck with a BA in management making more money than me.

Once you have your 4 yr degree, the career doors are opened. Then leverage that degree and career to get additional education if you want it and more money. Just my 2 cents :smile:

[kfiducia]

Originally Posted by Matt60158

Thanks for all the input guys. I was pretty set on going to grad school to distinguish myself but I just wanted assurance that you have been able to hold a full time job and go to school. Plus I think my parents would let me live at home if I was continuing in my education until I'm financially stable from working.

I enjoy reading engine theory books in my free time so I would probably be interested in some related research. I wouldn't mind helping to design the next corvette ZO6 engine, one day.

Recently I found out the my school, the University of Central Florida, actually offers an advanced degree in high performance engines, I think it is the only one in the country, at least thats what I recall the press release saying.

The track is part of the Mechanical Eng School and is called "High Performance Internal Combustion Engine Optimization Focus"

http://www.graduate.ucf.edu/CurrentG...AD_PROG_79.cfm
(halfway down)

The main thing for higher ed is that you find a program you like. There may be a similar program close to home, you should look, but if not, look into moving to a different school/city for the program.

A common mistake BS grads make is thinking they will be paying for their grad school degree. YOU DON'T HAVE TO! I am in two research projects and can assure you that between the 100% tuition waiver and the $15/hr they pay you for research WHILE getting course credit for it, you WILL be able to afford to live on your own. You have all your tuition paid plus $1200/mo. Thats easily enough to live on while ONLY doing school-work. The MS program is designed for working professionals, so you can usually work as well, any job you have will be gravy on top of the $1200 that will pay living expenses. Rent around here is only about $500/mo +/- $100 depending how nice.

The largest mistake students make, and I know from personal experience, is not having the balls to try something new and challenging. Nothing worth having comes easily. If you want a cool job sometimes you have to work for it. Every class/person/book I have encountered that offers advice follows the old saying "find a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life" - my personal experience reinforces this, working on something you are passionate about is much more rewarding than having money, generally your passion is rewarded though.

I know it all sounds a bit trite after you hear it so many times, I thought so when I heard it the first 1000 times. Then I grew some balls and applied myself. Now I can afford a new BMW :-)