BlsdMama Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 Did you consider it? What did you consider? What weighed in on the decision for or against? DH got his undergrad in Industrial Engineering from a non-engineering state university. It really is more of a Industrial Technology B.S. although he has taken many of the engineering core classes because he was an engineering major initially at a different university before we got married and had DD. Then he just decided to push through with the easier option. While in the military he got his MBA and a Masters in Science in Manufacturing Management from Embry-Riddle with a specialization in Aeronautics. (I may be ever so slightly off on the actual names........) Fast forward to now - he's finding himself stagnant. We're debating the wisdom in going back to school. My thoughts are: 1) He's a good student. 2) He always wanted a degree in engineering. 3) Why not? He could pursue his Masters in Industrial or Mechanical Engineering with the addition of just a few courses just because he has already conquered so many of the core pre-reqs for students entering the graduate program without an engineering bachelor degree. Frankly, it's in state tuition which isn't that horrid. It would end up being more $$ in the long run and we're still fairly young - under 45. He would stay at his current company - it would just make him more marketable. They have a high number of engineers so he wouldn't lose the last almost 20 years. He is thinking he's just too old for this. (I smile because I'm currently taking classes which is really why it's on my mind - he's finding himself frustrated right now and my answer is classes. But perhaps I'm not thinking of everything.) My only concern is him taking the GRE cold. What things should we be thinking about and considering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I have two friends from my grad schools who went back to school in their 40s. Both of them enjoyed their experience and saw it as a reward to themselves after putting so much time and effort into their careers. (These were both professional programs.) Your husband has always wanted a degree in engineering, has worked hard, why not reward himself with some additional career development? I have three graduate degrees but I did them back to back to back in my early twenties. But I do use each of them everyday. There a totally valid reasons to want more than one graduate degree, and if you plan well, they can complement each other nicely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 If it's going to lead to a more rewarding position, and he would be interested in the classes, I think it would be a good idea. Of course, a higher paying job could be a nice outcome, but increasing job satisfaction is a huge benefit in my book. And since he is currently employed by a stable company with opportunities in house, I'd say the biggest thing you lose out on in the short term is family time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 (edited) He is going to be 45, 50, 60, 70...whether he gets another degree or not now. So might as well go ahead and do it! Then he'll someday be a 70 year old man who fulfilled his dream rather than a old man lamenting what might have been.My mom got her MA in English in her 60s...'cause she wanted to! Edited June 20, 2016 by JFSinIL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I'll just say that engineering degrees are hard. I have a BS in Industrial Engineering and it was definitely the easiest of the engineering majors (more "fuzzy" business type classes, fewer difficult technical/science classes). At my age I would NOT find it fun/fulfilling to go back to those horrendous problem sets and difficult tests. I would love to take education classes, I would find business classes interesting, but graduate engineering classes? Ugh. I've probably lost too many brain cells to even make sense of the stuff anymore. And he may be much more tech inclined than I am, but that's just my immediate gut feeling. Not sure there's a reward out there that would be worth the torture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Would another degree actually bring him in more money? From my research, companies might concern themselves with the major and/or the level of education. But they do not concern themselves with which degree was done at which level. And my husband is an engineer and a masters is pretty much considered a waste. If he is underemployed now and needs the additional degree to be taken seriously, maybe. But I would personally object. It would take away from his family time. He has an MBA, he has another business type degree, he has a masters, and he has a type of engineering degree. Getting a masters in engineering, unless it changes his skill set, will not likely change his career outlook. And really, he can add to his skill set without returning to school and paying for another degree. I know for us, if we had the money for an additional degree, then we probably do not need the additional earnings that would come from it. I would love to return to school to get a masters in something I might enjoy more. But, by the time I pay for it and take all that time away from my children's childhoods, and from the money that would go toward their degrees, it would not be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 When I was in graduate school for engineering, there was no one who was working while doing grad school. We were expected to treat it like a more than full time job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Would another degree actually bring him in more money? From my research, companies might concern themselves with the major and/or the level of education. But they do not concern themselves with which degree was done at which level. And my husband is an engineer and a masters is pretty much considered a waste. If he is underemployed now and needs the additional degree to be taken seriously, maybe. But I would personally object. It would take away from his family time. He has an MBA, he has another business type degree, he has a masters, and he has a type of engineering degree. Getting a masters in engineering, unless it changes his skill set, will not likely change his career outlook. And really, he can add to his skill set without returning to school and paying for another degree. I know for us, if we had the money for an additional degree, then we probably do not need the additional earnings that would come from it. It may help him get around computerized HR screenings that specify a master's in engineering. An actual human can make a judgment call that a MBA + a B.Eng. might be qualified for the job but when the first screening is done by software, if someone doesn't have the exact credentials, his/her resume never makes it past the initial cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 When I was in graduate school for engineering, there was no one who was working while doing grad school. We were expected to treat it like a more than full time job. I know a bunch of people who've gotten master's degrees in engineering while working FT. Carnegie Mellon has a branch out here that offers several PT grad degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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