r/EngineeringStudents • u/porkchop87 • Mar 24 '12
25 year old going back to school for Engineering... thoughts? Advice?
I'm 25 years old and will be 26 by the time I start school again in September.
Anyway, a quick backstory: I did college (Business) out of highschool, graduated college at 21 but never really found a job I liked. I've always had some interest in engineering but never had the requirements to be accepted into university. I slacked in highschool and math was never my strength.
Now, I decided I want to go to university and study to become an engineer. I'm doing the 4 highschool requirements I need, online through correspondence.
I want to do it... but I'm unsure if I can. I'm older now and I don't know if I can put up with another 4-5 years of being broke, especially in my late 20s. I'm going to have to take out a loan, and this is also going to suck out my social life. At the same time, it's just another 4 or 5 years to give me something I can use for the rest of my life.
Are there any other mature students out there with a similar situation? How do I convince myself I'm making the right decision? I know I can do the work, I just lost the motivation but at the same time, I really don't have any career choices so I figure going back to school is the best option in the long run.
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Mar 24 '12
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u/porkchop87 Mar 25 '12
Lol, thanks.
Like I said in another post, I'm not looking to make new friends or party. That part of my life is under control. I'm going to focus on my career and education. Great post.
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Mar 24 '12
i went back just before i turned 28... the job market sucks right now, go for it. Your other option is to go the next 50 years of or your life knowing you could have become an engineer and didn't.
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u/Spartan1a3 Jul 27 '24
Thank you for your advice I hope you’re doing well damn 12 years ago I’ve never dreamed of thinking about becoming an engineer I’m not an engineer yet but I’ll upgrade some classes and go for it!
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Mar 24 '12
Here's my experience...
As a 'mature' student I can say that it's not fun getting in debt, being poor, and stressing out over stuff like exams when I thought I'd never see one again for the rest of my life.
Since I already have a degree in film, I'm ineligible for the Pell Grant, even though I never used it for my first degree. Fortunately, scholarships have been paying for a good portion of all the university fees, so that's nice.
Another plus is that engineering internships pay more than my first several job after my first degree.
In terms of a social life - yeah, I've kissed a good portion of that goodbye.
I will, however, be graduating in another semester with a valuable degree that should, with a little luck, set me up with work for life. If not, I've already made a change once and I know that there isn't much in this world that I can't be trained to do.
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Mar 29 '12
Good post Rev! I'm 25, with a BA in Theatre Tech/Design and some film courses thrown in. While I've used my degree ( a rarity among theatre grads) and can easily find work in my field, it's just not fulfilling, pay will cap out, and people have no respect for techies.
I made the decision to go back to school in January and I feel absolutely great. I'm currently studying at a community college with the intent to transfer to the university. While it is tough at the moment, 10 years down the road I'll be a lot happier that I grabbed math by the balls and got my BSEE.
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u/Dr_koctaloctapuss Mar 24 '12
I'm a 32 year old journyman plumber. I'm just finishing my first year of a Mech Eng technologist diploma and I'm struggling with deciding whether or not to continue onto a degree, but you wont even be my age when your done your degree. the time will fly by, and its better to be broke in your 20's than broke in your 30's. just think of what you will be doing for the rest of your life, the next 40 years of your life, and tell me 4 years now isn't worth at least having another option.
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u/devjin Mar 24 '12 edited Mar 24 '12
I would suggest completing a 2 year engineering diploma course first.
After that, if you still want to pursue engineering, you can easily enrol to any university and study the final year of Bsc. If not, you will still get a diploma certificate for your two years!
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u/porkchop87 Mar 25 '12
I actually might consider that. I just don't like the diploma programs I'm seeing around me, the degree programs are more up my alley and are the fields I'm interested in.
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Mar 29 '12
Devjin made a good point. I'm currently working on an AS in Engineering at a community college. The degree plan includes all of the advanced math required in most of the disciplines plus a couple of courses from each discipline. A lot of my credits from my BA transfer so I should finish the program in a little over a year as opposed to two years.
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u/PUAskandi Marine Mechanical Engineering, Marine Electrotechnical Mar 24 '12
Goodluck! An engineering qualification can open up hundreds of doors in hundereds of different fields, If you learn the basics of engineering, you just bolt on extra upgrades to suit different fields.
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Mar 24 '12 edited Mar 24 '12
I did this, kind of. I moved across the country with my Biochemistry degree and couldn't find work, so I enrolled in an undergraduate ChemE program. I had a lot of science and math credits taken care of but my program was still slated to take 3 years. After my first semester I was given an awesome internship. After a second semester, the same company offered me a job, so I dropped out.
It might be a little difficult to find a school that will take a second degree student. I was rejected from two of the three I applied to, however my GPA from my previous BS was low. The school I went to, NJIT, is a low tier school and probably only accepted me because they wanted my money. You should apply to a large swath of schools and do not be picky with your results.
You'll likely be able to get credit for any liberal arts classes you've already taken in the past, along with math courses you've taken for your first degree. You'll likely have to take all the general science courses, chem and physics, along with calc if you haven't already. From then on you're dealing with courses within your field.
The two downsides are the cost and the social hit. I had to take out a lot of money (I was attending a school as an out-of-state student) for both tuition and rent/books/food. You'll likely want to be working part time if you don't want to amass a large amount of debt. Also, since you'll be in class with kids close to 10 years younger than yourself, it can be somewhat demoralizing. Being that you might feel as "accomplished" as an 18 year old freshman. I felt that way, but then I realized I had a lot more experience and gained a strong work ethic, which made the coursework much easier than it would have been if I were their age. Also, they can be very immature and their personalities can be grating. However, I did meet a many great people younger and older than myself during my stay.
Just remember: You are making a good decision. If you are unhappy with your business degree and the opportunities it's offering, then there is no point in torturing yourself. Engineering degrees have a great return on investment and I personally feel that the material can be very interesting and practical to daily life.
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u/PuglyTaco Mar 24 '12 edited Mar 24 '12
2-3 years to get your MEng, MS: http://www.bu.edu/eng/academics/special-programs/leap/. 1 year of undergrad classes, 1-2 years of masters courses. PM me if you have any specific questions. I was a business major, 2-3 years of intensive study will be worth it. The decision was pretty easy, because it was either working shitty jobs for less pay, or something I wanted to do for a decent salary. I also have much more motivation than I did in undergrad, and still have a social life. You'll also be amongst people of similar situations, which helps a ton.
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Mar 29 '12
Good point Pugly, that's sort of the route I'm taking. I'm using the AS I'm working on to fulfill the prerequisites for the graduate school leveling courses. How are you handling the transition from business to MechE?
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Mar 24 '12
I'm also 25 and I'm almost finished with my freshman classes. I've really changed a lot from when I first started (23, taking so long because I had to retake high school algebra). I don't know how much money you make, but one very recent post here on engineeringstudents that put it in to perspective:
"For every semester you drop a class and delay your degree, you lose $30,000 a year."
It doesn't matter that you're starting late. My mom is slightly disappointed that I didn't start college at 18, that I didn't get good grades in high school, and that I changed majors (even though she did all of these things). She tells me I'm smart enough to have gone to MIT, when I'm currently going to community college. My response, which may apply to you: "If I had started this right out of high school, I would have washed out."
So my words of wisdom to you is this: it doesn't matter how late you're starting (or continuing) your education, but don't delay it any further.
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Mar 25 '12
My boss has spent his entire life going to school. He has 3 (4?) Ph.D's, and he doesn't regret a moment of it.
If that's where your curiosity takes you, don't let anything stand in your way.
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Mar 25 '12
I would advise against it. I have a few friends who were mature students and were in a similar situation to yourself. People who upgraded via correspondence tended not to get a very good math education, and paid dearly for it once their courses started.
If math isn't your strong suit, I would also be very concerned. Math is my strong suit and I'm getting my ass handed to me. If you do this, I'd get a math tutor from the start of the year. Believe me, it is worth your time and money.
I'm only in my first year, and I don't think I'm going to be coming back for a second one. It will truly test you in regards to whether you want to be an engineer. If you want a stable job with a good pay, there are better options out there. A diploma in instrumentation from a technical school will pay 60K a year for two years of education, not to mention is probably an easier (and likely more enjoyable) educational experience.
If you really want to be an engineer, do it. Otherwise, I would advice against going back to school.
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u/porkchop87 Mar 25 '12
I would at least like to try and fail than to never have tried at all. I respect your honesty and I also respect you at least tried. Great advice, though. It's at the back of my mind...
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Mar 25 '12
Yup, that was exactly my mentality going in as well. I'm glad I tried, and I haven't decided for sure what I'm doing yet, but I know I tried.
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u/ertaisi Mar 25 '12
Khanacademy.org
You say math wasn't your strong suit, and engineering is built around math, so that's the biggest concern I see. Working through the lessons on that site up through calculus would be helpful in showing yourself that math is something for you. Being perfect at it isn't necessary, but fully understanding the concepts and how they are part of a problem solver's toolbox is.
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u/porkchop87 Mar 25 '12
I did very well in my highschool math correspondence classes in order to get the university requirements (physics, advanced math, calculus, etc). I know that doesn't mean much but I at least enjoy math and always have. I'm not a math whiz but I like it and enjoy doing math.
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u/annie-adderall Mechanical Mar 25 '12
Mature student here.
Since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to become an engineer. Fast forward to Gr. 12, I got pity passes for chemistry, physics, calculus, and finite math. Literally 50% across. I realized many years later that I just didn't know how to study. My grades up until that point had been quite good, and I never had to put too much effort into learning. So in my head, I told myself that engineering wasn't meant to be.
My university applications didn't go through for engineering, obviously, but, I got in for geography/geoscience. I was always good at geography, and found it fairly interesting, so I figured why not? Fast forward 4.5 years and several internships with mining companies, and I got a BSc. Geography. I just wasn't satisfied, however, and thought I could do better.
I went back to a community college immediately after graduating, took all the engineering pre-reqs, and sorted out my math/physics/chemistry demons. I had a bit of a rough start, but soon enough, I figured my stuff out. I now have my diploma in mechanical engineering technology. My second year, I rocked straight As. I'm on a co-op work term now, and will be going back to school in June to start my transfer into the 3rd year of engineering (special transfer program between the college and the university in the city I live in).
My advice - try it. If you don't, you might regret it. Do it while you're young. I'm going into even more debt going back to school, but for me, it was the right choice. How do you convince yourself? Just think of the doors that an engineering degree can open for you, and how it pertains to how you picture your future. You can ask yourself, "where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?" -- be honest with yourself.
Also, what rvly1127 said:
1 - stay away from the 18 yr old females. Sounds like an awesome fantasy, but trust me, keep your distance.
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u/sigmatac Apr 04 '22
how did it pan out 10 years later?
found this post through an internet search about going back to get into engineering lol
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u/PocketRoketz Jul 03 '23
how did it pan out for you?
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u/sigmatac Jul 04 '23
Currently working as a neuro icu nurse and I have decided to pursue other avenues in Healthcare instead of going into enginering.
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u/Cool_Squirrel4608 Nov 20 '23
Seems like I’m not the only one that found this thread through google. I don’t know you but I’m glad it worked out. It’s hard to start all over again.
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u/PocketRoketz Jul 04 '23
I see, I’m on the fence about going back to engineering after working in business with a sociology degree.
What made you continue in with Healthcare?
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u/sigmatac Jul 04 '23
Im staying in Healthcare because I enjoy helping people :) but I thought about going back into engineering because have a decent amount of the course work done. I did two years comp Sci before I changed to nursing. I thought about going back to engineering because I wanted to make stuff that I don't really care about now. I realized if I wanted to make that stuff I should do it as a hobby and just do my own research.
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Mar 24 '12
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u/porkchop87 Mar 25 '12
Yeah, I did quite well in my highschool correspondence courses and I do enjoy math a lot. I'm not a math whiz by any means but I think I'll do okay. I have a good work ethic now compared to 8 years ago.
That looks like a good book, thanks.
I'm interested in civil/mineral/geomatics engineering. Those are the fields I'm looking to apply to.
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u/AtePoint307 N.C. State - Electrical Engineering Mar 25 '12
I was 24 when I started engineering school. You're making the right choice my friend. You'll have to make some sacrifices but it will all pay out in the end.
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Mar 25 '12
I went back to school to go in to engineering at 24. 29 now, about to finish my Associates of Science. Honestly, the hardest part was working full time and only taking classes part time.
You might have to take remedial math classes, nothing hard, but don't get discouraged. You need to build up your study skills over time. Trust me, it will take time. If you put a lot of empathis on social life, you're going to be running into problems while in school. The other thing I'd tell you is, do full time courseloads without working more than 20-30 hours a week-try to work no more than 20 hours a week if you can. The class workload gets abusive and you will miss a lot of sleep. Last, engineering requires a lot of investment, be prepared to study on Friday, Saturday and nights. If you're just doing it because you want to make more money, I'd tell you to look else where.
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Mar 26 '12
I am about to be 27, and going back for a BS in Mechanical so I can get a MS in it next semester. Originally I got a math degree and then worked as a code monkey for a few years and got bored, so I go back and get some more degrees. When it is all said and done I will be ~35k in debt, which I can deal with and I will have three degrees.
Luckily for a year as a programmer I knew I was gonna do this so I was able to save a good amount of money in order to able to live. I still take out loans for tuition. Now I work about 8 hours a week coding and study for about 50.
tl;dr -> this was a great decision and I do not regret it at all. Hopefully I will get a career I enjoy more (read: where I actually talk to other people and work in a team environment). I say go for it
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u/dr_sluggo_ddr Mar 24 '12
I'm 25, will be 26 in my first semester, too.
I try to not think about it like I have to get through the next 4-5 years, and only then can I start my life. We aren't giving those years up, we are just living them differently.
I can't assure you that being an engineer is really the best path for you (hell, I am only guessing for myself, and I put a lot of thought into it), but if it is the best path to a life you want, 4 years of racking up debt is just sort of what it costs.
Maybe there are other options to consider, but if this is the one you have landed on, there is only one way to get there, so like w/e.
I have come to be at peace with my age, just because I'm comfortable that it's the best decision I can make today, which is all I can do. But then again, I have no degree and no options, which simplifies the equation.
/Annoying motivational rant.
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u/porkchop87 Mar 24 '12
"We aren't giving those years up, we are just living them differently."
Thanks, I need to take that perspective. I guess ultimately what I'm getting at is I feel like I'm losing those years...
All my friends are working full-time, enjoying their weekends, they're thinking about getting married, they're buying houses... I'm going to be on a very different path then the people I spend the most time with.
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Mar 24 '12
I am a 27 year old engineering student.
I still have my old friends, but I have also made new friends in the engineering department. The funny thing is, most of my new friends are even older than I am!
I think you will be surprised to see just how many people our age and older are going back to school to become engineers.
My biggest piece of advice would be... Don't let other people demotivate you or distract you from your goals. When you need to study and your friends are going out drinking, have the strength to turn them down. But also make sure you enjoy yourself when you do have the time. You don't want to overload yourself to the point where you regret going back! It's a tough balance, but you will find it.
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u/ChaosMotor Electrical & Computer Mar 24 '12 edited Mar 24 '12
This is exactly the position I was in four or five years ago, and now I am graduating this semester from a dual degree program. In that time I've also picked up a cert in Project Management and another in Entrepreneurship. A very large portion of the people in my classes are in similar positions. Once I graduate, I'll be working at my company that I've been getting going over the last couple years and needed the degree for. I've been broke as shit for a long time because of all of this but if everything works out over the next couple years I'll far out-earn people who got their shit together years ago and graduated at a normal time for a normal job.
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Mar 25 '12 edited Mar 25 '12
Business people and engineering degrees are a good marriage. Most engineers do not stay engineers into their mid-life, which is why you see the salary for engineers start high and plateau early. Where are they going? They are starting their own companies or moving into the business side of an existing company. I'm not sure the extent of your loans, but you will likely have no issue finding a job after graduation (and I'd bet that second degree will make it even easier). So, given the loans aren't too high, you could probably pay them off within a year or two of working. Assuming you're a smart guy that is capable of working hard and not becoming crestfallen in the face of difficult material, the only hangup I can see is if you just do not enjoy it; however, if the first is true and the latter doesn't prove true, you will likely have a bright future.
EDIT: Also, ignore the young kids. Look, let's face it, most universities have become cess pools for pretentious pupils and party animals. The predominance of these individuals dwindles as they advance in grade level, but you will probably have to deal with some of the obnoxious ones. The former group is quite noticeabe among engineering students, so just focus on your work and try to befriend the normal ones while ignoring the pretentious.
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u/porkchop87 Mar 25 '12
Thanks.
Lol, I'll keep that in mind. I might sound cynical, but I'm not going back to school to make new friends or party so I will be very focused. I have those parts of my life taken care of. It's just my career and education I have to focus on now.
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Mar 25 '12
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u/porkchop87 Mar 25 '12
I like math and I'm reasonably interested in the field of engineering I'm thinking about going into. It's tough for me to be realistic with myself but to be honest, I don't like ANY material in school. I don't enjoy school, I'm not thrilled I have to write essays or labs. But, I did really well in business and graduated with no problems. So, in general, there's not really courses that interest me. It's just a means to an end. Is that really a bad thing? Shouldn't I be more concerned that I'll enjoy a specific career?
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u/Basic85 Jun 01 '12
I thought I was the only one who is in this situation. I just turned 27 and I've applied to Masters in Computer Science programs. I probably won't be finished until I'm at least 35 years old. I've earned my bachelors in communication studies, which was somewhat of a waste of time and money. I've struggled with math, however I know that if I work hard enough I can earn straight A's.
I'm wondering how are some of guys going to support yourself throughout your education? Are you going to be working odd jobs or paid internships, TA? I have my parents to support me throughout my education, however I know that they are not going to live forever so I must finish asap. I'm going to take out loans and hopefully get scholarships, etc.
I'm also afraid that mature students like us will face age discrimination? We're going to be well into our 30's for some us and I'm wondering do you guys fear the same thing? How do we explain this to potential employers?
I'm really excited to chase my dreams something I should've done when I was 18. I'm also scared at the same time because of the exams, getting older, and such. Let us all keep this thread alive. Thanks Guys.
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u/VanVeenthe1st Université Libre de Bruxelles Mar 24 '12 edited Mar 24 '12
I'm not a mature student by any means but I just want to encourage you by saying you already have a head start because it's your second degree.
You know college is demanding and you know you can't slack off till the last minute.
Be careful in that studying advanced science or math isn't like studying History or Geography or any of the more "literary" classes. You can't just read the book and study it in a few days.
It's more like studying a new language. You need to work little by little and regularly practice on problems. If you do that, you should be alright.
I wish you the best.