Unveiling My Journey into Engineering: Seeking Your Valuable Input

[Mario123]

TL;DR Summary: An 18-year-old student is eager to pursue a career in engineering but is uncertain about the best path. They initially considered Mechanical Engineering for its versatility but are open to more specialized fields. Seeking advice on whether to do a master's, they plan to gain work experience during and after their bachelor's degree and possibly explore a master's Degree.

Hello Engineers

In this text, I am going to number statements with question marks and I would kindly ask you if you can just say if they are right or wrong. I would also like to hear your comments or opinions on my plan to study Engineering. I will happily accept positive and negative comments.

I am 18 years old, and I have less than a year to start university.

I am 100% sure that I am going to study Engineering. At first, I wanted to study Mechanical Engineering because it's the most versatile (1?), but after talking to my counsellor and talking with my parents they mentioned why I don't go study something more specific in Engineering eg. Chemical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering, because they are more specific and you are here an expert compared to if you are a Mechanical Engineer where you are jack of all trades, but master of none, and they said salary is better in more specific types of Engineering (2?).

I don't like electrics or chemistry too much, so I think electrical and chemical Engineering won't be for me. But I find great interest in big things eg. aeroplane engines, ship engines, oil rigs, big valves... I don't care whether it's on an aeroplane, oil rig or just a big ship engine. To me the bigger the better. I find the most interest in Mechanical Engineering because it's the most versatile, I also like Civil Engineering and Marine Engineering, but I don't find those 2 so interesting that I would be ready to devote my whole life to them. I would much rather start with Mechanical Engineering and then see where the road takes me. I also like the idea of a Mechanical Engineer because I can work basically everywhere.

I did 2 short quizzes on which type of Engineer I should be and they both said Mechanical Engineering.

I am from Slovenia and I plan to go and study in the UK. I plan to do a bachelor's for 3 years in Mechanical Engineering and then go work for 1 year. During those 3 years and then 1 year just working I will be able to see where I find the most interest and then maybe do a Master's in what I find the most interesting. Do you recommend I do Masters or are more years on the field better? (3?)

I heard that in Engineering the thing that matters the most with employers are the experiences and not which level of degree you have (Bachelor, Master) (4?). During my Bachelor's, I plan to work as much as the time will allow me in different engineering companies eg. a summer job... If everything goes well I also plan to do MBA. (just in case ;).)

If I graduate as a Mechanical Engineer with just a bachelor's degree, will the employers employ me or not because I would be a jack of all trades but a master of none? Is it better I do a Master's in Mechanical Engineering or I specialize in something else? (5?)That is my biggest concern if I graduate with Mechanical Engineering I wouldn't be highly desired because I don't know anything specific.

Thank you very much, I am looking forward to your answers ;).

Sorry for grammatical mistakes, English is not my first language.

 

[Choppy]

If you're looking for some general advice, first off, you don't need to plan out every little detail yet.

Generally speaking, less specialization is better to begin with. In my experience getting too specialized too early tends to close more doors than it opens, so if you're not sure, why not try to find a school where the first year is just general engineering? That's a common approach in a lot of Canadian universities, not sure about the UK system. Get a year of experience under your belt, talk with professors, join different societies, speak with the senior students in the different sub-fields who are looking for work when they graduate and figure out who's getting the most job offers and what they're bringing to the table. After a year you'll have a better picture of what each of the different sub-fields is like and which one is more likely to be a better fit for you.

Along these lines, it's also important to draw a distinction between an education and a career. What you study at university is not necessarily going to be the field you define your career in. So you want to build a solid foundation of skills that are going to be valuable, regardless of the branch of engineering you end up working in, if you even end up working as an engineer at all.

Similarly, when it comes to an engineering master's degree, or an MBA, it's probably better to wait until you've finished your undergrad before making any firm commitments in that direction. A lot of people get to that undergraduate finish line and find that they're simply done with school. Or you might want to get some work experience under your belt before committing to a graduate degree.

Some of your questions would be best answered through your own research rather than relying on other people do gather the information for you. To add a couple more general rules though, (i) the more specialized a field is, the more highly paid it tends to be. However (ii) the more specialized a field is, the more rare the positions tend to be.

 

[jack action]

When people say employers are looking for experience more than degrees, they are talking about what motivates you in your daily life.

If you go to an employer with the intention of just "getting a paycheck", it will be very difficult because that is pretty much everybody's basic criterion. Adding degrees might help you a bit but it also might hurt you if you don't look for anything more from your job. More degrees means higher pay but will you be able to give back what you are costing to the employer? (Especially if your degrees are irrelevant to the field.)

But if you go to an employer with a passion for the work, you will now increase your value to a potential employer. Why did you choose to do mechanical engineering? Why did you choose to do a master's in a particular specialized field?

How do you prove that you are genuine with your answers? With experience. What are your hobbies? What are your summer jobs? Do you say you like airplanes and that is why you chose to do a master's in aeronautics? There is nothing better to prove that point than having a job at your local airport and/or joining an RC model club where you build and fly your own RC airplane. If you do it within a team, employers will love that because that is how they work and it has its own challenges; that is valuable experience in any field. If you do all of that outside schools, on your own, it shows how motivated and passionate you are.

If you [still] don't know what you want to do after graduating, I would discourage you from specializing yourself in anything. If you haven't explored your possibilities as an undergrad (summer jobs, joining clubs and projects), exploring the world by getting a job is your best bet. But be aware that employers will be more afraid that you will quit and go somewhere else if you decide you would prefer doing something else, and that doesn't make you very attractive to them. An employer will always prefer someone who knows what they want and what they want should be related to what the employer can provide you. Talking is easy, so they are looking for actions to prove themselves. Getting a degree is only one of those actions to show who you are.

 

[CrysPhys]

To add a couple more general rules though, (i) the more specialized a field is, the more highly paid it tends to be. However (ii) the more specialized a field is, the more rare the positions tend to be.

OP:

* To the above, I'll add: the more specialized you are, the more vulnerable you are in the event of a downturn in your field of specialization. Job markets can invert in a relatively short period of time (a year or two). What's hot when you start university may no longer be when you graduate. And over the course of your career, you're likely to face several company-wide or industry-wide upheavals. A strong, broad foundation will allow you to pivot more readily.

* Whether graduate education will benefit you depends both on the country and the field you work in. You won't know that until later. In some instances, it might be better to get a job after your undergrad degree, gain work experience, and then return for a graduate engineering degree. In other instances, it might be better to complete a master's in engineering before seeking a job. At least in the US, however, typically you do not want to pursue an MBA until you have had at least several years work experience (some MBA programs here have a requirement for minimum work experience in order to apply).

Also, e.g. in the US, many engineering jobs do not require a professional engineering license, but some do. For those that do, there are requirements for specific work experience and advance exams.

So the issue of further education and training is not one you can resolve at this stage. But a year or so before graduation, narrow down a list of countries and jobs you want to work in, and find out what the requirements are.

* I fully agree with Post #3. What do you enjoy doing? Do you like to take things apart? Do you like to build things? Do you like to fix things? Do you like to blow things up? ....