How many people actually want to be engineers?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I'm majoring in engineering because I figure its a good background for an undergrad degree for management and entrepreneur, since I heard it was the HARDEST major. And it has the highest starting salary.</p>

<p>But my friend said that engineers are blue collar workers and their salary dont ever reach more than 100k. So i want my future career to be executive or at LEAST high-level, high-paying management.</p>

<p>I thought liberal arts was probably too easy and you'll end up making less than 30k a year for the rest of your life.</p>

<p>I considered majoring in business but my friend told me that most business majors end up working as assistant managers at burger king. So I narrowed it down to engineering. Undecided which type though. Leaning toward electrical/computer since people said it was the hardest one.</p>

<p>So Anybody actually don't want to become engineers? (at least not for long). So is engineering (+MBA ) a good major people wanting to become CEO and and have a 100k + salary? How about people in engineering becoming stockbrokers on wall street or something?</p>

<p>In the end, does majoring in engineering limiting you to ONLY become an engineer, or CAN you get into executive/management if you have MBA?</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>If you want to make money doing managment get your engineering degree and find a company or corporation you like and get them to pay for your MBA. That way you can work in management positions and still be involved in technology. Also business majors can make a lot of money but pure business majors are also a lot more vunerable to changes and flux in the job market. Engineers have a high starting salary but don't really go above $100,000 but that still is a decent amount of money.</p>

<p>But really you should just be thinking about doing what you like, not for the money b/c if you get into engineering and don't have your heart set on it, you will crash faster in those insane weeder courses faster than you can say, "Flunkie." So don't do something because it sounds lucrative. Stick to what you know and like.</p>

3

<p>I have little/no interest in anything. So it makes sense to go for the one that is most lucrative. But I like a challenge so engineering sounds good. </p>

<p>I was considering business major but they don't have any technical knowledge after graduation. And I heard that most(if not all) business majors end up working their ass off at burger king(mcdonalds if they're lucky) as assistant manager. My friend told me that some business majors end up jobless and homeless. </p>

<p>I wonder what Bill Gates majored in?</p>

4

<p>I'm majoring in engineering because i only like math and physics. I couldnt really find another major that i would like. Hopefully ill end up making a good amount of money!</p>

5

<p>I've heard from somebody that engineers are sure (if not GARENTEED) to break the six figure income barrier with 3 years of experience.</p>

<p>Thats why engineering is so appealing to many people.</p>

6

<p>I'm not sure who your friend is or where you are getting all of your information, but a lot of it is just flat wrong.</p>

7

<p>i actually don't know what i like, really. i'm average in all of the subjects you can think of (maybe below-average in some of those...lol) but like i'm okay with math and physics, i used to hate them, but i managed to survive through my classes. i considered health careers before and it really sounded like a good career and good-paying job. but it takes too many years and i don't really like biology (i like physiology though, maybe it's just my teacher). so i guess i changed my mind to engineering. my brother told me if you get an engineering degree, you can basically do anything in the work field (well not everything, but a lot of jobs) because you're capable of doing basic (college-level) math and science... i don't really know what i like and i guess the only thing i could do is to choose something i won't hate at least. i really hope that i chose the right one, but if don't...i'll see what happens..</p>

8

<p>Engineers definitely don't break 100k in three years. The best way for an engineer to break 100k by following a traditional career path is to work his or her way up into the management level. Regular engineering salaries plateau fairly quickly. </p>

<p>I got into engineering because everything we use is designed and built by engineers, and I wanted to know how that stuff is done. After being in college for a few years I know my interests don't like with purely design work. Last summer's internship and the internship for this summer will be project work. That will require design and management of resources (contractors, supplies, maintenance personnel, etc.) in order to get the job done. I would like to get into something that puts me out in the field (oil/gas mining, construction, etc.). I would much rather be out in the field helping manage the construction of a ship rather than siting at a computer doing CAD work. But I would eventually like to trade the hard hat and steel-toed boots for a suit and a nice office.</p>

9

<p>Yeah my friend said that if they go into management, breaking 100k is possible. But you could also probably be somewhere close to 100k if you have at least 3 years of experience.</p>

10

<p>What background does this friend have? Is he or she an engineer that has broke 100k in 3 years or knows a person that has? You shouldn't blindly accept things people tell you unless you know they have some authority on the issue.</p>

<p>It's possible to make 100k after 3 years but that all depends on the company, your position, and the work you do. I had an internship in manufacturing plant and it would not make any sense to pay those engineers 100k after three years. For that particular plant you need at least 5 years to be considered an experienced engineer. The engineers I worked with had been there for at least 14 years and none made over 100k.</p>

11

<p>My friend is in college studying engineering. He says that he is going to get rich after graduation.</p>

12

<p>Unless he plans on graduating from MIT top of his class, chances are very slim he's going to make a lot of money right after graduation.</p>

13

<p>Hes graduating from a state school. But he saids hes gonna be making more than any other graduate in any other field because he said a website showed him that engineering is the highest paying major for starting salaries.</p>

14

<p>Highest starting salary but then they plateau. Mostly what everyone here has been saying.</p>

15

<p>***!? Do they plateau at six figure income? Would getting MBA give you potential to make $1000000?</p>

16

<p>You don't need a MBA to make 100k but it can help, because management positions generally pay more than engineering positions. It all depends on your circumstances. And don't forget about where the job is located. The cost of living is just as important as the salary.</p>

17

<p>Why don't you become a movie star? I hear they make a lot of money. Or maybe go into sports? Or maybe you could become a doctor with a law degree and MBA? That way no one could afford not to hire you. </p>

<p>C'mon Zerox if you don't have an interest in something it won't happen. Plus "Those with little to no interest in anything are often of little to no interest themselves."</p>

<p>Why don't you try college with a pre-selected engineering major and then try picking out your career from there? That way maybe you wouldn't be picking a job based on salary.</p>

18

<p>Whats the percentage of movie stars actors, doctors, or businessmen who make $1000000?</p>

<p>Compare to engineers, very little.</p>

<p>And I have interest rather than disinterest in almost every field. Just have to find one that pays well because there is nothing wrong with wanting money. Problem isn't the money. Problems arise from lack of money.</p>

<p>Money builds churches, hospitals, and homeless shelters..
Money educates..
Money provides for your family..
Money allows for options..
Money pays for healthcare..</p>

<p>Lack of money causes more problems than too much money. Don't ever buy into the line "money doesn't buy happiness." Neither does poverty.</p>

<p>I've been poor before...and I've been unhappy before. I can tell you it's much better to be unhappy and rich.. than unhappy and poor.</p>

<p>As long as one builds wealth through hard work and does it ethically...there aint nothing wrong with Money Talk.</p>

19

<p>I have a very interesting story to tell you…</p>

<p>When I was 18 I felt the EXACT same way as you do. I could always see myself interested in anything. The only thing that I KNEW was interesting at that time was money. I never had much of it growing up and it made me happy. So since I saw myself interested in everything I decided to do business. I thought getting my MBA and just doing all business would make me a lot of money. I had this dream to just make money and be happy.</p>

<p>So I started on my road taking all by college basics and finally got to my accounting classes after about a year of school. I loved math so I thought it would be great. This class was a big wake up call. I realized that I don’t actually like everything I thought I did. I realized that when you’re talking about a job, it can’t just be kind of nice and fun. If you truly plan on being successful you better LOVE your classes and LOVE everything about what you’re doing. You’ll be doing it for the next 50 YEARS!! It’s what you’ll do the majority of your life. </p>

<p>So after this wakeup call I decided to go for what I thought I loved and forget about the money. Math was my favorite subject and I had heard engineering would be a good way to go with lots of math. I enrolled at TEXAS A&M and I was loving it. Every class I took was more and more interesting. I truly enjoyed studying. It was the greatest experience ever. 2 years after being at A&M I decided to do a co-op. So last year I went to the job fair and after a few interviews I was offered a job at Ingersoll Rand in Tyler Texas.</p>

<p>Ingersoll Rand makes a lot of products and at this location they manufacture and produce Trance Air Conditioners. This job has been nothing short of amazing. I’m loving it and making some pretty good money for a co-op. Now the lesson of this story is that you should do what you love because it REALLY does matter. However, I also have some other information you might like.</p>

<p>The best part about doing this co-op is it’s given me a break from school and A LOT of time to reevaluate my future career. I’ve started realizing that engineers really do have A LOT of potential to make loads and loads of money. It just depends on what you want to do. Now understand that I don’t know any exact figures because I’m just a co-op so I’m not going to claim that I know how much these guys are really making. However, you can get a pretty good idea from hearing about some of their lifestyles. Here is what I’ve learned…</p>

<p>If you don’t want to go into management and just want to be an engineer you’ll make pretty good money and eventually reach a point over $100,000/year. I don’t think that point will come for a little while though and I bet it doesn’t get too much over that as an engineer. However, if you decide to go into engineering management you have potential to get to that point faster and get a little higher over it… but, if you want to make the really big buck in today’s world you’ll probably want to go back to school and get your MBA. </p>

<p>That’s my plan. I want to graduate and work hard as an engineer for about 7-8 years. After I’ve built up a good engineering resume, I want to go back and get my MBA. Then go back to work and shoot for executive level. I’ll have a technical background with a lot of smarts. Plus, I’ll have the MBA and ready to get over into the serious business side… and with serious business comes SERIOUS MONEY. </p>

<p>If there are any experts out there who see a flaw in my plan PLEASE tell me. I want to get this all strait before I graduate.</p>

<p>I hope this answers any questions you have. Good luck buddy!</p>

20

<p>I’m having a hard time believing this is real… but whatever…</p>

<p>If you’re obsessed with getting rich, go be an actuary. They make a ton of money and have an easy path to the executive echelon of the corporate world since those are the sorts of people they work with a lot. Even better, be a Wall Street banker or a hedge fund analyst. You could even do better by going to medical school and doing research in medicine or being a doctor or surgeon. That’s a huge challenge if you ask me, and it makes more money and is much more stable.</p>