Welcome to Episode #2 of Engineering Career TV. The topic for this episode is Should you get an Additional Degree in Engineering.
I will spend most of the Engineering Career TV episodes answering questions that have been submitted from engineers around the world on how to rapidly advance their careers and live the lives they want to live.
You can submit questions for the show by clicking here.
Let’s jump into today’s topic which is Should you get an Additional Degree in Engineering.
The topic is based on a couple of questions from J0e in Missouri, and asks the following:
Q: I have an undergraduate degree from a private bible college and I live in MO. I am currently going back to school at a community college to pursue a ME degree as my second undergraduate degree. I would pursue a masters but my credits from my current degree are from a national accreditation which don’t transfer to the vast majority of Regionally accredited schools. I’m not sure what the best route is to take being married with a toddler and student loan debt. Should I take 1-2 classes each semester while working full time or try to find a way to go school full time?
A: Great questions Joe. Here’s my take on it:
DEFINITELY try to go to school part-time while working for many reasons. Here are four:
#1 – You already have an undergraduate degree which you can put on your resume. If you really think this second one will help you in your field, then do it, but do it part time and gain job experience at the same time.
#2 – The experience you are gaining is valuable and is worth something on your resume immediately. So this experience today is adding to your value — which is always a smart engineering career move.
#3 – It is a smart decision financially as you are spending less today by going part time and making money with your job — and if your degree will benefit your firm, ask them to cover some of the costs — even better!
#4 – You have a family, and you have to support them.
In the video above, I talk about some more reasons for getting a degree.
I hope you found this episode of Engineering Career TV helpful, remember you can click here and submit your question, and also click here and subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see future episodes.
This show is for you and I want you to take advantage of it.
If you would like to discuss issues like this and other engineering career goals and challenges I invite you to join The Engineering Mastermind – an online support community we have created for engineers.
What questions do you have about getting or not getting an additional degree in engineering?
To your success,
Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
