<p>If they don’t know that they have to pay taxes, social security, insurance, etc. out of their paycheck, then I doubt they’d be very successful finding a good job anyway. </p>
<p>If you can minimize the loans, then definitely do. It’s something you may be paying off for a few decades.</p>
<p>Regardless of what the average starting salary is, it is a fact that that salary will be higher than most if not all other majors. Wouldn’t that extra money be helpful in paying off extra loans? It seems like a logical thought to me. Of course taking out extra loans is never advised, but if you had to take out extra loans, wouldn’t you want to be an engineering major?</p>
<p>I know I would.</p>
<p>The engineering major is overrated. Don’t assume you’re going to be making a higher salary “on average” just because you’re an engineering major. Unless of course, you’re bringing something unique to the profession that the millions of other engineering majors from USA,china, and India aren’t bringing.</p>
<p>Collegeduffer, the fact is that the average starting salary for engineers with an undergraduate degree from a reputable school is around 60k. The companies where I have been pay this to engineers fresh out of undergrad. This is not an uncommon starting salary for engineers by any means.</p>
<p>And actually, statistically engineers do earn higher salaries than practically all other majors. I fail to see how an engineering major is overrated. Great salary, interesting work, solid job prospects, one of the most respected and versatile degrees…I can think of many majors that are certainly more overrated.</p>
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</p>
<p>What major would you recommend instead?</p>
<p>I cannot emphasize this more; it’s not the major that gets you hired, it’s your expertise that gets you hired. Be that in whatever major, if any.</p>
<p>Then what field do you recommend instead of engineering that would provide a higher salary?</p>
<p>And for some professions, your major is a very important factor. Some examples include architecture, nursing, accounting and many fields in engineering. You’re going to have a very tough time getting your foot in the door without majoring in them in college.</p>
<p>There’s tons of fields that provide a higher salary than engineering. I know people in HR that make more than people in engineering and vice versatile. </p>
<p>The point is that you shouldn’t expect to be making a certain amount simply by reading averages on bls and payscale. </p>
<p>Everyone is different, please get a clear understanding of what an average is. If I ask you what the “average number of feet a person has,” what would you say? If you think two is the right answer, perhaps you should have payed closer attention in stats…</p>
<p>Like I said employment is not based upon your major. My uncle told me he hired an engineer once that didn’t know how to use a mouse. But, how can that be? Perhaps he possesed a great skillset in solving math problems in textbooks, but never touched a computer. There are certain skills that supercede any “major” in college and without them I can assure you- you won’t be making a 60000. </p>
<p>I have plenty friends that work in engineering with business degrees and math and stats and what-not. I myself am employed in process analysis because I happened to be in close relations with a director at a large engineering firm.</p>
<p>In the end noone should base any important financial decisions based upon averages. You can ask any commodities trader that. </p>
<p>I hope that cleared up why salary averages are only touted by people that are in college without a working knowledge of industry.</p>
<p>Omg, did you not understand the many previous posts??? Someone said that in addition to a degree you need a good GPA, work experience, internships, and all the other stuff… He meant a person with experience such as a co-op!</p>
<p>A person like my example might make 60k
An unfortunate slacker might make 30k somewhere else unrelated</p>
<p>Omg, did you not understand the what that one guy said??? Someone said that in addition to a degree you need a good GPA, work experience, internships, and all the other stuff… He meant a person with experience such as a co-op!</p>
<p>A person like my example might make 60k
An unfortunate slacker might
make 30k at some random place</p>
<p>What a heated debate</p>
<p>Then bottom line is- stop running your post-pubescent mouths about average salaries on every post related to engineering.</p>
<p>Collegeduffer, employment is most definitely based on your major. For 99% of engineering positions you are going to need at least a BS in engineering. Why else would there be engineering degrees? Are there people without engineering degrees that work in engineering, probably but I have never come across one. This would be pretty rare. Engineers can work in business but business majors typically can not work in engineering.</p>
<p>As for the tons of fields that you think pay higher than engineering, care to enlighten us? And please do not say surgeon or partner in a law firm or investment banker. If you are comparing undergraduate degrees, engineering is second to none, plain and simple. Of course there are outliers but your example of someone in HR is irrelevent. Stastically, engineers significantly out earn people in HR. </p>
<p>If you are comparing professions, you must look at averages. Just because you claim to know someone in HR that makes more than engineers doesn’t mean that HR pays higher than engineering. It does not. There are people in every field that do really well but the fact remains that engineering pays higher than most other professions that require an undergraduate degree. I agree that every situation is different but as an engineering student at a reputable school with a decent GPA, you should expect close to the average starting salary for your specific field. Does this apply to someone with a 1.2 GPA that can’t talk to other people? Of course not.</p>
<p>
As a starting salary? What are the tons of other fields? How do you suggest people figure out what kind of starting salary to expect without statistics? Anecdotes from a few people? How do you know those people aren’t the exceptions?</p>
<p>
I never said it was impossible to work in engineering without an engineering degree, but it’s certainly very beneficial to have. There are always exceptions, but don’t expect to become a structural engineer with a finance major or an architect with an accounting degree. </p>
<p>My job description says “Preferred 4-year degree in an accredited construction related curriculum (BSCE, BSCM, BSAE, etc.) or experience equivalent to a 4-
year degree.” Everybody that I know who didn’t have this had an extensive background as a tradesman in construction (this is for construction management).</p>
<p>
Make that people in college plus 2 in industry (ME 76 and myself).</p>
<p>
That would be pretty vague.
I’m assuming that you are taking some more averages to support these statements? That’s funny I can name a few off the top of my head: Radiation Therapist, Nuclear Medicine Technologists, Dental Hygenists, Nursing? Most of which require only 2 year degrees. Whether or not you prefer working in these fields is not being questioned.</p>
<p>
Really? I could have sworn job satisfaction, location, benefits, environment, all had a little to do with it? Oh, but you must not mention those because they don’t have averages attached to their rear?</p>
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Sure doesn’t sound like it?</p>
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It’s also beneficial for you to get a rectal exam every month or so, to ensure your colon is working at optimal capacity.</p>
<p>Collegeduffer must be unemployed.</p>
<p>I think it is completely realistic and justified to expect a higher salary “just because you are an engineering major.” It is a proven fact that on average, engineering majors dominate the highest starting salaries. Whether it is 60k or not, it is a FACT that engineering majors make more starting out of college. </p>
<p>Collegeduffer, it is stupid to bring your personal experiences into this discussion. Just like ME 76 said, “for 99% of engineering positions you are going to need at least a BS in engineering.” Your “friends” with business degrees are obviously deviations from the norm as well as your HR buddy with a higher salary than engineering, but that is no reason to disregard the “average salary bull” as you put it. Averages are all we have to work will. Just because you know people that prove the averages wrong doesn’t mean you can just say that they are wrong. Some engineers will, god forbid, come out of college and earn MORE than 60k. Say it ain’t so!!! That is because some people will earn more than the average and some people will earn less.</p>
<p>Job satisfaction, benefits, and environment have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with this discussion. haha it’s clear that you are taking this argument personally and you’re doing anything in your power to try to be right. None of those aspects of a job have anything to do with salary. Sure, they might affect a persons decision to take a job, but they have no correlation with how much money a person is offered.</p>
<p>
What are the figures for those fields you are citing? I found the following median salaries for those professions on BLS (not starting salaries, but for all people in those occupations):
Dental hygienist -$66570
Nursing (registered nurses) - $62,540
Nuclear Medicine Technologists - $66,660
Radiation Therapist - $72,910</p>
<p>Compare those with engineers [url=<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#earnings]Engineers[/url”>http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#earnings]Engineers[/url</a>]
It doesn’t support your conclusion.</p>
<p>
You took that out of context. We were discussing salaries only (not that those factors aren’t important, they definitely are) because this thread had been about taking out additional loans for a more expensive college. If you’re comparing something quantitative, then you have to use statistics.</p>
<p>Wow Collegeduffer, you just make yourself look more foolish every post. I have a BS and a MS in mechanical engineering and I can tell you that I have never seen a business major working as an engineer. Is that still too vague for you? And as for the professions that you listed that you claim pay higher than engineering, I assure you that they do not. Be honest, are you Homer with a new username?</p>
<p>What is really funny is that you are here to do nothing but shamelessly bash engineering and you don’t even have an engineering degree. You have no qualifications to judge the engineering profession and you would certainly be wise to not question an experienced engineer with an advanced degree on the subject of engineering. Seriously, get off the engineering board. Are you a discruntled engineering student that failed out or are you really just this misinformed? Either way, your baseless rhetoric is just a waste of everyones time.</p>