Is engineering worth it? Is it right for me?

February 29, 2020

By: Lisandro Vazquez, PE

While these questions are difficult to answer and are highly personalized, I’ll share some of my own experiences and views with you in the hopes that you can use these to find your own way to an answer.

Is engineering worth it? YES.

Engineering has provided me with a fulfilling job, good pay, and a comfortable way of life. I enjoy solving problems, working through processes, and designing systems. Being a Mechanical Engineer involves solving geometric puzzles and using mathematics to describe system interactions (i.e. causes & effects). This type of work is mentally stimulating and because my job relates to designing HVAC and plumbing systems for buildings, each project is somewhat different or unique.

On the flip side, I have ended up working some pretty long hours as compared to other professional lines of work and I am by no means financially rich. So, if you’re considering engineering to make tons of money… you may want to reconsider your motivations for entering this challenging field.

Without getting into all the nitty-gritty details of why I think engineering is totally worth it I’ve put together a list of pros and cons for you to judge for yourself.

Pro:

Great opportunities for professional growth. There are all sorts of licenses & certifications that you can earn to further your level of knowledge and bolster your resume with. As your career progresses your expertise will become increasingly valuable in addition to the accompanying sense of pride & accomplishment which comes with achieving milestones. I’ve been able to earn several certifications for which I learned a ton throughout the course of studying for the exams: Certified Plumbing Design Technician, Certified Associate in Project Management, 2014 AutoCAD Certified User, and Professional Engineer (Mechanical Engineering).

Personally, I enjoy the process of learning new things, especially technical topics, and attaining levels of professional certification. The resume building aspect is clearly beneficial, but I truly find more return on my investment simply by knowing that I’m advancing my overall level of knowledge… seriously.

Con:

Professional certifications and exams will typically require studying on your personal time (lots of studying). While many engineering firms will provide some educational and perhaps financial support to advance your level of knowledge, you’ll likely have to study at home or “off the clock” while still working your typical workweek. This of course means sacrificing personal time with friends and family.

Pro:

Engineering provides favorable pay and generally good benefits packages. Entry-level engineering pay can vary a lot depending on geographic region and specific discipline but you can reasonably expect somewhere in the range of $50,000-$65,000 for your first job, though this may be significantly higher in some metropolitan regions or areas with a high cost of living.1-4 Over the course of your career—again, this is dependent upon your particular circumstances—you may be able to hit the $100,000 salary mark without becoming part of senior management or company ownership.

Con:

Though the pay is good, it is not exceptional. You will likely not become rich as an engineer without rigorous financial discipline. Sure, if you invent an exciting product/tool or if you become an entrepreneur you may be able to reap outstanding financial rewards, yet for the majority of engineers their jobs will provide a comfortable, but not financially rich, way of life (kind of depends on what your definition of “rich” is). The reason this is in the “con” category is because the majority of engineering jobs are salary positions (generally without overtime pay) which can become an issue when considering the amount of hours worked and level of stress inherent with engineering.

Engineers work hard and generally work more (sometimes significantly more) than the average professional employee. Working 45-50 hours per week is not atypical (U.S.). I can personally attest to working 50+ and even 60+ hour weeks from time to time. While a 45-50 hour a week routine is not the average for engineering as a whole, it is something that I imagine most engineers will experience more than once in their careers. So, if you’re considering engineering simply because you want a super high paying job, you may want to look elsewhere.

Pro:

I personally find the pursuit of knowledge exhilarating, which is one of the key reasons why I think engineering is totally “worth it.” Each field of engineering is so vast that even over the course of a lifetime you cannot possibly learn all the facets of that specific field. To me that’s exciting because I know there will ALWAYS be something new to learn within my field. Therefore, there will always be room for growth and improvement. 

Within any discipline of engineering there are innumerable opportunities to prevent stagnation or boredom. If you’re bored with your engineering job and feel that you’ve learned about as you care to with relation to your specific job, you can always transfer to a slightly different role within your field of engineering and find something which seems new and fresh.

Con:

While the payoff for learning is great the actual process of learning totally sucks (that’s a little exaggerated, but it’s no walk in the park). Earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering is a challenging prospect. You’ll be faced with classes which you may not be interested in (Linear Algebra), and some classes which for whatever reason just do not “click” at first (Materials Science). 

Linear

Algebra

Your engineering and mathematics classes will require a lot of studying, practicing, and loads of time for mastery. Honestly, you will see all these other students going off to parties or doing other things which they find fun while you’re stuck studying. Trust me… that sort of sucks.

You’ll be tempted to forgo studying or go out with friends at the expense of your studies; but, if you’re truly interested in engineering as a career then the sacrifices you make to pass on some parties and skip a few nights out to focus on your studies will definitely pay off. You’ve got to want it though. You have to want to be an engineer and be interested in engineering as a whole. Otherwise, you’ll likely not feel that the sacrifices are “worth it.” Furthermore, if you’re a student in the US you might end up with a sizeable chunk of student debt. So in summary, earning your bachelor’s degree in engineering really is a ton of work (sometimes miserable work); but it is going to feel AMAZING when you earn that degree… trust me on this one… you’re going to be smiling big time.

Pro:

If you take a step back from the day-to-day tasks or looming deadlines etc. and truly consider what it is you’re accomplishing with your work, it’s hard to imagine many other professions as gratifying as engineering (maybe the medical field? Or police & firefighters?). Let’s be real… engineers work hard, but hardly anybody is going to stop and thank an engineer for their “services” nor will kids be painting pictures of engineers rescuing cats from trees or pulling people from fires. Oftentimes, the achievements of engineers will be “invisible” to the majority of your friends and family unless somebody directs their attention to some particular feat/accomplishment.

But think about the contributions that engineers make, the impacts they leave. Let’s take my job as an example. I work in the HVAC and plumbing engineering field. I like it, but understandably the field isn’t exactly seen as “sexy” by the public in general. Yet think about it… the systems I design will be used by thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people over their usable lifespans. The work I do every single day will ensure that clean water is conveyed to children, patients, the elderly, and homeowners. Building environments will be controlled to temperature and humidity constraints which inhibit bacterial & mold growth, promote healthy living, and provide a comfortable indoor climate for people to conduct business, learn, and live their lives. Engineers—like me—are the reason why things “just work” the way they should. Now think about other engineers. Think about engineers working at NASA, SpaceX, GE, Otis, ALCOA, Tesla, Google, Ford, Sony, Microsoft and Apple. How have those engineers impacted YOUR life? You could be one of those engineers… pretty cool, huh?

Con:

There is no “con” on this one. Engineering is cool. If you don’t think so… you shouldn’t be an engineer, seriously.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:

While the question of “is engineering worth it” may be answered with a binary “yes” or “no,” the exact assessment of “value” or “worth” to each of you will fall across a broad spectrum. In working through the pros and cons above you can see that in order to rate the true worth of a career you must factor in a wide range of inputs which are specific to YOUR life.

How you feel about your work can make a huge difference in how you view salary, hours, and work environment. This is a key point.

For example, a 40 hour a week job without much stress may sound like a dream job for somebody who is currently feeling stressed about long hours and too many responsibilities. But, how will that person’s (i.e. your) viewpoint change after six weeks, six months, or six years working the exact same 40 hour a week job without the excitement of professional growth, or perhaps without the feeling of pride in accomplishing difficult tasks?

If you’re looking for assessments of worth by others, you can check out some Reddit and Quora links below where other engineers have tackled this topic, but I just ask that you keep in mind that it’s important to take into consideration more than just hours worked & pay.

Many of the best things in life require hard work and determination to achieve. Sometimes you just have to persevere—push through the difficult times—to make it to the finish line, to reach your goal. And sometimes, you just have to believe in yourself—know that you can do it; see the prize in your hands. Pride in your hard work, in your accomplishments, and in your knowledge is priceless.

So, there is some “soul searching” required to arrive at the best answer for YOU. But hey, remember, entering a profession is not a permanent commitment. You can change your path as your life’s circumstances change. So relax, and enjoy your journey.

Thank you for reading!

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