College Talk

[wnelax04sr5]

That's very true, and our professors make that very clear to us. There are entry level jobs you can get with a BA/BS in Psychology but nothing that pays well or that one would enjoy. You're right about succeeding if the drive and good work ethic is there. But unfortunately there are far too many people who lack both.

to be honest i used to hate working around and with people who lacked any motivation or effort at all, but now I'm starting to realize that it actually may be a good thing that those people exist. it helps those who actually do care and try, and extra effort just makes you that much more visible

edit; where'd my post go?

 

[jgmx893]

Thanks everyone for the responses and wisdom. It's good to hear some different opinions on how the job market is and general philosophy for life. I listened to that NPR podcast as well, thought that was interesting.
Definitely excited to at least be pursuing a specific field. Since I love the automotive/mech aspects of things it was good to hear that Virginia Tech had such prestige. When I went to visit their engineering shop on campus I was impressed by the baja truck/bikes/electric cars/formula car. I could sit there all day and talk about/work on that stuff, as I'm sure everyone else here could

 

[OL0033]

I'm starting to realize that it actually may be a good thing that those people exist. it helps those who actually do care and try, and extra effort just makes you that much more visible

You make a very valid point. I never thought about it that way.

Ironically I ran into this while on FB earlier...
Want proof college is worth it? Look at this list of the highest-paying majors - The Washington Post

 

[Nervo19]

Holy crap! Zooperman will do just fine with a liberal arts degree. UPenn is Ivy League, private and only accepts the top 5% of it's applicants. Smart guy.

We live in VA and my oldest is a junior with a really high GPA and an interest in computer science, which at most schools is in the engineering departments. He really wants to go to UVA but we toured VA Tech last summer. We were really impressed at their tour and the department. jgmx893, your best bang for the money is to go in state somewhere. If your parents are willing to pay for Clemson out of state you can afford to look at private universities too. In VA we've got UVA, VA Tech, George Mason and VCU with engineering schools. VCU's engineering doesn't have a huge reputation yet but one of my sons friends got a full ride, tuition plus room and board so they're trying to recruit successful students. The guy also got into UVA and Tech. He went to Tech because he felt it was more focused on engineering.

I couldn't figure out why University of Alabama always has a table at our school's college nights. It's an eleven hour drive from Richmond, VA. I found out they are one of the most generous merit scholarship schools. If money's an issue check them out:
university of alabama engineering scholarships

 

[TCMach]

I go to Colorado State for Construction Management (and the riots :beer: jk). Crazy to see the support we have in this field from industry. I meet more owners of companies (big ones too: NOVO, JE Dunn, Parsons, Richmond American, DR Horton) in a day than I did in a year of Mechanical Engineering.

Only thing I will say is follow your passions, and dont go in with any preconceptions about what your degree will be. I "knew" I was going to be a Mech since I was 10 years old. A year into it I was on academic probation and hating every second of class. Transferred into CM and I love every day of it. Also have a 3.8 GPA since I swapped if you want some numerical proof.

 

[broncosi]

I am a computer science major senior at UNCW. Hopefully I can find a job or internship when I graduate. Working on my linkdin account today some more.

 

[Myrunr2010]

I went to VMI and really enjoyed my time there. Its not for everyone though... We went to a few presentations by VT professors and I was always really impressed with what they were doing there. They have a lot of money for great facilities and equipment, you can really get involved with a ton of differnet projects and stuff, but im sure thats the case with any larger school.

 

[1engineer]

You guys want some truth about STEM, about LinkedIn, and about jobs in the tech field?
Here you go:

1. If you want to be an engineer, any type of engineer, go to a ABET (ABET -) certified school ONLY! if you get your BS(whatever initial here)E you WILL get a job no problem and you will make decent money starting out. High prestige universities usually mean high dollars too. There is very little difference between salaries from a big vs a small school as long as they are ABET certified.

2. The big difference between big engineering and small engineering colleges is really just contacts you make, not education. I work with a very diverse group of engineers that have graduated from every corner of the globe and from every size university. The key, and I mean key, point is "What you do with yourself AFTER you get your job." Everyone who graduates from an ABET certified engineering program starts out with basically the same knowledge. What you learn and do after that is what will make you a star, or not!

3. Don't let the bright lights fool you! Everyone dreams of designing a new car, or a new rocket, or a new tank, a new bridge, etc. Truth is most engineers (and 99% of the new grads) will start in a cubicle like Dilbert designing a widget for some sub-assembly of a project. That's OK. Some never advance past that and some do but let me tell you a secret OK? The cool new cars and trucks you see, the coolest new concepts, those sleek phones or hardware, etc are not designed by engineers like you or me. They are designed by a guy, with long hair on one side and shaved on the other, piercings everywhere, eyebrows waxed or shaved, makeup wearing, lots of jewelry, skinny jeans and $1K shoes, socks that don't match guy that graduated from a top flight Art School. Surprised? I was but its true. Those guys are the top 1% of the top 1% and could not work a simple algebra problem, but their mind is somewhere else and they can conceive things we can't. Case in point: A friend of mine I graduated with (BSME) just got a promotion at GM. He has been there 25 years. He now is in charge of windshield wiper arm and motor design. 25 years. He worked his first 10 years just doing cost savings design on existing wiper arms! Granted, he knows more about windshield wipers than about anyone on the planet but ???? Yes, I took a different route lol.

4. You want more money when you graduate with your undergrad in engineering? Take business classes too....and public speaking. So what if you can work DiffEq problems in your sleep. Everyone else with your degree can too. However, very few engineers know the true reason your company exists (to make money - shhhh, don't tell anyone) and the ones who can look you in the eye, give a firm handshake and actually can talk to a member of the opposite sex without her feeling dirty and needing to take a shower after speaking to one of you will go much farther than the guy who counts his steps while going to the water cooler. Better yet, get a MBA too. If you want more money and quicker promotions then be that guy, not the other guy. I know, you have a dream of designing that next big thing. Hold onto that dream, and while you might be that guy, chances are if you are reading this you will probably not be. Never fear though because you could be the BOSS of that guy! Like I said, take some business and public speaking classes with your engineering degree. You will thank me in about 10 years.

5. Social Media for STEM guys.
Those in the industry treat social media as a necessary evil. LinkedIn is Facebook for professionals. Don't get caught up in the hype. Do it, update it every so often and be done with it.

Parting words:
If you plan on going to work in Silicon Valley, or NASA, then where you graduate from matters. A small market, like aerospace, also matters. If you are going to work in the other 95% of the jobs aside from those niche players, then most ABET certified colleges and universities will be fine.

Last year, on average, for every 64 people who started in a certified BS engineering program, only seven finished with their degree. Think about that. Hope this helps some of you. BTW my son is a junior in BSME and has already started taking classes in prep for his MBA. I have been an engineer since 1989.

 

[Myrunr2010]

2. The big difference between big engineering and small engineering colleges is really just contacts you make, not education. I work with a very diverse group of engineers that have graduated from every corner of the globe and from every size university. The key, and I mean key, point is "What you do with yourself AFTER you get your job." Everyone who graduates from an ABET certified engineering program starts out with basically the same knowledge. What you learn and do after that is what will make you a star, or not!

Can't say I 100% agree with ya man. Yes the core education you get will be the same no matter what school you come from. But a big university will have much more to offer. For instance, VMI only offered the mini-baja project for seniors (only design/fabrication project, it had other senior design projects), and only if your team could prove they would get enough funding for it. But over at tech, they do baja, formula, electric bikes, autonomous vehicles, robotics stuff, they have a huge pool of various projects to get involved with and labs to use. Big university can def. offer more.

 

[1engineer]

Can't say I 100% agree with ya man. Yes the core education you get will be the same no matter what school you come from. But a big university will have much more to offer. For instance, VMI only offered the mini-baja project for seniors (only design/fabrication project, it had other senior design projects), and only if your team could prove they would get enough funding for it. But over at tech, they do baja, formula, electric bikes, autonomous vehicles, robotics stuff, they have a huge pool of various projects to get involved with and labs to use. Big university can def. offer more.

And that is important why???
There are more bars on a bigger campus too. Go ahead and mention that please. Where in my post did I talk about campus life and how much "fun" you have? No, I am talking about real world, real life stuff. Prime example: When I interview guys like you, I could care less they worked on a "baja" bug in college. I want to know your hobbies. What you did BEFORE you started college. I want to know if you are a self starter, or did you just follow like sheep to a project offered in college because it was "cool." Now, if you started a program from scratch in college then I am all ears! Anybody can follow. Very few make their own path. Fewer still can truly lead others.

Here is an example (very close to real life from a few months ago):
You are applying for a job along with another candidate. Both of you have the same BSME degree. Both institutes are ABET certified. You come from a large well known university. You have a 3.9 GPA. He comes from a small college with a 3.0 GPA. You worked on the "Baja" team along with 20 other engineers and raced it twice in two years. You spent a few hours a week doing the design and build. He, along with a buddy, built a powered para-glider when he was 16 and has logged over 500 hours on it. Who do I hire? The guy who fell for a college marketing gimmick to attract new students or the guy who took his own path and was doing cool stuff before he even knew he wanted to be an engineer? No brainer man. Last thing I look at are the hands. Got callouses? A bit dirty maybe? Or are they manicured and the nails professionally done?

Truth is there are jobs out there for both guys. I will tell you this though: The guy who was a self starter will usually win out over the guy who just follows the crowd. I, as a guy who hires, do not care one bit how much fun you did or didn't have in college. Even your grades, as long as they are pretty good, don't matter as much as you think. Remember, even though you have a degree, you know nothing yet. Your degree just shows me you have the ability to do the job AFTER you get hired and people teach you how to do it. Guys doing the hiring are usually pretty sharp and your resume is just a little bit of the puzzle.

 

[Myrunr2010]

And that is important why???
There are more bars on a bigger campus too. Go ahead and mention that please. Where in my post did I talk about campus life and how much "fun" you have? No, I am talking about real world, real life stuff. Prime example: When I interview guys like you, I could care less they worked on a "baja" bug in college. I want to know your hobbies. What you did BEFORE you started college. I want to know if you are a self starter, or did you just follow like sheep to a project offered in college because it was "cool." Now, if you started a program from scratch in college then I am all ears! Anybody can follow. Very few make their own path. Fewer still can truly lead others.

Here is an example (very close to real life from a few months ago):
You are applying for a job along with another candidate. Both of you have the same BSME degree. Both institutes are ABET certified. You come from a large well known university. You have a 3.9 GPA. He comes from a small college with a 3.0 GPA. You worked on the "Baja" team along with 20 other engineers and raced it twice in two years. You spent a few hours a week doing the design and build. He, along with a buddy, built a powered para-glider when he was 16 and has logged over 500 hours on it. Who do I hire? The guy who fell for a college marketing gimmick to attract new students or the guy who took his own path and was doing cool stuff before he even knew he wanted to be an engineer? No brainer man. Last thing I look at are the hands. Got callouses? A bit dirty maybe? Or are they manicured and the nails professionally done?

Truth is there are jobs out there for both guys. I will tell you this though: The guy who was a self starter will usually win out over the guy who just follows the crowd. I, as a guy who hires, do not care one bit how much fun you did or didn't have in college. Even your grades, as long as they are pretty good, don't matter as much as you think. Remember, even though you have a degree, you know nothing yet. Your degree just shows me you have the ability to do the job AFTER you get hired and people teach you how to do it. Guys doing the hiring are usually pretty sharp and your resume is just a little bit of the puzzle.

Well that's only making slightly biased assumptions that everyone who does a design project is a sheep folllowing the herd, those that don't are self starters, and that all college kids are drunks.

My experience was that I learned a TON doing baja, I wouldn't trade it for the world, and I really wished I had the opportunity to do more projects like baja while at school. I will say that my participation in baja is what set me apart from the other candidates when I got hired as a nuclear engineer. Good thing I followed the herd....

 

[FoxNJ]

Computer Information Systems major at James Madison University checkin in here.

All I can say is that even when all my friends graduating with CIS degrees have sweet jobs at KPMG, PWC and the like, I'm still terrified to graduate into the job market. Finding even a summer internship alone is headache-inducing right now

 

[1engineer]

Well that's only making slightly biased assumptions that everyone who does a design project is a sheep folllowing the herd, those that don't are self starters, and that all college kids are drunks.

My experience was that I learned a TON doing baja, I wouldn't trade it for the world, and I really wished I had the opportunity to do more projects like baja while at school. I will say that my participation in baja is what set me apart from the other candidates when I got hired as a nuclear engineer. Good thing I followed the herd....

I hope you read for context better at your job than you do here! I said that "There are jobs for both types..."
I never said all college kids were drunks nor did I imply it.
I did say self starters are more valuable.
Glad you learned a lot on your Baja project.
Glad you got a job. As I said, if you graduate from an ABET certified engineering program you will get a job somewhere.
My whole point of both posts were showing the truths in engineering education and what happens after.

Personally I did not get my MBA nor did I take the business classes or additional public speaking stuff. After being in the business 25 years I have a bit of insight on what it takes to get a job, and what it takes to excel in that job and advance quick. Good luck and don't blow stuff up.

 

[Druski]

Also if you are trying to be any type of engineer, I would suggest taking the FE before you graduate. Not only is it easier to study for and pass while you are in school, the EIT certification is good for helping you get job interviews right out of college.

 

[zopperman]

Holy crap! Zooperman will do just fine with a liberal arts degree. UPenn is Ivy League, private and only accepts the top 5% of it's applicants. Smart guy.

We live in VA and my oldest is a junior with a really high GPA and an interest in computer science, which at most schools is in the engineering departments. He really wants to go to UVA but we toured VA Tech last summer. We were really impressed at their tour and the department. jgmx893, your best bang for the money is to go in state somewhere. If your parents are willing to pay for Clemson out of state you can afford to look at private universities too. In VA we've got UVA, VA Tech, George Mason and VCU with engineering schools. VCU's engineering doesn't have a huge reputation yet but one of my sons friends got a full ride, tuition plus room and board so they're trying to recruit successful students. The guy also got into UVA and Tech. He went to Tech because he felt it was more focused on engineering.

I couldn't figure out why University of Alabama always has a table at our school's college nights. It's an eleven hour drive from Richmond, VA. I found out they are one of the most generous merit scholarship schools. If money's an issue check them out:
university of alabama engineering scholarships

Thanks. However I think if I had lived in a place with a better state school like UVA i would have rather gone that route. I grew up in NJ and no way in hell I was going to Rutgers. Way too close to home.

Still, i think a STEM degree at a less "prestigious school" could be worth more than my liberal arts degree. I also think like we've said in this thread before a lot depends on the person and his convictions.

Computer Information Systems major at James Madison University checkin in here.

All I can say is that even when all my friends graduating with CIS degrees have sweet jobs at KPMG, PWC and the like, I'm still terrified to graduate into the job market. Finding even a summer internship alone is headache-inducing right now

Yep, like I was saying all the big finance companies want computer guys. You can make a very healthy salary running an IT dept. let alone writing trading strats.

 

[4Running Daily]

I'm attempting to graduate with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 5 years. They have a 4+1 masters program. It would be pretty incredible if I could pull that off

 

[FoxNJ]

Yep, like I was saying all the big finance companies want computer guys. You can make a very healthy salary running an IT dept. let alone writing trading strats.

First, I don't blame you for avoiding Rutgers... I did too lol.

That's all true. Recently I've been thinking about Navy OCS after graduation and serving for 5-10 years. Then move on to something else. Google, Microsoft, ect all love to snatch up guys after OCS and they pay them a pretty penny too.

Thanks god I still have a year and half left...

 

[Myrunr2010]

I'm attempting to graduate with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 5 years. They have a 4+1 masters program. It would be pretty incredible if I could pull that off

Wow that would be awesome! I know a lot of schools (atleast that I know of on the east coast) are more geared towards being a 5 year program for just a BS. Even if you don't get your masters in 5, doing it directly after finishing your undergrad will make it much much easier on you.

 

[zopperman]

First, I don't blame you for avoiding Rutgers... I did too lol.

That's all true. Recently I've been thinking about Navy OCS after graduation and serving for 5-10 years. Then move on to something else. Google, Microsoft, ect all love to snatch up guys after OCS and they pay them a pretty penny too.

Thanks god I still have a year and half left...

Yeah. Supposedly the guys and girls who go to Navy are just set for life. I took a tour of it when I was in annapolis. Interesting place. Definitely not for me.

 

[LittleCaesar]

To the OP: it would also behoove you by going and visiting all the school you want to apply to. Having the right environment to study and work in should be paramount to your academic success. Only you know what works best for you.

Also check for alumni near your hometown if you plan to live back home during the summers. Ask them during your freshman semester if their company offers internships; it may be the key to getting in the door to a job after college.