Degree Completion: Does it Matter How Long it Takes?

[Peculiar0Pencil]

Good morning! I hope you are all well! I am currently in my second year of pursuing a Bachelors of Science in mechanical engineering. I originally planned to take as many classes as I could each session (year round), but I quickly burned out each time. I was overwhelmed each session by the large amount of work that was expected of me, so now I plan to take fewer credits each session to prevent this from happening again.

I was wondering if going about my education slow and steady is in any way detrimental to my future career in engineering. Is it better to rush through if I’m at risk of failing a bunch of courses, or is it better to take my time? I would greatly appreciate any feedback you offer!

 

[Dale]

It is best to strike a good balance. You need to not burn out, but at the same time education should be hard work and you should feel a moderate amount of time pressure most of your academic career.

Future employers will want to see that you can make that balance. That you can realistically judge your own limits to not burn out but that you can still accomplish large sustained tasks at a good pace.

You may have gone too far to one extreme, but don’t go to the opposite extreme either.

 

[symbolipoint]

Stayed with just one major field, or changed major field choice a couple of times? If cut down each semester work load and education takes twice as long as it 'normally' should then this is at least a couple of years lost for working in a regular job and its experience. If you take extra long time to complete your degree, be sure you learn some obvious practical things that employing companies will want from candidates.

 

[Jody]

I was in a community college for about four years and walked away with an associates in Mathematics. It took me a little over four years after that to finish my bachelors in Electrical Engineering, and my GPA was not so hot.

One of my internship supervisors did disclose to me in confidence, that their supervisor was concerned about this (the time it was taking for me to complete the degree and my older age), and that I wasn't going to make it in with an offer. I'm pretty sure they weren't suppose to tell me that, but that's what it was; however: other locations of the same organization did ultimately reach out to me.

I was asked about my timeline during interviews, but I answered technical questions very well and I received competitive offers.

I think the reality of it is, that it matters in some places and it does raise a red flag... in the end... that's the good thing about being a talented engineer: You probably won't have a hard time finding a job. I've seen people speed through the degree and hit all the check boxes on their curriculum, but they're still out there participating in a really bad Easter egg hunt.

 

[PCJJSBS]

Took me about 7 years to get my degree. I did switch majors pretty late in the game... But it was mainly because I was burned out. I had no trouble finding a job, and it didn't even come up in any interview questions. People seemed much more interested in what I know and how I can contribute.
Would you really want to work for someone who cared a lot about that? Sometimes it is okay to be picky about where you work. Even if it is your first job out of college.