4 year engineering vs. engineering technology degree

Factual Questions
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Wesley Clark, see The NCEES for everything about being a P.E. I’m not, and not considering it, and don’t think it’s necessary. But I don’t design bridges. Heck, I don’t even design cars, so it doesn’t really matter. In the auto industry, the P.E.'s would oftern be DRE – design release engineers. Others may do the work, but someone responsible (who I imagine is PE, maybe not?) has to sign off on it.

The auto industry in Michigan has its tentacles in everything. There’s a lot you could do here and legitimately say you work in the auto industry. Me, I work directly for one of the Big 2 (used to be Big 3, but Chrysler doesn’t count anymore) directly. It’s a little bit more secure, especially as an engineer and especially in the more limited fields. Contractors have a rough time (been there) when the economy bounces. Vendors, too, have all their ups and downs. There’s a special class of vendor called “build houses” or “integration shops” that definitely have their ups and downs. There are a lot of engineers and skilled trades that work in these. Build houses (like Pico or Utica Enterprises) typically design and build our entire assembly lines! I’d really go off on a big tangent describing everything they do, so I won’t unless anyone asks. But without them, we couldn’t survice. No one at Ford or GM (for example) knows how to build the assembly lines now days, so we sub that out. It’s big money for a lot of engineers and skilled trades, but when we hit a downturn, new projects dry up. With no new projects, there’s no new work, so a lot of layoffs, even though the Big 2 may not lay off anyone. Kind of the hidden story behind the auto industry.

A lot of the brighter guys that work there take great advantage of it. Despite being non-exempt, competition pretty much mandates overtime pay. So there’ll often be months of work for 12-hours days, seven days per week. If you’re not like some bozos who indebt themselves too much, you save this and take advantage of the layoff as a vacation. What you’ve earned on premium time is more than enough until the next big order comes in.

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As an aside, being a PE has some odd advantages. I recently discovered that my PE stamp can be used to certify that a passport photo is a “true and accurate representation” of a UK citizen who is in the US and getting their passport renewed whilst over here. And that the PE stamp actually supercedes a notary’s stamp in acceptibility for that odd case. :eek:

A PE is also considered to be an “expert witness” in engineering matters by default in some States. It seems to be in my State.

When I made my earlier point, I wasn’t pushing PE versus non-PE. All I was saying is, it’s something to check out and consider. I think that over time there will continue to be a slow evolution of the importance of the PE.

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That’s pretty, well, odd, Una Persson né Anthracite.

FWIW Wesley Clark, I’m not trying to talk anyone out of getting their PE!

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I just talked to him and i was misinformed. he is an Industrial engineering technologist with a BS rather than an industrial engineer. So apparantly there is a future in that field. He told me he works with alot of engineering technologists.

My big worry is still getting an ASMET and not being able to go back for a BSMET. I dont know if credits would transfer across state lines (like if i did the ASMET at IU in indiana and tried for a BSMET at Florida state) that’d be up to each particular college’s decision.