<p>So I'm debating which branch of engineering and career path to follow within that branch. Any help is most welcome. :D</p>
<p>Me: 30 yo community college student in California. First year finished with 4.0 GPA Calculus 1&2, Physics 1&2, Chem 1 and English.
Have my own wine and beverage consulting business which takes about 20 hrs per week. Pay my own bills, rent and tuition. No loans.<br>
Driven, detail oriented, efficient, give 110%. I like to be challenged, great multi-tasker and competent leader. Usually in class projects and study groups i'll be the one keeping things on track. Biggest challenge is doing so without being bossy.<br>
My sales and consulting background afforded me the chance to practice my verbal and communication skills. I'd like to think i'm great at dealing with people and making decisions. Not afraid of public speaking. If there's something I don't know i'll learn it. Bit of a perfectionist. </p>
<p>Limitations: Parents did not save enough for retirement. Mom needed heart surgery and Dad had stomach cancer. They both recovered but their savings are gone. I understand some engineering jobs require travel. I don't mind being away 2 or 3 days. But longer than that would not be ideal. Also changing residences every few years would not work. I couldn't haul them around with me from job to job.</p>
<p>Besides not being away for extended periods of time and moving constantly, i think the most important thing would be to be challenged and reasonably compensated. Someone suggested Construction project manager. But i was unsure about the living and moving situation. </p>
<p>Thank you in advance for any suggestions.</p>
<p>P.S. Fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean.</p>
<p>What is it that makes you interested in engineering. No one can choose a field for you and no one can give you advice unless you explain why you are considering Engineering at all since you seem to have a good business going already.</p>
<p>I think one of the things I like about engineering is that it’s a challenging curriculum that not everyone can undertake. I love math. Often times I’d go out of my way to look up proofs and work them out. I remember in Calculus 1 i looked up the proof of the limit as theta approaches zero of sin of theta over theta. I’d NEVER have occurred to me in a million years to use the areas of conic sections and triangles in conjunction with squeeze theorem to prove a limit. It just blew my mind. My classmates though i was nuts for going thru 5 pages of work that weren’t even necessary for the course. But i had a blast.</p>
<p>I’m hoping to have a good career, where I can grow, learn and contribute to a company or team of like minded people. and i think a BS in engineering can open a lot of doors. </p>
<p>On a more pragmatic note I was also attracted by the low unemployment rate and good salaries of the profession. It might not sound ideal under the popular idea of “follow your passion” that’s often used here. But I know my parents are going to need help and i know I can do this.</p>
<p>I love my current job, but i cant’ imagine myself doing it for the next 35 years. The fulfillment is just not there. </p>
<p>It sounds like the most applicable engineering discipline for you might be Mechanical Engineering. It is one of the most generally employable. However, you have really only mentioned your interest in mathematics and engineering is quite different. Applied Mathematics or Physics might also be options for you. The amount of traveling expected will probably depend on your employer. Some engineers are not required to travel at all.</p>
<p>Oh i really liked my physics classes too. Chemistry was so so. The lab was fun but lectures were just ok. </p>
<p>I understand there are a multitude of careers within engineering. I’m just trying to get opinions so i can narrow it down and look into the suggested careers.</p>
<p>Any particular career withing MechE you’d suggest @xraymancs ?</p>
<p>You would still get your degree in a traditional major (some colleges do offer a minor in Sales Engineering), but the focus and career path is very different over the traditional engineer. Short term travel would be required, but it’s also one of the few engineering jobs that can be done working out of a home office. </p>
<p>Well, I can’t really give you suggestions within Mechanical Engineering, primarily because I am a physics professor. I see our ME majors at Illinois Tech going into many different fields, it is really a persona preference.</p>
<p>Engineering degrees do indeed open a lot of doors. Based on your diverse background, strong communication skills, and desire for work flexibility you may want to consider looking into management consulting. </p>
<p>@Gator88NE Do you have any idea how long sales engineers are usually away from home?<br>
@Anteat3r any particular branch you’d suggest? Civ? Mech? Should i consider an MBA? or a MS?</p>
<p>What’s expected from a “sales engineer” varies by company and industry. They can be part of the front line sales force, which requires significant travel, or they could support the sales team by helping to build/design the technical solution/offer (in which case, less travel is required). If you’re interested in Sales (engineering) I recommend you research what jobs are available and read up on the job descriptions. See what type of travel is required. Some will allow you to work from a home office and require a few days of travel each week (which would allow you to stay at home), others may require that you’re move to their headquarters/regional office but only travel a few times each month. </p>
<p>If you like sales, it’s something a more non-traditional student may find appealing. Keep in mind it’s not a “major” (though some schools do offer a “sales engineering minor”), but an option once you graduate and start looking for a job. Sales engineers evolve into sales executives or program/client managers (they move into the business side) while a typical engineer would evolve into a senior engineer and/or an engineer manager.</p>
<p>Just throwing it out there as another field to consider given the OP’s background. Not all management consultants travel extensively for work, just depends on the field you work in. Same thing with licensure, not all management consultants who are engineers get licensed. I am a licensed consulting engineer (PE), work as a management consultant, and don’t need to travel extensively save for an occasional business meeting or business development. OP, feel free to PM me for details if you’d like more info on this option in particular. </p>
<p>I’d love to hear more @Anteat3r Can you tell me a bit more about yourself and your work? How did you get started? What kinda engineering did you graduate in? How is life as a consulting engineer? you can PM me or post here. I think a lot of ppl out there might benefit from reading your story tho :D</p>