Working while pursuing engineering degree?

  • Context: Programs 
  • Thread starter Thread starter authentic
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Degree Engineering
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of working while pursuing an engineering degree, focusing on part-time and full-time employment alongside a full engineering curriculum. Participants share personal experiences and insights regarding the balance of work and academic responsibilities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Personal experience sharing

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether it is possible to successfully manage study time and maintain good grades while working part-time or close to full-time hours.
  • Another suggests looking at polytechnic schools for examples of students managing work and studies, citing a specific case of a student who struggled but graduated with decent grades.
  • A participant shares their experience of working 40 hours a week while attending full-time classes, emphasizing the need for discipline and time management to balance homework and work responsibilities.
  • One contributor recounts working 35 hours a week while taking a heavy course load, noting that while it was manageable in the early years, the final semesters were particularly challenging due to project demands.
  • Another participant highlights the importance of work experience during studies, arguing that it can be more valuable than a high GPA, despite the personal sacrifices involved.
  • General encouragement and acknowledgment of the effort required to balance work and study are expressed by a later participant.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of experiences and opinions on the viability of working while studying, with some indicating it is possible with effort and discipline, while others highlight the significant challenges and sacrifices involved. No consensus is reached on whether working is advisable for all students.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention varying degrees of workload and personal circumstances, indicating that individual experiences may differ significantly based on job type, course load, and personal discipline. The discussion does not resolve the complexities of balancing work and academic demands.

authentic
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
I have been pondering about the idea of it being possible to have a job while you are
pursuing an engineering degree. Now it doesn't have to be full time but it can be
part time, like some finances to help out with ordinary college student bills. But what
about the people who work close to full time or maybe 30 or so hours a week with a full
engineering curriculum a semester? Do you all think it is possible to give the amount of effort
to be successful in an engineering disclipine while working a part time job also?
1. Can you squeze the amount of study time needed into your schedule?
2.Can you be an "A" or "B" student in your engineering classes at the same time?

What do you all think?...
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Any responses or opinions?
 
Look at polytechnic schools and see if students there are working. If they are, then someone who's doing engineering must be working and graduating all right.

I knew a guy at UMBC who held down a job while doing an engineering degree. Very rough (I had a DiffEQ class with him at the community college and he had to drop), but I think he kept decent grades and graduated.
 
I work 40 hours a week (nights) Monday to Friday, and attend school for Engineering full-time Monday to Friday as well. There are a couple catches however (for me at least).

1. Four class per semester limit (meaning five years to graduate plus a couple summer classes).
2. I operate a wastewater treatment plant. Aside from rounds every hour or so (and provided nothing breaks or a process hasn't tanked), I hammer out some lab work and then I'm free to do a few hours of homework while I monitor things from our control room. This allows me to finish homework for one of my classes.
3. You have to be disciplined enough to work between classes and during those half hour breaks that are common throughout the day. This allows me to finish homework for another class. Saturday is spent doing homework for the third and fourth class. I usually finish in time to go out Saturday night and have some fun - if not, it's spent at my desk.
4. You need a day without school or work to rest and relax - lest you go nutty (my day is Sunday).

Oh, and make sure you have adequate transportation to get yourself between school, work, and home (if you're commuting).

My current cumulative GPA is 3.93 (A). So far I have finished Calculus I & II, Linear Algebra, Physics I & II, Chemistry I & II, Intro to Engineering, Intro to Business, some programming classes, and a bunch of General Education Classes. I'm signed up for Multivariate Calculus, Computer Modeling, and my last two Gen-Ed classes this fall (should be a fairly easy semester compared to last spring). So doing well is certainly possible. We'll see how well I handle junior/senior level classes though.
 
Last edited:
I worked about 35 hours a week and took 16 credits during the fall and winter and 8 credits for spring and summer while getting my degree. The first couple years are alright and being able to do homework at work really helps although for me that wasn't always an option. However, the last couple years were very rough because of large projects especially with senior design the last semester. My last semester I was taking 4, 400 level engineering classes, all with projects, one was senior design, while working 35 hours a week. During that semester I lost about 20 pounds, I looked like I was dead, had no life what so ever, in other words pure hell. It can be done and probably is worth it if you start working professionally after college. I know some may disagree but work experience while in school accounts for a hell of a lot more then a perfect GPA and I have the offer letters to prove it.

I made it through school in 4.5 years with about a 3.2 GPA. If you want to get ahead of everyone else I suggest working, if you like to enjoy life then don't. However, if you do decide to work be prepared to go 2 and sometimes 3 days without sleeping and don't expect to have a girlfriend or any fun at all for that matter.
 
very helpful info
kudos to you all for having
the effort to work like you did
 

Similar threads

Other Master's degree advice to work in the Space Industry
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Programs What Is a Doctor of Engineering Degree and How Does It Work?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
Studying Should I pursue a masters degree after 4.5 years working in IT?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
1K
Programs Electrical Engineering PhD or Applied Physics PhD?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Getting into an engineering career with no degree...
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
5K
Can I pursue an MS in astrophysics with a BS in studio art?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
Programs Certificate and Degree in the same field?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Programs Is a Physics BA a good route for exciting CS/Engineering Work?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Uncertainty in pursuing Engineering
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
2K
Programs Can an Electrical Engineering Degree Lead to a Career in Astronomy?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
4K