Christopher Hamlin ⋅ Muscatine , IA U.S. Army, Sergeant ⋅ 7 years served

Thank you for all of the advice. I guess my biggest problem might be that I'm struggling in calculus so it was making me rethink what I was doing. Also I do programming at my job and I have done it in the past. I like programming the machines so I was thinking about going for a computer science degree. Anybody have any experience in this field and can give me some advice?

Linda Bagley ⋅ Indianapolis , IN Dow AgroSciences LLC, Dow Chemical ⋅ 33 years experience

Christopher,

I agree wholeheartedly with Barry. I am a veteran with a chemical engineering degree and my son has a mechanical engineering degree. He worked full time with a family to obtain his masters in electrical engineering. It is hard work but it pays off in higher salaries and job security for the rest of your life. Your hands-on experience, leadership skills, and degree will make you a top candidate for hiring after graduation.

Good luck.

Linda

Barry Sosnick ⋅ Greenlawn , NY Great Whites Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics ⋅ 5 years experience

Chris, there isn't a single right answer, but engineering is an excellent choice. There are two reasons. The first reason is that engineers are in demand, so salaries are high. The second is that an engineering degree is an excellent way to move into other fields, especially the sciences and business.

About half of my MBA class were engineers. Finance, for example, is math intensive. Engineering majors also make up a large percentage of medical and dental students.

I think the real issue you raise has nothing to do with selecting a major, but balancing family with your education/career. If you figure that one out, please let the rest of America know! It is an issue everyone deals with for many years throughout their careers.

Seriously, I hope you can strike a balance with your family. Perhaps, knowing the difference in your earnings potential as an engineer compared to selling cars will help. Furthermore, there is the job security to consider. Car sales rise and fall with the economy to a greater degree than engineers, and engineers probably spend less time unemployed between jobs. It is a few years of pain earning your degree, but many years with a higher income and fewer worries.

Morgan Lerette ⋅ Glendale , AZ AAA ⋅ 6 years experience

Hello Chris,

College is a slog. I got a degree in Criminal Justice and it was still a slog. The courses were not difficult but they are time intensive. If I had to do it all over again, I would have gone for an engineering degree.

There are two degree types: One where you look for a job and one where a job looks for you. It pains me to say a degree in CJ was not hot on the employer list as I was preparing to graduate even with a very high GPA. However, my buddy who finished his civil engineering degree with a 2.7 GPA had multiple offers before he started his final semester.

I know it is tough. It is even tougher after having served and having family obligations. I would encourage you to 1) keep going working toward an engineering degree (even if you don't use it, it is very marketable in that it shows you can learn complex ideas) and 2) move closer to school if you can. As you get further into your degree program, you will have more flexibility with your schedule.

Morgan Lerette
-The dumb guy with the CJ degree who wishes he was an engineer

Ashutosh Mehta ⋅ Edison , NJ ⋅ 16 years experience

Hi Christopher,

Thank you for your service. In current market, and keeping long term growth in mind, I would encourage you to go for good skills improving degree like one you are already pursuing.

Regarding degrees - If you see yourself from a bird view, you can have good career with your technical skills in communication along with Mechanical engineering knowledge. If at all it's hard to balance between study and family, you may want to check with counselor of the college to take online programs and hands on training in near by community or similar college. Not sure how much it can work but worth a try. If not already, try finding degree options in Communication/Electronic field.

I know it's easy to say for me but you are Army strong and can do it.

Good luck.

Ashutosh

Morgan Keasler ⋅ Valley City , ND Valley City State University ⋅ 7 years experience

Christopher,
I would recommend you take a look at the job opportunities available in your area, and think about what type of career you would enjoy. Once you have an idea about that, you can determine the best type of degree program for your chosen field. If you see a job posting that looks like a dream job, read through the qualifications to see what type of degrees they are looking for.
If you really aren't sure what you want to do, you could try to get a general business administration degree, but this would be a big switch from ME, so you would want to make sure that is a direction you want to take. Feel free to message me if I can help with any specific questions or once you have narrowed it down!
Best of luck,
Morgan