This system only applies in Canada. The US is very different and doesn’t have anything equivalent. In many respects, I like the Canadian system better.
As far as the PE goes. Getting your PE is more or less a requirement for Civil, Structural and Geotechincal Engineers. It’s generally not all that necessary for MEs and EEs. You only really need it as an ME if you plan to go into construction engineering. This is low tech (design of air conditioning and heating systems, ductwork layout, plumbing…) and typically pays a fair amount less than something like manufacturing. On the plus side, the industry is more stable.
I passed the PE and have a stamp and I did briefly work in the construction field. I enjoyed it but I like high tech better. I have never heard of an ME in a high tech field needed a PE.
:wally The first task in going to college is to learn to read. It says “Associate of Science Degree”. That is a two year degree designed to prepare technicians to do hands on work. It is NOT an Engineering Degree.
i dont know what i want to do with my life. mechanical engineering and chemistry (or biochemistry) where the 2 fields i wanted to go into. i guess i want chemistry because my dads a pharmacist (pharmacists are basically just chemistry majors with added on pharmacological studies). So i’m either trying to follow in my father’s footsteps with the chem degree or i want an engineering degree. I want something i’d like but i also want something that pays a living wage (30k a year or more), preferably with job security and the ability to work part time or around the clock (all 3 shifts open). Also from info ive read i’ve come to the conclusion taht liking what you do is only a minor factor in job satisfaction. Having good coworkers, work freedom, a good boss, good customers, the ability to learn new things, etc are more important to job satisfaction than whether you like the purpose of your job.
I’d prefer chemical engineering (again, the father being a pharmacist thing) but i would much prefer mechanical instead of something like electrical. As far as the other engineering degrees (Biomedical, nuclear, aeronautics) i dont think there are enough jobs in the US to justify getting a degree in them.
These mech engineering tech degree is from IUPUI, an accredited state college here, the degrees are accredited by the ABET. I looked into tech degrees and i heard that you should check that the degree is accredited by the ABET before you sign up.
I wouldn’t stop at the A.S. level, no. However the IUPUI website says those with B.S. degrees in Mech. engineering tech. are only qualified to be ‘high level technologists’.
What do you mean ‘live quite comfortably’? do you mean like $25/hr or so with a BS degree is possible? I’m sure its possible i know a guy over the internet with an A.A(pplied).S. in production technology who makes about $70k a year. However it being possible to make a great wage and actually earning a great wage are 2 totally different things.
nice work nitwit. had you actually read the post you would’ve seen that the AS in technology transfers into the BS in technology. the schedule is broken down into the AS & BS. AS is semesters 1-4, BS is 5-8.
think of it like this-compared to medicine: a full engineering degree is like a doctor, a Technical degree is like a nurse.
Both good professions, but different, and appropriate for different kinds of people.
yeah thats kind of the impression i was getting. technologists work hands on to complete the PE’s agenda while the P.E.s work more on a cerebral & managerial level.
it is a stepping stone. At the end of sophomore year you’ll find this "Total Hours for A.S. 66 cr. " That means you’re awarded an Associate Degree after two years. And you can exit at that point. If you want to continue for your Bachelors then you need to take the remaining courses.
I would vote for getting the engineering degree unless you have some insurmountable obstacle (e.g., you can’t do the required math, your wife is expecting triplets, etc.). Bottom line: it will give you more options.
My undergrad degree is in electrical engineering. Although I didn’t pursue the P.E., I was later able to qualify immediately for various graduate programs that interested me, in applied math and computer science. Had I gone the ET route, I still could have done so. But I would have had a lot more deficiency classes to take. The engineering background is wider.
And even if you never go to grad school or sit for the P.E., I would wager that an engineering degree will offer a slight advantage (over ET) with prospective employers.
This is not to denigrate anybody with an ET degree. (Some of the most competent engineers I’ve ever worked with held ET degrees). I am referring here to the value of the respective degrees.
I would also like to state that a good engineering curriculum will prepare you very well for technical, hands-on work – it does not inevitably steer you towards management.
Go get an aptitude test. Following in Dad’s footsteps is not a career choice. IVY Tech or IU will give you one. Then talk to the advisor.
The average number of hours in a year is 2080. So if you’re making $20 an hour, you’re making making $40K.
If you can get into IU, go and take a year of college before you decide what you want to do. You’d be amazed how many people change their majors. Only a minority actual finish in what they started in. First year undergrad (except for those “tech” degrees) is basically the same all over the map. And you can make a better decision with that experience behind you.
i already have 2 years of college. 52 credit hours. right now im in nursing school but i fear flunking out. My academics are really good but i screwed up on a clinical day and got 0s for it so now i fear failing out and i’d rather not spend another 2.5 years getting a degree that was suppoesed to be a 2 year degree.
Oh, $25 an hour with a BS in Electrical Engineering is very possible. That’s about where most of my university’s graduates in EE start straight out of college. Some of the engineers I have worked for have made upwards of $100K per year. I don’t know about the Engineering Technology salary though…we don’t have any of those…
yeah $25/hr is attainable with a regular engineering degree. Thats a little higher than starting wages for a B.S. engineer, something like that. Getting to 60k a year after 4-5 years with a BS in engineering is doable too.
I looked at salary.com and for an introductory engineering technician in indianapolis and fort wayne, median income is 32k a year to start, goes up to 40k a year after 3-4 years of experience. However that is for someone with only a high school degree, someone with an AS might get a little better pay. Pay is pretty much the same no matter what engineering field you go into i guess.
Take a look at the math in the two options. the technology one starts with algebra, and slowly works its way up to calculus. The engineering one starts with full calculus, and goes from there. If you can do it, I agree that the engineering degree gives more options.
BTW, very few engineering managers I know have MBAs. Some very high level ones do, but the company typically paid for it. You can easily make it to second level manager without one - in fact in many places it is a hindrance.
well the main reason im looking at engineering tech is i want to graduate ASAP, then maybe go back to school to finish a degree. there is no AS in engineering around here, just an AS in engineering technology.
I went to IPFW in Fort Wayne which probably has a similar program since their both part of Purdue. Most of the people who start out in the ME program end up switching to the MET program when they can’t pass calculus in the 2nd year. A lot of people who struggle as ME’s end up doing a lot better when they switch to MET because it is a lot easier. Personally I’m glad I stuck it out as an ME because I’ve found there are some jobs where they will only hire ME’s but if they’re willing to hire an MET they’ll almost always hire an ME too. About 5 years ago when I graduated the going rate in the Fort Wayne area for ME’s right out of school was about 40-45k per year
Absolutely – I’m salaried (using me as an example) so don’t get paid hourly. But salary / 2080 > $25 hour by a good deal. Granted I started my career making considerably less, and without any degree at all. I got out of the Army in 1996 to take a job making $12.80/hour (considerably more than the Army had been paying). In 1999 (not too long ago!) I added $10/hour by having experience and switching companies. In 2000.5 another considerable increase by having experience and switching companies, with regular increases since. I’m currently crossing my fingers for another position in my same company that would be yet another substantial increase by virtue of increase my “level” (no lateral transfers right now, so if they want me they have to promote me). I’m just below midway for my current level; the next level has a maximum base salary of over $100,000 (not that I expect maximum). Of course unless I get an advanced degree, the next level is pretty much the most I could expect to attain – beyond that is considered the lowest level of upper management (which doesn’t really interest me, and it’s not impossible, but an MBA would really, really help. Not an advanced engineering degree, but business).
In all, from $12.80 to significantly-over-$25 took four years. I’m not rich by any stretch of the imagination, and I wouldn’t say well-to-do. But money is never a struggle (thank you God), and comfortable never means having to worry about the gas bill. On the other hand our only luxeries are being able to use Macs instead of the alternatives <shudder>, and having a full-sized, nice car. FWIW, I still live in the same house I bought when I made $12.80 per hour (improved by now), but mostly because it hasn’t sold all summer long.
I work in the auto industry in Michigan, by the way.
thanks Balthisar, thats encouraging. However im more of a pessimist so i’ll assume that after struggling for a year to find a job i’ll find some $13/hr technician job somewhere with an ASMET. Maybe go up to $18/hr with a BSMET. Hell if i know though.
Im just hoping that there is a job market for an ASMET. I would naturally go on to get a BSMET if i could find a job.
Does anyone know what all remedial coursework (if this is possible) i would have to do to qualify as a PE or to apply for a graduate degree in engineering? i am not sure its possible or not im just throwing the idea out right now.
IUPUI also offers an AS in biomedical engineering technology, however this transfers into a BS in EE technology. i dont want to be an EE.
Theres an engineer i talk to from another board who does that too in michigan as well. Hes an industrial engineer though (not a technologist), but hes in the auto industry. Hes doing pretty good with 4 years of experience under his belt (around 65k a year), however he says that the engineering market has bad waves of hiring and firing where he is at.
nice work nitwit. had you actually read the post you would’ve seen that the AS in technology transfers into the BS in technology. the schedule is broken down into the AS & BS. AS is semesters 1-4, BS is 5-8.