Engineering degree...

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Hi all,  Well im a 27 year old male welder who isn't really sure what he wants out of his future..I love welding but I also know I cannot do it forever.  My body will start to wear over time.I never finished high school so I would have to go and deal with that first.  I guess what I am wondering is am I crazy for wanting to get an engineering degree ?  It would take 5 years going to school part time, plus the time it would take me to get my high school diploma..Im thinking Mechanical haven't even made the decision yet..Any advice or thoughts from anyone older or wiser would be appreciated,  or even someone who has gone down this road...Last edited by Newfie_1986; 08-20-2013 at 08:46 PM.Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Hi all,  Well im a 27 year old male welder who isn't really sure what he wants out of his future..I love welding but I also know I cannot do it forever.  My body will start to wear over time.I never finished high school so I would have to go and deal with that first.  I guess what I am wondering is am I crazy for wanting to get an engineering degree ?  It would take 5 years going to school part time, plus the time it would take me to get my high school diploma..Im thinking Mechanical haven't even made the decision yet..Any advice or thoughts from anyone older or wiser would be appreciated,  or even someone who has gone down this road...
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Any advice or thoughts from anyone older or wiser would be appreciated,  or even someone who has gone down this road...
Reply:Why can't you keep on welding until you are retirement age? I'm 63 and still going at it. I've tried to retire but I keep having people needing things done. I dug post holes all morning because my hired hand didn't show up. Maybe you just need to be in business for your self instead of working for some one else. There is never a boring day.
Reply:Originally Posted by BobWhy can't you keep on welding until you are retirement age? I'm 63 and still going at it. I've tried to retire but I keep having people needing things done. I dug post holes all morning because my hired hand didn't show up. Maybe you just need to be in business for your self instead of working for some one else. There is never a boring day.
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986I never finished high school so I would have to go and deal with that first.  I guess what I am wondering is am I crazy for wanting to get an engineering degree ?  It would take 5 years going to school part time, plus the time it would take me to get my high school diploma..I'm thinking Mechanical haven't even made the decision yet..
Reply:Originally Posted by JoshfromsaltlakeNo you're not crazy.The main issue I would say is, how mathematically inclined are you? Even though everyday engineering, particularly welding, doesn't involve more than some moderate algebra, getting a bachelor or master degree will require you to take some pretty hard-hitting math- and physics-related courses.
Reply:Yep. Went through mechanical engineering at Kansas state university. It's not just calc and physics that you need to be good at. You need to understand how they will go together. Also you can't always use a calculator to solve problems, let alone actually having numbers in a math problem. Another degree to look at is engineering tech. Not as expensive and not as time consuming to earn.
Reply:Going back to school isn't a bad idea at all.  At least get the high school done.  I do think you need to plan on more than 5 years to get a BS in any engineering discipline if you are only planning on part time school.Full time students usually end up taking 4.5 to 5 years.  It is also a great idea to take internships while in college.  In the engineering field these are paid internships and the pay is usually good, however they do usually delay graduation because employers often want more than just a summer so you can get some training and actually contribute to the company.Good luck!  If you stick with it I'm sure you will be able to achieve your goal.  When you get to  college make sure to take advantage of your professors office hours.  Get to know you professors and ask a lot of questions until you understand the class material.  Don't be shy, dig into the books, work hard, and you'll get there.
Reply:Originally Posted by Newfie_1986Hi all,  ...I love welding but I also know I cannot do it forever......I guess what I am wondering is am I crazy for wanting to get an engineering degree......Im thinking Mechanical haven't even made the decision yet.......or even someone who has gone down this road...
Reply:BTDT!  I went back to college at age 40, when medical conditions began to catch up to me.  I had tons of work experience in high end mechanical skills and trades under my belt, but the better paying positions always required a degree.  I was a so-so student in high school, grade wise and had never attended any sort of "higher education" after that.  First, you need to obtain your high school diploma or equivalence certificate.  Concentrate on math, science, computer, and communications skills.  These are prerequisites for all the engineering disciplines.  Once you have the diploma, check out the community colleges in your area for a "pre-engineering" class.  The program offered here locally is a 3 credit hour course that is mostly lecture from visiting engineers and associated personnel that explain the process and jobs.  It will help you decide if engineering is actually the path for you and what discipline you might want to pursue (mechanical, civil, electrical, chemical, etc.)  Find the closest chapter of an engineering society to you and ask to speak with them.  Engineers tend to be mentored, so they like to help out new candidates.  "Five years part time?"  Dunno about that,  I went 5 years full time (three semesters per calender year) carrying a minimum of 18 credit hour semesters to complete my BA in Mechanical.  I do recognize that we are talking about two different countries and the term "engineer" tends to have different definitions between locations.  Basically.  No your not crazy to have goals.  If you are willing to put in the work and time, the goal of an engineering degree is obtainable.  Your field experience can be a great addition to your end resume (I get many choice contracts because I hands on relevant experience as well as the "DEGREE").  I consider my degree more like a pedigree than an end all, know it all.As others have stated, watch the expense.  I have seen many people go heavily into debt for degrees and end up paying off student loans far in excess of the earning potential of their chosen career.  Yes, consider getting you "engineer tech" first and finding employment with that.  Once you settle into a firm, most offer some sort of educational subsidy for advancement that will help to defray the cost of the final expense.  Good Luck!RogerOld, Tired, and GRUMPYSalesman will call, Batteries not included, Assembly is required, and FREE ADVICE IS WORTH EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR IT!Dial Arc 250HFThunderbolt 225 AC/DCAssorted A/O torches
Reply:I noticed that people who had some sort of workplace specialty skill were able to finance their education without going into debt.   Your summers and holidays can be used profitably to make money and save for tuition and living expenses.  Regular university and college types end up struggling every summer doing McJobs for minimum wage.   One guy I met went through university comfortably with a blasting ticket.  Every summer he was given a track drill and a helper to blast logging roads.   Another was a very experienced logger and heavy equipment operator.   My last two years I drove bus.  I was married and even able to save a bit of money after the dust had settled and I walked away with my sheep skin.
Reply:Another vote for the importance of math in engineering school.  Physics is also important, but if you can't do the math you can't do the physics, which uses math.Your plan is, in my view, dependent on you being able to handle the math.Get your GED in any event.  Then start taking math classes at the community college.  Figure that you may need a tutor, especially if you have been away from school for a long time.   Math builds on the previous material, so if you fail to grasp part of the material it will bite you later for sure.  Plan to put in the hours, figure one or two hours of home study for every hour of class time.   If you can do reasonably well in the math classes, you can think about the engineering degree.I have a BS in Mechanical engineering.RichardSculptures in copper and other metalshttp://www.fergusonsculpture.comSyncrowave 200 Millermatic 211Readywelder spoolgunHypertherm 600 plasma cutterThermal Arc GMS300 Victor OA torchHomemade Blacksmith propane forge
Reply:Originally Posted by lotechmanI noticed that people who had some sort of workplace specialty skill were able to finance their education without going into debt.   Your summers and holidays can be used profitably to make money and save for tuition and living expenses.  Regular university and college types end up struggling every summer doing McJobs for minimum wage.   One guy I met went through university comfortably with a blasting ticket.  Every summer he was given a track drill and a helper to blast logging roads.   Another was a very experienced logger and heavy equipment operator.   My last two years I drove bus.  I was married and even able to save a bit of money after the dust had settled and I walked away with my sheep skin.
Reply:My path was similar to yours. I hated high school and chose not to apply myself. Despite that I got mostly Bs and Cs. Went to work in a manufacturing facility where part of my job was production welding (there wasn't enough welding for full-time). After doing that and watching what the engineers did, I decided I could do engineering work. So at 26 I applied to my school of choice where I was abruptly told that my grades were not good enough for mechanical engineering, but, they would accept me in liberal arts and I could still take the math and engineering classes. If I did well they would accept me into engineering. I decided there was no turning back and took the plunge. My SAT scores were 590 math 450 reading eight years out of high school. I had to start all over beginning with basic algebra. I'll never forget the first test I took in my first basic engineering class. Got a 40. When I added up all the minuses I discovered that the teacher added wrong and I really had like a 63 which was still pretty poor. My first thought was what am I doing. But since there was no turning back I stuck with it. Through my first two years with algebra, trig, four semesters of calculus (6 math classes in two years=summer classes), statics, dynamics, and physics (uggg hated that one). I ended with mostly all As and a few scattered Bs. Got accepted into mechanical engineering and the rest is history.I then went on to obtain a professional engineering license and eight years after graduating I went back and got a civil engineering degree focusing on structural engineering which really was my calling. Unfortunately I never made it to that field for employment.But the moral to the story is you are never too old. You can do it but you have to really want it and be dedicated and probably even more important, be ready for a roller coaster ride. There will be good days and bad for sure. You will question if you made the right choice many times. In college, maturity and real world experience can be real benefits that the other kids don't have. It has been 27 years since graduating as a mechanical engineer and it was the best decision I ever made. But in retrospect if I had gone right from high school to college I probably wouldn't have made it. The desire just wasn't there at 18.Good luck!Millermatic 211Lincoln Precision TIG 225Century 250 MIGLincoln 225 AC Box (sold)I support my local welding store (Amazon, McMasterCarr, Cyberweld, EBay).
Reply:''Im just bloody frustrated that I have to spend over $1400 on welding tickets. The structural tickets are good for 2 years then you have to recertify, any pressure tickets are only good for 6 months... Oh well I will make up for it in pay I guess.''That sucks, the employer pays for our time and the test cost. Tough call, you gotta love what you do and should not mind going to work. Sure , there are good and bad days but you gotta love. time and life is too short to me miserable every day. you don't want headaches, you wanna give them.