That is good! But she also need to be careful because some graduate schools and employers don’t “look at or consider” engineering technology degrees even if they have taken math from Calculus 1-3, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra and advanced level Physics. They don’t care if you are an engineering major before and transfer into engineering technology so you can graduate only time because the school mess up and change the prerequisite for senior design. I’ve seen those situations.
The best solution would to find a graduate school and employer that would look at all factors. Not just because they have an ET degree and you get write off automatically. I have an also seen someone who was at a career fair and he was a ET degree candidate. He grab his resume right back because the person who he spoke with doesn’t want to consider him. I acknowledge him for doing that, too!!
Actually the best solution is to go after the degree and coursework that are required and/or give you the best shot at the eventual career path and/or graduate degree that you want. Spinning fairy tales about engineering technology degrees is not doing anyone a service. If you want an engineering graduate degree, you really ought to get an engineering undergraduate degree (or at least something like physics). A standard physics degree is honestly better preparation for engineering graduate school than an engineering technology degree.
Not if the person’s financial and academic situation make this impossible. If all your money runs out than push comes to shove this is what you have to do which is what this thread is about.
What you need to do is take stock of the reality of the situation and realize what is and isn’t likely. I’m sorry things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows, but in most cases, engineering technology degrees don’t set up their holders for graduate school in engineering well and their odds of getting into such a program are reflected by this.
There may well be exceptions and by all means, you can do some things to mitigate the issue, but none of them are foolproof. A student in this situation should do what they can don’t make up the difference and hope for the best, but not be unrealistic about their chances.
I could be mistaken but I believe those jobs are usually still salaried and, while they tend to get paid less than their traditional engineering counterparts, still tend to get paid respectable salaries.
If you look at the BLS site. (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/home.htm) they sort of lump together those with a BS in ET and those with only an AS.l, so it’s safe to assume that a BSET graduate will fall somewhere between the salaries quoted for technicians and their engineer counterparts.
An environmental engineering technology is good to do any jobs traditional engineers can, beside theoretical research. Unless you are planning to do theoretical research for NASA than you should be consider for traditional engineering jobs. If your plan is to do theoretical research for NASA than I suggest getting a Master’s degree. If a company is hiring for a project engineer I don’t see any reason why you won’t be consider for the position if you have the credentials. Of course, unless they bar and deprive. In terms of design, ET are capable of doing simple design. But after several years of experience they can also do complex design and analyst. So the only limitation is “theoretical research”.
Let me end it at this: “IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE AND EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE”. Some people just need to stop the barring and depriving!!!
@MYOS1634 Is this thread about you or your child? My understanding is that threads about 3rd parties are not permitted? Can @MaineLonghorn clarify? This seems to be another engineering thread that may be getting contentious.
No, neither. But it’s not ‘asking for a friend’ and far as I can tell, asking questions of general use (like threads on foreign language levels, course seuences, or recommended classes for this or that) is allowed.
I guess I could say this was a theoretical, in case someone ended stuck in Engineering Technology instead of Engineering and needed to know what to do about it.
(Saying “do engineering” was written in the OP as impossible).
There were many useful comments for anyone who may end up in this situation, lots of necessary advice.
If you wish to close it (in part because it’s devolving into a discussion on possible/impossible, with two positions that are equally reasonable and therefore can’t be decided, and in part because I don’t think there’s much more to add as the advice was thorough), feel free to close the thread.
You like to spin this yarn repeatedly but it has no basis in reality. Telling students otherwise I’d giving them poor advice and setting them up for disappointment.
Engineering technology students can get lots of great jobs. The overlap with traditional engineers is fairly small, however.
Actually, if a student’s goal is to have a research career at a place like NASA, they ought to be considering a PhD, not an MS.
But here is the thing: most companies don’t consider and engineering technology degree to be “the credentials.” You can tell whatever fairy tale you want, but at the end of the day, companies simply don’t hire engineering technology majors for all the same jobs for which they hire engineering majors. They are different degrees with largely different career paths.
As long as they hire engineering technology majors and they offer a decent salary (50k is eye popping when your family income is 12k), it’ll be okay. And if enough math and physics classes are taken, the advice here followed to the letter, another path back to engineering IS possible.
My take away:
Engineering Technology is not engineering but it’s not a dead end and there are ways to patch the way (or claw a way back) to the original plan.
You can look at the end spectrum for engineering vs engineering technology. The end spectrum stops at complex design and analysis for both models.There was no overlap in “theoretical research” in both models.
This is what I mean by “depriving” if they meet all the requirements in the job description for the job why NOT?? Fairy tale? It is my experience that I am telling not fairy tale.
“In 2010, a survey was created and administered to the industrial advisory boards of engineering technology programs across the nation. The survey and the compiled results can be found below:”
Answer to the question:
“Does your company hire both BS-Engineering and BS-Engineering Technology graduates to fill engineering positions within your company?”
86.5% answered “Yes” (173)
13.5% answered “No” (27)
Out of 200 responses
The best bet is honestly physics or applied math. Those majors take the courses that are rigorous enough to get admitted to many graduate engineering programs if elective and supplemental courses are chosen right. Engineering technology simply doesn’t get admitted to grad programs at least at UCLA. Many physics students from our school get placed into engineering jobs from top companies.
As a former technician and current engineer (electrical/electronics both) let me add my experience.
Yes, companies hire both for engineering positions. There are departments in companies that hire both types, most notably manufacturing and integration & test. These represent a relatively small number of departments in my field and most departments will not consider someone with a technology degree. These departments are generally at the bottom of the pay scale and offer fewer paths for advancement, and most companies still prefer engineers over technologists simply because they can work in more departments if their initial post doesn’t work out.
This is not saying that technologies don’t have value - they do, and you can have a good career and salary, better than rank and file technicians like I was. But if my company hires 3 technologists and 97 engineers, they are a “yes” on the survey noted, but still don’t support the idea that the two degrees are in any way NEAR interchangeable from a career perspective.
Please note that this is not discriminatory. The skill sets, although overlapping considerably, do not overlap in the areas most engineering departments need. It isn’t fair to the company or the individual to put them in a position where they are unlikely to keep up.
It seems @cosmicfish beat me to the punch in regards to the concept of survey questions being potentially misleading. Asking whether a company hires BSET and BSE graduates to fill engineering roles is dramatically different than asking whether a company treats BSET and BSE graduates and completely equal footing for all jobs (or even most jobs). I suspect the answers would be quite different.
I’ve said all along there is overlap between the disciplines. It is simply important to know and understand that the overlap is not complete, and even in overlapping areas, a BSET will be disadvantaged against a BSE for a job that most traditionally requires a BSE (and vice versa, of course).
That is not what you say in post #30. Here is part of your quote from post #30:
“Companies simply don’t hire engineering technology majors for all the same jobs for which they hire engineering majors.”
The quote indicates that you are talking about “hiring” and not how companies treats BSET and BSE graduates equally for engineering position. You should be more specific next time.
