I graduated BSMET from an ABET accredited school in the USA. Here is my experience after about 8 years in Industry. I don't think my case is exceptional for MET grads.
- I've always been titled 'engineer' and worked alongside BSME's and MSME's doing the same work that they do. I'm often checking their work or mentoring them.
- I applied for an MSME program at a 'good' program in a major school and was provisionally accepted, 6 years after BSMET. I was told to take 3 additional math classes that represent the difference between my ABET MET program and the ABET ME program. At 8 years out of school, I decided that the benefit/cost was not high and that the MSME program time commitment was more likely to end with me in divorce court rather than the Chief Engineer position, so I decided to forget it.
- I took the FE Exam and passed it, several years out of school, without taking a study course. Just studying at home for a few months in between the screams of a crying baby. I could take the PE, but at this point I'm trying to see what benefit it has.
- Customers have paid to have me come all over the world to advise them on engineering problems, traveling first class, staying in nice hotels on their expense and they were happy to have me. I've been greeted by the upper management up to VP level at several large multinational engineering companies, taken out to dinners, and spent time with them over weekends when they could have been doing something else. People like you if you bring results, regardless of what academic background you came from. Similarly, if you are Doctor of ME andf tenured professor and can't bring results for whatever reason, they'll hate you and think you don't know anything.
- My salary is above average for my level.
- I do Code work often for things related to public safety on a large scale. Since I am not a PE yet, I don't take legal responsibility but I am the one doing the physics.
- I feel like I am seeing more jobs posting that call for technical degrees, or specifically say science or engineering technology as an option, versus 5 or 10 years ago. It seems a lot of good people that would have previously signed up for BSME or similar are going into other fields with better long term options in the USA, like biotech. My employer gets a lot of resumes from BS/MSME's who have been dumping engineering off on vendors for so long that they forget how to calculate anything themselves, so they also look at Physics, Math, and Technology majors who have a demonstrated recent ability to design and calculate things.
- Once in industry, you learn a lot on the job that isn't taught in any program. Sometimes you need to do DiffEQ's and things like that, but what really sets you apart as an engineer is your ability to tell facts from assumptions, synthesize info, develop a course of action, and communicate your desires in a way that makes things happen. Anyone can look into a book after graduation and figure out how to do Eigenvalues, for example. In my experience with large companies, it's recognized that if you need additional technical knowledge you'll either find it alone or ask for training. The important thing is understanding technical needs, how to get to results, where to find info, and how to navigate all the internal and external customer and vendor processes to get results. In my last 2 job interviews, I got offers both times and my type of degree was never a topic of discussion.
In summary, the best way to improve yourself is not more class work. Take jobs in various industries, do overseas jobs and learn how to work with different cultures and design philosophies, and never pass up an opportunity to learn some new engineering methods or skills.
I wish I had known all this when I was earning my BSMET. Coming out of HS, I did not have the money for tuition and room and board to attend a far away school with an ME program. I started part time in an extension of a large school that had an AS MET and worked until I had money to move, attend full-time and get a BSMET at the main campus. During this time, the economy was in the dumps post-IT bubble burst and 9/11. I listened to the talk of academics at the school about 'Technologists' and wondered if I'd ever be recognized for my ability to be an engineer. Once out of academia, I realized that this is basically politics and that in practice it does not matter which degree you have. If I could go back, and I had the money to start in the traditional engineering program I might still choose MET because it leaves out coursework that is rarely practiced and adds more of the practical things that differentiates engineers from scientists such as manufacturing processes, statistics, etc.
![[bat]](/data/assets/smilies/bat.gif "[bat] [bat]")
