quote:
Why do you want to go into ME? What’s driving this decision for a total career change?

If it’s just salary, maybe consider a career move. Look at what you can do to improve your current position in your company. Are there other classes you can take to expand your utility (safety, management, inspection, specialty equipment)?

Do you have the brains to make it through ME? I know A LOT of very smart people who could not make it through ME when school was the only thing they had. Your maturity at 30 helps, but that won’t get you through ME. Calculus, physics, thermo, dynamics, labs, etc. ME is relentless, and every class is difficult.

I have a kid and full time job in ME right now and can’t imagine going through school again. It takes a different kind of dedication and you really need the right motives, particularly if going back. You definitely don’t want to start down this path, only to give up (or fail out) after 2-3 years in and money burned along with lost time.

Don’t eyeball the engineers at the plants and think “I can do that”. It’s true a lot of engineers in the plant are dumbasses, but they generally have the book smarts to make it through the classes. The role we fill in the plant is not difficult, but it’s waaaaaaay easier than school.

OP this is all true. Like I said I did it only a little younger than you after dropping out half way through my junior year at lsu in ChemE.

ME is a bitch, as are all of the Engineering courses. The biggest thing is you need someone in your corner to push you. My wife did it for me. There was a time after Dynamics and Diff Eq were I begged to take a semester off, she said NO!! Next semester was Calc 3 and Fluids, again she made me keep going. The semester before was statics, physics 2, circuits and calc 2.

You need to understand how difficult it is because the worst thing would be to go 2 years, spend a shite ton of money and waste your sons time to only turn around and drop out.

Also as mentioned, what math will you start with? I had high enough ACT score that when I started completely over at 27, I could go straight back into Calc. If you don't, you will have to take college algebra and trig before even getting to math classes that actually count towards your degree. That would mean you still had

Calc I, II, III, Adv Calc
Diff Eq
Linear
Statistics

just in math. thats on top of Chem 1/2, Physics 1/2 and the rest of your gen ed classes.

Just understand what you are getting yourself into.

Every class is going to be relentless.

Statics
dynamics
fluids
thermo 1 and 2
materials
strengths
heat transfer
controls

etc etc

Just understand its fricking hard, but it is doable.

1 ...

Report Post

Posted by Ssubba

Member since Oct 2014

6649 posts

Posted on 9/29/20 at 2:50 pm to lsu777

I was a normal aged college student, but my two best friends I met in my Civil Engineering program were both 30+. One was a 30 year old who had dropped out of two college programs in his 20s and went through rehab to fix his alcohol addiction. The other was a 34 year old who worked a dead end job and wanted a better career. The former was incredibly smart and was one of the best students across the entire engineering school, all disciplines. He is finishing up his Masters now and will probably start on his PHD. The latter followed the same game plan you're talking about and took about three classes every semester, never taking a summer off and finished school after about 5 years.

Both were tremendously better students than myself. I would be thrilled anytime I bested one of them on an exam, which didn't happen too often. If you're going to do this, take the same approach my two friends did and throw yourself into it. You'll spend most weeknights staying up to midnight working on a three page solution to a single problem, but it will be worth it. Find a friend in your class with the same dedication you have that won't be pissed off when you call him up at 11:30pm. If you truly enjoy what you're doing you will find satisfaction and self worth through the small things like finishing up an assignment or when you finally grasp a concept you've been trying to wrap your head around for the entire semester.

This post was edited on 9/29/20 at 2:52 pm

0 ...

Report Post

O-T Lounge - Replies to Post

Return To Board

Page 1

Return To Board