<p>Here, here, Purdue! I went back to school and learned a skill so I could put a roof over my head, as my biology BS was not paying the rent. But guess what, I still bring my binoculars along as I travel and birdwatch through the swamps. I don’t get a paycheck for doing my passion, but I still do it. If you’re lucky enough to get a job that you can leave at the office and provides you a decent wage so you can still pursue your passion, go for it. In the end, no matter how much you love it, a job is a job is a job, and there are many people out there who hate what they used to love because they HAVE to do it. Stick it out. It will be worth it when it’s time to send your kid to college or even get to take a vacation. Do you get to go to Disneyworld, or do you get to splurge and take in a dinner and a movie?</p>
<p>Well I obviously see where you guys are headed. I started out with engineering as an idea for majoring in because of the decent salary, interest in math and physics through high school (although the material is way different now), and I figured that it’s a really useful thing to learn in life. I wanted to go to college to learn about something that I would find really useful and something that I could use whenever handy. Also, certain engineering fields are sort of “recession-proof” compared to other fields of work (sort of scared to say that but I <strong>think</strong> I’m right).</p>
<p>Anyways, I originally wanted to go into mechanical engineering and head towards the car industry, but I don’t think that’s such a great idea anymore (harhar?). I guess I sort of thought that civil engineering was somewhat similar in the core studies of the two fields so I think I want to pursue that field, but then again I’m still not sure what the hell I want to go into. I’m one of those people that look at the BLS and according to them, mechanical engineering isn’t going to become very big soon. That’s another reason why I sort of went away from it.</p>
<p>As for what you guys were saying about the job being different from what you study in school, I feel like it’s somewhat true. But I’m just not so sure how much it applies to the math and sciences. I mean, I’m sure people with liberal arts degrees end up working in places completely different from what they studied, although it will somewhat relate to their field. I know someone who is majoring in English and plans to work with an insurance company. Hey, whatever floats her boat right?</p>
<p>But like I was saying about the math and sciences, I’m sure that it’ll pretty much stay within it’s limits. The only ties I can think of off the top of my head is business, but you guys definitely know more about that than I do.</p>
<p>Back to what I wanted to ask, I guess I’m sort of asking two things. (a) I know that mechE is a really broad field, but should I trust the BLS? (Also, I know that the most common answer would probably be that if you study hard and put yourself to it, then you should be fine, or something along those lines. But honestly, I don’t know what will happen because not everything works out the way you hoped even if you spend a lot of time working with something. Things happen.) (b) What are the most common work places people end up in with a mechE BS? I bet a lot of people go onto grad school but if I don’t go to grad school, I’m just wondering what are the most common things people do (assuming that the most common is where the most jobs are. Don’t flame me if I’m wrong ><).</p>
<p>a) Yes and no. Any predictions will be informed guesses. It’s worth keeping data from BLS in mind but I would not make career decisions based upon it.</p>
<p>b) Check out monster.com, the websites of large companies, etc. and browse the job listings for freshly graduated MEs. Just be aware that they will probably make the job sound a bit more “sexy” than it actually is, which is something every company is guilty of, so you’ll need to read between the lines a bit and ask yourself what the job descriptions are really saying.</p>
<p>Thanks for the idea of checking out monster.com. I’m sure there are other sites too but when I did check monster.com, I didn’t really see anything for the “fresh” graduates. It was mostly all just 2+ years of experience. These things are probably more common in this economy, and who knows how it’ll be like in a few years. Some say that we’ll pull out by then, and some say that it’s over now. I don’t know but I’m not very much into politics.</p>
<p>Just another question that relates to all of engineering: do all engineers in all the different branches have a P.E. test? I’m pretty sure it’s recommended to get that license so does every single branch of engineering have it’s own P.E. license test?</p>
<p>Don’t limit yourself to just monster, it was an example. Yes there are some other sites out there and you should check them out. Also make sure you look at companies directly (boeing.com, ford.com, etc.).</p>
<p>A lot of entry level positions are often listed as requiring 1 or 2 years of work experience.</p>
<p>check indeed.com</p>
<p>I know that the saying goes around, “a job is better than no job,” but how do I know if the company is one of those “big” companies? Like for example, I honestly didn’t know of the car company Subaru till I actually looked closer at a car’s logo about I think 2 years ago. I also don’t remember watching any car commercials of that company so yeah, I had no idea of that company. The idea is, a lot of these companies I’ve never heard. The big names kind of get around by word, but I don’t know much else in this area. I’m not sure how to ask, but I guess I’m trying to ask for a list of some of the well known companies that you guys are familiar with.</p>
<p>Also, doing summer internships would probably help you a lot in getting a job. You get references, ‘experience’, or you could go back to work for the company after graduation. Something else to keep in mind as well.</p>
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<p>Yes, there’s a PE exam for each discipline, but most engineers who go for it are in a field related to infrastructure.</p>