<p>I am in desperate need of some guidance. Any and all help/words of advice is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I am an elementary teacher who happened into the profession (college majors were international relations and spanish). I don't make enough money/wanted to do something else and had been set on grad school in school psychology until a few days ago. I decided I want to make more money - silly I'm sure, but I refuse to live off this meager salary any longer. My interest in engineering is also tied to my interest in how things work. I take pride in anything I build or fix by tinkering with. </p>
<p>I want to know what engineering might be best for me. I've looked briefly into civil and petroleum and they seemed the most interesting.</p>
<p>A little about me ... I am poor at math, but a good student. I had a 3.7 gpa, but only scored a 550 on the GRE math section. I'm slightly concerned that it might be too hard for me. Will I get better at math if I am immersed in it through engineering curriculum??? While I say I am poor at math, I'm not sure if it is just lack of practice or what. My only math courses were college algebra freshman year (6 years ago) and high school geometry and algebra (9 years ago). The thought of calculus and physics worry me :(</p>
<p>Also, I am fluent in Spanish. In what engineering field would this most benefit me? I was thinking petrol engineering, but I'm not sure.</p>
<p>civil engineering might be the one you’re looking for…
now regarding the math and physics… i believe all engineering fields require a LOT of physics and calculus. Also beware, the math in GRE is mostly precalculus or lower, so the engineering curriculum might not help THAT much in the GRE’s.
I respect you for your interest, but engineering is not an easy field. I can’t find a way to manage engineering if physics and math make you worried. My best advice is that if you really plan to major in engineering, then start working real hard.</p>
<p>You’ll need to be pretty comfortable with basic math if you want to do any engineering program. I don’t know if I’ve met anyone in engineering that didn’t get above 750 on the math GRE. That said if you are interested you could start learning the math on your own or take night classes prior to joining a full time engineering program.</p>
<p>Another potential option, if the main end goal is to make more money, you could try for consulting. Consulting firms seem to be pretty big on non-traditional backgrounds from what I understand (i’m not in consulting so I can’t say for sure).</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice thus far. A 750 on the GRE is high!
I’m not sure if it matters, but one thing to note when considering my post is that although the GRE tests some more basic concepts, I have never taken trig, and while I took geometry in high school – my only understanding of it came from prepping for it a couple of weeks before the test. I felt like I lacked a foundation to attack most of the problems on the test.</p>
<p>Ya i guess on an absolute scale 750 is pretty high, and I go to Stanford where in most of the techie fields I’m sure the median math GRE is 800.</p>
<p>anyway, another thought that came to mind is doing teach for america. it definitely doesn’t pay a lot but I hear the network in TFA is kind of incredible. I did an investment banking internship summer 08 and there were 2 teach for america kids there.</p>
<p>You may want to look into petroleum engineering a bit closer sometime. They pay is high, but it is a VERY hard job. Most petroleum engineers become field engineers, and work like 36 hour shifts followed by a few days off, then another 36 hour shift, and so it goes for months at a time. It has the highest starting salary of all engineering fields, but it also has the most physically demanding and inconvenient job of all of the engineering fields (arguably).</p>
<p>I would like once again express my gratitude for anyone who has responded or is willing to give me some insight. Since graduating, I do not speak with any engineers or engineering students anymore. I greatly value the insight of those who have “been there.”</p>
<p>About petrol engineering. It sounds extremely stressful, but I’m still young and in great shape and I <strong>think</strong> I can handle it. I’m not sure, however, how the courseload compares to other engineering fields ?? Futhermore, petrol engineering seems like something I might enjoy. I can’t see myself doing computer, chemical or electrical engineering. Those three are out … but I’d consider about anthing else.</p>
<p>My options are limited to in-state. I already have enough student loans … don’t want to pay out of state tuition. The University of Oklahoma has a top petrol engineering program, that is why I had mentioned it. My other option is oklahoma state (my alma mater). They have programs in aerospace, civil, mech, enviro, industrial, etc. From a very superficial view, civil seemed like it would the one someone with a limited math would have the most success. I also thought it might be the best one in which to leverage my language skills for a better job.</p>
<p>I am also concerned about salary. I know it is region dependent, but would could a civil engineer expect to make in his/her first few years? I’ve searched figures – but they seem to vary widely.</p>
<p>Mike
TFA is a great option for networking and a resume builder. I applied and made it to the final interview, but after the whole day interview I was fatigued and didn’t perform well. None of the other people I knew that applied were accepted, either. Nevertheless, it is not a bad idea … but for sustainabily, I don’t recommend it. My fiancee and I are both teachers and I have NO idea how anyone can raise a family like this.</p>
<p>You’ll need a strong foundation in mathematics for engineering graduate school, particularly in Calculus. Most programs will force you to take an engineering math class (Numerical or Analytical) to refresh the concepts but trust me, if you don’t have a firm understanding in Calculus the material will get tough fast. </p>
<p>You really need to retake the GRE and destroy the math section. You’ll want a 700+ minimum and at least a 500 in verbal . </p>
<p>In terms of engineering to choose, it’s really a toss-up. I’m a fan of general engineering (mechE/civlE etc) just because they offer versatility and can still compete for specialized jobs.</p>
<p>I’m actually looking at doing an undergraduate as I don’t have any maths or engineering experience. I’m thinking petroleum is out ? The fiancee said she will veto anything where I am always gone for weeks at at time.</p>
<p>Sqwerl I see–I’m curious to why you took the GRE?</p>
<p>For UG, all engineering curriculum will have a foundation in calculus/physics. However, these are the intro courses so even if you aren’t great at math, you will learn the skills anyway. In addition, an engineering degree will one-way or another make you more analytical so I think you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>There are desk jobs available as a PetroE so don’t discount it completely. However with ANY engineering job, field or “hands on” experience is better for your career ladder and eventual salary growth. </p>
<p>I understand that you don’t want to travel but being fluent in Spanish will make you a great candidate for field work.</p>
<p>My advice will probably vary quite a bit from the others on here, so be patient </p>
<p>The idea of going through another undergrad program is absolutely ludicrous to me. Perhaps if you were genuinely interested in engineering work, and I mean passionate about it then, maybe, I could see a valid reason to go through undergrad engineering. However, this is not the situation you have presented. It sounds like you are nearing a point where you would like to start a family, and you dont see how you can make ends meet with your current salary </p>
<p>There are many solutions to this problem, but a B.S. XE is not one of them. Not only is the coursework demanding, but you will have a whole new set of challenges a second time through. Upon graduation from a decent engineering program youll probably make roughly 20K/yr more, give or take. Average salaries vary, and to answer your question in regards to them, it really depends on your grades and the school you graduate from. To give you an idea, Civil at Purdue has the lowest (or very close to it) average starting salary of any discipline roughly 52,000. Id imagine as a teacher you probably make somewhere in the 30s. Considering your past coursework, a B.S. eng would probably take 3 years, thus, you forgo 90-100K by going back to school. With very simplified calculations that means youll spend >5 yrs once you start working before you break even which also means it will be 8 years before you are in the very same position that you are right this very moment! </p>
<p>There are infinitely many ways to make more money without buying the product I explained above. Not the least of which, would be to buy up as much real estate as you can right now. Across the country the real estate industry is down with investment deals all over the place. Educate yourself on real estate investing (a much cheaper education!), and leverage everything you can to get in now. Or, think start-up after every recession there is a start-up boom in which fortunes are made. Perhaps you could use your current skills to start a tutoring program for high school kids etc. Start small but think big. I cant possibly convey how badly I disagree with anyone who gives you advice to go through another undergrad program to make a few bucks more per year, the world is a place of vast opportunity especially in times like these. Use your head, Im sure you can think of a better way to reach your goal.</p>
<p>I took the GRE because I had wanted to do school psychology. I scored in the top 20 percent in verbal, so I had a good enough score to not retake the test. Starting pay can be quite good… but raises can be few and minimal. It also requries a minimum two years full time (and summers) plus a one year, often unpaid internship. So either way – I am looking at 3 years of school full time.</p>
<p>I’d be OK with a desk job in petro … but wouldn’t that negate any benefit in pay and leave me with job insecurity? I was under the impression that either you are gone for most of your life or the pay is in line with civil ??</p>
<h2>PFrank</h2>
<p>You make a very good point. However, I imagine I will retire in my 60s … I’m only 26 right now, so if it takes me five years to break even, I think it could be worth it. Thirty five years of 20k more per year would add up. I make 35k right now, which is not bad I guess … but after all of my expenses (car, rent, bills, and food) I have $300 extra dollars per month. That is not good enough for me. We don’t even pay that much for rent and my car payment is reasonable. I don’t even have enough $$$ to invest in anything, much less houses.</p>
<p>I would also like to add that there are other benefits than just money. While the summer break is nice, teaching first grade at a magnet school with some a number of very obnoxious parents is tedious. I’d like to work in an adult world. Teaching another year will not happen for me. What comes after that is still undecided.</p>
<p>You can get a job as a programmer if you just study programming on your own to a competency. They just require a college degree, and I heard that Philosophy majors have a reputation of being particularly good at programming because of their logistical background.</p>
<p>Computer science never interested me, for whatever reason. It, along with chemical and electrical engineering were out.</p>
<p>I’ve decided to pursue mechanical. I’ve enrolled in Trig for this semester — so we’ll see how that goes. I’m going to have like 250 undergraduate credit horus when it is all said and done and too much in student loans :(. At least I will (hopefully!) be making decent money when I graduate.</p>