MatrixCL

New to the forums here but was looking for some advice and hoping to contribute. I hope this doesn't get to long.

Basically, I had a passion for engineering coming out of high school; however, I was talked into applied math/computer science by a family member banking the cash. Eventually, the students, professors, etc. just weren't for me. I was hitting C's and B's in Calc 1,2,3 and Linear Algebra but being "young and dumb" I just wasn't applying myself. I was tutoring many of my engineering friends even with those average grades. To make a long story short, I fell into business and eventually graduated at the age of 23 and entered the field. Now at 26 with 3 years in industry I have decided to pursue another Bachelor's in Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Wisconsin - Stout where I orginally received my business degree. This is after taking 4 MBA courses as well with a 3.8 GPA.

It has gotten to the point where I have had enough, people make mistakes and I do believe I have time to correct it. Stout is one of 25 ABET accredited Manufacturing Engineering programs in the country. All of my generals will transfer and I should have the math done for the most part. My question is this. Am I going to be that marketable with dual bachelor's in business and manufacturing engineering at the age of 28-29? I am looking at 2.5 to 3 years to complete the program. I have been accepted at this point; however, with $25,000 in undergraduate and graduate loans already I want to know I am making the correct choice. I obviously weigh the program director's input and my desires the most but am looking for other outside advice as well.

Sorry if I drug this out too long. Thanks for the input and I will do my best to support the business forums with any advice I can give.

vblick

From my experience the Masters degree carries more weight. Is there anyway you can work your way into a Masters program? I work with a guy that has a BS in mathematics, BS in EE, and minor in CS who is 38 w/previous work experience and he is considered Engineer I level. I work with another guy who is BS in EE and MS in EE with no work experience and he is Engineer II level. I think the E-II was a push but the MS pushed him into the minimum requirement range.

MatrixCL

There really isn't a way for me to work my way into a Master's level engineering program. I have spent my time away from college in claims, sales, and a majority of that three years as a Marketing Database Analyst. I had Computer Science I and II in college as well but my programming abilities are slim to none at this point. Funny how they say you only live once, make the most of it. I truly do believe I have a chance to correct things at this point.

wannagotocornell

I posted this topic awhile ago but didn't get many responses. So I hope you do.
I'm 21, and will finish my first undergrad next year at 22. I'm thinking of going directly into a Bach of Civil Engineering program. I'm not in debt. I don't have a science/math background, so I cannot get a master's. So many people are discouraging me from going to school for another 4 years to get an engineering degree. I just look at them crazy because most of them are going to be in medical school, pharmacy school, or are in the middle of getting their PhD.

Watch out for the dream killers. And make sure this is really what you want to by shadowing some engineers. If you like what you see, then, no, it's not too late.

PlattsburghLoser

Welcome to the club, friend.
I (almost) finished my journalism degree, at the last minute, switched to CS, and then decided to double in ME without any prior math or science class past the gened reqs. So I've added about another four years of school. But, I figure I'd rather go to school for a few more years to eventually pursue a career that I'm passionate about.

When you look back, twenty, thirty forty years from now, those extra few years in college probably won't seem as much when you've reached your goal -- versus settling for a career you're not happy about and suffering through that for those twenty, thirty years.

vblick

Throughout college I took that perspective and tell people the same thing to this very day. What is 4 yrs of your life to provide for the rest of your life *potentially*

MatrixCL

I appreciate all of the input. I am looking at putting myself around $45,000 in debt by taking this route. At the age of 26 I am not embarrassed to say my parents have agreed to help me out what they can. I love them to death and am very appreciative of what they do for me and at the end of the day, that is what matters most. They know this is driving me insane and being in the workforce for so long, they know how much it means to enjoy what you do.

Plattsburgh, did you enter the workforce at all? If not you are fortunate to have figured things out before hand.

I struggle with how my resume will look with a Mechanical Engineering and Business bachelor's degree. However, I don't think it is going to hurt. Not to mention, I will definitely appreciate the education more so at this stage of my life.

Keep the comments coming.

chemusic

Since you have so much of the math behind you, you may want to take the minimum engineering courses to qualify you for entering a Masters of Engineering program. It will probably take less time than earning a second bachelors degree.

You will be very marketable as a Manufacturing Engineer with a business background. The high level engineering managers at my aerospace company have undergraduate degrees in engineering and MBA's. When you are done with the engineering degree and hired as an engineer, you can eventually finish up the MBA and the company will likely pay for it.

Do you have tuition benefits at your present employer? A good first step would be to try out a few engineering courses before making the big leap.

MatrixCL

chemusic, I suppose that might be an option. The Master level Engineering programs I have looked at require a Bachelor's in Engineering or adequate work experience. My current employer will absolutely not pay for me to switch fields and wouldn't fund my MBA program I have started. I have 21 MBA credits left. I can always finish that up down the line. I would be a full time student and probably take a summer/winterm course or two. This would be the reason for all of the loans. I definitely wouldn't be working full time.

I am hoping that since I already have all of the math completed for the program I could possibly finish in 2.5 years w/out my internship, 3 w/ the internship. I am looking at about 85 credits and I would need all Chem and Physics classes. Do you think I am am being too optimistic about the time to complete?

drickson

I am in a similar scenario. I recently graduated with a BA and was intending to go to law school but was disenheartened after researching many different aspects of the field. I am now planning on going back to either get my BS or MS in engineering.

In your case I believe a Masters degree in engineering would be a better route than getting another Bachelors. You already have many of the required math, programming, and (maybe science) courses under your belt. Many Masters programs in engineering do not require you to have an engineering undergraduate degree. At most you would have to take a few pre-reqs to get into your desired program. You just have to communicate your scenario to an acedemic advisor.

One program I am looking into is called "LEAP". It is offered through Boston University. It puts people who graduated with a BA on an accelerated pre-req course that usually lasts one to two years. After the prereqs are completed with a minimum GPA you feed into the Masters of engineering program. The program is expensive, but lots of financial aid is available.

I hope it helps to know you are not alone out there. I say go for the engineering degree!

yg7s7

If you choose that path, how do you take care of FE and PE exams?

ME 76

Most engineering master's programs require an ABET accredited undergraduate degree in engineering. It is possible for a math or physics major to get accepted but there will be quite a few engineering undergraduate classes to take first. Someone coming from a business background is going to have to take more than "a few" engineering classes even with the math requirements completed.

purduefrank

I’m in Industrial Engineering which is very closely related to Manufacturing Engineering and for the sake of laziness I will just refer to Manufacturing Engineering as IE here. One of my initial thoughts when reading your post is that many IE’s end up in very business oriented positions. In fact, I would say that it is highly uncommon for someone to be working as an actual IE for more than five years - most move into management of some kind, or divulge into fairly unrelated material after that point.

For $45,000 and 3 years of schoolwork I would say that there are probably easier ways to break into a position that you enjoy. Now, that does not mean that I am discouraging you from pursuing your goals, but perhaps there is a smarter way to achieve the same end result. Despite the fact that the job market is sub-par right now, I would look into gaining a position more in line with your interests without going back to school. I would say that 90% of IE’s at Purdue end up in Supply Chain and Manufacturing - all of our coursework is geared to pass a PE exam, however, I doubt that many of the IE’s ever have any need to do that. - in fact, I would say that with a lot of hard work and marketing yourself you may be able to break into a similar position with a business degree. Perhaps you won’t start with the same salary as recent IE grads, but the $45,000 and 3 years more than negates any loss from a low starting salary, because if you can get your foot in the door without an IE degree your upside is no different from someone with an IE background.

My second thought is well in line with some of the other posters here - namely, that you would be better served by finding a MS program. I know that many state schools, including Purdue, University of Florida, etc., do not require an engineering background for their MS programs. I was a business major before I transferred into IE and as a business major I spoke with the EE department at UF who said I could be accepted to their MS program with an econ background. I only had to fulfill some pre-req requirements which were far less than completing an entire undergrad engineering load. The best thing to do would be to contact a counselor at the school you want to attend and work out the easiest way for you to meet those requirements, many of them could be taken at your local community college for a lot less $, and probably some will have to be taken at a university.

Finally, if the only way you can achieve your goal is by getting another BS, do it. But I would look at this option as your last and worst option; in terms of time, money, and value added. Take a problem solving approach and try to figure out a better, more efficient (IE), way of achieving your goal!

purduefrank

One more thought that came to me after I wrote the last post.

An MBA is by and large the easiest way to transfer fields and/or industries. You have already completed part of an MBA… It seems like a no-brainer now that I think about it, finish your MBA and take some coursework in Supply Chain Management/ Manufacturing Processes, etc., sometimes you can even delegate a specialization in one of those areas. With an MBA and coursework in related areas, you should be eligible for at least 75% of the positions that IE’s go into out of Purdue. Unless you really want to go the highly technical route, I think this is your best bet.

UCBChemEGrad

I agree with everything purduefrank said. Find an MBA program and specialize in supply chain management/manufacturing.