Engineering Technology Degree

Things may be different now than when I graduated in 1987 :ohmy: , but it struck me then that your bachelors degree served two purposes -
1. Getting your foot in the door somewhere for your first job
2. Showing employers you have the will to stick to something and finish it (I do not share the opinion, but I saw a lot of bias against people that didn't finish school).

Other than that, what you accomplish in your first job will soon be more important than what/where your degree came from.

Are you planning on taking the PE (professional engineer) tests?

Got a mechanical engineering degree and now I sell elevators!

In my industry "automation technology" the majority of engineers hold a BS in Electrical Engineering. We have actually found the recent college grads with a manufacturing technology degree have been exposed to more "real world" electrical knowledge and that the EE's know tons of electrical theory, but do not know how this is applied to say designing an electrical system that actually controls something like say a printing press or robot.
If I was to go back to college today I would study Civil Engineering. ME's and EE's knowledge and jobs are being outsourced these days by India and China, but we will always need highways and infrastructure.

orion: I'm a MET grad from ODU. I didn't know the difference between the 2 levels (MET vs ME, for example) until it was too late (virtually nothing transfer over). I'll share with you what I've found out over the 10+ years in the field.

Many companies (especially research or aerospace oriented ones) will not view a ET degree to be equivalent. Also, I've experienced a "Holier-than-thou" syndrome from ME's. Smaller companies tend not to know the difference.

The basic difference, as I understand it is this: ME's study theory, MET's study formulas and applications. If you've heard the fish story (give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he'll eat forever)...I see two different takes on the teaching how to fish with respect to ME versus MET. Tackle a problem from theory or from established formulae.

No doubt, ME is considered a harder course (more abstract, more calculus). But how that affects one's ability to come up with real life solutions is, IMHO, independant of the coursework (i.e. it's you, not the courses). Book smart versus work smart?

Most companies will want you to have a PE license before they consider you equal.

I took the EIT (back then) or FE (now) test, which is the 1st part of the test. Passed it 1st time. hint: take it while your in school. It's a breeze then, at least for mechanical disciplines.

I'd like to take the PE, but technically you have to go thru some hoops like working in a full fledged engineering pos'n, then have someone sponser you (he must be a PE too) and you need 6 or 10 years experience (varies by state I think).

I'm at about 11 years out, but I went into technical sales 1st (chemicals, oddly enough - my worst subject). Then marketing/inside sales. I have just now made into a real engineering pos'n (small company).

Having a PE at the end of your name helps mostly in municiple jobs (Civil Engineering) and government jobs, or at a company with plenty of ME's that doubt your capabilities.

Make sure you know what you want to do. I made a promise to a family member I would go and get my PhD. The money ain't there. It's in sales. Go ask an engineer at a big firm what they make and then ask the sale people. Then you'll realize you shoulda skipped ME/MET and majored in Business and partied hard....j/k.

The degree should clear most hurdles. It's up to you to do the rest.

I agree with Homemadesin for the most part about the differences between ME & MET but a lot of that depends on where you went to school. I have two friends that are METs & one that's an Industrial Technology major from Cal Poly, I'm a ME. Guess what? They're employed, I'm not. They all work for smaller companies that are much more of the 'build it and if it breaks we'll make it bigger, thicker, heavier, stronger mentality' and I went into Aerospace and then Telecommunications. We ahave all had similar job descriptions. In fact, none of my ME friends have gotten their PEs only one of the METs has. In aero & telecom a PE doesn't get an engineer any more money from what I can tell.

MET & Ind Tech at Cal Poly relied more on basic math skills (not much calculus), geometry and scale drawings to figure things out compared to the ME program which had way too much hard core math for me - I haven't integrated anything in I don't know how long....

Brian

I have a bachelors in Civil and Environmental Engineering, I always liked playing in the mud. I got my EIT at graduation(highly recommended) and picked up my PE this winter. I did my first four years at a small private design firm where I learned all the things that they teach you in the "technology" type degree. True, I didn't use my heavy calculus or abstract theory, this also tells me that a person who didn't learn calculus and theory in school ain't gonna get it once practicing. There's the problem, a tech degree is great for number crunching but when there is a real problem and the theory comes to the surface I know that the tech doesn't have the same background as the engineer.

I have been involved in the hiring process for new engineers and for project managers. In the civil engineering world a tech degree is not equivalent, a major strike, even with the PE you are fighting an uphill battle. You have engineers, techs, and then guys with shovels.

You will have plenty of time to crunch formulas and apply the theory once you are working. Your school years are there to prove that you are capable of understanding the theory behind those formulas. I recommend you go for the real deal, suffer through the four years and then reap the rewards. I have never heard an engineer wish he had a tech degree but I have heard techs wish they had an engineering degree.

Either way, you can succeed and make money, your potential job market is just somewhat different.

I agree with a lot that has been said here and will concur with Highbeam that a Tech degree in Civil is worth less than the paper it is printed on (in the business world that is). I have a PE license and work in highway design. Let me just point out that you MUST evaluate what you want to be doing NOW! Basically, if you envision yourself moving up through the ranks and getting into management, spare yourself the headache and switch to business. I am so frustrated because I am working as support for Environmental and Planning staff. Does it make any sense to have PE's working FOR people who don't have a clue what they are doing? No, but that is how the a** backwards business world operates, like it or not. My brother is an ME and he has been jerked around for his entire career. Neither of us can believe all the abuse engineers go through on a daily basis.

If you like doing the hands on work and never really have management aspirations, stick with ME (recommended over MET). If you want to make money and get things done, switch to business ASAP. The only other alternative is going back for a MBA (which I am doing), but you will likely be working in another field within 5 years anyway.

I really can't argue with what's been said. It sucks arse, cuz you sound like the pos'n I was in, say in 3rd year and finally learning this. Who wants another 3 years minimum?

Go into technical sales and make the big bucks. Or MBA. Good luck.