<p>Right now I am a junior in Mechanical Engineering and my gpa is pretty average, at least for engineering, around 3.05. I've been really down lately about my career prospects, as well as the advantages or rather disadvantages of the major itself. Simply put, I feel as though I have been working harder than 90% of people at my school, but recieving average grades, all because someone decided engineering should be graded harder than everything else. So here you have the smartest kids in the school, mostly grouped into one major, where half of them will recieve mediocre GPA's for their countless hours of study while some liberal arts or business major who partied through school will get a 3.5+ with little to no effot. And it doesn't end there, because when it comes to money when one gets out of school, people always assume oh thats when the engineering degree will pay off. Wrong again, because the people in easy majors will be able to get into top-tier law/medical/business schools and make huge money after they graduate while the engineer who worked his butt off through undergrad will never get in with his mediocre GPA. I really feel like an engineering degree is a horrible choice for any hardworking student who wants to be financially successful. Maybe to some people 60k is success, but to me it's not and it seems like a lousy payoff for four years of academic hell and bleak employment prospects. What is the point? I'm just not getting it; more work, less prospects for grad school which equals higher pay, where is the benefit? Now i'm in my junior year, and I feel like I'm doomed to a life of mediocrity all because I chose to major in a 'great paying, satisfying career' when I was 18 years old.</p>
<p>You should be happy you have a 3.05 GPA. Many of my peers are in the 2.5-2.9 range and they probably work as hard as you do, if not harder.</p>
<p>You sound very spoiled or perhaps you have not had the opportunity to experience the real world, but let me tell you something my friend, but do you even understand how many people are unemployed in this country?</p>
<p>For many people, having a 6 figure job is something that will never be able to achieve even after doing everything right in their lives and working hard for 20-30 years and there you are complaining about 4-5 years of hard work?</p>
<p>If you owned a company, would you pay a 21 year old kid with very little “real world” experience more than 60 K? What salary do you think you deserve? 100K? 200K?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound like a jerk, but I am probably at least 15 years older than you, getting my 2nd degree in Engineering, You should be very grateful you are having this opportunity at a young age, something most people only dream of.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound spoiled, and you’re right, your friends probably did work harder than me for lower grades which is what kills me about engineering. Even a smart person like myself has to kill for a 3.0. You know what one relative told me when I said I had a 3.0? Oh come on, you can do better than that! That is the general perception; normal people have no idea how hard engineering is compared to their liberal arts degrees. It literally kills me inside because I am always thinking how stupid people must find me because of my ‘bad’ grades when in reality I am very intelligent and hardworking. I don’t know how to get this across to people who have never experienced it(engineering).</p>
<p>It would be desirable to keep your GPA >= 3.0, since it is widely thought that many employers use that level of GPA as an initial screening criterion to determine who to bring in for an interview. But once you do get the interview, the interview is what counts, not your GPA.</p>
<p>I’m confused–do you want to go to med/law/professional school, or do you want to get a job after graduation?</p>
<p>Engineering is generally considered something of a professional degree. In the sense, that you should be able to go directly into the workforce without getting a higher degree. You can get a Master’s if you like, but I’d generally recommend you enter the workforce first to see if you need it or if you can get an employer to pay for it. No, you’re first job out of college probably won’t be 100K, but the salary you get in your first job out of college isn’t going to be your salary for the rest of your life. How many internships or jobs in the field have you had? If you’re so overly concerned about your salary, get as much work experience as you can. The more experience you have, the less your GPA will matter and the easier it will be for you to get a job with a higher salary.</p>
<p>If you want to go to medical or law school, why are you majoring in engineering? To be honest, it doesn’t sound like you’re enjoying it. And I don’t particularly understand why you’re so jealous of a liberal arts major who then goes on to medical school. For one thing, during undergrad, they were likely taking pre-med requirements, working on getting as high of a GPA as possible, prepping for and taking the MCAT, volunteering, getting research and clinical experience, shadowing, getting work experience, and working on med school apps. Then they have to go through 4 years of medical school, which they often go into significant debt for, and then they have to go through 3+ years of residency, where they generally get paid a fairly low wage considering the amount of training they have. And they may still be paying off their loans. So yes, doctors do have high wages, but they go through significantly more training than you would with your bachelor’s in engineering and they are funding most of that themselves. It’s not something you just do for the fun of it. It’s something to seriously consider.</p>
<p>It sounds to me like you’re just annoyed at people who think you aren’t working hard enough. So just ignore them. Who cares what they think? You’re GPA is what it is, and you’re working as hard as you can. Who cares if other majors have a higher GPA? They aren’t going to be competing with you for engineering jobs.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be rude, but the way you come off is very off-putting. No one’s going to feel bad for you because you’re in engineering and have to work hard. Tons of people work hard–they just work hard at different things. Some people find their engineering courses very easy, while others find their liberal arts courses very challenging. Some work very hard in academic pursuits, some work hard to support themselves and their family, some people work hard to get into graduate/professional school. Be grateful that you have the time and the resources to get an education. Instead of complaining about how much harder it is or how much better everyone else has it, focus on what you can do to have the life that you want to have.</p>
<p>I think it is good to be ambitious and have high standards but I know a guy who is 38 years old, finishing his Engineering degree while juggling a wife, 2 kids and doing a co-op 3 times a week 20 miles away from here.</p>
<p>Since I went back to school, I have worked 20 hours since day 1. If I didnt, I would not be able to be in school. </p>
<p>I know a guy who is about 19 years old, has a full ride scholarship and always complains how much work he has to do everyday.</p>
<p>I am not trying to compare you to others but I want you to understand that your situation is very good compared to so many other people. If I did not have to work while going to school, my life would be so much easier.</p>
<p>I do not fully understand the complaint. Many people would love to leave the real world and return to college. The college experience prepares you for success (however you want to define it). The experience is also about what you have read, learned and the people you have met along the way. You stated you chose your major because of the potential for “a great paying, satisfying career” at age 18. Your degree will get you a job. A passion for what you are doing will help you suceed in your field. Sometimes people with engineering degrees open a bakery or go into law enforcement. Others apply to Med and law school. I never wanted to work hard in school, get a job in my field of study and hate my job. As far as earnings, most of us are not completely with satisfied with our income but hopefully, we enjoy what we do. </p>
<p>If you don’t like engineering that is one thing but if you enjoy it and see yourself having a career in it, then stay. A 3.05 is not a bad average and I assure you that employers understand the difference between a 3.05 in an engineering program and a higher GPA in a different major. With engineering, you might not get a six-figure job out of college (who does?) but odds are you will get a job without spending 3 more years in professional school (and by the way, law school graduates are not having an easy time of it nowadays). My son got his EE degree from Illinois Tech in 2010 and during the height of the recession was able to find a job in one month. His GPA was not 4.0 either! Three years and two promotions later, he is senior technical lead and probably pushing that six-figure mark (I don’t ask).</p>
<p>Yes, engineering is hard work but there is a payoff.</p>
<p>Job prospects? If you don’t like engineering per se, be of good cheer. I work for a major financial institution and we have many engineers who work as business analysts. </p>
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The most common majors for persons attending medical school are ones that overlap with the pre-med requirements, such as majors related to biology and chemistry. These life science majors tend to have a lower average GPA than most (one study found chem major was lowest average GPA of all majors), and the classes have a reputation for being more competitive for top grades than engineering. I wouldn’t assume one gets in to a top tier medical/law/business school by “partying through school with little to no effort.” Similarly engineering is one of the most common majors among persons attending top tier business schools, although not as popular as business. While there are some business and law schools that are not very selective, the top-tier ones you mentioned are and require significant effort for most, regardless of major. They usually also require more than just good grades, including things like achievements outside of a classroom environment.</p>
<p>Regarding salary, the difference in net earnings is probably less than you expect, when you consider lost time and additional expenses. For example, the average physician doesn’t finish residency until he is ~30. He’s likely carrying well into the 6-figures in student loans, and he likely has additional expenses putting a major dent into his income, such as insurance costs and office overhead. In contrast, an engineering major has a good chance of earning low 6 figures at 30, being out of student debt, and having little overhead expenses. </p>
<p>Do some research before being envious of law and medical degrees. Per my reading, they don’t seem as lucrative or appealing as they were 20 years ago. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, engineering is definitely a degree you will not regret having, whether or not you end up working as an engineer. While I do have plenty to say about the job prospects in engineering, engineers seldom go to school for a second BS degree for the simple reason that they don’t need to. Just endure a year and a half worth more of it, as I can tell you that it’s probably the best option at this point.</p>
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Still pretty decent but they’re both essentially a life commitment to professional work. Between student loans, professional school, and residency/interning/etc, you will have a hard time leaving the field. I know plenty of very successful lawyers/doctors who are essentially stuck there until their 40s-50s because they spent their 30s in school and more than a decade paying back massive debts.</p>
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<p>I did, it’s actually not that uncommon anymore. I wouldn’t say it’s normal, but it’s within reach and certainly does happen. </p>
<p>But you don’t even need that. Even starting at 60K, Engineering is a great way to get and stay in the middle class without having to go any further in education than a Bachelors and paying an arm and a leg for it (like the Doctors and Lawyers) and without having to work 80hr weeks (like the bankers). Sure, there are things that are more lucrative, but Engineering does pretty damn well for what it requires. </p>
<p>As an engineering student, I did well in my classes, but I feel like I’m doomed to a life of social isolation. The few guys in my classes that dated are extremely athletic and social, and that’s what the girls in my classes want. I dreamt that there would be a girl out there that had difficulty fitting in with people like me, but it was just a dream. Oh well!</p>
<p>What IS more lucrative than engineering for a Bachelor’s Degree?</p>
<p>Depends on whom you talk with. Our friend’s S is doing great. He has a bachelor’s in engineering, bachelor’s in finance and a master’s in one of those. He’s been hired as a consultant and I strongly suspect he’s making more than my EE son. He DOES work much longer hours than S. In S’s free time from hid full time job, he has started his own PT business which he enjoys and earns a great deal from. </p>
<p>I agree that I believe you have to maintain some minimal GPA to get an interview and then you may be hired to be an engineer, project manager or something else, as long as you are flexible, do internships and interview well. S is a project manager, but does hope to use his engineering skills more than he’s been able to so far. </p>
<p>My niece majored in history while taking all the pre-regs for med and is now getting her podiatry degree. Her sister majored in English and is an attorney. I was a sociology major before I became an attorney–we had kids with all kinds of majors in our law school. S may go back and get a law degree to go with his EE, but the way the job market is these days, we aren’t encouraging him. </p>
<p>Yes, many do recognize that engineering is a challenging major, but it’s one of the few fields where you can get a fob paying $50k or more with a BS (no masters or PhDs). </p>
<p>Nurses can earn more than engineers, especially if they work nights and overtime. On the other hand, our state has many un and underemployed nurses. My D has a friend with a BA in business who is working in IB with Morgan Stanley. I think she earns a lot but has crazy hours. She has another friend who majored in English or psych and has her dream job as an editor in English and French in NYC.</p>
<p>As for doctors - with Obamacare good luck actually doing medicine with a government agent directing your every move. Many of my friends are getting out of medicine. Not worth it for them anymore. Then again, they are independent people, but if you like being told what to do then it might work for you.</p>
<p>awcntdb, that is not true whatsoever and you need to get accurate information on this before posting. There is no government agent directing physicians’ every move. As an independent physician, I actually chose an ACA plan to cover myself and family because the individual coverages that were available to me last year would have nearly bankrupted me if I or my family members suffered severely from our pre-existing conditions. I begged my wife not to do anything that would exacerbate her pre-existing back problem because surgery was priced at nearly $235,000 and it would not be covered. Under my ACA plan, it is covered and my maximum out of pocket expense would be $3000. Therefore, I have much better coverage for my family now than I had last year and I am spending about $400 less per month.</p>
<p>Obamacare is a law governing what minimal coverages insurance companies will provide and some financing for the poor. It is a duplicate of Romney’s system in Massachusetts. It is not a healthcare plan at all. I have not noticed a difference between my patients who have the plan and my patients who don’t. I deal directly with their PRIVATE insurance companies.</p>
<p>As for being told what to do: that has occurred when the private equity firms started to buy out physician practices and hospitals. Seriously, I have had much more hassles from the private owners of my practice, the cuts in reimbursement from the private insurance companies, than I ever had from a government payor. The government payor just pays me less, but they pay me consistently within 30 days. But the private guys want to maximize profits, and they do so by manipulating the staffing ratios of our practice to their benefit.</p>
<p>But enough of the sidetrack. As a former engineer, current physician, and a purchaser of an ACA plan, I couldn’t let such a profoundly false statement go without a correction. If someone wants to become a doctor, they have to do it for the right reason. Patient care has to be the number one goal and breaking even financially the second goal. Physicians will more than break even if they keep their heart at achieving goal number 1!!</p>
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<p>If you’re willing to work your ass off, and are at a top school, any degree can get you in banking. </p>
<p>Damn Vlad, I should have done IOE…</p>
<p>Just hang out for 4 years and get a 6 figure starting salary? I worked my butt off for nothing.</p>
<p>…lol</p>