So I live in a city that is far far away from any good engineering schools, but I want to be an engineer. Right now my best option seems like ASU, who offer an online EE program for $633 a credit hour, but at 120 credits total for the full degree, that’s already $75,960 that it’d cost me, minus fees and books, and I’d most certainly have to take out loans. Looking at the statistics, EE jobs are projected to have a 0% growth rate in the next decade. I know that I can broaden my skills and experiences for jobs outside of tradition EE as well, but is it even worth the effort at that cost? I’ve heard that STEM degrees eat your life for the duration of your program, so between friends, family and my GF, I’d be surprised if I had time for even a part time job. I was considering just becoming an Electrician instead. I would love some feedback as I feel pretty stuck right now…
TL;DR, a four year EE degree will cost me ~$75,960 before any other fees and cost of living, is it worth the cost?
Kind feel like it’s a catch 22.
“You want a good quality of life? Work your but off for 4-6 years and get yourself in at least 10 years of debt, thereby making your life more difficult. Want to avoid that? Don’t try to increase your quality of life!”
I feel very confused and frustrated…
Contact ASU or check their website to see which colleges they accept transfer credits from. If ASU is truly your only option, I’d advise you to take your general education courses and lower division prerequisites at a community college.
Electrical engineer and electrician are very different careers. One requires one of the most difficult college degrees, the other doesn’t even require college at all.
Depending on your situation, an EE degree might be obtainable for less than 75k. And with starting salaries typically over 60k, debt might be manageable. Don’t get caught up in projected growth rates. There is more demand than supply of qualified engineers, and that’s not going to change. EE’s work in very diverse fields: utilities, computers, electronics, aerospace, defense, etc. They’re even in demand in the business world, thanks to their quantitative skills and problem solving.
Are you cut out for engineering in the first place? Why do you want to be an engineer?