On June 7, 2018 at 09:36, benjh1028 said...
My son is taking off to college in a few months. Originally he planned on going into engineering, but after talking with him it was apparent he was only doing this because both his parents are engineers (only she practices it though), and the school system and society says it's what he should be doing. We discussed other options, and found he had much more interest in a different program - still math based - and he will be employable with the degree (his mother is not happy with me).
I'm just fed up with hearing about engineering shortages and the push for all kids towards the non-well defined "STEM" programs.
Still, many high-paying engineering jobs are available and if the student is at/near the upper end of their class, the pay issue should take care of itself. One area that some don't consider is military contractors- those jobs require security clearance and apparently, that sometimes takes precedence over actual ability, according to a friend who has been employed as an EE by several of them.
Another thing about getting an engineering degree- it doesn't mean they need to be an engineer, by definition- they can go into many other areas which can allow them to use what they learned without being cooped up in a cubicle farm for their whole career.
