Engineering Degree

[CtownCyclone]

I hope that he won't have to worry about it, but he might. I would guess there is some wiggle room and/or things he could do if he is struggling a bit. He has something like 47 AP/other college credits that may transfer in, but I am not sure how that factors into the GPA requirement, if at all.

That's a lot of credits to bring in and eat up a lot of the early general classes (I'm assuming calculus 1, some history/econ, maybe physics 1).

I brought in a bunch and ended up getting a minor because I needed to get a certain number of hours from ISU and could double count minor classes with major classes.

 

[Pat]

This is very reassuring. I think it kind of sucks that we ask 17-year olds what they want to do for the rest of their lives, but that's the reality of it. I figure if he decides that engineering isn't for him, it's easier to go "down" to a math/science discipline rather than starting with that and trying to go "up" to engineering.

I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. LAS ‘03.

 

[TitanClone]

Software Engineering or Computer Science is arguably the safest degree to get currently. When I graduated in 2015 there was something like 3 million new jobs vs 750k new grads. LinkedIn recruiters hit me up like I'm the hottest girl in the neighborhood.

 

[SCarolinaCy]

Yes, they do! He got to sit down and chat with a few professors there. This was earlier in his decision-making process, so he was really in the information gathering phase. It did help, though.

Sorry, I just don't see profs as having any insight into what job/career positions are like. Talk to your dad's business associates.

 

[isucyfan]

AP classes that transfer are basically just credits. If they fail the AP requirements, than those credits don't transfer. Those that do transfer will just show up as having the credits and thus completing the college requirements. For example, if he's taken AP English and passed the exam, then he won't have to take English 101 at Tech. But as far as GPA, those classes won't have an affect as they essentially show up on your transcript as being passed.

I took two AP classes, Biology and Calculas. I passed biology with a 4, but failed calculus with a 2. My biology credit transferred and thus, as a business major, I didn't have to take biology in College. But I did have to take business calculus on campus. Which was actually a pleasant surprise because it was super easy as I finished the class with a 98% or something.

He's gotten 5s on all his AP tests (calc, chem, stat, physics, world history, u.s. history, macroeconomics, gov, geography, and has a couple still to take) so he should get max credit for these, but he really needs to sit down with an advisor to piece everything together.

 

[NickTheGreat]

This was good advice 20 years ago at ISU. I didn't do it, but a lot the Engineer Core classes were the same for the first year or two.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

He's gotten 5s on all his AP tests (calc, chem, stat, physics, world history, u.s. history, macroeconomics, gov, geography, and has a couple still to take) so he should get max credit for these, but he really needs to sit down with an advisor to piece everything together.

So I had a very similar scenario when I started undergrad and I’m going to pass along the same advice that helped me. Take the credits for the Econ, history, English. Do not take the credits for the sciences. Take the classes again so that the info is fresh and you might learn a couple other important things that weren’t covered in the AP classes. For a freshman this helps you establish an excellent GPA while adapting to living on a college campus. Since he is on scholarship it makes even more sense to do this then for a normal undergrad.

 

[PSYclone22]

Get an engineering degree, then get an MBA. I have a finance degree and when I got my MBA, one of the professors said that the reason why MBA's exist was to give an education for those in non-business disciplines, like engineering, a business education. Not sure how true that is though.

Get a business degree then a Master's in Engineering. Should be just as easy.

 

[Old87]

As I am quickly reaching my retirement from an engineering career, I have have the opportunity to hire lots of young engineers. One thing that stands out is that some are book smart engineers and some where natural engineers. The natural engineers seem to be happier with their engineering choice, the book smart engineers tend to look for other opportunities as their careers grow. The natural engineers have a knack for understanding how things work and mostly have outside interests in fixing and repairing things. Cars, house projects, coding, etc. Does your student enjoy working with stuff? Being good with math is one talent, but physics may be a better indicator of a successful engineering path. Physics explains how things work. Don’t be in a big rush to pick a certain flavor of engineering until your student experiences the basic stuff. They will find out that they love coding or hate computers. Can they visualize things in 3D? Mechanical design may be their talent. There are lots of options, no need to pick one now.

 

[brett108]

I know there are a lot of engineers here, so I have a question for you.

My son is going to be a freshman at Texas Tech this fall, and is very unsure of what he wants to major in. His strengths are definitely in the math/sciences. At Texas Tech (and maybe most universities) the first year or year and a half of Engineering classes are essentially the same for everyone. So, he has just declared the major of Foundational Engineering, and our plan is that along the way, he will find the right fit for the kind of engineering he ultimately wants to pursue. Is this a good strategy, or should he be finding other ways of exploring his options and deciding sooner rather than later on his discipline?

I'm a little out of my element as a social sciences grad. I have never really been sure of what engineers do, except for the ones that drive trains.

Chemical Engineer here. The faster he is sure, the sooner he should declare a specialized engineering field. It will get him an in college advisor which will be far more useful over his tenure in keeping on track and pursuing internships and in house research options.

 

[isucyfan]

So I had a very similar scenario when I started undergrad and I’m going to pass along the same advice that helped me. Take the credits for the Econ, history, English. Do not take the credits for the sciences. Take the classes again so that the info is fresh and you might learn a couple other important things that weren’t covered in the AP classes. For a freshman this helps you establish an excellent GPA while adapting to living on a college campus. Since he is on scholarship it makes even more sense to do this then for a normal undergrad.

That is good advice, and we did chat about it. He took AP Calc BC as a HS sophomore, so he definitely feels he will take calc in college so he can remember how to do it. There may be others as well.

 

[BACyclone]

Concur with most of what's been said and suggested so far, after a quick scan.

One thing to consider that might help your son is for him to join or just attend some meetings of the on-campus engineering societies. Sometimes they will have meetings and tours with businesses in the area that might peak his interest.

I highly recommend internships, but after one year of college, expectations might be low. It wouldn't hurt to try, even just to get the experience in a job.

The field of "engineering" covers such a wide range, it can be daunting to try to pick just one field, so it's okay to be uncertain. At the end he may just have to decide what interests him the most in general and go that direction.

Funny note this reminds me about:

We took my son down to south Texas a year ago to at least drive by the Space X launch facility. You can basically drive right by their HQ and then right by their launch pad -- when it's not closed for a launch.

We happened to be there when an employee drove up to go into the Launch pad area. We were able to talk to him a little bit and I asked what he studied in college -- Construction Engineer.

I share that to point out that some careers are more versatile than you might think. Even if you are most interested in one thing, you can still find opportunities that might seem more exciting than at first glance.

 

[MJ29]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I would encourage some job shadowing. Texas Tech can definitely set it up, but there may be someone at his high school who can also arrange this.

 

[bozclone]

At Iowa State, most kids take a required class that provides information about their major and the things you can do with that degree. I would expect Tech will have something similar. It should explain the different types of engineering and the types of jobs those degrees get. That class may allow him to narrow his choices. If you know people that are engineers, ask them to talk to him about what they do and maybe ask them to let him job shadow them.

After graduation, I have found that there is a lot of flexibility in what I can do with my engineering degree. I have seen people go many different routes with their careers and often they are not in the discipline they chose in college. He shouldn't feel he is locked into that path for life. There is flexibility after school.

Like others have said, try to get him into some summer internships. This may not help him pick a major, but it should tell him what type of work he likes or doesn't like within his major.

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

Well that is an unexpected hot take. In what way? Certainly not starting salary for new grads, though that is a simplistic way to look at it.

As an AeroE, with an MBA, and owning my own business... The problem solving skills are way more useful. Most useful thing I got from my MBA was 2 finance classes.

Curious why you say that.

Because business majors run the world and for a lot less heartache and headaches and a more fun college experience, it's just far better.

Ignore the fact that I'm a business major. No bias here.

Get an engineering degree, then get an MBA. I have a finance degree and when I got my MBA, one of the professors said that the reason why MBA's exist was to give an education for those in non-business disciplines, like engineering, a business education. Not sure how true that is though.

Why take the longer path? Just go straight to business and skip all that engineering nonsense.

It's easier to get an employer to pay for an MBA if you're an engineer with management potential. I'm not sure I've heard of many (read: any) business majors having an employer fund an engineering degree.

So you're saying a business degree is so valuable that a company would pay for their employee to get one? Interesting

 

[Bader]

 

[ISUENGR]

Physics class is a good way to identify areas of interest for engineering, as it touches some many disciplines. Physics helped me narrow down my fields of interest and then I ended up focusing on mechanical engineering. No regrets. Best of luck.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

So you're saying a business degree is so valuable that a company would pay for their employee to get one? Interesting

Not what I'm saying.

I can state it like this: if an organization has engineers and needs a business manager, they will pay for an engineer to get their MBA. If an organization has accountants/business planners/salespeople and needs an engineer, they will almost certainly hire one who already has the degree.

 

[cysmiley]

Because business majors run the world and for a lot less heartache and headaches and a more fun college experience, it's just far better.

Not too many business majors say no to the boss or CEO. Engineers do all the time, which removes heartache and headache from the chosen career. kinda like not running the world.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

Not what I'm saying.

I can state it like this: if an organization has engineers and needs a business manager, they will pay for an engineer to get their MBA. If an organization has accountants/business planners/salespeople and needs an engineer, they will almost certainly hire one who already has the degree.

Yeah the common thought process is that it is easier to teach an engineer the business side of things then teach a business person the engineering side of things.

While I do agree that business is a far eaiser major it can also be harder to break into the corporate world without connections or some amazing internships. Engineers typically start with higher salaries and as they get promoted do less and less actual engineer work.