Engineering Career?

[germ]

Hello, seeking words of wisdom from the experienced professionals here.

I'm considering attempting to become an engineer. Academically, I've done very well and believe I can handle the demands. But, and this is important to me, I want to eventually also have time and money to do the things I love, spend time with loved ones, snowboarding, surfing, biking, etc., and continue with my music and art. Live in BC, Canada.

Knowing what you know now, what direction would you take in the profession? Yes, I know some will say stay away from engineering, but I really think  will love the study and work.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. Open to all advice. LM

 

[youngmotivatedengineer]

Engineering career can be very rewarding financially but it can also be time consuming as you work your way up the ladder. In regards to the things you love how often doyou want to do that? Weekends? Daily? Depending on your company you maybe be able to work a 4 day work week, or even alternating 5 day/4 day work weeks. 

 

[SE_FL]

There are certain government engineering positions that do not have demanding schedules and you can count on a 40 hour work week with vacation and benefits. Or you can crush it at 60 hours a week with a large firm to gain experience, pass the PE then open a small consulting firm where you set your own hours. There are many options and some are dependent on location.

I would think it better to find a job you enjoy and figure out the rest later. Also keep in mind a large number of successful business people have engineering degrees and do not work in engineering. An engineering degree is fairly respected in the business world and opens you up to many opportunities a business or marketing major will not have.

 

[willsee]

How much time and money do you need to do those things

 

[txjennah PE]

Hi there!  What field of engineering are you looking into? I'm an environmental engineer.  I wouldn't say I do a lot of "traditional" engineering day-to-day (I'm in remediation), but I generally have a good work/life balance.  Like any job, there will be times when you are really busy and need to devote a little more time at the office.  An important caveat is that while I do some field work (~20% at the most), I am not traveling 50-60% like some other counterparts in my field.  A lot of it depends on the company culture, too. 

If you're interested in engineering, I'd say go for it!

 

[Dleg]

I'd also say that you're going to run into the work/life balance problem no matter what profession you choose. Big money almost always comes with lots of hard work and long hours. A decent balance is possible in most careers, though. But I'd say that you should expect to put in some extra hours for your first few years in any profession, though. You'll find that school doesn't really prepare you for work, and you will have a lot of learning to do in any job. But once you climb that first learning curve, things should level out and, for most people I think, about 2 to 4 years out of school you tend to settle into a job that allows you quite a bit of time to play.  No matter what career you choose. But don't kid yourself - you're going to have to prove yourself for those first few years before any employer allows you into a position like that.

For me, I ended up working way too hard for the first 4.5 years. My first job was in the oil field and a lot tougher than just about any other engineering job you will come across. My other engineering friends all had time off on the weekends and nights to live a normal life, while I had virtually no time off, no sleep, and high levels of stress. BUT - after proving myself in that line of work, I was able to move into jobs that had a more normal schedule, and was able to have tons of time to enjoy life.  AND - because of that first experience, I learned to appreciate just how much time off a typical job schedule gives you, and how to best use it. So I say brace yourself: you're going to need to work hard for your first few years out of college, engineering or not, in order to be sure you can enjoy yourself later on, and to be able to properly appreciate it. 

 

[ssethi]

Engineering would be the better decision for vocation advancement. As it builds up the systems of a man and lifts their imaginative thoughts. You increase both cash and time and in the event that on the off chance that you fill in as a field engineer, at that point you should make the most of your workplace while meeting with various new individuals from various areas and diverse thoughts. In any case, you have to pick the reasonably managed service provider.

 

[Dean Agnostic]

Engineers/people that may inspire you to get an engineering career/degree :

• Jeff Bezos - Founded Amazon LLC
  
• Rex Tillerson - Rex Tillerson Group and former oil company executive
  
• Henry Singleton - The Teledyne Group (Henry has the best operating and capital deployment record in American Business according to Harvard Business)
  
• @Road Guy - Founded engineerboards.com 
  
• Donald John Trump - President of the U.S.A (Trump has been using engineering plans and specifications to build his hotels)
  
• Warren Buffett - Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (Warren uses engineering economics & engineering concepts a lot, such as, compounding interest, margin of safety or factor of safety, etc.)
  

 

[Kritesh Anand]

If you are from engineering background then you have more and more options to make your career in different technology like you can join in Govt Jobs, Private Concern, Research Field, 

• Private Concern
  
• Research Field
  
• Govt Jobs
  
• Agricultural Engineer
  
• Automotive Engineer
  
• Biomedical Engineer
  
• Chemical Engineer
  
• Civil Engineer
  
• Computer Engineer
  
• Drafting and Design Engineer