Any engineers here? How much does college engineering rank matter for career?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What engineering specialty has the most job opportunities?

If you go by pay as a signal of demand:

Chem E and EE pay the most.
Then Mech E and Aero.
Followed by Civil and Environmental Engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What engineering specialty has the most job opportunities?

I am always looking for EEs and computerEs with skills in one or more of these: digital communications/RF, embedded systems design and development, EO/IR transmission and reception, FPGA programming (Altera or Xilinx), embedded / real-time software development and debugging (C or ARM assembly). Those skills have been in continuous shortage for decades, in part because they are difficult skills to learn. Students who pick more rigorous upper level electives in their major often have the best job prospects.

[Anonymous]

The best RF waveform designer I have ever encountered has a PhD in EE from UVa. He is at L3 in Utah. The Harry Potter of waveform design really.

2nd place person is similarly sharp, but works for Qualcomm in San Diego. His fingerprints are among several folks' on the 4G/LTE waveform design. Has an MS in EE from a different public university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We spoke with practicing engineers before DS picked a school, and some schools had better placement and prestige within industry. Higher ranking schools, especially schools with high engineering rankings, had a better reputation amongst engineers.

From DS’s experience, his friends at better schools are receiving better internship opportunities - greater number of offers, better companies, and higher pay.

DS is at a higher rated school and has done two internships with leading chemical manufacturers. His friends at lower ranked schools have not done any. The number and quality of companies that are participating in the fall career fairs are notable. Also, the recruitment is frequently by alumni.

I’m not saying you cannot get a job from lower ranking schools. The difference is that the options are generally greater from schools with better reputations.

This aligns with what several engineers told us while researching colleges for my son. The key nuance here is that while ABET accreditation is essential (with very few exceptions), it doesn't make all schools equal. Better-ranked schools will make launching an engineering career easier, especially when pursuing certain types of positions.

For example: Will an aerospace engineering graduate from New Mexico State initially have the same breadth of opportunities as a similar graduate from Georgia Tech? Probably not. However, they can likely reach the same career level after gaining experience through a few positions. In simpler terms, a higher-ranked school increases your chances of landing jobs working on cooler projects.

That said, I wouldn't get too caught up in school rankings as much as overall fit. I'd prioritize schools with a broad range of majors if your child hasn't settled on a focus, and schools they'd still want to attend if they switched out of engineering. Generally speaking, larger schools offer the widest variety of majors, classes, and clubs.

[Anonymous]

Lots of aerospace engineering jobs in NM. AFRL, SDL, and Sandia all are in Albuqueque. There also are aerospace jobs in other locations of the state. All are very happy to recruit locally.

[Anonymous]

My kid doesn't have top stats and wants to be an engineer. He is applying to lesser ranked flagships and regional universities. They are all ABET accredited.

For example, one of his schools is Iowa State. If he does well, we don't think it will hold him back at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What engineering specialty has the most job opportunities?

Materials Science Engineering, relates to physics and chemistry, field covers macro to quantum/nanoscale, and it is listed as the engineering field with most growth by 2032: rigorous as well as versatile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of aerospace engineering jobs in NM. AFRL, SDL, and Sandia all are in Albuqueque. There also are aerospace jobs in other locations of the state. All are very happy to recruit locally.

There is a strong aerospace presence in New Mexico. My point wasn't really about regional opportunities, but rather about the broader access that top programs provide.

While New Mexico State graduates do have strong local options, graduates from schools like Georgia Tech or Purdue will be competitive nationwide with access to a wider range of opportunities across different regions and industry sectors. All or nearly all of the top aerospace employers actively recruit at the top engineering schools, whereas regional schools are generally more limited, with recruiters mainly coming from their own backyard.

It's not that one path is definitively better. As I mentioned, engineers from any ABET program can ultimately have similar careers. It's more about the breadth of initial opportunities and the doors that may open more easily right out of college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What engineering specialty has the most job opportunities?

I am always looking for EEs and computerEs with skills in one or more of these: digital communications/RF, embedded systems design and development, EO/IR transmission and reception, FPGA programming (Altera or Xilinx), embedded / real-time software development and debugging (C or ARM assembly). Those skills have been in continuous shortage for decades, in part because they are difficult skills to learn. Students who pick more rigorous upper level electives in their major often have the best job prospects.

EECS per UCB is the most in demand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid doesn't have top stats and wants to be an engineer. He is applying to lesser ranked flagships and regional universities. They are all ABET accredited.

For example, one of his schools is Iowa State. If he does well, we don't think it will hold him back at all.

Iowa State is an excellent engineering school and reasonable tuition for OOS. I would think that about any job would be available to an Iowa State graduate. I wouldn't worry about job prospects from a large state flagship like Iowa State.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid doesn't have top stats and wants to be an engineer. He is applying to lesser ranked flagships and regional universities. They are all ABET accredited.

For example, one of his schools is Iowa State. If he does well, we don't think it will hold him back at all.

Agree all round. Good plan.

Closer to DC, GMU and UMBC both have very solid engineering/science/math programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What engineering specialty has the most job opportunities?

Materials Science Engineering, relates to physics and chemistry, field covers macro to quantum/nanoscale, and it is listed as the engineering field with most growth by 2032: rigorous as well as versatile.

This is nonsense.

--PhD with a specialty in nanoscale materials

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid doesn't have top stats and wants to be an engineer. He is applying to lesser ranked flagships and regional universities. They are all ABET accredited.

For example, one of his schools is Iowa State. If he does well, we don't think it will hold him back at all.

Iowa State is an excellent engineering school and reasonable tuition for OOS. I would think that about any job would be available to an Iowa State graduate. I wouldn't worry about job prospects from a large state flagship like Iowa State.

Yes it is and of course they will get good jobs initially or eventually. However, the initial career opportunities just won't be as good compared to those graduating from one of the the top engineering schools but doesn't mean it won't balance out later based on the ISU grads performance.