Engineering

[SledTL]

So I've begun to look around at colleges and stuff, and in school I am in the highest math and science classes doing pretty well. After talking alot with my dad he seems to think that I will like engineering alot. My dream is to become an MD but I need to get an undergraduate degree first. The JD community is usually helpful in things like this, so if there are any recent grads on here how was the college classes? I'm in all AP classes so it's not a new thing to have crazy hard classes. What's your workplace like? Is it fairly easy to get a good job in the field you studied? And I don't know any other random info that I may be interested in...THanks guys

 

[yoopermike]

You ever take a look at biomedical engineering? Would be a great career even if you didn't move on to the PhD level. I would say look at something in a BS degree field that has great end pay and falls in lines with your goals of becoming a doctor, just in case things don't work out as planned. That way you don't waste 4 years and end up with a general degree in something you don't like, or can't find a job in, IF the MD route isn't within your reaches after graduation. Life does sometimes throw curve-balls....

 

[SledTL]

Yes I have looked at it but its really difficult to get into that type of engineering. I like engineering because it is a good back up plan and matches up with some of the med school stuff. I was looking into industrial engineering because it is super broad and could go into anything from medical to snowmobiles

 

[yoopermike]

Are you saying it's hard to get into the field, once graduated, or to get into the program itself?

 

[schrade]

Have you looked at Med Lab Tech BS degrees? They are an employeable degree after graduation and will have all your prerequistes for most med school admissions.

 

[fatdaddy]

SledTL

I went to a two year vocational school for electronics and the a one year school for computer repair through Control Data. I was hired by Honeywell in Minneapolis as a technician and hated it after one year. I decided to go back to get an engineering degree. My first quarter in college was all math and I hated it and decided to go into business school. I fell in love with the classes and did great. It was tough to find work after graduation so I took some filler jobs and ended up selling fire alarm systems. That company was purchased by Siemens a very large electronics company. I still sell after 17 years. I guess what i'm saying is you start in one direction and end up in another. I'm able to use my skills and solve problems for people. I get to work in all sorts of production facilities, hospitals and high rise buildings, its always something different. My advice to you is get a good education and follow your passion, you will do well doing what you like.

 

[slimcake]

With obummercare I would stay out of anything medical related....

 

[whitedust]

If you like software you can find a job everyone wants a good software engineer & you will be in demand & can apply software engineering in any industry. As said life takes you in some strange directions as I was premed ended up in sales & marketing who knew??lol

 

[agriffinjd]

I graduated with a BS in Computer Science from Michigan Technological University. Now I'm a lawyer. You never know where you'll wind up. I knew I wanted law school, but also knew I wanted to work first before going. So I majored in something that interested me. For you, consider MTU. Great school, great engineering programs, and if you can afford to bring your snowmobile with you...well you see where that's going. Pick an area of engineering that interests you the most. That way if you don't go to med school, you can enjoy a job in your area of interest. If you're interested in industrial engineering stuff, then major in it. If chemical engineering interests you, do that. Mechanical engineering can be an interesting area. I know a guy who got an electrical engineering degree from tech and is now an MD. Just remember to take enough of the med school prerequisites no matter what major you pick. They always have a lot of electives that you get to fill in towards a degree so that gives you the chance to make sure you have the prereq's to get into med school. The other thing is to try to graduate with little to no debt. Med school is a huge debt creator. If you start med school already owing a ton of money, it only get worse. I'm talking six figures worth of debt for med school alone. If you can, join the military on a med school scholarship once you graduate from undergrad. They pay full tuition, books, fees, plus give you a living allowance each month. You just have to go on active duty for 4 years to pay them back, all while earning pay as if you'd gotten your medical degree on your own and then joined the military. Air Force is best for doctors, btw. Ok, so a little bit of a tangent there. Good luck as you decide where to go.

 

[hemi_newman]

With obummercare I would stay out of anything medical related....

X2

 

[SledTL]

Life definitely could take some twists as it isn't anything like years ago with degrees and jobs. I don't really know if ill be able to help with the debt situation....I'm in that oh so you have two parents that work good jobs and you have a boat and snowmobiles. Heck your fine you can pay for 35k a year. Reality is I can't pay for college without loans. I saw that someone said something about the us defense, and does that mean I get to go work as a doctor for those four years or am I fighting? I did think for some time that it would be a cool thing to be a physician on a air craft carrier. Ahhh so much stress! Gotta do better on my ACT, get a summer job, wish that snow was still around so I could go pin it.

 

[ezra]

SledTL

I went to a two year vocational school for electronics and the a one year school for computer repair through Control Data. I was hired by Honeywell in Minneapolis as a technician and hated it after one year. I decided to go back to get an engineering degree. My first quarter in college was all math and I hated it and decided to go into business school. I fell in love with the classes and did great. It was tough to find work after graduation so I took some filler jobs and ended up selling fire alarm systems. That company was purchased by Siemens a very large electronics company. I still sell after 17 years. I guess what i'm saying is you start in one direction and end up in another. I'm able to use my skills and solve problems for people. I get to work in all sorts of production facilities, hospitals and high rise buildings, its always something different. My advice to you is get a good education and follow your passion, you will do well doing what you like.

control data had computer school?
I worked for them when the lotto came to MN as a field tech no one told me about computer school.
I went to them after NCR and Control Data pay was horrid compared to NCR went from 25 bucks to 11.
after a less than 2 yrs was making way more than both put together doing construction work on the weekends.
funny thing I prob would have stuck with it but what my worthless high school guidance counselor said to me was always in my mind.
that guy told me he would not bother going in to computers he did not think they were going any place.
and in a few short yrs I went from installing huge boards in to racks soldering bad boards actually fixing hardware to just tossing whole boards then just tossing whole computers.so I figured screw it I will do my weekend job full time

 

[whitedust]

You join up for 4 years of active duty probably would be a medic but have to take your chances on assignment then after 4 years of service you apply for med miltary school aide would be the average Joe route. If you have a med school scholarship it maybe very different you would have to talk to a recruiter then double & triple check him.

 

[agriffinjd]

Life definitely could take some twists as it isn't anything like years ago with degrees and jobs. I don't really know if ill be able to help with the debt situation....I'm in that oh so you have two parents that work good jobs and you have a boat and snowmobiles. Heck your fine you can pay for 35k a year. Reality is I can't pay for college without loans. I saw that someone said something about the us defense, and does that mean I get to go work as a doctor for those four years or am I fighting? I did think for some time that it would be a cool thing to be a physician on a air craft carrier. Ahhh so much stress! Gotta do better on my ACT, get a summer job, wish that snow was still around so I could go pin it.

For a medical school scholarship with the military, you attend officer training the summer before med school starts. Then you attend med school as a civilian, but u do spend four months in those four years as an O-1 at a base with a medical program, working as a med student doing a clinical rotation. Once u graduate med school, u are promoted to O-3, then do your residency for 3 to 5 years depending on specialty. You may get a military residency, or what is called a civilian deferral, where u do a civilian residency.

The Air Force is best because u get to finish your residency before doing your 4 years of active duty to pay back the med school scholarship. This means u get specialty bonus pay each year that is around $25,000 a year beyond your regular military pay and allowances. Plus when u are done with the 4 yrs payback, u are debt free from your med school. The army I think is the same. The navy though has u do a one year internship, then has u pay back your four years without be board certified in any specialty. That way they don't have to pay you specialty pay. Then once you are done you have to do your residency.

As far as fighting, u don't as a doctor. Geneva convention doesn't allow u to fight; u can only defend yourself or your patients. You still get deployed it you are a noncombatant.

If u do well in college, u have a good shot at the med school scholarship. If u qualify it is a great program.

 

[SledTL]

For a medical school scholarship with the military, you attend officer training the summer before med school starts. Then you attend med school as a civilian, but u do spend four months in those four years as an O-1 at a base with a medical program, working as a med student doing a clinical rotation. Once u graduate med school, u are promoted to O-3, then do your residency for 3 to 5 years depending on specialty. You may get a military residency, or what is called a civilian deferral, where u do a civilian residency.

The Air Force is best because u get to finish your residency before doing your 4 years of active duty to pay back the med school scholarship. This means u get specialty bonus pay each year that is around $25,000 a year beyond your regular military pay and allowances. Plus when u are done with the 4 yrs payback, u are debt free from your med school. The army I think is the same. The navy though has u do a one year internship, then has u pay back your four years without be board certified in any specialty. That way they don't have to pay you specialty pay. Then once you are done you have to do your residency.

As far as fighting, u don't as a doctor. Geneva convention doesn't allow u to fight; u can only defend yourself or your patients. You still get deployed it you are a noncombatant.

If u do well in college, u have a good shot at the med school scholarship. If u qualify it is a great program.

Definitely might check that out. I have so long until that decision has to be made, but something to keep in the back of my mind. Thanks for the help

 

[indy_500]

This sounds like a headache. Work 40 hrs a week, go to school once every other week for 8 hours for free and get paid to sit in school. Sounds much easier to me LOL

 

[SledTL]

This sounds like a headache. Work 40 hrs a week, go to school once every other week for 8 hours for free and get paid to sit in school. Sounds much easier to me LOL

Lol nothing is every that easy..what are you gonna do for school?

 

[polarisrider1]

Kettering University, (GMI) You want challenge, you want six figure income, you want respect? Kettering is for you if you really want to be an Engineer at the top level. They sort the boys from the men.

 

[SledTL]

Kettering Univesity, (GMI) You want challenge, you want six figure income, you want respect? Kettering is for you if you really want to be an Engineer at the top level. The sort the boys from the men.

I won't be able to get into those types of places....university of Illinois told me unless I have higher than a 31 on my ACT they won't give thought. It doesn't matter that I'm in all AP classes with a 3.6. Unweighted GPA. Right now I'm in love with Madison and I can get in there, only problem is that it's like 38k a year

 

[ezra]

This sounds like a headache. Work 40 hrs a week, go to school once every other week for 8 hours for free and get paid to sit in school. Sounds much easier to me LOL

so your life ambition at 18 is to be a union worker bee?
come on u are a smart kid u can do much better than that with your life