<p>I'd like to hear from everyone, but particularly those involved with industrial engineering:
With tons of manufacturing in North America closing down and going over-seas, is an industrial engineering degree still worth it?</p>
<p>If the US wants to continue to sell tangible products, manufacturing will always be a necessity. There will come a point when it’s cheaper to manufacture in-house then to ship everything overseas then ship it back.</p>
<p>If you think industrial engineering is interesting, I would just go for it. If you truly like it, you’ll create your own opportunities. </p>
<p>(Sorry I’m a young, idealistic, optimist.)</p>
<p>The time when it’s cheaper to manufacture in house is pretty far down the line. </p>
<p>That said, industrial engineering is almost like a business degree, so I’m sure you’ll be alright.</p>
<p>Industrial engineering is applicable to any kind of business, really. So as long as there is any work being done here that needs organization, I think IE will be alright.</p>
<p>probably not</p>
<p>There are manufacturing jobs where I work and they’re not going to be outsourced. As a matter of fact, we get more work in because of the weak dollar.</p>
<p>Just curious, where did you get the info about declining manufacturing from? I’m not doubting you, but I just need to see it.
Can you give me the link of the source please?</p>
<p>A friend w/an IE degree from a good school has struggled. Manufacturing has gone overseas and those jobs go forever, apparently. She’s specialized in quality, and in this recession she says quality departments are the first hit. I wouldn’t push someone into this field based on her experience. But I’d research this some - check out who hires IE grads from the school you’d attend and see who is hiring.</p>
<p>“Manufacturing has gone overseas and those jobs go forever, apparently.”</p>
<p>It depends on what you’re manufacturing. Some things aren’t so easy to outsource.</p>
<p>^ Understood. But it makes it harder to work in the field when so many of the jobs are gone.</p>
<p>My neighbor is an ME plant engineer type - the guy that keeps the factory running, the machinery going. I’m sure he’s good at what he does - he is fixing old clunker cars all the time - and he last worked for a taco manu plant, and now is looking for something appropriate to his skills, since the taco plant laid him off and he’s just doing maintenance work.</p>
<p>I wonder if IE would be a good way to get into logistics? That field seems to be active.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be worried about Industrial engineering, Manufacturing engineering is what Id stay away from. Industrial sounds like it would be useful to almost any business model.</p>
<p>Also consider that while manufacturing jobs are going overseas, manufacturing itself is still better than ever. </p>
<p>It’s the machines that are taking our jobs in the US, not the Chinese. </p>
<p>If you can somehow work robotics into an IE degree, you may be in a better position.</p>