getting second bachelor's degree?
getting second bachelor's degree?
(OP)
I'm curious if anyone on the forum has two bachelor's degrees in engineering?
If yes, anyone get a second degree many years after the first? What was your reason?
I'm toying with the idea of taking some EE classes via a distance program, although I don't know if I'd go for the full degree.
For me, the reason is because it's starting to look like having me manage & develop my spouse's growning electrical service business might be more financially lucrative than staying on my mechanical engineering career path. I don't NEED an EE degree to manage electricians, but as a typical engineer I just need to know things about what I do. I could see growing the business in a direction where we might want an EE on staff someday, and I'd like to be able to talk the talk.
This is all in the pipe dream stage for me right now, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has made a discipline switch.
Thanks!
If yes, anyone get a second degree many years after the first? What was your reason?
I'm toying with the idea of taking some EE classes via a distance program, although I don't know if I'd go for the full degree.
For me, the reason is because it's starting to look like having me manage & develop my spouse's growning electrical service business might be more financially lucrative than staying on my mechanical engineering career path. I don't NEED an EE degree to manage electricians, but as a typical engineer I just need to know things about what I do. I could see growing the business in a direction where we might want an EE on staff someday, and I'd like to be able to talk the talk.
This is all in the pipe dream stage for me right now, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has made a discipline switch.
Thanks!





RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Unless you intend to use your EE degree to help market the company, you probably don't need it. I'm guessing that getting a full degree is going to be more expensive and time consuming than taking classes on your own for the knowledge you need.
Are you a PE? If so, taking the EE classes could also qualify for your continuing education credits in addition to moving you down the new career path.
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
I'd say if you are really willing to put in the work and have the dedication/time/money to learn, go for it. I think even if you don't move into you wife's business, any employer would certainly value a "double-threat" in mechanical and electrical.
-- MechEng2005
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
After checking with a local college, for me another degree wasn't worth the cost or trouble. Tuition has skyrocketed, and many of the courses in the program were not even related to my work and wouldn't have been very useful. Most classes were held during the day, which meant taking off time from work. It would also take away more time from being with family, which was unacceptable. So I learned CivE on the job by jumping right in, getting dirty with field work, reading journals, manuals, books, attending seminars, taking an occasional college course, etc.
On the other hand, I don't want to discourage you from pursuing your dream! What does your spouse say about it? Maybe an MBA would be more appropriate if management is in your future?
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Hg
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RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Hope this helps.
IAA
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Hg
P.S. Please tell me you were kidding.
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
I picked up just about every upper level mechanical engineering course that I had to take as prerequisites to earn my MSME. If I didn't understand something, I would dig a little deeper. In fact, after I had graduated with engineering/physics, I picked up books for 200-400 level classes for mechanical engineering and read through most of them without any problems, also, schaum's outlines to those topics helped tremendously for me. A lot of people get frustrated at the textbooks as if they are too confusing. If they are, just get the 200 level textbook. Anyone with an understanding of the fundamentals (i.e. math & science) should read through them and follow through the formulas and equations (I never said it would be easy or fun, but if you do this, you are learning)
As far as discussing problems and concepts, there are other engineering forums that encourage working out problems.
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
This forum IS for career advice. That's all my posts are. Advice. get over it. Studying my rear end off in college and grad school and spending hours pouring though 200 level textbooks to understand the 400+ level text books is how I did it, and I have 2 degrees to prove I did it. Dangerously undereducated... not likely. Dangerous... hardly. Undereducated, not with this much effort.
Back to the ORIGINAL post.
Since EE is a totally different ballgame, it will be very difficult to make the transition. I wouldn't go for the degree. I would go to a local university or your alma matter and talk with profs, asking them what the key courses are. Just like statics and mechanics of materials were key components in machine design, they might have key components in EE, depending on which area you want to go into. Check those out, and take the classes as continuing education for your PE credit, as naygoo suggested.
star for naygoo
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Good luck in your decision, either way!
V
Mechanical Engineer
"When I am working on a problem, I do not think of beauty, but when I've finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong."
- R. Buckminster Fuller
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
I think we have a communication problem on the issue of competence. Passing the fundamentals of engineering exam demonstrates and earning the EIT is the MINIMUM level of competence in which to begin to study the practice engineering. Passing the principles and practices of engineering and earning licensure is the MINIMUM level of competence for which to practice engineering in any given state. I was talking about THAT level of minimum competence. To "pass for competence" means a lot more that what you think I am saying (note that I NEVER said BARELY). For example, I cannot claim competence in engineering yet, though I have 2 degrees in it. I can only claim competence in studying and gaining experience to be eligible to for minimum competence. I hope this clears things up.
Respectfully
IAA
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
I do not know of anyone with two engineering bachelor degrees. Masters, Ph Ds, yes.
If you are going to run a business, maybe a small business course at your local college? If the buisiness is larger, maybe a management/accounting/MBA type of courses?
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
I would recommend simply learning the info required to get an electrical contractors license for your state, learn your local codes, and spend a good deal of time out in the field with licensed and experienced journeymen electricians. There's really very little theorical knowledge required in basic electrical service installation (assuming commercial/residental low/medium voltage).
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
And jokes apart. Even the plumber/fitter who fixed my bathroom is called a plumbing engineer and the electrical heater technician a heating engineer in UK.
And the degree course wont teach you all the specifics of the service you will be doing. On the job training would do much more good plus some trade course?
cheers and good luck for you venture.
Siddharth
These are my personal views/opinions and not of my employer's.
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
However, from what I know about large electrical contractors, they do have at least one EE on staff. My point was if I wanted to have certain business goals, it might not hurt to have a little electrical background. Have you ever had a manager or company president who wasn't an engineer, or was in a different discipline? It's frustrating if the person running the business doesn't know much about the company's core compentencies. I'm not really worried about knowing enough to schedule a couple electricians to wire up a basement, but if I'm looking forward as we grow the business & to having a crew wire up a total commercial complex, I'd like to know what I was looking at when I read the schematics. Yeah, I could get something out of an electrician course too if I wanted, I'm just weighing some options. I'm thinking I probaby would not go for the degree even if I did take a few undergrad electrical classes. I don't need the paper for anything.
Also, FYI, I already have an MBA and PE, so taking business courses is not necessary & coursework could count towards continuing education credits.
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Mike McCann
McCann Engineering
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
The following website has professional development lectures that are free if you dont need the pdh:
http://www
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Collecting other eng degrees is not as difficult as it may seem. You have already got the makings of at least 2/3 of the EE. Go for it.
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
http://NotOnlyBridges.blogspot.com
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
Getting the second degree was pretty easy. All I had to take was the core classes for the program plus a couple of global awareness classes my math program missed.
Linda
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
I think that if the second degree will complement the work that you are currently doing and you are willing to invest the time and money required then do it. It also looks great on a resume.
Regards,
Ken
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
The EE degree will give you the ability to understand many of the fundamental concepts in electrical power distribution, code requirements, etc... but until you spend a number of years actually "doing" the work under the supervision of an experienced electrical power type of engineer, the knowledge gained from the degree is practically worthless.
I'm not saying a degree in EE degree is bad (I have one). But the degree does not qualify anyone to make judgement calls regarding technical/safety matters in the electrical contracting/service work. Only in the right kind of "real world" experience can someone gain thay type of knowledge.
If given an experienced electrician vs. a rookie "electrical engineer" regarding electrical safety or technical understanding, I'd put money on the electrician ten-thousand to one.
If you simply want to be able to "talk the talk"... just go read up on the NEC, any local codes, and the IEEE color series books, then go pull wire with the electricians for a year or so... and you could probably even find some kind of local classes which will bring you up to speed on the basics.
If you want to bring a degreed EE on staff to oversee electrical safety and troubleshoot technical issues... then you should hire an experienced (and licensed) field engineer who has been around the block a few times (and whose boots are generally dirty from being in the field - not a design engineer who has sat behind a desk for years).
Again, an EE degree is a wonderful thing. But it does very little good (if any at all) to prepare someone to oversee electrical contracting type work regarding technical issues and safety.
So.... if you are just wanting some respect from the guys in the field, just read a little and go pull some wire with them for awhile...
If you want to oversee their work from a technical and/or safety perspective, then get an EE degree... then spend about 10 years or so (under supervision of an experienced electrical/power type PE) doing calcs (load studies, short circuit, arc flash, coordination, lightning protection, conduit fills, box fills, conductor sizing, voltage drop, etc... ), performing design, writing construction and equipment specs, writing safety procedures, overseeing installation, performing field testing, learning the dark art of electrical grounding, and of course still spend a great deal of time in the field getting your hands dirty (pull wire, stand in ditches, hang pipe, make terminations... all while getting your arse chewed out by the electrical installation supervisor for being the engineer that screwed up the design). Meanwhile, make friends with the local equipment vendors, and be sure to fill out the accident report after someone hits a live wire or catches a blast from an arc flash incident (be sure to go visit him/her in the hospital and/or send flowers to the funeral)..... then - after all this, your're probably going to be well prepared make judgement calls on technical/safety matters in the field of the electrical contracting world...
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
RE: getting second bachelor's degree?
1 - Is it possible you might jump straight from BSME into an MSEE instead of BSEE?
It seems to me that BS then MS is the typical projection. I'm pretty sure I have heard of people with a BS in one discipline and MS in another. I have the sense that an MSEE might possibly be easier than a BSEE degree from the standpoint of total time and effort required, although I haven't investigated thoroughly. Note that an MS program typically includes room for some undergraduate courses, so you could stack some undergraduate EE courses toward the front of your program. Also, in my case, the courses I took in a BS program were mostly theoretical with not a lot of applications and the courses in my master's program tended to be more closely aligned to toward specific technologies and applications and somewhat more practical (although not any easier).
2 - Another alternative would be an MSME with a healthy dose of EE courses.
3 - Yet another alternative:
3A - focus on getting your PE
3B - take just a few courses (but not a degree program) to learn exactly what you are interested in electrical. Might include community college tech courses where you can get some good hands-on instruction.
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