Some people think you NEED the work experience before you get a Master's, but if you know what you want to do with your career, then who cares if you don't have the work experience to back it up yet? The degree will open up a lot of doors after you graduate, and 5-10 years down the line, it'll really start to pay off. Remember, you've got the rest of your life to work

 

If you work first, chances are you might even be able to get paid to do your Masters by your employer, if you do your thesis on something pertinent to their work. You won't get paid a fortune but I know a few guys making $30K+ per year doing their Masters and one guy making $60K (two companies want his thesis results).

 

i'm majoring in CE. what school are you graduating out of may i ask? it's a long journey and I'm so lost and have no idea where to start. Currently working and schooling at nearby community college.

 

i'm going to graduate from cal poly pomona in socal. Not the Best school out there but good enough imo. For masters in socal i have the choices of staying at cal poly or going to USC or even Irvine for emphasis on transportation. Anyone else took their masters in socal?

feel free to comment

thanks

Eddie

 

What's the difference between a mechanical engineer and a civil engineer?











































A mechanical engineer builds weapons. A civil engineer builds targets.

 

Cal Poly Pomona is quite a good school; don't let anyone tell you different.

Have you visited the Arabian horses at the Kellogg stables there? My gelding Khaleel comes from Kellogg lines:

 

I think it all depends on what you want to do with you career.

Experience is generally very important to hiring companies in engineering fields, hence the emphasis on co-ops and/or internships.

Getting an MS doesn't necessarily increase the potential starting salary by much. It's important to weight the costs/benefits to delaying an engineering salary for a couple more years to obtain an MS full time (while possibly working part-time) versus beginning work right away (and like others have said) possibly having your employer pay for additional degrees.

One thing an additional degree WILL do for you is allow you to specialize a bit within the broader CE field and help direct your career in the direction you want it to go.

I would not recommend getting an additional degree right away simply because it might be harder to get it later while working. I for one went back to school part time to obtain my MBA while working. That particular program did require work experience as a condition of acceptance. It took a few weeks to get used to going to class 2-3 days a week while working full time, but it was quite doable and once I graduated I felt as if I had tons of free time. AND, my company paid for the degree in full.

The PE will be way more valuable (especially to a CE) than a masters and there is generally an experience requirement to take the PE exam (which may be reduced slightly for additional degrees). Look into your specific requirements ahead of time.

So again, it all depends on what you want to do with your career. No one person here can give you a recommendation about what's best for YOU.

Chris (ChE, MBA, PE)

 

Im pursuing a BS in SE (structural) right now and honestly have no idea what i should do afterwards. Every once in awhile Ill search for eng jobs and it seems that most require a BS degree and xx years of experience.

Initially I wanted to major in architecture, but UCSD doesn't offer it. Is it a good idea to get a BS in SE and another degree in architecture?

 

Sorry to go off topic, but I have a question of my own. I'm currently going for a chE degree and am debating where or not to go to grad school myself. Is there a major difference between a BS and an MS?

 

So you are debating the value of pursuing an additional engineering degree immediately after completing your BS. Aside from studying a different discipline (chemical vs. civil), this is essentially the same as the original topic.

Again, my advice would be that it all depends on what you want to do with your career. Through research and coursework an MS is going to build on the subjects studied during your undergrad and allow you to specialize. A PhD takes it further, again further specializing.

The question that one needs to answer is what value the MS is going to offer. And THAT all depends on what you are interested in doing.

I would suggest that you take a look at some professional publications that usually print some annual salary data to show the average starting salaries for those with various engineering degrees (across disciplines as well as with different levels of degrees earned) as well years of experience. That will help you determine if it's worth it to you to start working immediately after completing your BS or to continue with school.

I would also suggest that you take a look at the various courses available both at your current school as well as others to get an idea what kinda of special interest courses are available. Also, consider talking to an adviser (within your discipline) to get some additional input about what options you have.

Consider too, that some programs allow you to combine the MS and PhD (essentially awarding an MS in the process of earning a PhD).

And one last thing to consider is earning a non-engineering degree to make yourself more versatile, such as a business degree. However, most graduate business programs to require some level of work experience prior to admission.

I know that's a lot of vague information, but as I've already said a couple times... It really boils down to what you are interested in doing with your career.