<p>This is just a random question that I don't think has been addressed before. There has been much discussion about the marketability of the BS Engineering degree vs. other bachelors degrees. But, what if a student obtains an engineering degree and decides not to work in the field. Is such a person qualified to do anything else?</p>
<p>Yup. Lots of engineers take some business classes in college and graduate to become consultants, working for companies such as McKinsey.</p>
<p>A bunch of math teachers at my school are also former engineers.</p>
<p>YES. I have many friends in engineering that have gone on to "other" careers. An engineering degree is an excellent degree for almost anything.</p>
<p>Well, engineering is just another name for "applied science". You can apply science and scientific reasoning to pretty much anything. Therefore, someone trained in the application of science and scientific reasoning to everyday life has a pretty marketable skill set. So.... yes.</p>
<p>Agree that an engineering degree is VERY marketable. There are very few things that you cannot do with that degree. You can do engineering, sciences (such as chemistry w/ a chemE degree, although a chemist usually would not be hired for a chemE job), finance (they love engineers), various business jobs that require strong analytical skills, and pretty much any job that requires only a bachelor's degree.</p>
<p>It's a tremendously flexible degree - IMO, there are very few things that you would not be allowed to do with the degree, and those would be limited to things like nursing.</p>
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It's a tremendously flexible degree - IMO, there are very few things that you would not be allowed to do with the degree, and those would be limited to things like nursing.
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What about the GPA to get into the elite law schools? ;)</p>
<p>I have some Rice engineering friends who have gone to both UT and Stanford law.</p>
<p>Engineering is probably THE most flexible degree. You really can do pretty much anything from law to business to medicine. And alot of employers want to hire engineers, even if it's not for an engineering job, because of the minds they possess.</p>
<p>Flavian, As far as I know, most schools realize how rigorous and engineering education is and that is taken into consideration. If you graduate a good engineering program with decent grades or even a decent one with good grades you still have plenty of opportunity to get into good medical schools, law schools, etc.</p>
<p>I am encouraged. My son is an engineering student and is pretty good at it, but he is not sure that he wants to be a practicing engineer. At least it seems that he will have other options, even with a bachelors degree. Thanks for the input so far...I would welcome any further discussion on the topic.</p>
<p>An engineer is no longer an engineer when he begins to think in abstract, rather than concrete, terms... :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Only time I don't think in concrete terms is when I think in steel or masonry terms. ;)</p>
<p>(Couldn't help it. I'm an engineering major.)</p>
<p>A lot of people get an undergraduate engineering degree and move on to pursue an MBA. Many high-tech company executives have an engineering degree with an MBA, and may have never gotten their "fingernails dirty" by actually doing any engineering work. </p>
<p>They just need to understand the mindset of engineers and run the company for them.</p>
<p>Yeah. engineering is great. The only problem is, your GPA may take a blow (like mine is right now) if you go to an ridiculously difficult, elite, engineering institution.</p>
<p>Yea but people know how insane engineering is, especially at good schools. So a 3.2 in engineering doesn't look as bad as a 3.2 in business.</p>
<p>Flavian,</p>
<p>The question was about jobs, which is the question I answered.</p>
<p>Yes, we all know that I went through hell to get into my law school... but I made it. Ultimately, I'm here... and that was despite taking the hardest major that my school has, taking a second major for kicks, and taking the hardest classes that I could have... all on top of three of the most personally grueling years anyone can imagine. Ugh... not anything I want to go through again! Good thing is that engineering made 1L year look like a cakewalk.</p>
<p>Lishnik: try applying to law schools with an engineering degree before being so damn cavalier about getting in the door.</p>
<p>I never said it was easy. I just said it was very doable. The point I was trying to make is that you can do anything with an engineering degree.</p>
<p>Not to be too sarcastic (lingering memories of law school applications...), but how would you know that it's doable? I found it to be a horrible process - realized that if I took only my liberal arts major, I would have gotten into almost any law school in the country.</p>
<p>Why would a liberal arts major give you an edge getting into law school over an engineering major..i mean i know you can do pretty much anything..i know a friend who graduated rutgers with an art history major and went to fordham law..but why would a liberal arts major give you any type of edge</p>
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Why would a liberal arts major give you an edge getting into law school over an engineering major
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Probably because it's harder to get A's in engineering than in liberal arts majors, due to the rigor and grade deflation prevalent in engineering programs.</p>
<p>Law schools know about that lkf725 and take that into consideration when accepting applications. They don't just look at the grades and say hey this guy has all A's and this guy has some B's. OH better accept the first applicant. LOL</p>