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hailman
Trad climber
Sacramento
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Oct 23, 2017 - 05:12pm PT
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Lots of great advice in this thread...
Yes, civil engineering generally starts out at the bottom salary-wise...too bad for me, haha. It's probably more accurate to say, project management is where the money's at! All disciplines start making the real $$$ after a few years of experience.
CA is a great place to be a geotechnical engineer. The geohazards keep us busy and the work tends to be pretty interesting. Last winter we had a lot of storm damage repair projects on all those backroads in the foothills.
Definitely agree with the comment above regarding most engineers being career focused...you will likely be able to make more time for climbing working in a government job. If you're into hydropower / dams the US Army Corps could be a good fit. Knew a few dudes at the Navy that built up enough comp time to hike the JMT on the government's dime...
One other thing...you might be surprised where you end up after jumping into an engineering program. I had an amazing, super-energized Argentinian professor in soil mechanics, of all courses, and pretty much never looked back. Was pretty aimless the first two years of undergrad but after that geotechnical was a blast. So you might find something that really interests you a few years into the degree.
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Weenis
Trad climber
Tel Aviv
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Oct 23, 2017 - 05:18pm PT
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Originalpmac, I know that one of our forum members, "Arete" is a mechanical engineer. Send him a PM.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Oct 23, 2017 - 05:42pm PT
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ME is a bad choice among the engineering disciplines, IMO. While there are a lot of challenging jobs this degree could lead you to, there just are not that many here in the US. Your options will be limited. Most of the jobs in the field have gone overseas to CAD jockeys. If you can see it, touch it and copy a working example, you generally don't really need to perform very many calculations on it. Even if you did, it doesn't mean you'll come up with a better design than someone with no degree. Most decisions in the field are experience based. There is no formula, it's mostly empirical data from past design failures. Anyone can take a few Solidworks classes and accomplish most of what an ME might be hired to do.
Take a look for yourself at local job listings. EE and CSci are better options at the moment.
The comment about R+D going overseas is also valid - especially if what you do is easy and can be accomplished by a pack of Asian PHD's with the actual cumulative education of one US undergrad. For now, IMO, reality is, Asian education and cultural drive for innovation and leadership is far behind the US. It's much easier to copy and steal. Lots of exceptions, sure, but in general, I think our best design jobs will be here for a long while.
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Majid_S
Mountain climber
Karkoekstan, Former USSR
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Oct 23, 2017 - 08:13pm PT
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Waste of time. get in to computer, EE or some sort degree in IT and remember, when you get off school, you are competing with 21 years old n00biees fresh with zero mile who gladly will work for nothing just to have a job.
Also, tons of workers from Asia with master and PHDs are fighting just to have a job in USA under H1s visas and again only people with experience will get a job. Check out indeed.com and see what they pay for MEs.
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Cancer Boy
Trad climber
Freedonia
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Oct 23, 2017 - 10:57pm PT
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MEs design roller coasters. There is no higher calling.
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originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 24, 2017 - 12:18am PT
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Dang yall, much appreciated. GREAT insight.
Don Lauria, educational back ground is very minimal. I dropped out half way through 11th grade, unfortunately. Didn't want to but that is a long story.
I do try to educate myself and I feel I have done decent job. I read a lot, devoured most of Sagans none fiction shortly after leaving HS.
I have had some interesting and technical jobs, the power plant being one. Lots of welding, some fabricating, small engine repair, making the power, etc.
I'm thirty years old and motivated. I like solving problems and searching for more efficient ways to do so. Seems like a good fit. Also have my first child on the way. Huge motivating factor.
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fall-onME
Trad climber
York, PA
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Oct 24, 2017 - 06:13am PT
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ME is hard (Currently a senior ME student)
EE is harder (Currently go to school with sad, overworked EE students)
That being said, I think the effort is well worth it. I wouldn't let concerns about jobs moving away bother you. ME is a great foundation and you can work in a multitude of roles. Also, it's essential to pick something you like to do and are passionate about, because it is hard and it's ever harder to stay motivated if you picked EE just for the money.
That being said, perhaps another option would be Industrial or Manufacturing Engineering. There are still manufacturing facilities in the US and they all need IE/MEs.
It sounds like your background would be well suited to IE/ME, it involves problem solving on a daily basis and doesn't chain you to a desk all day.
One piece of advice I do have about school is to look critically at the program. Some schools are very academic and many graduates head immediately to grad school, while others are very job focused and encourage internships, etc. Definitely take a look at the numbers going to grad school and the numbers who already have a job lined up by the time they graduate.
Let me know if you have any other questions specifically about school since I'm still in it.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Oct 24, 2017 - 10:55am PT
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If you dropped out of high school and now at age 30 with a kid on the way, you expect to get an engineering degree and be competitive enough in the marketplace to get a job that pays off your student loans - which will be considerable unless your wife has a good job - this all sounds like a recipe for failure. IMO, you have no idea and your odds are awful. Sorry to tell you.
IMO, look at starting up a business in "Lots of welding, some fabricating, small engine repair, making the power, etc. I'm thirty years old and motivated. "
Guys who can make the rubber meet the road at the commercial level w/o fuking it up are rare and well paid, IMO.
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Oct 24, 2017 - 11:31am PT
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Mechanical engineering is awesome! However, this is coming from an electrical engineer. I loved my crossover courses (statics & dynamics, thermodynamics, etc.). I say go for it. My son is very interested in pursuing a mechanical engineering degree.
Do not fall victim to the siren song of industrial engineering; the engineering for non-engineers. Easy course work and somehow you get the title engineer. BOO.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Oct 24, 2017 - 11:39am PT
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An RN straight outta school can pull down $150K no probs!
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Oct 24, 2017 - 11:42am PT
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SOWR & GTrider on Supertopo are both Mec Eng with damn cool jobs.
Should be tons of good paying work for that when you get done.
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Oct 24, 2017 - 12:09pm PT
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Although not an engineer, I went to GaTech in the 1950s and am somewhat familiar with the requirements. Twenty one hours per quarter leaves no time for much of an after-school life. My suggestion is look into engineering technology programs that are less demanding but may still lead to decent jobs. (I occasionally taught calculus in an engineering tech program and it was not as demanding as our regular calculus courses)
For example:
https://www.universities.com/find/colorado/best/engineering-technology-degrees
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Winemaker
Sport climber
Yakima, WA
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Oct 24, 2017 - 12:11pm PT
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I'm a Winemaker now, but was a mechanical designer for years in aerospace and marine industrial. Have you talked to any school about admittance? If you didn't finish high school it might be tough. ME will require serious maths; are you any good? Did you at least complete algebra and enjoy it? Any calculus? If not it's going to be pretty tough to catch up.
University is not like high school, you have to be committed and dedicated. You'll have school work everyday and weekends, no excuses. Financially, unless a relative is paying for it or you have big savings, it will be difficult not to come out of the thing with huge debts, especially if you don't finish the course; you'll owe the money no matter what.
I'm not trying to be a nay sayer, if you really want it it's possible, but beware of the pitfalls.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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Oct 24, 2017 - 04:17pm PT
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Did you at least complete algebra and enjoy it? Any calculus? If not it's going to be pretty tough to catch up.
That will indeed be the crux.
IMO, if you don't ace Calculus, you're going to be behind in all classes for the rest of your degree and end up second string at best in the job market. Most engineering hopefuls get weeded right here.
Thing is, as a 30 yr old, even if you graduated from high school middle of the pack, you're probably 2 years of math away from even getting into a Calc class - math you've either never seen or at best have long forgotten. Your peers will be in Calc freshman year all current in every subject and will still be lucky to finish their degree overall in 5 yrs.
Now take a sober look at your tuition debt load over 6-7 yrs. You'll be in your late 30's with - what - a 10 yr debt? So, you pay that off in your late 40's? Planning to buy a house sometime in there? As a 30 yr old with a family and no job (you won't have time for one) your borrowing will likely be higher than an 18 yr old willing to live in a frat house.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 24, 2017 - 05:13pm PT
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I agree. If mathematics is not some thing you've done well with, your chances of a university degree in engineering are slim. Some kind of certification from a technical school would probably be your best shot.
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Yury
Mountain climber
T.O.
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Oct 24, 2017 - 06:45pm PT
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People already identified the biggest risk for you - inability to get through math courses.
As a risk mitigation strategy, can you enroll yourself in a couple of math courses at a nearby university (that can later be counted towards your engineering degree)?
You can finish these courses concurrently with your current job.
Benefits of this approach are obvious.
Drawback is that you would miss a year.
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yanqui
climber
Balcarce, Argentina
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Oct 24, 2017 - 07:13pm PT
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If you have this kind of mentality, you might make a good engineer (delicate sensibilities beware):
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Winemaker
Sport climber
Yakima, WA
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Oct 24, 2017 - 08:25pm PT
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yanqui, that's pretty f*#kin' funny. And true.
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Dingus McGee
Social climber
Where Safety trumps Leaving No Trace
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Oct 24, 2017 - 08:33pm PT
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the angle of the dangle is proportional to the heat of the meat
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hailman
Trad climber
Sacramento
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Oct 24, 2017 - 10:09pm PT
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Lots of welding, some fabricating, small engine repair, making the power, etc.
Have you considered the trades? In the business they call it, 'Earn while you learn'.
Most engineers sit in front of a computer all day rather than working with their hands. To keep from going crazy I need to take on some personal projects around the house from time to time. Actually had a blast putting up drywall, installing flooring, painting, etc a few weekends this summer...although you really have to take care of yourself. My back was killing me and went from leading 5.7 to 5.4...LOL
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