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Is a masters in any engineering field worth the extra investment?

I'm a prospective engineering student and I was wondering if pursuing a masters in the future is a worthy investment of time and money, or if I should plan on just getting my degree and starting work? The financial aspect of college is a big deal for my family and me, so a professional opinion would greatly help! #engineering #masters #masters-degree #paying-for-college

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Ken’s Answer

It all depends. Also, you might be able to get a masters without paying for it. Many employers will pay for advanced education for an employee, if it will help the employee improve their ability to help the company in his/her role. Anyway, it is best to get experience with a BA and then see if and how one might want to pursue advanced education. There might be some other types of training programs, which might be more valuable. As engineering is a very, very broad field, the first thing to determine is: which are of engineering would be most suitable.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
As you are interested in exploring engineering, you will find the following to be very helpful in understanding more about the vast areas within that field. ## https://www.engineergirl.org/ ## ## http://www.futureengineers.org/ ## ## https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zVcmTJSKM ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Dr. Kelly’s Answer

In the company I'm part of, holding a master's degree is equivalent to two years of hands-on experience, and the salary you earn is directly tied to the number of years you've spent in your role. Therefore, if you've earned an MS in Engineering (regardless of the specialty), you're automatically considered two years ahead of someone who only holds a BS degree.

I myself have completed two master's degrees outside of engineering, one involving 30 credits and the other 36. This typically equates to about 10-12 classes. If you're a determined individual, you could potentially complete this within a year or less. However, those who prefer not to cram their studies usually choose to spread out their coursework.

If you're fortunate enough to have a solid funding source (like employer reimbursement), I would highly encourage you to go for it. After all, once you've earned your degree, it's yours forever, and no one can take that achievement away from you!
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Rich’s Answer

At some point in your career you will run into a wall of advancement without some second, Masters degree.  If you want to continue in the technical side - an engineering masters would be in order.  If you want to head towards management and business and MBA or equal.  Its not that you need it to have a successful career, but many future positions will require or at least make you a better candidate with a Masters.  Its not that long or expensive and it will pay back quickly in career and salary advancements.
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