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Subject:RE: MA in English or engineering classes? From:"Andrew Dugas" <dugas -at- intalio -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 6 Jun 2002 10:38:00 -0700
First, I would like to support the general consensus that:
a. engineering is the direction in which to move
b. experience is more important right now than returning to school
Luckily, being employed as a TW right now is your ticket to fulfilling both.
As a new grad, you may still be afflicted by degree-itus, in which you
believe that your qualifications are measured in degrees that attach to your
resume. (Clearly you value the learning as well, but you just as clearly
indicate that your principal motivation is to attract better employment
opportunities.)
In my experience, degrees on paper are given greater esteem by business
managers than by managing engineers. Engineers are more interested in your
technical savvy and are less concerned about where that savvy came from. The
more it came from personal experience and pure interest, the more respect
they'll give you. (Not that you shouldn't finish undergraduate studies. Get
that BS/BA by all means.)
Some replies have alerted you to the sheer breadth of the engineering field
and the difficulty and danger of selecting a discipline. LISTEN TO THEM.
Extend the get-a-degree logic into the future: Can you really go back to
college for 1-2 years every time you need to expand your knowledge base?
Noooooo!
Based on your current situation, I suggest you follow the path of experience
and make up for any knowledge gaps through books ("Teach Yourself Java In 24
Seconds!") or extension classes at the local university or community college
("LAN Ho!Computer Networking Basics"). If you live in or near an urban area,
your educational options are probably limitless.
This approach enables you to target the knowledge you need to acquire and
acquire it quickly. First, you'll be motivated because you need to know it
NOW for your job. Plus, you are working with it on a daily basis even as
you're learning it, which is rarely the case in academia. And every engineer
at work will turn into a de facto tutor and every development meeting will
become a tutorial session.
PLUS YOU'RE GETTING PAID!
HTH
Andy
PS: Your tech com certification should be valuable, but you must identify
and prioritize your knowledge gaps. Ask yourself "Regardless of its separate
value, is this what I need to learn most right now?" Of course, that may be
the very question behind your original post.
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