<p>Hey Guys! I'm considering heading back to school in January to pursue a 2nd bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering but I was hoping to get some feedback from you guys before I take the plunge.</p>
<p>Just to give you a little background:
I graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2006 with a BA in Business Management Economics and took a job shortly after graduating with a Commercial Insurance Brokerage doing outside sales. After 4 years I've finally come to terms with the fact that I have zero interest in pursuing this career over the long term. On the plus side of things the job has helped me build up a healthy savings, eliminate all my liabilities and has given me a little clarity through contrast in terms of a career.</p>
<p>So far my plan is to attend a local community college to complete all of the lower division requirements (which should take about 1.5 years full time) and then transfer to UC Davis to complete the upper division coursework and get my degree. Unfortunately UC Davis is pretty much the only UC that will accept transfer applicants seeking a 2nd bachelors so my options are pretty limited there. Any other options I should consider? Cal States? Master's Programs?</p>
<p>Anyone made a similar jump in careers? Being 27 I feel like I'm pretty late in the game and the opportunity cost of going back to school for 3.5 years is pretty high. I'd hate to go back to school for 3.5 years and deplete the majority of savings, only to graduate at 30 with few job prospects and a starting salary much less than what I'm currently making. Any advice or input is welcome.</p>
<p>We are in the same boat brother, just different geography. I was told by multiple major universities (tamu, UTa, LSU etc.) that I will need superior stats to their normal transfer students to get in for a second degree. They also said I would get more credit for doing the pre-req course work at an ABET program, which I am lucky is available at university of houston. I have no idea why they do not want people getting a second bachelors degree, maybe someone can chime in.</p>
<p>“Mechanical engineers are expected to have employment growth of 6 percent over the projections decade, slower than the average for all occupations. Mechanical engineers are involved in the production of a wide range of products, and continued efforts to improve those products will create continued demand for their services. In addition, some new job opportunities will be created through the effects of emerging technologies in biotechnology, materials science, and nanotechnology. Additional opportunities outside of mechanical engineering will exist because the skills acquired through earning a degree in mechanical engineering often can be applied in other engineering specialties.”</p>
<p>OP, many people do not realize it but we are going through the 2nd Industrial Revolution (I call it the Information Revolution). What does this means? It means we are moving from a service-economy to an information-economy. What is the language of this information-economy? Mathematics.</p>
<p>Basically, all that garbage I just typed above simply means that those who possess advanced mathematical knowledge (Calculus and above) will find employment easily relative to those who do not possess advanced mathematical knowledge (Algebra and below).</p>
<p>Honestly, there is nothing wrong with UC Davis. Sure it isn’t Berkeley, but it is still a respectable school. It is certainly better than any of the Cal States. It is highly unlikely that you would get into any Masters programs with a background in something as unrelated as Business Management Economics.</p>
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<p>While I am not 100% sure, it is probably related to the fact that the school’s primary mission, as a public university, is to educate the citizens of their state. Someone coming in for a second degree is taking up a spot that otherwise could be occupied by a student without a degree. It kind of makes sense when you think about trying to educate as many people as possible.</p>
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<p>I thought he clearly stated he has no interest in continuing on along a Business Administration track…</p>
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<p>It is a risk, as are most things in life, but if it is really what you want to do, then it seems like a necessary risk. In general, ME employment isn’t bad right now unless you want to get into the auto industry. If that is where your interests lie, then good luck. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be too terribly difficult to find work afterwards as an ME. Age-wise, you will be right there alongside those who got their degrees using the GI Bill after then finished military service, so you won’t actually be that old.</p>
<p>Salary-wise, ME’s tend to get on average around $60k per year as a starting salary. If I remember correctly, the mid-career salary averages somewhere near $100k, but I don’t know exactly. Of course, it will vary geographically and in California, you can expect that to be higher. Job function and industry will also play a role in what you make. Working in a more specialized position generally nets you more money, but those are harder to come by.</p>
<p>Well I’m 21 and am working on a second bachelors degree in engineering. First was in history. I don’t have work experience. </p>
<p>There are a lot of older people in engineering. I know one other person with a degree getting a second one. </p>
<p>At my school they don’t start charging you extra until you have like two degrees from them. And if your degree was out of state that doesn’t even count.</p>