Engineering Advice
Discussion
Hello, after a few year's of drudgery working in an office environment, I decided to return to education, partly for the challenge and also to improve future career options.
I'm in my first year of an electrical engineering degree but I figured it's never too early to start planning ahead to maximise my options when i'm done.
At the moment I have the option of doing:
Electrical, Electronic, or Electrical with Nanotechnology or Renewable Energy Systems.Do you think adding an extra string to my bow would be beneficial by doing either of the latter?
Secondly, is doing a Master's almost a given in engineering terms?
In terms of gaining experience would you recommend doing a year in industry or could this be achieved through summer placements?
I'm doing this as a mature student due to a mispent youth and my GCSE's reflect this, would it be worth retaking the key ones to bump up my grades?
Sorry for all the questions but I thought real world advice would be priceless.
Thanks
I'm in my first year of an electrical engineering degree but I figured it's never too early to start planning ahead to maximise my options when i'm done.
At the moment I have the option of doing:
Electrical, Electronic, or Electrical with Nanotechnology or Renewable Energy Systems.Do you think adding an extra string to my bow would be beneficial by doing either of the latter?
Secondly, is doing a Master's almost a given in engineering terms?
In terms of gaining experience would you recommend doing a year in industry or could this be achieved through summer placements?
I'm doing this as a mature student due to a mispent youth and my GCSE's reflect this, would it be worth retaking the key ones to bump up my grades?
Sorry for all the questions but I thought real world advice would be priceless.
Thanks
Opara said:
Electrical, Electronic, or Electrical with Nanotechnology or Renewable Energy Systems.Do you think adding an extra string to my bow would be beneficial by doing either of the latter?
I did straight electronics, either that or straight electrical engineering will not prevent you from doing jobs in nanotechnology or renewables so focus on the two more broad options. Electrical you are more likely to get power station type jobs where you can electrocute yourself, electronic more cutting edge but less likely to electrocute yourself. Skills should be transferable between the two.I did a year in industry and think it gave me a good advantage over other graduates chasing the same jobs and also the practical experience given made my final year project much easier to do.
Ben
Although all my experience is on the mechanical side, I would be wary of going down the specialism routes at first-degree level.
I have interviewed large chunks of young engineers who have specialised at this level and almost without exception; they have missed important sections of engineering science. One guy had never done any thermodynamics or heat transfer. It does make you wonder what other engineering tools are missing from the box.
You can always specialise later.
My sister’s stepson did a geology first degree and then specialised in Energy Engineering M.Sc. He is in work in oil and gas but only because of the geology degree. I have never got to the bottom of what engineering he actually did for the Masters.
"Secondly, is doing a Master's almost a given in engineering terms?"
No, actually understanding the topic away from the classroom/exam hall is the main “given”. In my experience, this is not necessarily linked to the level of qualifications. It’s just a shame that most of those who are interviewing seem to miss this potential failure point.
"In terms of gaining experience would you recommend doing a year in industry or could this be achieved through summer placements?"
A year in industry- EVERY . SINGLE . TIME .
"I'm doing this as a mature student due to a misspent youth and my GCSE's reflect this, would it be worth retaking the key ones to bump up my grades?"
My O levels weren’t great, and neither were my A’s and I wasn’t top of the class doing my HND, my BSc and I certainly struggled with my masters. However, in industry I am an engineer with a master’s degree from an excellent post grad uni. I have never been asked what my A level grades were in any interview I have sat in the 27 years, since getting an HND.
I have interviewed large chunks of young engineers who have specialised at this level and almost without exception; they have missed important sections of engineering science. One guy had never done any thermodynamics or heat transfer. It does make you wonder what other engineering tools are missing from the box.
You can always specialise later.
My sister’s stepson did a geology first degree and then specialised in Energy Engineering M.Sc. He is in work in oil and gas but only because of the geology degree. I have never got to the bottom of what engineering he actually did for the Masters.
"Secondly, is doing a Master's almost a given in engineering terms?"
No, actually understanding the topic away from the classroom/exam hall is the main “given”. In my experience, this is not necessarily linked to the level of qualifications. It’s just a shame that most of those who are interviewing seem to miss this potential failure point.
"In terms of gaining experience would you recommend doing a year in industry or could this be achieved through summer placements?"
A year in industry- EVERY . SINGLE . TIME .
"I'm doing this as a mature student due to a misspent youth and my GCSE's reflect this, would it be worth retaking the key ones to bump up my grades?"
My O levels weren’t great, and neither were my A’s and I wasn’t top of the class doing my HND, my BSc and I certainly struggled with my masters. However, in industry I am an engineer with a master’s degree from an excellent post grad uni. I have never been asked what my A level grades were in any interview I have sat in the 27 years, since getting an HND.
Dear O,
I'm an electronics eng. Man & boy rather than just man
I'd do general. You may not know until you've been a sparks for a while what you enjoy best.
Industry experience is best for being useful & getting the job at interview. Being qualified may get you the interview in the first place. Contradictory ain't it?
One other thing a master's may help with is professional registration if a goal is to become chartered.
You've probably considered this but just being an engineer is less likely than some other careers to lead to extreme financial wellbeing. It is however bloody interesting. You could be designing a nuclear bomb today and a child's toy the next. Electronics is so all pervasive,
regards,
Jet
I'm an electronics eng. Man & boy rather than just man
I'd do general. You may not know until you've been a sparks for a while what you enjoy best.
Industry experience is best for being useful & getting the job at interview. Being qualified may get you the interview in the first place. Contradictory ain't it?
One other thing a master's may help with is professional registration if a goal is to become chartered.
You've probably considered this but just being an engineer is less likely than some other careers to lead to extreme financial wellbeing. It is however bloody interesting. You could be designing a nuclear bomb today and a child's toy the next. Electronics is so all pervasive,
regards,
Jet
Thanks, my original plan was electronic anyway, although reading up on in electronic and electrical only differ by one module in the 3rd year anyway.
The plan is to go ahead with a year in industry, I think it will be beneficialboth in job terms and seeing how the knowledge can be applied when completing my 3rd and 4th year.
I still don't understand how you become a CEng, is it through work experience or is it awarded with a Master's degree at an accredited uni?
Anyway, thanks for the advice it's been valuable learning and good to get an opinion from those on the other side.
The plan is to go ahead with a year in industry, I think it will be beneficialboth in job terms and seeing how the knowledge can be applied when completing my 3rd and 4th year.
I still don't understand how you become a CEng, is it through work experience or is it awarded with a Master's degree at an accredited uni?
Anyway, thanks for the advice it's been valuable learning and good to get an opinion from those on the other side.
I am a Technical Manager in an Engineering Consultancy and my advice would be to ensure that whatever degree you take will be accredited by an institution registered with the Engineering Council and that it will meet the academic requirements for Chartered Engineer status. You will then need suitable work experience after your degree to gain C.Eng, but not having an accredited degree (which is nearly always a Masters nowadays) can make it very difficult.
(mechanical engineering stuff here)
To add to the above, you really do need to know whether your degree is accredited or not, DO NOT take the university’s word for it. Get it in writing from the I Mech E/ (electrical equivalent). I do know someone who had the accreditation taken away from the uni half way through his degree, how the hell did that happen?
If your chosen company allows it, one way is to sign up for the Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS), which allows a fast (almost too fast) route to Chartership. It does allow you to visit lots of departments within the company, and understand what everyone does, you do a works based project etc... and with (normally) 4 years’ experience you are in. Whether you are any good at what you do is another matter.
I know a chartered engineer who admits he can’t read engineering drawings.
Another who has never done a single engineering calculation since leaving uni 22 years ago.
Others who can’t figure out how to make anything.
And so it goes on.
When I went along (aged 45), it was sit down, the first question was “what took you so long to put yourself in that chair” and they indicated if I had been chartered already I would be looking at fellowship.
There are 2 industries where Chartership already pays a premium, (£5-10K) oil and gas, nuclear, and there are increasingly others.
Chartership is a sore subject with me, although I am chartered I have known too many VERY senior engineers think it’s worth almost nothing, whilst others swear by it. A classic being an ex-work colleague deemed not capable of communicating properly to others (Institute’s assessment), and didn’t get it, twice, only for 8 years later to be situated at 1 Birdcage walk (I Mech E HQ) actually CHAIRING the conference in his chosen field.
One of the main reasons why people become chartered is to leave and get a better paid job…. That’s why a number of companies aren’t very keen on it.
To add to the above, you really do need to know whether your degree is accredited or not, DO NOT take the university’s word for it. Get it in writing from the I Mech E/ (electrical equivalent). I do know someone who had the accreditation taken away from the uni half way through his degree, how the hell did that happen?
If your chosen company allows it, one way is to sign up for the Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS), which allows a fast (almost too fast) route to Chartership. It does allow you to visit lots of departments within the company, and understand what everyone does, you do a works based project etc... and with (normally) 4 years’ experience you are in. Whether you are any good at what you do is another matter.
I know a chartered engineer who admits he can’t read engineering drawings.
Another who has never done a single engineering calculation since leaving uni 22 years ago.
Others who can’t figure out how to make anything.
And so it goes on.
When I went along (aged 45), it was sit down, the first question was “what took you so long to put yourself in that chair” and they indicated if I had been chartered already I would be looking at fellowship.
There are 2 industries where Chartership already pays a premium, (£5-10K) oil and gas, nuclear, and there are increasingly others.
Chartership is a sore subject with me, although I am chartered I have known too many VERY senior engineers think it’s worth almost nothing, whilst others swear by it. A classic being an ex-work colleague deemed not capable of communicating properly to others (Institute’s assessment), and didn’t get it, twice, only for 8 years later to be situated at 1 Birdcage walk (I Mech E HQ) actually CHAIRING the conference in his chosen field.
One of the main reasons why people become chartered is to leave and get a better paid job…. That’s why a number of companies aren’t very keen on it.
Bucksman, that's a pretty interesting post, particularly about the Chartered aspect.
I went for it a few years back and didn't get it, but was thoroughly put off by the whole experience. I've thought about since then in case of sour grapes, but my opinion hasn't changed. Being an Engineer meant less than jumping through all sorts of hoops and ticking boxes. I was quite concerned about some of the questions that they asked me from a technical perspective and I didn't leave the place feeling confident that they (IMeche) were really who engineers should be represented by? It seemed they wanted recruiters for their cause to rent out Birdcage walk and pay fees.
Nevermind, contracting now.
I went for it a few years back and didn't get it, but was thoroughly put off by the whole experience. I've thought about since then in case of sour grapes, but my opinion hasn't changed. Being an Engineer meant less than jumping through all sorts of hoops and ticking boxes. I was quite concerned about some of the questions that they asked me from a technical perspective and I didn't leave the place feeling confident that they (IMeche) were really who engineers should be represented by? It seemed they wanted recruiters for their cause to rent out Birdcage walk and pay fees.
Nevermind, contracting now.
Does I.Eng mean anything? For the majority, I would say not really, but it does tell others you are at an accredited level of expertise. Maybe some one else has more/better experience in this area?
This web page makes it sound like the passport to riches…
http://www.engc.org.uk/ieng.aspx
There’s a litmus test for qualifications/letters after names - Talk to some recruitment people in your field, and ask them, is this qualification/letters asked for? If not, there’s your answer. If say, 10% would take notice of it, then that would be a go-ahead with it for me. As an aside if any recruiter/agency asks me what a chartered engineer is, I don’t deal with them anymore.
I wouldn’t spend £200 on letters that provide nothing extra in the job market - unless you can get your employer to pay for it. I can only speak from my own experience, but the vast majority of companies will happily pay for membership of an institute – but only one institute membership. It’s offset-able against tax as well. My tax code has just gone up by the full amount of I.Mech.E. membership!
This web page makes it sound like the passport to riches…
http://www.engc.org.uk/ieng.aspx
There’s a litmus test for qualifications/letters after names - Talk to some recruitment people in your field, and ask them, is this qualification/letters asked for? If not, there’s your answer. If say, 10% would take notice of it, then that would be a go-ahead with it for me. As an aside if any recruiter/agency asks me what a chartered engineer is, I don’t deal with them anymore.
I wouldn’t spend £200 on letters that provide nothing extra in the job market - unless you can get your employer to pay for it. I can only speak from my own experience, but the vast majority of companies will happily pay for membership of an institute – but only one institute membership. It’s offset-able against tax as well. My tax code has just gone up by the full amount of I.Mech.E. membership!
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