Do you have to finish engineering degree in four years?

College Majors Engineering Majors
41

You are moving the goalposts. What is your reasoning for selecting $80k as what you consider a “high-paying” job? Is it just because that is what your son was offered and you are very proud of him? Otherwise it seems completely arbitrary. Further, what constitutes high-paying will vary pretty substantially geographically.

Here is an example of how these starting salaries can vary for aerospace engineers:
Los Angeles: $76,534
Indianapolis: $67,954

Do you think that the engineers in Indianapolis just, on average, had lower GPAs than those in Los Angeles? Of course not. Now, let’s look at cost of living adjustment.
Indianapolis Salary: $67,954
Salary to maintain the same quality of life in Los Angeles: $104,653

Sources: Salaries from Salary.com, cost of living adjustment from Bankrate.com

So, which engineer is actually in the “high-paying” job? The one in Los Angeles is probably renting a 1,000 square foot apartment. The one in Indianapolis probably owns a 3,000 square foot house.

Stop picking random criteria for what constitutes a good job.

You can conclude however you wish. However, I hope that the rest of us in this thread have made it clear to any future readers that this is an incorrect analysis of the situation (or at the very least, an overly simplistic one).

You ought to take a course on statistics. You cannot prove a hypothesis with n=1.

42

I know so-so ordinary jobs in California will pay $60k while the same jobs will be paid only $45k in Oklahoma, etc. It is the cost of living thing. But, still when you are talking about high paying job $80k and above, it is still considered high paying job for entry level job; well unless you work for investment banking-wall street, that is different story.

My point is still in order to get high paying job, they require high GPA at least 3.70 and above NOT 3.2 as all of you have said. You guys are wrong that will think GPA 3.2 will get you $80k and above jobs.

Do you guys think that any engineering college grad that will earn $80k is not much?

Anyhow, if the job is in Oklahoma paying $70k which is considered a lot of money and of course that same job will be paid $90k or $100k and above in Cali and NY, etc.

I am not incorrect analysis and I have proven and given the example that high paying jobs will require high GPA like 3.70 and above. You may get your degree from MIT or Cal-Tech, Stanford, etc. But if you have only GPA 3.2, I am sorry they will ignore your application.

So, IF money is ok, 5 years of school with the idea of getting GPA and getting good credentials REUs, internships, research, Co-Op, etc is better than ordinary 4 yrs of college with lousy GPA that will not get you the high paying jobs as mentioned above. What is the rush? one year extra in college will make a huge impact on your career.

Lastly, bonehe3ad, do you think $7k a month is too low for high paying job at entry level? my son thinks that is a good number to start with to begin your aerospace career. is it too low or what?

43

No, you have provided one example. There are thousands upon thousands of job openings for engineers every year. You will need a much larger sample size to prove your hypothesis. Again, n=1 is not statistically significant. What you are claiming is objectively false. One example does not a trend make.

And again, your analysis has several holes in it that you have so far failed to address:
[ol]
[]What is your criteria for calling something a high-paying job? Last time you mentioned this you implied that it was just a blanked $80,000/year bar you were applying to call a job high-paying. I showed in my previous post why this is a bad criteria. Why do you insist on continuing to use it?
[]Why do you think one single job posting somehow constitutes a broader trend in the entire job market?
[]What do you say to the several people in this thread who have a lot more engineering experience than you who have flat out told you that they have been hiring managers and this is wrong or that they were hired into these jobs despite not fitting your criteria?
[]Do you have any other source of information other than “your son’s friends” or “some person told you”?
[/ol]

44

Sigh.

I get it. Someone got a job they are qualified for and that job required a high GPA and that job has a high salary. But to infer the inverse, i.e. not high GPA means a job with a low salary is simply wrong. Too many other variables in play.

My own n=1 counter example (but n=1 is enough)
My first job paid enough more than average to make my friends jealous. Why? Because it was in a small town in a non-sexy industry and the company just had to throw out a little bit of money to get engineers to come to town. Guy sitting next to me - same pay, 3.2. As far I was concerned I had been thrown to the briar patch and was as happy as could be.

reference: Me. I’ve been around this engineering gig for 25+ish years. Nothing really changes.

45

Boneh3ad: I am not statistician and I have given example an example. That is enough to prove my case. And here are the answers to your questions:

  1. High-paying jobs will require high GPA. So, if you or any kids has 3.2 GPA, please do not attempt to apply the job that says: GPA 3.70 and above.
  2. I gave one example and that is enough. If you want to prove your case and debunk me, please post other similar high paying jobs in this forum. Hopefully, your examples will show High Paying Jobs that will require only GPA 3.2?
  3. Other source of information? Yes, I have some but I know you guys will gang up on me and will tell mickey mouse stories that my other sources are imaginary. Before I gave the example, you guys did not believe such high paying jobs exist that require high GPA, especially eyemgh, as he is so not believing what I said. Now, I have posted the real, current high paying job, you guys still have questions not believing? unbelievable.

I don’t make money or take advantage of my story. It is really, either you don’t believe or not. IF you don’t believe that High GPA like 3.70 is required for high paying jobs that I don’t know what to say. Anyhow, I have proven myself and you can go back and take a look at that job requirements for yourself. That job is real.

46

Let’s make that n=3. At the time I was about to graduate, I was offered two jobs that were above the average salary locally despite my 3.4 GPA. I turned them both down, but I was offered them all the same.

47

OP, I’m glad you’re proud of your son and all, but sheesh. I hope he isn’t as arrogant about his GPA as you are. GPA is just one indicator of success in any field, and it is impacted by any number of factors. Some of the most capable engineering studentx I know (more than me) have lower GPAs due to health, bad teachers, etc. I say this as a sophomore who has a 4.0 in engineering (we’ll see if it stays that way after finals next week… :slight_smile: )

Imagine if everyone took your suggestion and did the longer times and got higher GPAs. (Assuming that theory is foolproof). Then companies with the “good” jobs (aka, needing a 3.7 or higher GPA since that’s what your son has) would then have to raise the requirements to 3.8+ to weed out applicants.

48

DecideSomeHow said: But to infer the inverse, i.e. not high GPA means a job with a low salary is simply wrong. Too many other variables in play.

I would say: I gave you an example, what you still don’t believe it? It is the GPA as part of the equation. You may graduate from MIT, Berkeley, Call-Tech in engineering. You will still not get a call for interview if your GPA is lousy. Oh by the way, that job is good high paying job. The company of course has plenty of jobs for so-so engineering fresh graduate with so-so GPA like 3.2, etc. Are you not able to distinguish between high paying jobs or not?..high paying jobs require special treatments like high GPA, etc.

You don’t have to tell me if you are happy or not with your career pays in the last 25 years. To each-each own, but don’t forget there exist high paying jobs that will require high GPA. Nothing you can do about it as it is their policy that wants to have higher high GPA kids.

Just like Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc. They require high GPA and good credentials to be accepted to their schools. You can not blame them for any lousy GPA to be accepted into the schools. Companies also like schools they have standard and special treatment for any fresh graduate to get the high paying jobs and one of the requirements is GPA 3.70 and above. If you don’t have it even you have degrees from MIT, Cal-Tech, Berkeley, etc, and your GPA is 3.2, sorry they ignore you.

49

So the real title of this thread should be “Newsflash! Companies Have GPA Requirements for Entry Level Jobs!”

Ya don’t say. :open_mouth:

50

Let’s make it n=4. Don’t fixate too much on requirements. My engineering freshman with no formal CS classes applied to an internship with a well know company that specifically asked for a college junior or senior with two years of CS classes and guess what? Company contacted her and she already passed testing and interviewing stage.

51

Uh. I think I did believe it. Let me check my post -

Yep. I did believe it. Even went so far as to say “I get it”.

What everyone else is trying to say here, is that a high GPA is not the only path to money.

52

And to expand on this, we are also trying to say:
[ul]
[]GPA cutoffs on job postings are not always a hard and fast rule. It is up to the hiring manager.
[]One example of a job posting does not prove a general rule.
[li]The definition of “high-paying” is very different geographically.[/li][/ul]

53

So (very much tongue in check), this would be someone with no GPA?

54

Albert69 said: OP, I’m glad you’re proud of your son and all, but sheesh. I hope he isn’t as arrogant about his GPA as you are. GPA is just one indicator of success in any field, and it is impacted by any number of factors.

I would chime in: I am being arrogant? I don’t think so. You have to read the whole story to understand why I have to tell the world and you that my son has high GPA.

I am just showing that high GPA is needed to get better job, high paying job. That’s all. If I don’t say and write my son GPA and they will think that I am BS in this forum.

Let me tell you again and this is for a fact. My son did 3+2 Tulane and Vandy. The requirements to do that you need high GPA at least 3.5 to be transferred at Vandy. So, if you GPA is lousy, sorry you wll not make be accepted for the 2nd school. Now, you know it why my son was able to do it because he has high GPA.

Second of all, the company that he is working for has good paying jobs. The requirements is at least 3.70 out of 4.0 and you and other folks in here don’t believe such high paying jobs exist. Until I posted for another high paying job that requires GPA 3.7.

I know about maintaining high GPA is not easy but you can do it. And it is not for everybody that can do it too. To each-each own.

You said also: Imagine if everyone took your suggestion and did the longer times and got higher GPAs. Then companies with the “good” jobs (aka, needing a 3.7 or higher GPA since that’s what your son has) would then have to raise the requirements to 3.8+ to weed out applicants.

I would say: imagine that not all of kids can raise their GPA since engineering school is hard. Do you think that this is wrong statement from me? Anyhow, the company will not raise the GPA bar because everyone has GPA 3.70.

If any of you following this Q and A, you can do it engineering in 5 years. Nothing is wrong and it is not against the laws to engineering in 5 years with the idea of improving the GPAs, trying to get REUs, internship, research etc. I know it is not for everyone but it is doable. 5 years is 5 years and 4 years is 4 years no matter how you do it. Do not rush your engineering school if in the end, you will have lousy and so-so GPA. It is your future and if you for some reasons for want to go to graduate school or do MBA, your high GPA will play important part of your goal.

Do not you think high GPA is good?..not everyone can get high GPA but if you are smart, do the engineering school in 5 years instead of 4. May the force be with you.

55

@DecideSomeHow No GPA yet. First semester is pass/ no record. :slight_smile:

56

Albert69 says: So the real title of this thread should be “Newsflash! Companies Have GPA Requirements for Entry Level Jobs!” Ya don’t say.

I would say: you are wrong again. It shoule be "Newsflash! companies have GPA requirements for Entry Level Jobs for High paying jobs (better compensation).

57

Decidesomehow: What everyone else is trying to say here, is that a high GPA is not the only path to money.

I would say: if you don’t have high GPA, forget about trying to get high paying job. It is the path to get to money if you have high GPA for those high paying jobs.

58

Boneh3ad said: And to expand on this, we are also trying to say: •GPA cutoffs on job postings are not always a hard and fast rule. It is up to the hiring manager.
•One example of a job posting does not prove a general rule.
•The definition of “high-paying” is very different geographically.

I would say: the first station that will weed-out job applicants is HR (or better yet the recruitment team). If you don’t have the required GPA as mentioned in that job post, the HR (recruitment team) will not forward your resume and apps to the hiring manager.

59

No, if you are smart, do the engineering degree in 4 years and then, go get paid $60,000 to $80,000 a year (depending on geography) instead of paying another $30,000 for a 5th year.

60

Decidesomehow said: So (very much tongue in check), this would be someone with no GPA?

I would say: I don’t know what to say. However, if the high paying job in their post has required high GPA like 3.7 then you better have it. No GPA = nada, I don’t know what to say you since I don’t work for the company.