<p>It’s not like you’re an engineer, you get an MBA, and you’re a business manager. You have to interview for that position, and it mostly goes to external hires, usually with an engineering undergraduate degree and top 10 MBA.</p>
<p>The “fast path” engineers can also get promoted to that level. The company usually pays for a top executive MBA for those people.</p>
<p>Which is not what you said originally and far more believable.</p>
<p>What did I originally say?</p>
<p>I’m not sure why people think an MBA carries so much weight? Aside from the select business schools, I think MBAs are a dime a dozen. There is no magic formula to becoming a manager as some people on this forum think. Will an MBA help? It probably won’t hurt but as G.P. Burdell said, it is by no means an automatic ticket to upper management. One has to work up to a position like this.</p>
<p>To become an engineering manger, chances are you will have to be very good technically. From what I’ve seen, someone is not going to become a manager without technical expertise and work experience.</p>
<p>so is it common to go engineering MS –> MBA? does it look any better than engineering BS –> MBA?</p>
<p>also, who makes more money: those who get their MBA from a top 10 school and then work in finance/consulting or those who master’s in financial engineering? getting the master’s in financial engineering will get you a job (such as in wall street?) where you get to do more quantitative/math related work, right?</p>
<p>There is no direct answer to your question. There are so many variables that every instance is different depending on industry, company, etc.</p>
<p>There is no magic formula to success. In my opinion an MS is worthwhile because it tells your superiors that you have a higher level of technical expertise. So, essentially an MS gives you more credentials than a BS but you still have to back it up and know what you are doing. Advanced degrees mean nothing if your work is not very good.</p>
<p>I work in federal government so let me give you a bit of salaries being made by government engineers. Now I work in a DoD research lab where the majority of the people hired are EE/CS and some MEs. The salary is pretty standard as it is government and new hires are offered salaries based on their level of education. The salaries are broken down as:</p>
<p>BS - 65K
MS - 80K
PhD - 80K-97K</p>
<p>After this it’s the normal government raise every year along with local market supplement and merit pay. As I said it’s government, which has some perks such as job security, benefits, vacation time…:)</p>
<p>^can I ask what your major is and what you do?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
Now, if you had said 100% of the T10 MBAs made it to that point, I’d agree.</p>
<p>collegebound_guy: Yes, I am EE. My official title is Electronics Engineer, although it’s not what I do ;)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Those are two career paths:</p>
<p>Engineer -> Engineer Manager -> Plant Manager</p>
<p>Business Manager -> Business Director</p>
<p>You’re hired out of college as either an engineer (BS/MS engineering) or business manager (MBA). If you want to go from engineer to business manager, you have to apply for the job and interview. You don’t automatically move over as soon as you get an MBA. </p>
<p>If you’re put on the fast path, you work as an engineer for about 5 years, then get the option of going into engineering management, or leaving (with continuing half pay) to attend HBS, Duke-Fuqua, INSEAD, MIT-Sloan, or Stanford GSB for free. After graduation, you become a business manager.</p>
<p>What is the fast path, and how do you get on it?</p>
<p>You don’t get on it. You’re put on it.</p>
<p>How do you get put on it? That’s like asking “how do I get to be popular”. But, in short, you need to have an extremely high potential and/or friends in high places that like you.</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen:</p>
<p>1) Personable.
2) Intelligent.
3) Understand the business (and show a proclivity towards it).
4) Perform well.
5) Not only do you need your manager to have a high opinion of you, you need other managers to have a high opinion of you. Simply put, do you behave like a manager?</p>
<p>6) Your manager has to be highly respected and assertive. Your manager could think you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if no one else values her opinion, it does no good for you. In fact, if she’s disliked, her high opinion can work against you.</p>
<p>Piggybacking on Citan’s post…</p>
<p>I have been told by several government employees that work at that infamous federal agency in Fort Meade, MD that their government pay is slightly higher that others in DoD. I would imagine that the other 2 INTEL agencies are paid slightly higher also.</p>
<p>This is an interesting discussion, and it immediately caught my eye.</p>
<p>My husband and I both have engineering degrees. Something that we both tell people looking at engineering…it’s not the pay that attracts you to engineering, it’s the work. You may never be rich, but you will live comfortably. I quit work when my son was born and we have been fine. This recent downturn has been bad for us, but the majority of our engineering friends - and we have lots, are fine.</p>
<p>Ultimately you should pick this study path because you like the work and the challenge it provides. It involves lots of critical thinking and application of everything you learn in engineering school. In college, you will notice that you have more classes to take than your liberal arts friends. They will take classes worth 5 units each and you will take classes worth 3-4 units each, which translates to an extra class each term. They will write essays for each class once every two weeks, you will have problem sets due once/twice a week for each science/engineering class, and then additionally lab write-ups.</p>
<p>If you are picking this for money, you will be miserable. You will always find people who work less hours and make more money. But engineering work is very rewarding for those that like the work. I’m not trying to scare you out of it, if engineering is for you, you’ll thrive in this environment, if it isn’t, then no amount of money will compensate you for the misery that awaits. I’m an engineer. I might be happy in another field, but I loved learning engineering in college, and I loved learning math and science in high school.</p>
<p>My S went into engineering because he loves math, science & computers. So far, he has no regrets. He’s loved his internships, research & looks forward to seeing what job offers he will end up with. He has one in hand and is waiting to hear from others as well.</p>
<p>So glad you wrote your post, AtomicGirl!</p>
<p>^but wouldn’t you have the potential to make more money if you get a 2nd degree in a business-related field and hop over to the business industry? I read that people like engineers because they are good at analyzing things.</p>
<p>At my employer, we have chief engineers are making around at least $170,000. Of course, that is probably because of doing contracting work for an INTEL agency and probably because of living in the DC area, but still…that is pretty good money for still being technical.</p>