re: Are LSU Mechanical Engineering degrees respected?

If your in your first semester of college and already flipping majors then you need to calm the frick down. The first year is all core classes you won't be taking major specific courses till next year. Give it some time and figure out what you want to do.

if you show up, know what you're talking about, and people like you, it doesn't matter where you went to school. there will always be opportunities for you.

Yes.

LSU ME grad in 2010. Good to go in with a goal and drive. That'll get you further than a lot of other things. I didn't have that but landed in a good spot. I'm in oil and gas and work in a very technica field, but am more of a project manager than a design engineer and I wouldn't trade it. That is far from what I imagined myself doing while in school. So my advice is to be open.

Have actually had a co-worker in my same role leave for a role at NASA, because he had similar dreams as you. He came back to our company within 2 years.

As far as LSU being respected...it's not disrespected. If financially it's advantageous for you as it is for many LA residents (tips, etc.), then it's a great option. Continue with your drive to make good grades and get relevant internships and you'll be on your way. The return on investment can be great. If you have the means and opportunity, then a traditional engineering powerhouse has some advantages.

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We don’t value engineering in this country so good or bad doesn’t matter. Our economy is based on finance.

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One of the most inaccurate comments I’ve seen on here in some time.

Transfer to a higher caliber school for your masters and/or doctorate. BS won’t matter that much if you continue somewhere else. Getting your foot in the door will be the hardest part, that’s the only real point a school even matters, some help/some don’t based on however the hiring team feels. My brother in laws works for one of the big space companies out in Cali, has a BS engineering degree from Tennessee. His masters and doctorate is from a more respected university.

I would go for doctorate if space industry is your goal.

My wife used to run the engineering career center at another SEC school. Employers don't piss themselves over school rankings like the academic crowd would have you think, at least when comparing R1 institutions.

She had one company that was located 30 minutes from one of the top 3 engineering schools in the conference but had decided they no longer wanted to focus on students from that program for a litany of reasons, none of which had anything to do with academics. I mean, math is math, regardless of where you go to school.

One of the biggest things you can do to increase your chances of success is to participate in your co-op program. Not only do get the experience and pay, but it's both a pathway to a PE certificate and a long-term job interview.

ETA: in terms of landing the first job, recruiters love outside leadership credentials. For example, she'd have 200+ employers on campus for interview day and when she asked them how they wanted resumes sorted they nearly all said Eagle and Gold scouts on top, then ranked by gpa. But they also like to see leadership in on campus orgs and volunteerism in community orgs, like after school tutoring and shite. It shows them you are able to take initiative on your own, work with different people, and succeed at tasks outside the classroom. There are so many folks nowadays who simply can't hack it outside the classroom.

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If you’re good at it then it won’t matter.

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This. My degree is from a “lesser” school but I’ve had no issues career-wise. I even had classmates who went on to work for SpaceX and NASA because they were good.

That might be an advantage on the first hire, but it isn't the factor in that industry the way it is in others. Engineers don't have room to frick up - when they do, people die and/or companies lose fortunes, so diversity is a great plus if they also meet the standards, but they aren't getting passes on shitty work like they might get in the business world.