BSME vs BSMET 3

[jhw3504]

Hello,I am 25 years old, have a wife, work full time in a injection molding facility as the lead processor and manage 9 process technicians, and now I am faced with a decision to make.

First of all, allow me to explain my goals in life:

> I want to be a senior process engineer/engineering manager.
> I want to make good money doing so.
> I do not want to be limited in any way when it comes to my goals.
> Math and physics are my strong subjects; I do not want to be problem solving someone else's ideas or designs.
> I have a dream and a passion for being an engineer and to be a great one.


My situation:

I am currently in a mechanical engineering technology program and so far it is okay. However, I feel as if I am more advanced than these classes I'm in and can do better. The problem is the BSMET program fits into my schedule better than the BSME program would but I feel as if I need to be in the BSME program.


Questions:


1) How much would the BSMET program limit my previous goals?


2) Would it be worth risking my current position or stepping down to complete the BSME program?


3) How much more rewarding would the BSME program be vs. the BSMET program?

Before answering I can briefly summarize my capabilities:


I am fluent with robot programming, PLC’s, hydraulics, pneumatics, 3 phase electric, mold changing and maintenance. Liaison between production floor and upper management, responsible for implementing improvements and reporting monthly progress.

Responsible for routine machine setups and new mold trials on 30 injection molding machines from 60 to 2800 tons. Program Wittman, Ushin, and Star robots. Supervise others as required. Process ABS, acetal, polypropylene-talc filled, TPO, nylons, PEs, and PVC.

I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and advice.

 

[patprimmer]

OK

I know what BSME is. What is BSMET.

Do you intend studying polymers or materials anywhere in these programs.

My experience is that to many processors know a hell of a lot about the machines and moulds from a mechanical perspective and precious little about the polymers they process.

Regards
Pat
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[MikeHalloran]

As I understand it,
Pat, the BSxET program emphasizes practical knowledge,
and includes the 'easy' or 'college' math and physics courses,
whereas the BSxE program emphasizes theoretical knowledge,
and includes the 'hard' or 'university' math and physics courses.

To me, jhw, it sounds like the BSMET track is going to keep covering a lot of stuff that you've already learned on the job, and is going to bore you to death. After graduation, you'll be qualified for a lot of jobs that you could probably get now, and you won't be considered for many that require a BSME. Frankly, except for covering whatever gaps exist in your knowedge, I don't see the BSMET as being cost-effective for you. ... but that's mostly a WAG.

... whereas the BSME track will bore you a little while covering the basics for kids without your experience, but will then zoom into stuff that you'll find very hard. Don't stop paying careful attention, or the class will go from boring to incomprehensible while you're asleep.

You and your BSME classmates will all agree that none of that theoretical stuff could possibly ever be of any use whatsoever.
... and forty years down the road you'll realize that you were wrong, about at least some of it, as you are desperately trying to grok some new technology that wasn't even dreamed of when you were in school.

(Adapting an old story often told about medical school)
Roughly half of what you will learn in a BSME program will turn out to be either useless or completely wrong. Unfortunately, right now, nobody, including especially your professors, knows which half that is.

Back to your goals:
> I want to be a senior process engineer/engineering manager.
You could probably do much of it now. A lot of engineers migrate into 'senior' status while less than five years out of college. There are higher ranks within engineering. A few outfits even pay them well, but in most cases the progression is almost solely titular.

> I want to make good money doing so.
Engineers don't get good money, unless they own the company, in which case they don't have time to be engineers.

> I do not want to be limited in any way when it comes to my goals. The BSMET limits, at least somewhat, which slave ship you can board. It does not necessarily limit where you can go eventually, it just makes some paths inaccessible.

> Math and physics are my strong subjects;
Fine, but there's math and then there's math. Similarly with physics. Watching The Discovery Channel doesn't count. Reading paperback books about math and physics in everyday life is fun, but as a working engineer, you'll often face problems that are ill-defined, impossible to solve as presented, with incomplete or erroneous data, and you'll be given no time in which to solve them.

> I do not want to be problem solving someone else's ideas or designs. Cleaning up after ID10Ts is often part of the job, especially when you are starting out. Warning; the ID10T may be your boss.

> I have a dream and a passion for being an engineer and to be a great one. We all once wanted to be I.K. Brunel. Not everyone gets the opportunity. If you can retain your principles and still manage to eat, you can be happy.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[MacGyverS2000]

LPS for Mike... he gave answers to your goals along the same lines as I intended to.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[patprimmer]

OK Mike.

I agree then, the BSMET sounds pretty useless.

Regards
Pat
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[MikeHalloran]

Please understand, I don't mean to denigrate BSMET programs or holders. In this specific case, I don't see it adding much to the repertoire of someone who's already clearly got a wealth of practical engineering experience.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[patprimmer]

Mike.

You are correct. I should have specified "in this particular case"

Regards
Pat
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[dgallup]

> I want to be a senior process engineer/engineering manager.

I do not want to be problem solving someone else's ideas or designs.



Sounds to me like you want to be a design engineer rather than a process engineer. At least in my experience the process engineers are always problem solving someone else's ideas and designs.

----------------------------------------

The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows.

 

[patprimmer]

dgallup

Spot on. A process engineers job is to make someone elses design work.

Even so, being anywhere in the process requires working in conjunction with others until all concept, design and implementation problems are identified and eliminated before they actually exist or afterward in the form of trials and corrections.

Regards
Pat
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[btrueblood]

Design engineers are always fixing other people's mistakes, that is the basis for about 99% of new designs ("hey, I can do that better"). Sometimes (heck a lot of times, for me) it's fixing my own mistakes, I think I am my harshest critic, though my wife disagrees.

 

[HDS]

Most employers don't see much difference between a BSME and BSMET other then a small difference in salary. Many folks only notice the difference in the name of the school not the degree. The trade off is if you ever want a masters in engineering or a PE. The MET programs are always more flexible for people like you with other responsibilities. You will get done sooner, with less stress and with better grades.

I had both options and did the BSME. Looking back I would have done better academically in the BSMET and would have had more of the CAD and drafting skills I have found to be a large part of my real job. However, I have enjoyed the name recognition of the bigger school. I have found myself working for METs often.

As others have said either mechanical degree will not directly prepare you to be a process engineer for injection molding unless there is a polymers programs at the school you are going to. You will want to take lots of classes from The Industrial Engineering program like quality and design of experiments. None of the stuff you are doing now has anything to do with mechanical engineering classes. Mechanical engineering is more about designing parts.

If you do transfer do it early because many classes will not carry over and you will be repeating them.

You will make better money than as a tech but engineering is not going to make you good money. You will have to become at least a manager if not get some ownership.