Posted: 5/17/2016 9:29:44 PM EDT
|
If you had a high-paying nontechnical office job would you think pursuing an engineering degree to be worth it for hobby or secondary income purposes? Or would I be better off just taking the individual classes that interest me instead. The school won't cost me anything out of pocket since I have 29 months of GIBILL left after finishing my Business BS and my employer will pay for a relevant masters 100%. I want to learn the material but I don't know if I want to make a career change at this point since it looks like it would take 10 years or more to get to where I am now.
Just for context the programs I was looking at were the ABET accredited BSEE's at ASU and Stonybrook and the BSME's at UND and UofA, since they can be done online for the most part. Thanks! 
|
|
Taking on an engineering degree isn't something to do as a hobby.
It's a massive amount of work. I took my master's degree in engineering part-time. It took 3 years and 8 months and I was completely happy to be done with it. That was only 30 credits. An undergrad degree would be around 90 more. |
|
A degree in engineering is no joke, and not something you typically just do on the side as a hobby.
I think you would enjoy more of the hands on technical stuff that you can tinker with as opposed to banging your head around theory. Technicians typically know how to do stuff, and engineers know why to do stuff. |
|
Quoted:
I'm a high GS13 in the government and could probably make GS14 in 5 years, so yeah it'd be a significant pay cut. Quoted:
Quoted:
I can't imagine a "high paying office job" could bring in better pay than an engineering position outside entry level. I'm a high GS13 in the government and could probably make GS14 in 5 years, so yeah it'd be a significant pay cut. Not worth your time or efforts as a career. As personal interest, take the classes that interest you, or study individual topics on your own - lots of great websites, youtube videos, and textbooks out there. |
|
Quoted: I'm a high GS13 in the government and could probably make GS14 in 5 years, so yeah it'd be a significant pay cut. Quoted: Quoted: I can't imagine a "high paying office job" could bring in better pay than an engineering position outside entry level. I'm a high GS13 in the government and could probably make GS14 in 5 years, so yeah it'd be a significant pay cut. You need to figure out what you really want to do not based on a pay scale. With your income you would be getting a cut going in to an entry level eng. position. So, I would not do it unless you really want to be in the Engineering field and enjoy that type of work. |
|
Quoted: I'm a high GS13 in the government and could probably make GS14 in 5 years, so yeah it'd be a significant pay cut. Quoted: Quoted: I can't imagine a "high paying office job" could bring in better pay than an engineering position outside entry level. I'm a high GS13 in the government and could probably make GS14 in 5 years, so yeah it'd be a significant pay cut. |
|
I had reason to research future engineering jobs.
There are more jobs than EE grads. Trend will continue for 5 years minimum. Most predict at least ten years. Demand for civil engineers will be in a steep climb due to infrastructure needs. Computer engineers will also be in demand. Mech E will be holding its own. Aerospace aeronautical will likely contract. |
|
Quoted:
would you think pursuing an engineering degree to be worth it for hobby or secondary income purposes? I would think that apprenticing in an engineering-related field would be more productive - particularly if the degree isn't as important to you as the knowledge that typically accompanies it. As an EE, most of my really useful day-to-day engineering knowledge came after I graduated - and virtually none of it required a college degree to understand or use. So, I would suggest concentrating on getting hands-on technical experience in the real world, rather than taking abstract courses. |