Engineering?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Is Engineering for me?</p>

<p>I'm great at Math and Science. I also love the whole idea of designing things and coming up with solutions to problems. However, when I hear of what engineers make, I cringe. I don't only care about the money, but c'mon if I'm taking one of the most demanding majors why am I getting a mediocre paycheck?</p>

<p>I'm one of those people that loves expensive toys (Cars, Bikes, Computers)</p>

<p>Yes I know life is not all about money, but these are the things that will make me happy.</p>

2

<p>Why not study just engineering as an undergrad then go to professional school afterwards?</p>

3

<p>right now they're predicting that for class of 2010, the average starting salary with a BS in engineering will be $76K...that isnt chump change man, most degrees get 30-50, 60 tops</p>

4

<p>There are limited choices if you want to make a lot of money right of the bat. Law, medicine, and business. Law and medicine will put you in further debt to begin with after all the schooling but you'll have a pretty nice starting salary.</p>

5

<p>Yes I'm aware that engineers start high, but then they level off...</p>

6

<p>Just curious, what else are you considering?</p>

7

<p>The majors i'm considering right now are MechE, CivilE, Systems, or some type of business (Don't know of any particular type, just started thinking about business after I saw that article in the times or the journal about the 25 mil bonuses for the investment bankers :))</p>

<p>More than anything I want to have fun in life. What's the sense in money if you have no fun.</p>

8

<p>Exactly how much money do you need?</p>

<p>If you want to be "rich," you either need an Ivy business degree or a professional 8 year degree program, like medical school or law school. Other than that, experience combined with great networking skills and leadership skills will eventually get you to the point of making a "lot" of money.</p>

<p>Starting salaries for engineers are the highest of any field for bachelor's degree holders.</p>

<p>I'm in the military right now making 30 grand a year and I have everything I need to make me "happy." If you need more than 55-60k as a 22 year old college grad, than you're not managing your money correctly.</p>

9

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<p>Is $50-80k engineering salary mediocre to you? Personally I think how much you enjoy your work should be a significant factor in choosing a profession. You might not like ibanking despite the lucrative bonuses.</p>

10

<p>Get an engineering undergrad degree then go get an MBA, that's a better track to six figures.</p>

11

<p>If you think Engineering pay is mediocre then you will be very dissappointed in the business world. Virtually no other degree provides a better path to financial security.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
I'm great at Math and Science. I also love the whole idea of designing things and coming up with solutions to problems. However, when I hear of what engineers make, I cringe. I don't only care about the money, but c'mon if I'm taking one of the most demanding majors why am I getting a mediocre paycheck?

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</p>

<p>That begs the question - what else are you going to major in as an undergrad that is better? Like people above said, maybe $50k starting salary is mediocre to you, but the other undergrad majors are even worse. Would you rather major in the liberal arts? </p>

<p><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/13/pf/college/starting_salaries/index.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/13/pf/college/starting_salaries/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Now, it is true that engineers don't make as much as people with advanced professional degrees. But getting an engineeirng degree does not preclude your getting one of those advanced degrees. Plenty of engineering students go to medical school or law school. Granted, it may be harder because of the grade deflation, but plenty still do it. And if we are talking about business school, then it may be arguably EASIER to get in with an engineering degree than with most other undergrad degrees, because B-schools care less about GPA and more about work experience, and working as an engineer will give you solid work experience (at least, much more so than most other undergrad degrees will). Something like 25-40% of the entering classes of the top MBA programs have engineering undergrad degrees, yet only about 5% of all bachelor's degrees conferred in the US are engineering degrees.</p>

13

<p>thats actually what im thinking about doing....e-school for BS (EE major), then doing business school for grad school and getting an MBA...my bet is that an engineer with a MBA will make big bucks, but to me that really isnt the point, i just like to lead people on projects from start to finish, and im interested in the whole business side of engineering </p>

<p>so, i assume this route is common?</p>

14

<p>Ok, at least I know all of the hard work will pay off.</p>

<p>I am however extremely nervous about it being too hard. I would feel like an ******* if I failed out after my mom paid all of this money. Of course that is probably not going to happen, but I still think about it.</p>

<p>I probably have a false hope about making 150k+ a year... Maybe too many movies? I just want to make myself something great for my dad that passed away two years ago of cancer...</p>

15

<p>my dad makes well over 150 a year, and he doesnt even have a degree...most engineers make well over 100, and by the time you graduate, it will be more</p>

<p>and, yes, its going to be hard...i didnt know if i could do it either, and i still dont...but if its interesting to you or you like the type of math/science you'll do, then you'll be more interested in learning the material, which means you'll do okay...
dont expect to get a 4.0, but at the same time, its worth it...i have a 3.1, and im perfectly happy</p>

16

<p>
[quote]
I am however extremely nervous about it being too hard. I would feel like an ******* if I failed out after my mom paid all of this money. Of course that is probably not going to happen, but I still think about it

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<p>If that's what makes you nervous, then you should probably prefer to go to an engineering school that is laid back (at least, relatively speaking). A certain school in Palo Alto immediately comes to mind. </p>

<p>
[quote]
I probably have a false hope about making 150k+ a year... Maybe too many movies? I just want to make myself something great for my dad that passed away two years ago of cancer...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Look, the vast majority of Americans don't make, and will never make 150k. According to the US Census Bureau, the median American male over 25 makes about 39k, the median American female over 25 makes about 26.5k. Even those with bachelor's degrees make only a median of 49k, and not everybody gets a bachelor's degree (because plenty of people don't even go to college at all, and even of those that do, many will not graduate). 150k is therefore far far above the norm. </p>

<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_in_the_United_States#Income_at_a_glance%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_in_the_United_States#Income_at_a_glance&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>But as I have said many times on this discussion board, if you just want to make money, then don't work as an engineer. You can still get an engineering degree. Just don't work as an engineer. Instead, go work in investment banking or the other 'high-finance' jobs like private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, and the like. Those are jobs in which you really can make 150k right out of college, and where you actually have a shot at making 7 or 8 figures a year. </p>

<p>
[quote]
most engineers make well over 100

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<p>I don't know about that. Scroll down to the 2nd table, where they show the salaries broken down by percentiles. Clearly 'most' engineers do not make 100k, at least not in 2004. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#earnings%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#earnings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

17

<p>
[quote]
I probably have a false hope about making 150k+ a year... Maybe too many movies? I just want to make myself something great for my dad that passed away two years ago of cancer...

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<p>You'll make your parents proud by excelling at something you love, not by how much you make. If your parents care about anything else, you shouldn't bother with trying to make them happy</p>