Business and Egineering at UofC

[Sheva #7]

Hi guys,

I am almost done my finance degree at Haskayne and I am thinkin about getting Engineering one as well (electrical one is the one i am considering)

Has anyone ever had experience in getting both? However, I am very concerned that it will take a long time for me to get it..as I am not sure how many years it will take me to do...Realistically, how many courses will they count toward engineering degree from all of my business courses? is it even worth it do you think?

It just seems like there are a lot more opportunities out there for engineers....plus UofC is APPEGA certifiied, where for finance and accounting you need to take an additional exam i believe to be considered a "professional"...

any feedback is appreciated...thanks

[Ozy_Flame]

Geezuz you're motivated....Wish I had that problem when I was in university!

[The Ditch]

You still need to "article" for 4 years doing engineering work then write an exam before you are considered a P. eng. So technically you are not certified, you are working as an EIT (Engineer In Training) for four years before you write your exam.

Graduated with my Chemical Engineering degree 2 years ago from U of C, going to go back for my MBA possibly from the U of C.

Do it if you are up for another 4 years and all the work, a lot of engineers never get their P. eng status but I don't understand why not.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Well, I'd assume you'd get all your "complimentary electives" (i.e. courses from non-science programs) exempted since you already completed your Finance degree... so you could knock those courses out. Probably first year Calculus, first year Discrete Math and that would be it.

Obviously, it's a little late now considering you're done already, but you are right... having the technical knowledge from an Engineering degree and a solid business background is a great ticket out there, but a faster course would have been Engineering undergrad to an MBA.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead with the Engineering degree though... that's a crazy amount of school!

[Rathji]

You are looking to get both degrees as opposed to a double major? I am pretty sure what you are looking for is what is called a Combined Degree. Ask at the UPO and they will explain the process.

The problem with doing Business first and then Engineering, rather than both at the same time or engineering then business is that courses which could have counted toward your business degree from engineering may not count the other way ie Calc 1 and 2 might save you one course, but if it saves you 2 courses you will need to take an AMAT block week upgrade course to make up the difference.

That said, as was mentioned above, a business/engineering degree is one of the best out there.

[kermitology]

Are you effin crazy?

As an electrical engineer who is taking his exam in October, I would recommend against it. Electrical is REALLY hard.

[Phanuthier]

I wouldn't recommend using math coarses you took along time ago for credit. In EE, you'll probably want to have a strong background. I'm sure 2-3 arts coarses will count, I believe EE is 48 classes, so anohter 45 classes to go!

If you decide to come out and get a technical job (design/test/product/etc) your business degree will be sort of useless. Most people go engg then business rather then the other way around.

And finally, I wouldn't recommend doing it because you think its easier to get a job. Who knows what the job market will be like in 4 years.

[GGG]

It would be a minumum of 3 years to get your engineering degree. So it depends on what you want your actual job to be. If you want a technical/design kind of job you would need to get your degree. Otherwise I would try to get a job with an engineering company and slowly work your way into a role that you want. Some Engineers and Buisness grads do end up in similar roles after 5 to 10 years you just need to plan you career well.

[JD]

If I were you I'd get out and work for at least 3 years before investing in another undergrad degree. There's a certain point where you can be too educated with too little experience. When I'm looking at hiring new people, I'd look more seriously at the guy with a 2 year SAIT diploma and 6 years relevant experience than the guy with two undergrad degrees and no experience.

In the "real" world, every company is so specialized in what they do. Even with a schwack of education, you're probably at least 2 years away from being useful to any employer because you need to learn their business.

If you get into the working world and realize you'd rather be performing an engineering function than a business function, then I'd say sure, go get the engineering degree. But at least get out there and see what the opportunities are for yourself. At this point, I think you're just guessing.

The one time I would see further education being valuable is when you're going for a post-grad degree specializing in a field you're interested in working in later in your career.

Not to say it's not valuable to combine business and engineering educations. But you can get a degree in one and learn the other over the course of your career. "Professional development", they call it, and most companies are very good about supporting your endeavours in it.

Hope that helps!

[SeeGeeWhy]

Lots of good advice in this thread.

With a finance background, you should consider pursuing a CFA designation. Shortest timeline to the largest payout.

But as JD says, real world experience speaks more than anything else.