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Education career vs engineering - 5/1/2008 8:51:00 PM
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mrtigger
Posts: 321
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My son is just finishing his freshman year studying engineering. He is in computer science but now is saying he wants to switch to an education degree.
He's done well his first year and I'm sure he can complete an engineering degree but he thinks he won't have much job security as an engineer. That is the reason he is saying he wants to switch.
Lots of engineering jobs have been outsourced in the last decade so I understand his concern. But I don't think it is going to be that bad -- engineering will be less secure and less lucrative financially than they were previously but I think engineering jobs will still be available in the USA.
I hate to see him saddle himself into a low paying teaching job. If he really had a passion for teaching that would be great but I don't think he does.
I'm looking for your thoughts here. Given a choice between teaching & engineering, what would you pick? and why? Is there any source of information that makes estimates of future demand for teachers, engineers, etc.?
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/1/2008 9:04:46 PM
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Miss Giggles
Posts: 3799
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From: MI
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Those sites are all guesses. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SECURE JOB NOWADAYS, except for maybe the federal government.
I got my degree in Information Systems when all those websites are saying hiring would be excellent. It has leveled off in most areas except for a few cities where the market is booming. However all those websites keep saying the same thing, but advances in technology keep making it possible to do more with less people, just like manufacturing.
He has to do what he would like. They are downsizing a lot of engineers but if he has a strong science background the auto companies and the government need engineers to study alternative fuels and batteries and stuff like that.
Teaching will pick up in a few years since a lot of teachers are older (baby boomers) and they are going to be retiring. But it depends on where you're at, in Michigan its very hard to get a full time teaching job in a public school but other states come in to recruit - some southern states and right now they are airing ads for Clark County , Nevada (Vegas area has been one of the fastest growing cities for several years)
the only thing you can do is be as prepared as you can. Try to save some money and keep expenses low so you can take the time to find another job.
It'll be easiest for him to get a job right out of school - they hire young college graduates because they will work for less. It's a lot harder to get a job the older you are and the more money you make.
< Message edited by Miss Giggles -- 5/2/2008 3:41:56 PM >
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/1/2008 10:37:12 PM
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rgod
Posts: 264
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If he's really concerned and thinks that he might want to do both, he could get the engineering degree as an undergrad, then do a one year master's program in education. Because the sciences are hot right now - school districts might even pay for him to get certified or pay for the entire master's degree if he decides to go that route.
I know a lot of engineers that ended up seguewaying into computer science jobs - they studied engineering, but picked up enough programming to compete with the computer science majors. Although there is outsourcing going on in that field as well, there are plenty of great jobs still.
Most of all though, he should listen for what God wants to do with his life and try to follow his passion.
< Message edited by rgod -- 5/1/2008 10:43:32 PM >
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/2/2008 10:32:49 AM
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NoShow
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One can only plan so much for this kind of stuff.
Another concern is political. In the 80's I knew quite a few engineers that were doing really well. But when the President decided to cut back on defense spending, many of them lost their jobs. Same thing with teachers. In California this year, Gov Arnold, decided to cut money going to education and now many teacher's positions are in limbo. So one policy or budget decision can threaten a whole industry.
I think a better approach for your son, might be to approach it as what career would he be willing to put the effort into, regardless of if it's good times or bad.
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/2/2008 12:11:53 PM
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beeper
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I would not change majors becuase of the overblown hysteria over outsourcing. Engineers are very employable.
If your son likes engineering, wants to teach and wants good job sercurity (with a high income) I would recomend he get a degree in engineering and prusue a Ph.D. in Finance. Finance is very much like engineering, only with money.
Finance professors have a starting salary in the 80,000 to 125,000 dollar range. And college professors have tremendous job security.
For general information about careers and job prospects, visit bls.gov and search their occupational outlook section.
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/2/2008 3:13:05 PM
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lanalounsbury
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I did two years of Electrical Engineering and switched out because it was really not what I expected. After doing my first 4-month work term as an "Electrical Engineer" designing logic for motor controllers I realized the job I thought would be about creative problem solving really mostly involved sitting in front of a computer, provided very limited social interaction and...just wasn't for me.
Teaching is a very social, expressive environment...maybe he's feeling the constraints I did. Has he had a work term? Has he had the opportunity to work as an engineer or see an engineer working?
Those years are so hard. So much pressure! Pressure to pick something you're good at, fear of hating it, everyone wants you to do something different, you really have no idea what you want...and on top of that you're living on bread crumbs, your mind has been opened to so many opinions you begin to question everything, AND you're desperately trying not to fail 5 courses or drown in the mind-boggling work load.
you know what? Call your son right now. Tell him you're proud of him for surviving. Tell him he's going to make it. More than that...his life will be a huge success because God is with him, he's intelligent, and you'll wholeheartedly back whatever decision(s) he makes.
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/2/2008 3:30:04 PM
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stimulus
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Hmm, I'm with the others. There is plenty of work in engineering if that's what he wants to do.
If he likes to teach, I also think he will be better off financially if he gets the technical degree and teaches a specialty subject. Perhaps a dual major in math and education, computer science and education, or something along those lines would be a good fit. Teaching college is also a good idea, but that involves a lot of school.
This is my own professional bias coming out, but you might also encourage him to consider technical communication. If he's interested in education, I'm betting he likes to show\teach people how to do things. I studied engineering, but loved my tech communication class and eventually changed majors. Tech companies, medical companies, finance companies, academia, everyone and everything have complex information that they need to communicate to others, whether they are communicating to customers, share holders, or coworkers.
It's not easy to find people who understand technical material easily and have the communication skills to teach it to others. It's why math and science teachers are often in demand, and the same is true in technical communication careers. While some of it is being outsourced to English-speaking countries, there will always be plenty done here in the States too, since communication tasks don't outsource well - as we all know from experiences with overseas call centers!
I also agree with lana. Switching from engineering to education makes me wonder if he feels creatively stymied in an engineering program. The creative work and collaborative nature of technical communication was a huge part of why I loved it after so many hours spent doing math and computer work. 
< Message edited by stimulus -- 5/2/2008 3:39:42 PM >
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/2/2008 6:17:40 PM
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zahra
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quote:
ORIGINAL: mrtigger
He's done well his first year and I'm sure he can complete an engineering degree but he thinks he won't have much job security as an engineer. That is the reason he is saying he wants to switch.
quote:
I hate to see him saddle himself into a low paying teaching job.
Is it possible that perhaps the real reason he wants to switch majors is that he may have lost interest in engineering?
I don't think there is anything wrong with either degree -- both are well respected (though many people may respect one more than the other, based on their personal values) and you can make a living either way.
They do require different personality types. Engineering is technical and project oriented... teaching is (to me) much more people-oriented. You like thinking about doing a Thing? Engineering. You like thinking about Building Long-term Relationships? Education. If I had to choose between either job, I would shoot myself before doing education -- but we are not all made the same.
I just think that if I were (still) a kid in my first year of college, job security is probably taking second place to interest and it is maybe more prominent in your mind than in his. I agree that I think he'd appreciate his parents' support for whatever major he chooses -- not for what the major is, but for his decision-making process. He's gonna go back and forth on "what I want to do with my life" for the next several years and there is a lot of indecision ("what I like" vs "what I can get a job in" vs "what's my calling" blah blah etc).
< Message edited by zahra -- 5/2/2008 6:30:15 PM >
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/2/2008 7:55:35 PM
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iluvatar
Posts: 1274
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quote:
ORIGINAL: stimulus
Hmm, I'm with the others. There is plenty of work in engineering if that's what he wants to do.
I agree. My wife's company is offering upwards of $10K for referrals of senior level software engineers as well as all kinds of signing bonuses. I was almost tempted to get back into software.
If you're in a small market it might be tough, but if you're willing to move to a bigger city, there's plenty of work.
-Dan.
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/3/2008 5:38:14 PM
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mrtigger
Posts: 321
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Thanks for all the replies. Especially the link to the site with job stats. I forwarded that to him and I think that will be helpful to him in making his decision.
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RE: Education career vs engineering - 5/6/2008 2:15:48 AM
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bigfrank
Posts: 395
Joined: 12/2/2005
From: Battle Ground, WA
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You said he was in computer science. There is a big difference between computer science and computer engineering. Which one is he actually doing? Computer science is kind of like industrial design. You wouldn't work very hard getting the degree. Computer engineering on the other hand, would be difficult, I would think. I'm a Civil, so I'm not interested in that kind of stuff, but I do have friends who are computer engineers. There is more job security in computer engineering than most jobs, I would think.
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