Help! Should I go to grad school?

Hi all,

I am a female civil engineering student and will be graduating in May with a BSCE. I have been offered the opportunity by a professor to work as a research assistant while going to graduate school for an MSCE. My professor works in railroad design, and by working for him I would be able to go out in the field, travel, and gain research experience working for the railroad. This seems fun to me, as I enjoy learning about track/train dynamics and thoroughly enjoy my current Railroad design class. My MSCE would be paid for, and I would get a stipend from the university as well.

I have a problem, however, as I cannot see myself going to school for any longer. My GPA is acceptable to get into graduate school, however the amount of anxiety, stress, and work that went into keeping my GPA at a 3.3 is not something I wish to endure for another 1-2 years. I really struggled through the past 4 years, and have been very much looking forward to starting my career. I worked for a small highway contractor over the summer on a runway reconstruction project, where I gained practical experience in the field. I learned so much last summer, and have been offered a full-time job with this company after graduation. I feel as though gaining the work experience is SO important, and many engineers lack the common sense that comes with field experience. Also, I love working and getting hands-on experience.

With this being said, I feel like turning down this opportunity to earn a MSCE will be one that I may regret. I do not wish to work in CE design or be behind a desk after graduation. I am very willing, however, to gain experience so that one day I can effectively manage operations. I wish to one day start my own contracting firm, or buy into an existing one. Either way, I want to eventually partake in business operations, not just the engineering aspects of the company. My professor is really pushing me to go to grad school, however I do not know what the best decision for me at this point is. Should I try to earn a MSCE and lose 1-2 years of experience (and maybe more, considering the company I end up working for probably won't put somebody with a Master's degree in the field), or should I gain the experience and forget about the degree?

If your MS will have you out in the field, why can't you do both? If you end up having a genuine interest in your graduate work, it's not going to be as stressful as your undergrad.

Sounds like an MBA may prepare you more for the business side than your MSCE.

I'm the first to say that I don't find a Masters degree as beneficial as some others do. Good work ethic, work experience and professional licensing take you much further in my opinion. With that said, given the information you provided (good write-up by the way), my recommendation would be to take the opportunity to get your MSCE. I don't think you'll regret it. Good luck with your decision.

With what you said, I would take the field job and wait 2-4 years and then go back to school. Why? Well, by your own admission, you are burned out and struggled through the undergraduate program. Gaining some valuable work experience will be invaluable to you. Trust me, the opportunity to go back to graduate school after 2-4 years will still be there-- we don't have enough graduate students anyway.

You will get more out of your graduate experience if you have 2-4 years of experience-- the material will make more sense, the rationale will become clearer and graduate school will be FUN-- as it should be.

I agree with Ptatohed, work ethic, experience and professional licensing are very, very valuable. You may elect/decide to work 4 years, get your PE and then go back to school. That makes you a very valuable and real commodity! You have work experience, have your PE and can really ask some tough, hard questions, as well as dig into some tough, hard questions.

Many grad schools will want to see a grad student with 3-5 years of experience before going back-- the experience is much more meaningful.

Do I know what I am talking about? Well, I have been a College Dean twice-- the answer is YES, I do!

Don't worry, the stipend, tuition waiver and research experience will always be there. Your professor will be saddened-- he wants a good student who he can work hard-- however, both you and he will be a better team with 4 years of field experience and your PE.

Take the job, with the goal of going back to school in 3-4 years. Now, if you get married, get pregnant, move to Lower Slobovia, then, all bets are off!

Good Luck!

I'd go for the job. Put as much money aside into your retirement account and other investments. I'd Apply for grad school, and delay starting as long as possible. Maybe take one class at a time and get started on grad school. It's a tough choice to have two great opportunities, be grateful, many people have zero opportunities.

Also, make sure to get the EIT/FE as soon as possible. Do you have it, or taking it this month? If not, get on it for the next one. Even if you have no interest in the PE, having the EIT makes you more marketable, and will provide the path for the PE later.

I'd go for the job, myself.

I feel like a masters in civil eng. will only take you so far. Most of the time, the masters will get you in the door then experience takes presidence from there.

^ this is my 0.02 cents worth...I'm not a fan of the engineering masters choice unless you want to pursue the doctorate and get your PHD. The experience in the field and getting your PE license will better serve you and put you further ahead. The masters may actually close certain doors because as a starting engineer the opinion may be that they should pay you more than a BSCE, but they probably won't want to. If the masters leads to a good chance of getting into a field you want to go into, that may be beneficial, but only if you want to do rail work instead of highway work. For your aspiration of wanting to manage and become a partner in an engineering firm, a MBA would be a much better choice. I would wait in pursuing the MBA until you are closer to that goal. Many very good schools have on-line and evening MBA courses and there is no defining difference between the full-time degree and the evening/on-line one, so you can work hard for a couple of years later on and get you MBA while working, maybe after your PE. After working for a company for a while, you may be able to talk them into paying for some or all of your MBA, especially if it is a company you may become a partner in. Just my thoughts...best of luck!

I second most of my fellow engineers' advice on taking the job instead of the MSCE for now. I have to admit, this is a great dilemma you are in. Most professionals would love to be in your shoes. Count your blessings and good luck on your decision. Keep us posted SamTCE! :blowup:

In the last couple of weeks I have interviewed a few candidates who had MSCEs. From my standpoint, neither of them justified a higher salary than an entry level person. At that point I am really only paying for the person with a degree. I am going to have to train them for at least 3 months for them to do any worth while production work. I am not going to hire a MSCE to be a manager out of college.

If I have to choose between an entry level person with a BSCE or MSCE, I would choose the BSCE. The MSCE is only important to me if you already have production/marketing/managerial skills to go with it.

Just a thought.

Good points raised by all. Based on what you have written I would leave this spring with your BSCE and not look back. You mentioned not wanting grad school now? Then don't. Your BS degree will open plenty of doors for you. If you wish to return later then by all means do. Experience rules the day in engineering and education supplements it. That's how my world turns. However the more education you earn the more valuable you become long term. Make sense?

You sound bright so I am sure you will be fine no matter your descision.

All the best!

Jason

I have my MSCE, but I was able to complete it while working through a distance program.

I have to recommend going from you BS to a MS if you really want to get your MS. I found grad school not that important since I was working and it therefore took me 7 years to get my MS. Also, it is often hard to quit working to go back to school because you get used to your income.

I do have a friend who got her MS right after her BS and she got comments during several interviews about not needing a MS for this job and not being paid for it. Eventually, she did get a job that appreciated her MS but that was partially because they wanted people who worked there to get Ph.Ds.

Also, my MSCE has been a good thing for me since my ungrad was a BSME and I work the civil engineering field.