<p>Since sf606508 likes to insert his uniformed opinion into the discussion based on antecdotal evidence, I’d like to do the same. I have friends with engineering backgrounds and MBAs who are going into investment banking and mgt consulting. On average, engineering degrees offer the highest starting salaries of any undergrad degrees and they give students a good quantitative base which will help them be successful in graduate business school. I do not see this as a bad career path to take.</p>
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<p>Engineering is not easy, and it is not necessarily as “fun” as other occupations. Not easy + not fun = higher salaries. This is not just true of engineering, but of many fields. It’s funny how infatuated people on this board get with investment banking and actuaries. Many believe that the high salaries are derived from the fact that others aren’t capable of doing their work. To a point, that is true. However, the bigger component is that many of the people who are capable of working in those roles don’t want to.</p>
<p>I’m also guessing that many engineers get caught in a “dead end job” and then that high starting salary means little as they are 5-10 yrs removed from college and the salary is not moving up as much as one would like. One remedy for that would be to get an MBA before you have 5 yrs of experience. Another remedy would be to not stick with any one employer for an extended amount of time (if possible).</p>
<p>On a side note, I don’t believe this thread was about engineering.</p>