Engineers

The government will not acknowledge a Technical degree...

 

Are you stating that as a positive or negative?

I'm kidding, but for the record; the federal gov't may not (I don't personally know), but everywhere I've lived and inquired my degree was acknowledged by both state & local governments. Either way, by eliminating "the government" one would just have to narrow their search down to the myriad of employers in the private sector.

He asked about the marketability of MET's. I can say first hand that you'll have no problems with that degree when searching for employment. I graduated college in December of '02 (job searching less than a year after 9/11 and an economy tank) with four respectable offers for engineer positions. All four with large, reputable companies and all of them at, or above the average starting salary for a BSME. I was, and remain very pleased with my choice to pursue an MET degree.

For the record, I was accepted into both the ME and MET programs, but after a follow-up visit to campus and seeing the hands-on, real world applications taught to the MET students my decision was easy. Either degree would be a great choice in my opinion, it all boils down to what you want to do. Good Luck!

 

Thanks again. Very helpful. Dang now I think I should switch.

 

I have an MET degree as well. I enjoy it, but if I wanted to work at the major air force base around here I would have to get the other degree.

 

great thread, subscribed I'm going to be in SMU's engineering school next year and am considering MechE

 

I am an ME with PE license. I would recomend that. Most job postings for ME require a degree from acredited college so thT is important. Higher level oppurtunities will require the PE license which requires the ME degree, so many years of experience, and the test. Depending on the state.

Personally I have gone into construction field designing and specifying HVAC systems. I love it, but when I was in college I had no idea I would be doing this. You just got to go with your heart, work hard, and Keep moving forward until you get where you want to be.

 

That's true. I forgot about the PE! How hard was the test?

 

Third time finally did it.

I had two college friends who had horton their tech degrees and then got jobs. They were doing the same work as the engineers making half the money so they went back to college. Some of the credits didn't transfer so they had to take more classes. On the other hand, when they graduated they hand some real experience. One of the guys was tallented enough the company kept him on the payroll while he finished his degree. They obviously thought he would be worth more to them as an ME.

 

That right there kind of says that MET is inferior.

The simple fact that ME classes will count for MET but not vice versa shows it as well.

 

I trust that nobody will be making major academic decisions based on a bunch of opinions from guys on Tacoma World (how do you really know any of is telling the truth?), but it certainly never hurts to ask and gather info.

I'll cease defending the validity of my MET degree - no real need with my place in life, but if I may offer one last bit of feedback... If you're asking about ME (or frankly almost any Engineering degree from an accredited school) there's no gray area, you'll be in good shape no matter what anyone tells you. If you're asking about Engineering Technology degrees be careful. People can get confused on the difference between that and a "technical" degree. Two years at ITT Tech will get you a technical degree. I mean no offense to those folks whatsoever, but that is a very different thing than a four year Engineering Technology degree. Typically, comparisons between the two will include salary gaps, varying advancement opportunities, and so on.

As one member alluded to earlier, what you've got in mind during school is often very different than what you end up doing as a career. Find a program that interests you at the best school you can get into and work your ass off!

 

I agree with Beau. I graduate from Penn State in '01 with an EMET degree (Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology). Right out of school I got a job with an AE firm and they didn't care about an engineering vs engineering technology degree. I currently work as a Control Systems Engineer designing power plants and have my PE license in three states.

A few things to consider:

- Your home state may have different work experience rules if you plan on getting your PE with a technology degree.
- There are certain states (I know South Carolina specifically) that will not allow you to become a PE with a technology degree.

Judging from my experience talking to people I work with an engineering degree is more theoretical while a technology degree is more applied/hands on. I think it's really just a personal decision depending on which suits you better. I think the opportunities are there for you which ever path you choose. Best of luck.

 

My uncle graduated from Texas Tech as a Mechanical Engineer in the mid 80's.

He designed carnival rides for years. Now he designs farm equipment in Kansas.

Never been unemployed....has always made great money and enjoys what he does.

(I miss the carnival rides LOL we used to go ride the prototypes as kids!)

 

Not really advice, just a funny i Heard someone say at work:

Mechanical Engineers build weapon systems, Civil Engineers build targets.

It was during a disagreement between some of the engineers here.

 

let me put in a word for us CE's. i went BACK to school to get the degree. UTEP. made it to california, and got a job building bridges for the State. i love my gig. low stress, competitive pay. i get great training. when the economy hits the crapper, governments put money into infrastructure. (no political debates, please)..i have college friends that work all over the world. i turned down a job to work in china, building a cruise ship harbor..(wife couldnt go with me at the time). i am now working with a great project, outside of my comfort zone. i am building a tunnel!! cool stuff, working underground.

california allows an EIT to take the PE with only 2 years of experience. i took it and passed the 8-hour the first time out. this is enough for 44 of the States..in california, i also need to pass a seismic test, and a survey test.. i took a seismic class, and passed both sections, the next time out. the test isnt difficult, right after college.

whatever you decide..you have two years really to make a commitment. i love my gig.

 

bridge "inspection".

 

Im at the University of South Carolina now. I was in mechanical engineering but then I heard my professor say that the ME class gets bigger and bigger every year. And my brother graduated with a degree in ME and he is now a civil engineer. If I were you, I would stick to Chemical engineering. There's good jobs in both fields, but I think there is more demand for Chemical Engineers now and in the coming years. Just my .02.

 

Nice imput aficianado. Cool picture!

 

I'm a BSEE from the university of Colorado, but most of my work right now is very mechanical. I'm a field service engineer and I travel all over the world repairing, and then designing permanent fixes for million dollar equipment. Mainly in the photovoltaic and LED manufacturing processes.

I find work experience to trump classroom experience anyday. Whatever you do in College, try out some of the clubs and teams. I was president of the IEEE, and a member in SAE in college, both of which were awesome. I learned so much more doing projects with those clubs then I ever did in a classroom environment. And most of it was very fun (several different robots, competitions, mini baja, UAV, even making a new steering setup for my nissan truck)

I totally have to agree with what was said earlier, some engineers are really book smart, but can't figure out which way to turn a nut. Make sure to get out of the books once in awhile and look around.

There will always be a need for engineers of any kind, so pick the one you enjoy doing. I still debate if I should have gone ME, but I'm doing both anyway.