Did I waste my time on an Engineering Technology Degree.?
by hoyasmeg
Question by : Did I waste my time on an Engineering Technology Degree.?
I graduated from a very good school with a degree in Electrical / Mechanical Engineering Technology. My degree was a 5 year fully ABET accredited B.S. which included Calculus I, II and Dif Eq. I graduated with a 3.3. This was supposed to be the practical side of engineering. The school itself was ranked in the top five technology schools. The classes were practical but complex.
This was all fine until I graduated and started talking to recruiters and HR managers. Here is what they ALL seem to say about Engineering Technology programs. These are not engineering programs and do not have the theory or mathematics needed for research or engineering. Many people are miss lead to believe that such programs are a branch of practical engineering. Most companies will not consider an engineering technology degree to be of any worth. Not enough theory for engineering and not enough business for management. Seems like my only hope is in a Maintenance department or to work as a technician. Ok wondering what to do at age 35. Should I go back to another school and pursue an undergraduate degree that is EE and NOT EET or maybe a masters degree in something else. I don’t think a masters degree in EET would be any better or different. I’m leaning toward going for an EE degree, I will loose about two years worth of credit and it may take three or four years going part time and working.
Do any companies still consider EET or MET degrees to be valid to apply for a management or practical engineering position. Is there any hope. Any advice or thought form people who know about the field would be appreciated.
I am from and currently live in the USA.
Best answer:
Answer by kasab
Just for interest, Which is your country?
Give your answer to this question below!
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about 1 year ago
It’s definitely a shame that this wasn’t more clear to you. I went through a dual degree program that let you combine engineering or architecture with STSS (science, technology, and society studies), and there was a third option- the engineering technology degree instead of a regular engineering degree. The only people who did that were the people who couldn’t handle the regular engineering classes. Almost everyone started as regular engineers, but if someone wasn’t keeping up with the demands, they would apply their credits toward the ET and go from there.
There are plenty of jobs that company like to put engineers into, but don’t really require engineering. These can include, sales, customer support, management, and points of interaction with vendors and suppliers. When the numbers are large and the product is highly technical, it pays to have someone in the loop who knows an alloy from a composite, or can do units conversions confidently, or can explain ohm’s law and conservation of energy.
I think you might benefit a lot from getting another degree, and emphasizing the business side will probably earn you the most money. Most companies I have worked at have one or two guys working in a job that doesn’t match their diplomas. The head software developer where I am now has a PhD in physics, the software guy at my first company had a master’s in english (and nothing else), and one of our more productive mechanical guys here was trained as an electrical engineer. It can be done, but you need to work your way into it over time.
Any company is a lot more likely to hire someone for a job if they have demonstrated some experience doing something similar. If you interview well and show some flexibility, they’ll hire you for something a little farther from what you’ve done in the past. Repeat this a couple of times, making sure to take on projects that are more like the work you want to be doing, and you’ll get to where you want to be before too long.
about 1 year ago
Good technicians are hard to find, and it sounds like you may be one of them. Get a job as a tech, and then gradually take over some of the design tasks from the engineer. For example, he might give you a top level diagram of an op amp, then you would select a suitable IC, and do the decoupling, power, and layout. Then you can become a “super tech”. Learning to design circuit boards would also be a huge plus, using Altium or something similar.
Meanwhile you might go for some kind of EE degree, but be sure that you can handle the theory before you take on the course. For example, buy a book about fourier transforms and see if you can understand it well enough to do a couple of the examples. The idea is not to become an expert, but rather to see if you are able to do one small part of it. Get help from an engineer friend if necessary, and if you can handle it, then you are probably ready to start a EE course.
about 1 year ago
There are plenty of companies that consider an Engineering Technology you need to get your resume past them to the engineering folks.
I think you need to consider what is in your resume and cover letter – there are at least 3 typos in your post above. Does the school you graduated from have a job placement department? Often they will provide assistance with resumes, cover letters, and even openings.
about 1 year ago
College is a waste of time and money, specially if you think success is guaranteed after earning a piece of paper.
success comes from attitude, personality, hard work and honesty.