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About homeless Mech Engrs - I was reading a Chicago Tribune article about a homeless man and it said he had a Mech Eng degree. I could have been homeless too now being nearly 5 years unemployed but I survive because of my parents and my SSDI. There is a youtube video I think by Peter Schafer or so and he interviewed people working in New Orleans, - some bicycle taxi drivers he interviewed have Mech Eng degrees.
The homeless ME probably drives a 1970s rusty beater, wears the same clothes for 30 years, showers at work, sleeps in his car...has a net worth of $1.2M because paying rent or a mortgage is a waste of money.
About homeless Mech Engrs - I was reading a Chicago Tribune article about a homeless man and it said he had a Mech Eng degree. I could have been homeless too now being nearly 5 years unemployed but I survive because of my parents and my SSDI. There is a youtube video I think by Peter Schafer or so and he interviewed people working in New Orleans, - some bicycle taxi drivers he interviewed have Mech Eng degrees.
If you have a Masters degree and a PE and are on the verge of homeless or chronic poverty, then I'll be surprised. Otherwise, too many people have 'just' a bachelors in engineering.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mitsguy2001
To be honest, becoming a civil engineer (and getting a masters) was the biggest mistake of my life. I did well in school, but the things that we learn in school are useless in the real world. As engineers, we are paid very little, work long hours, have lousy benefits, and have zero job security. I wish I majored in something else, but what, I do not know.
It's always you two whining about engineering being the very worst decision ever and never having anything good to say about it. Always the same 2 people. Last I checked, you have a job that pays 70K+. Many people would kill to be in your position.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scottay
I dont know if my civil engineering degree was the worst mistake of my life but in hind sight I definitely would have done something different, possibly IT or accounting.
I have two close friends in IT and they are both able to work from home part of the time so that they can be there when their kids get home from school. It would be nice to have that kind of flexibility.
Civil/Env too. I think this career is pretty good for me. It's not as cutthroat and stressful as Wall Street and law, pays better or similar to some other jobs I would have liked, and there's a fair amount of jobs around. Job security is the major problem in my eyes. Hopefully that will swing back in our favor over the next 20-30 years.
Of course, engineers don't make nearly as much as people think.
Of the other types of engineers, electrical seems way more boring, mechanical seems like it would be difficult to get a job doing interesting things, and chemical it seems it would be difficult to get a job period.
IT and computer pros are being fattened now, but who knows how long that gravy train will last with outsourcing. Accounting seems OK, but similar pay and job security to CE.
I'd probably have been a pharmacist if I could do it over. In reality, I guess it's never too late. But the debt and amount of time to do that doesn't make sense at this juncture.
These are other points the OP should consider. Most Engineering and high level math courses are taught by foreigners that have only a cursory understanding of the English language so plan on teaching yourself out of the book because about 50% of your teachers will be useless.
Take as many classes at community college as you can. The tuition is cheaper, the teachers are more personable and enjoy teaching and, most importantly, you leave the class with a much better understanding of the course material than those at four year colleges.
I found paragraph one to be the case for the EE courses and chemistry courses but not the civil or mech or calculus or physics courses. Just could have been my university during my time I attended. But yes, stay away from foreigners who have thick accents. It really is difficult to understand them sometimes.
Completely agree with paragraph two. Also, community college semesters are often longer (20 weeks instead of 15 weeks) so the pace is slower. Also, don't mix and match courses in the calculus suite. If you start the first of the three at a community college, finish them there. You might miss a critical chapter if you switch after the first course. For example, Integration By Parts might be covered at the beginning of the second course at a CC but was covered at the end of the first course at the U. If you take the first course at the CC then switch to the U for the second course, you're screwed.
It's always you two whining about engineering being the very worst decision ever and never having anything good to say about it. Always the same 2 people. Last I checked, you have a job that pays 70K+. Many people would kill to be in your position.
The two problems are:
1. The cost of living where I live is extremely high, so a $70K salary (I make more than that, by the way) is basically poverty.
1. The cost of living where I live is extremely high, so a $70K salary (I make more than that, by the way) is basically poverty.
2. If I lose this job, I am screwed.
And tell me. Which job could you have instead outside of doctor, dentist, pharmacist, which all require massive amounts of expensive schooling and finance which is crazy hierarchial and stressful that would be much better?
But the good thing is, once you graduate, work is a LOT easier than school.
I've found this to be true as well.
Reason being for every 10 hours of engineering work, comes 30 hours of meeting with vendors, customers, marketing, purchasing, etc.
I don't regret my decision one bit. I live in a high COL area and manage just fine owning property here as well. No regrets at all...currently researching into pursuing a grad degree now.
And tell me. Which job could you have instead outside of doctor, dentist, pharmacist, which all require massive amounts of expensive schooling and finance which is crazy hierarchial and stressful that would be much better?
Entertainer
I wasn't interested in Engineering, but if I could go back in time I'd have done the degree (or maybe even some HR thing) instead of Environmental Science.
And tell me. Which job could you have instead outside of doctor, dentist, pharmacist, which all require massive amounts of expensive schooling and finance which is crazy hierarchial and stressful that would be much better?
Any government job, especially teaching (at least where I live, i realize that is not the case nationwide).
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