<p>how did you guys decide between industry and graduate school? what factors did you consider? Thanks.</p>
<p>I graduate in spring, and decided not to go to grad school. Cost was a big factor. A lot of employers will actually pay for you to get your Masters later down the line. Also, if you get your Masters right after undergrad, you start to set yourself up for more academic work as you don't acquire too much hands-on experience, depending on what program you choose though. I didn't want a career in academia, as I wanted to do analysis or design of aircraft structures. Another consideration for me was I didn't find any programs that really interested me, and I don't think my brain could take more school right now!</p>
<p>thanks, kwtortoise. Did you go after EIT certification by any chance?</p>
<p>idono, I am an old engineering prof and you bring up a good point. All engineering students should take the EIT exam at the first opportunity. Basic principles are fresh in your mind and the exam is much easier to pass than if you delay doing so for several years.</p>
<p>The choice about grad school is a very individual one because undergraduate engineers are able to land challenging and well paid jobs upon graduation. And kwtortoise is correct, many employers do have tuition reimbursement plans. However you must be close to a university which offers a nite program for employed professionals. </p>
<p>But there are quite a few funding opportunities for grad students too. Unfortunately there are not as many offered to MS track students as in the past.</p>
<p>If you are uncertain I would suggest you apply to graduate school and beging your job search to give yourself as many options as possible. That is what I did.</p>
<p>thank you very much for the input, originaloog. I guess it's time to explain my situation a little better. I am a Chem E and Chem double major, with a fairly high GPA. I have also interned at a big company where I might land a job right after graduation. Right now I am overwhelmed by the number of choices available.
From what I have gathered, engineering graduate school is less valuable compared to the same number of years experience accumulated in industry. Graduate school in pure science(chemistry) would certainly take me toward a different career path, but for a commitment of five years or so with low pay, I can't help but wondering if it's worth it, especially after reading the article "don't become a scientist."
There are also other options that have been suggested to me, ie medical school, financial engineering... I understand ultimately it is up to my passion and interest, however, having never done most of the things, I don't know if I will like it or not until I am on that boat.
I am hoping to learn from other people's experience and hopefully make a good decision.</p>
<p>I'm looking into the EIT/FE exam. I don't know if I'll actually be needing it during the career I'm pursuing. It's actually pretty rare for seniors at my school to be taking it.</p>
<p>edit: From what I've read it is more recommended for civil engineering and similar degrees than aerospace (what I'm doing).</p>
<p>Our DS got a lot of advice from his instructors and advisers. He had some internships (structured and nonstructured) and found that he like the independence of a project more to his capability. In his senior year, he focused on group projects with an eye towards grad school. After trying a paid internship, he pretty much decided that a BS engineer got a lot of grunt work. But a MS engineer got a better choice of projects. A job was a fall back if he didn't get into a MS program to his liking. His credentials are good enough that he can get a job in some type of engineering (ME, programming, analysis) fairly easily. </p>
<p>We/he is at another juncture. His MS project is about complete and he will be officially out in Jan 08. We hope for him to get into the workforce, but I think his profs and advisers will urge him towards a higher degree. </p>
<p>Factors to consider:
Graduate School: What type of funding. DS had full expenses, living stipend, and work stipend. Attractive, and new unexplored city. High caliber grad school and major professor. His program is giving him a lot of time freedom and with adequate funds he has the ability to do a little exploring and have his undergrad/network friends visit him.</p>
<p>Job: City and living expenses. Type of job and duties. Personal and alumini networks.</p>
<p>I decided to go for a master's degree, which would only take me one year to complete (courses only, no thesis). Cost was a factor I considered, but I had money saved over from not having to pay for undergrad tuition. The main reason I chose grad school is that I wanted to learn more about the field I was going into. My undergrad education only had one course in my concentration within my major, so I felt I could benefit from taking a few more. </p>
<p>And I am an EIT (civil engineering major).</p>
<p>I'm planning on what Ken is doing, going for a MEng. Seems most reasonable since I don't want to stay in academia.</p>