Getting a 2 year degree worth it?

Aug 18, 2005 45 Replies

| |>I have a 4 year E.E. degree, 20 years+ experience, and have been |> out of work for almost 4 years (in the state with the highest unemployment |> rate in the country, ironically a "blue" state)...I'm in process of |> changing |> fields to financial sales. | | What is your field of expertise? We have trouble getting qualified | engineers because they all have multiple offers. The power industry is | starting to come back around and will likely experience a surge in new hires | in the next 5 years as the older engineers retire. I know of several large | utilities that are planning large increases in their capital expenditures | over the next decade to make up for nearly 2 decades of "getting by". | | Charles Perry P.E.

I hope those capital expenditures aren't be sidetracked and siphoned down the bottomless pit called BPL. The money would be better spent making things more reliable and growing the capacity we will need in the next few decades. But if they still really want to play the "me too" game of information (internet) services, they really should put fiber in the right of ways they now have, instead of trying to use a technology that is going to be persistently problematic, and can't grow to the 400 mbps level I suspect will be the settling point for consumer internet access.

I'd be willing to work for a power utility managing their internet services if (and only if) they are NOT using BPL.

BTW...

Two friends of my nephew (ages around 15) were asking about what to fields to go into in college. That had expressed interest in computers. But I suggested they could make more money going into engineering, particularly power engineer in EE. One of them actually seemed to be interested in it (after I told him a little about how generators worked).

No, plain old T&D infrastructure.

In areas where BPL would be cost effective (high concentration of customers) other established technologies are more effective (DSL, Cable Modem). In areas where DSL and Cable are not available, BPL is too danged expensive.

Good for him. It is often very easy for an EE to move into the IT field and nearly impossible for an IT professional to move into engineering.

Charles Perry P.E.

Hmm..... good point!

Thanks for sharing

I'm actually more interested in computers...but statement above makes sense

It reminds me of another suggestion a counselor gave me abt a business degree. He suggested getting an accounting degree over a business degree. When I asked why he said "Cause an accountant can be a business man.... but a business man cant be accountant"

Is this basically what you are saying abt engineering vs IT?

I'd probably still do it as a hobby as I love electronics...decided on becoming an electrical engineer when I was in third grade...wrote to the colleges I was interested in when I was in seventh grade (got accepted by all of them when I graduated high school). But, at this point I have enough ground to make up, that if the financial advisor job works out, I won't go back. BTW, I am three years older than you.

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 10:38:14 -0500 snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net wrote: | "Charles Perry" wrote: | |>

|>Good for him. It is often very easy for an EE to move into the IT field and |>nearly impossible for an IT professional to move into engineering. | | Hmm..... good point! | | Thanks for sharing | | I'm actually more interested in computers...but | statement above makes sense | | It reminds me of another suggestion a counselor gave me | abt a business degree. He suggested getting an | accounting degree over a business degree. When I asked | why he said "Cause an accountant can be a business | man.... but a business man cant be accountant" | | Is this basically what you are saying abt engineering | vs IT?

Fear the guy who gets a dual major degree in both accounting and engineering. He'll probably end up in law school, anyway.

He'd likely make a great patent lawyer. I know several EEs who went back to law school and have doen quite well.

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