<p>Hi, I'm currently active duty Navy as a Sonar Technician. I'm married and have a daughter on the way. I'm currently working on a Journeyman license as an electronics mechanic.</p>
<p>I want to begin to pursue a BS as an electrical engineer, preferably at University of Central Florida, when my time comes to separate from the military. I will be almost 27 years old when I separate meaning I will be in my early thirties entering the field. I just wanted some opinions on the probability of getting a job, with military electronics experience and a journeyman in a related field, as compared to a 22-23 year old fresh out of college with not as much work experience. </p>
<p>I want to make the right decision for my family, about getting out of the military and pursuing a career as an electrical engineer. Any advice or help anybody could give me would be highly appreciated, thank you.</p>
<p>I was in the same boat, separated and went back to school, at 27, to become a petroleum engineer. I went through my first career day with zero(and I mean zero) oil and gas experience and I got 18 interviews and a few internship offers as a sophomore. I would say ~15 of them wanted to know about my military background which had nothing to do with oil and gas.</p>
<p>My biggest word of advice: get good grades. Everything else will fall into place.</p>
<p>Engineering firms are concerned with hiring quality engineers, and the main indicator of that will be your grades and internship experience. Your military experience will not likely give you any significant advantages.</p>
<p>Edit: I’m also a veteran. People like to hear about our military experiences, and it can be a good networking tool - but they also don’t want to hear too much. It can get exhausting hearing someone’s war stories every day. They want to see that there is something more to you than your military experience. Prove that with awesome school performance. Vets seem to do a lot better than their peers in school because of their discipline and maturity, but if you don’t do well in school - your military experience will not make up for poor grades.</p>
<p>While not a veteran, I got my degree after working as a technician for years. I had the same concerns you did, graduated at 30 with a daughter and a pregnant wife, and had no problems getting a job, nor did ever see any indication that my age and experience was anything but an advantage.</p>
<p>My Husband has a BSEE and MS in Engineering Management, and has been in the AF for almost 19yrs. My first question is why UCF and not USF? USF’s EE program is very strong. Second yes your Military experience will be helpful, it will give you a foot in the door at companies that are Military friendly. However your most valuable tool, your clearance will be long expired by the time you start your job search.</p>
<p>Finally I guess a word of caution, my H (he is in Communications) has had many of airman separate from the AF because they were told they can make tons of money on the outside, that their 6-8 yrs of experience is worth 3 or more times what they make in the AF and I will say those stories are not very accurate. Is it possible? sure on occasion, but more frequently the feedback is I should have stayed in.</p>
<p>Are you set on leaving the military? If not, the officer candidate program could be a good option for you. It’s with ROTC, you do some of the same stuff as MIDN, and you commission as an officer when you graduate college (which would be paid for by the Navy). Might be a good option for you.</p>
<p>It is not that unusual for people who have served in the military to later get engineering bachelor’s degrees. Many of them started college in community college (sometimes during military service) and transferred as juniors to four year schools. Some of them were definitely not “college material” at high school graduation (mostly C and D grades in high school) but matured over the years while in the military to be ready for college afterward.</p>
<p>I am in the same boat. Got out two years ago working in aviation on engines and electronics and now pursing my BSEE. I will be 33 this summer. It’s a non issue. You will have no problems if your grades are good. Plus with your military experience you will be an excellent candidate for the defense companies. </p>
<p>@Longsx3 UCF > USF. Everyone knows this. I went to USF before I joined the military and if I was to go back to school in Florida, I would rather go to UCF. UCF has a better curriculum. If the OP wants to do health related engineering like medical devices, then USF would be a better option.</p>