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Started By
Message
OT Engineers- do you have a Masters Degree? Was it worth it?
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:50 am
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:50 am
Contemplating going back to school and trying to figure if its a worthwhile investment. Currently studying for civil/structural PE in LA in Oct, this would be after.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
This post was edited on 7/12/17 at 10:38 am
18
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:52 am to NYNolaguy1
I don't have a masters. Are you trying to get a promotion that requires a masters? I personally won't be going back to school for one.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:52 am to NYNolaguy1
Masters in engineering? What's your end game? Too many variables but thanks for the boobs.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:55 am to NYNolaguy1
No masters.
Engineer with 2 yrs experience > Engineer with masters and no experience. At least starting out. It may be worth it in the long run though if you are trying for a management position.
Engineer with 2 yrs experience > Engineer with masters and no experience. At least starting out. It may be worth it in the long run though if you are trying for a management position.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:55 am to BigPerm30
I have a masters but in Risk Management not Engineering.
I work with a coupe M.Eng's but they are so specialized they do bs like material specalists and whatnot.
I would advise and MBA in a broader scope like quality or SCM.
I work with a coupe M.Eng's but they are so specialized they do bs like material specalists and whatnot.
I would advise and MBA in a broader scope like quality or SCM.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:56 am to BigPerm30
It depends on what you want to be as an engineer.
If you want to eventually be a "Subject Matter Expert" at your plant or maybe a researcher at a university, a Masters in Engineering will pay dividends
If you are looking to be a Senior level manager/executive then I would wait until you have worked for a company for a few years then ask them to send you to get your MBA
If you want to eventually be a "Subject Matter Expert" at your plant or maybe a researcher at a university, a Masters in Engineering will pay dividends
If you are looking to be a Senior level manager/executive then I would wait until you have worked for a company for a few years then ask them to send you to get your MBA
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:56 am to Gullah Gullah Island
quote:
Are you trying to get a promotion that requires a masters? I personally won't be going back to school for one.
It would be a MSCE. No promotion directly, but the idea would be to make myself more marketable, and to learn more about the deeper theory of structures. Also, I would like to pass the SE at some point, so between having a MS and an PE/SE behind my name I feel it would up my stock price.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:59 am to NYNolaguy1
No, and I don't see a need for it with my current career path.
Maybe if work pays for it, but I'm really not too keen on more school.
Maybe if work pays for it, but I'm really not too keen on more school.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 9:59 am to NYNolaguy1
I'm a ChE not civil but I would suspect a MBA would be more bang for the buck unless you have a specific promotion in mind that prefers a masters. Most engineers who get a masters do so en route to a phd.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:07 am to NYNolaguy1
(no message)
This post was edited on 10/31/25 at 5:18 am
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:07 am to NYNolaguy1
I think getting your Masters is a no-brainer; do it. It will be worth it in the long run (probably not so much in the short term, you still need experience).
MBA is another good choice.
MBA is another good choice.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:08 am to NYNolaguy1
I am Civil. Currently getting my MBA.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:08 am to TheDrunkenTigah
Personally, I tend to stay away from applicants who get their master's (not MBA).
I don't see the benefit, and it will only help you in very specialized fields.
I don't see the benefit, and it will only help you in very specialized fields.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:15 am to OvertheDwayneBowe
You don't like people who progress and want to gain as much knowledge on a subject as they can? I bet you work for a DOT.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:18 am to AUCE05
quote:
You don't like people who progress and want to gain as much knowledge on a subject as they can? I bet you work for a DOT.
Point taken, but getting a masters and stopping short of getting a Phd puts you in an awkward place. You're an inexperienced tweener. The resume will demand a higher pay grade but in reality that applicant is less qualified than someone with an undergrad and two years of experience.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:21 am to NYNolaguy1
If you have the opportunity to get it, get it while you can. Too many unknowns down the road.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:22 am to TheDrunkenTigah
A masters is about 5g more at the median pay. That is nothing vs the knowledge you gain with more education. Try going for a management job vs someone with a masters degree and see how that works. They will get the job almost every time.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:24 am to AUCE05
quote:
A masters is about 5g more at the median pay.
Two years of on-the-job experience learning specialized skills that are actually valuable to the employer is worth 10.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:26 am to AUCE05
quote:
That is nothing vs the knowledge you gain with more education.
Experience is usually much more relevant than education. You're going to be trained either way at your job. I'd rather pay the undergrad only less to do the same entry level work. The likelihood that your master works will be relevant to what you're doing is fairly slim.
I'm not knocking anyone with an engineering masters.
quote:
Try going for a management job vs someone with a masters degree and see how that works. They will get the job almost every time.
Meh, the work experience will be a much bigger deciding factor. Management is usually way less technical, which is kind of the opposite of a masters.
Posted on 7/12/17 at 10:27 am to AUCE05
quote:
That is nothing vs the knowledge you gain with more education
Two years of glorified technical electives and being a professors errand boy is nothing vs the knowledge gained through actual experience. I never said a masters was useless, but even you just said it roughly equates to a 5g raise. That barely moves the needle in engineering, but on the other hand could price you out of an entry level job that would otherwise be your foothold of experience.
quote:
Try going for a management job vs someone with a masters degree and see how that works. They will get the job almost every time.
Try going for a management job with a discipline specific masters vs someone with an MBA. They will get the job almost every time.
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