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Posted: 7/9/2015 3:47:03 PM EDT
I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. I'm getting my major in Math - Applied Scientific Modeling Option, and my minor in Mechanical Engineering. From what I can tell my options seem to be Academia (not interested in teaching at all), Government Agency (would be alright), some sort of research center (which would require continuing on to my masters), and I'll be taking some statistics classes that I might be able to quality in some places that require that sort of knowledge. Is there anything I'm missing? What do engineering firms need someone like me for?
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Every product made needs mechanical engineers. They design, chassis, bezels, board layouts, plastic bits, you name it, if you can touch it a mech E has touched it first.
I'm a SW Eng, but I work with EE, ME and we are all needed to make our products. Sorry, don't know much about what to do with a math major than try to be an actuary, I hear they make a good living. |
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Not sure what a "minor" in engineering is. Most companies require that graduates be from an ABET accredited engineering or engineering technology program before hiring someone as an "engineer". For sure, thw gvmt requires an ABET engineering degree for their new engineers.
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Not sure what a "minor" in engineering is. Most companies require that graduates be from an ABET accredited engineering or engineering technology program before hiring someone as an "engineer". For sure, thw gvmt requires an ABET engineering degree for their new engineers. View Quote Yeah, this. Where are you going to school? |
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Folks without and ABET 4-year engineering degree always had 'Designer' added into their title.
It cost them a lot of money to be a 'design engineer.' |
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. View Quote The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. |
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The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. |
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He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. University of Idaho which is very much abet certified. I like the problem solving of both aspects but based on the way classes worked out and another prior degree change I can graduate next year. Majoring in ME will need another full year if I wanted to pursue that. |
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University of Idaho which is very much abet certified. I like the problem solving of both aspects but based on the way classes worked out and another prior degree change I can graduate next year. Majoring in ME will need another full year if I wanted to pursue that. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. University of Idaho which is very much abet certified. I like the problem solving of both aspects but based on the way classes worked out and another prior degree change I can graduate next year. Majoring in ME will need another full year if I wanted to pursue that. Interesting. A lot of schools seem to shy away from that. Either way, get the ME if you can make it work! Engineering is one of the best bang for your buck "bachelor's-only" degrees in existence. |
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ABET accredits programs, not institutions. The ABET listing of approved programs lists U. of Idaho's BSME program. While engineering courses on a transcript might be of interest to certain prospective employers it should not be inferred that ABET has accredited that particular course of study.
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ABET accredits programs, not institutions. The ABET listing of approved programs lists U. of Idaho's BSME program. While engineering courses on a transcript might be of interest to certain prospective employers it should not be inferred that ABET has accredited that particular course of study. View Quote I know that I wouldn't graduate as a certified engineer. I'm really just wondering what my opportunities there are with this education. |
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I would be careful with U of I and their accreditation. I was called into the Engineering Deans office 2 semesters before graduation and was told if I did not graduate that semester, my program would no longer be ABET accredited. They got rid of the accreditation on the Metallurgical Engineering program and rolled the Materials science program into the Chem E department. They changed the MSE program so much that if you came back it would be an extra year of taking new classes. The reason they gave me was too many professors left or retired and they could not get the ones they needed to keep the program accredited.
If you want to help yourself out on the engineering side of your program I would look into taking the FE exam. That may help getting your foot in the door with a company that may not be interested in hiring you otherwise. Another thought would be an MS in statistics and going into engineering quality control. IDHunt |
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University of Idaho which is very much abet certified. I like the problem solving of both aspects but based on the way classes worked out and another prior degree change I can graduate next year. Majoring in ME will need another full year if I wanted to pursue that. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. University of Idaho which is very much abet certified. I like the problem solving of both aspects but based on the way classes worked out and another prior degree change I can graduate next year. Majoring in ME will need another full year if I wanted to pursue that. Just one more year? I'd do it for sure. I knew three kinds of MEs: - The kind that weren't cut out for it, and dropped out. - The ones that were barely cut out for it, didn't have "engineering sense" and/or weren't strong in math, but managed to get through it. - The ones that knew what they were doing and took it seriously. The people I knew in the third category generally made a very good salary starting out of college, without any actual experience. If you know what you're doing, ME can be a very good field to be in, as can EE. The CivEs that I know are, for the most part, much less happy with their jobs, and make less money than the ME or EEs. |
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well this is encouraging--I'm back for a second degree in ME.
Good to know its still a great choice. |
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I know I was anxious to get out when my senior year was rolling around, but in your shoes, I'd be patient. If a full ME degree is just one additional year, I'd pursue that. If you want to get in to engineering, that degree will be your ticket. Could you get a job at a firm with what you'll have? Sure, but you'd likely make significantly less, and likely always be JUST below the engineers. What you have may not be far off from an actual engineering degree, but doors will open that are not open to you now. You have to decide if that is worth it to you.
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I graduated with a degree in math and a minor in economics. Pursued a masters as I was still feeling out options. When I graduated, I had the following interviews:
Government Agency A Federal Reserve Bank An Airline Company The Insurance Industry I ended up going with the insurance industry and sort of fell into a very nice career that excites me. Math provides a wonderful toolkit for modeling and depending on your interest in that, all of these industries and more would possibly look at you. FWIW, I am now an actuary with a national health carrier. |
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With that background you'd actually make a good fit into any place that does modeling and simulation on any scale. There are a ton of fields that are requiring this more and more, with plenty of opportunities available in any big defense / aerospace company.
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you'd actually make a good fit into any place that does modeling and simulation on any scale. There are a ton of fields that are requiring this more and more, with plenty of opportunities available in any big defense aerospace company. View Quote That is what I would have figured but most of the companiesave looked at want a masters or 3 years experience with a bachelors degree. But a job in aerospace or somewhere in the defense industry would be really interesting. An analyst building models in the intelligence community would also be interesting but im not sure if there is a more specific degree the government or a company would be looking for. |
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That is what I would have figured but most of the companiesave looked at want a masters or 3 years experience with a bachelors degree. But a job in aerospace or somewhere in the defense industry would be really interesting. An analyst building models in the intelligence community would also be interesting but im not sure if there is a more specific degree the government or a company would be looking for. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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you'd actually make a good fit into any place that does modeling and simulation on any scale. There are a ton of fields that are requiring this more and more, with plenty of opportunities available in any big defense aerospace company. That is what I would have figured but most of the companiesave looked at want a masters or 3 years experience with a bachelors degree. But a job in aerospace or somewhere in the defense industry would be really interesting. An analyst building models in the intelligence community would also be interesting but im not sure if there is a more specific degree the government or a company would be looking for. I'll be honest. For those guys, if you want to be doing modeling/sim work, they almost always want at least a master's degree in a related engineering discipline. Sometimes they have guys with advanced math degrees do that, but not as frequently. |
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Back in early 2000's I went to college with several math majors that took some engineering courses. Most got jobs writing computer code, developing engineerimng modeling software, or analyzing/ developing experimental designs. The ability to really understand math while understanding basic engineering equations and theories is very marketable.
Most engineers are not experts in statistical analysis or design of experiments. I know my limits and always would appreciate a math nerd to review my ideas and data. By supporting engineering research through statistical analysis is a good way to coauthor papers for publication. |
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“Since all models are wrong the scientist cannot obtain a "correct" one by excessive elaboration. On the contrary following William of Occam he should seek an economical description of natural phenomena. Just as the ability to devise simple but evocative models is the signature of the great scientist so overelaboration and overparameterization is often the mark of mediocrity.”
George E. P. Box (October 18, 1919 – March 28, 2013) Science and Statistics (1976), p. 792 Like the 'climate' models. This issue crops up in many engineering models. There is an entire branch dedicated to 'catastrophe theory' that attempts to discern the n-dimensional 'shape' of model surfaces. This supplies a lot of information about their stability and usefulness. Way beyond first rank sensitivity analysis. |
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You can probably get an entry level job in Operations analysis (warfare modeling) or modeling & sim (flight simulators, etc) at a defense contractor. They usually look for people with math or programming degrees for those kinds of jobs.
Look at the major defense companies (Raytheon, Northrop, Lockheed, Boeing, etc), GE and PW (engine sim if you like jet engines), Huntsville area, and look for smaller businesses around DC, WPAFB, Eglin, China Lake, Pax river, etc. |
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As a minor...the engineering foot note may qualify you for a technician job...you'll never be on the engineer's level at the bigger corporations.
You'll get better than minimum wage, but no where near the Engineer's salary. |
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Mathematician is one of the highest paying feilds in the US according to BLS. You should be able to find a good career in many places.
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You can probably get an entry level job in Operations analysis (warfare modeling) or modeling & sim (flight simulators, etc) at a defense contractor. They usually look for people with math or programming degrees for those kinds of jobs. Look at the major defense companies (Raytheon, Northrop, Lockheed, Boeing, etc), GE and PW (engine sim if you like jet engines), Huntsville area, and look for smaller businesses around DC, WPAFB, Eglin, China Lake, Pax river, etc. View Quote Maybe, maybe with a bachelor's CS degree. I've never heard of any defense contractor having somebody new with less than a master's in math or ME/EE doing important modeling or sim work. Too much stuff they just don't know yet. They need a really solid foundation in numerical methods to have any idea what's really happening in a sim, or any confidence in the results they generate. |
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How are your grades? Have you considered applying for some fellowships for grad school, maybe with the DOE or the like? I know someone who did this and it was very successful for them. It's one way to get good experience in a field you are interested while getting a degree paid for.
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Look at the major defense companies (Raytheon, Northrop, Lockheed, Boeing, etc), GE and PW (engine sim if you like jet engines), Huntsville area, and look for smaller businesses around DC, WPAFB, Eglin, China Lake, Pax river, etc. View Quote I would suggest you look into the quality assurance or quality control side (QA/QC) of various industries. Krusty783 mentioned defense companies if you are interested in this work. If you are interested in the construction industry I have met an individual who graduated with a mathematics degree and they are working with a geotechnical firm. This person spends time outside on the construction sites, in the geotechnical lab, but also works behind a desk. A degree does not prepare you for a specific job. See your mathematics degree/engineering minor as an opportunity to apply to an area your interested in. Your degree opens you up to all industries and find what you want to pursue a career in; construction, defense, manufacturing, education, research, etc. |
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Programming would probably be your best option unless you just hated it.
I did EE but am killing it in the app-development market. I turn down work weekly, sometimes daily. That's all I do now, and I plan on riding this gold train until it stops or I get bored and want to do something else. |
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I got a Math degree back when graphing calculators were just hitting the market and punch cards had only been gone for a few years. Did not see a lot of promise unless I wanted to get a Masters (did not) and teach (hell no), so I spent one more year and got a degree with a double major in Math and Computer Science. Much better call. While I am now mostly useless management, the CS/Math degree opens a lot of opportunities. Every day is a problem solving exercise and with that degree, you have proven you can work through problems.
If I was you, I would finish the engineering degree. It will open many more doors and impact your salary significantly. |
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He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. Around here, people do the reverse of what OP did - they major in ME, and along the way, they take one extra match class, and boom, they've got a minor in math. |
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Around here, people do the reverse of what OP did - they major in ME, and along the way, they take one extra match class, and boom, they've got a minor in math. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. The time to figure out what you were going to do with your education was before you entered college and chose a major, not in your last year. That being said, with a degree in ME, get your PE license, and you have a lot of jobs open to you. Everything from structures to refineries to weapons to cars to computer parts to just about anything else you can imagine. Yes, even computer parts. Someone has to do the vibration, thermal, and other calcs for those things. He's not going to have that. I'm not even aware of a school that lets you minor in a real engineering discipline. It makes me curious if his school offers non-accredited Engineering degrees. Such places exist. Around here, people do the reverse of what OP did - they major in ME, and along the way, they take one extra match class, and boom, they've got a minor in math. Just about every electrical and chemical engineer is barely short for a minor in math. The most common course missing is a 'history of the development of math' type course. Since it has no value in the major it is not worth adding another course to an already overburdened degree. Engineering degrees required 18 hours per quarter for four years to graduate in 4 years. All other degrees only required 15 hours per quarter. |
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Get the ME degree....it'll be worth more and easier to get a job. I look through resumes for engineers when my company is hiring and if I saw "math major with minor In engineering" I'd toss it in the trash and move on to someone with a true BSME or MSME degree. Not trying to be a dick but I see a lot of new graduates that think they are the "real deal" engineer but can't do shit. That piece of paper doesn't mean a damn thing unless you can actually do real hands on engineering work.
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I'm going to begin my senior year in college and still a little bit unsure of what exactly I can do with my education. I'm getting my major in Math - Applied Scientific Modeling Option, and my minor in Mechanical Engineering. From what I can tell my options seem to be Academia (not interested in teaching at all), Government Agency (would be alright), some sort of research center (which would require continuing on to my masters), and I'll be taking some statistics classes that I might be able to quality in some places that require that sort of knowledge. Is there anything I'm missing? What do engineering firms need someone like me for? View Quote My first thought was CFD analysis, followed by FEA. Aerospace, automotive, oil/gas/power, etc. |
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Larger companies tend to be more rigid with their selection criteria - you won't get an entry level design engineering position within Boeing without an ABET-accredited engineering degree.
Passing the FE exam may put you on better footing for an engineering position in other companies. |
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