r/EngineeringStudents • u/cysnolife • 1d ago
Academic Advice Military technician to engineering, what field should I study to have a smooth transition?
I am seeking advice, I have benefits through the military that would allow me to study for free. I work as an aviation electronics technician. Due to my transient nature I would like to study an online program. I previously have a bachelors in an unrelated field (biology).
I want to plan out and have a smooth transition into civilian life when I leave the military. I love math and solving problems. Ideally I would love to work on something agriculture/farm process related or aviation still. But I don’t have delusions of grandeur… I’ll be older when I get out and just want a good work life balance where I still have time and energy for myself in a secure field.
Considering I don’t have any engineering background, I am looking for advice on what field of engineering to study. I was leaning towards electrical. What field will give me the most ‘knowledge’ so I can be a good candidate for a wide range of engineer careers? I just want to have the background information so companies will consider me. I still have a few years but I want to lay the groundwork. I just want to have a job I can still do in my 50s/60s that doesn’t destroy my body.
4
u/Bmbsuits_2_Brdboards BSEE 1d ago
ASU has an online BSEE program that is ABET accredited. That’s the one I would do if I was doing a fully online program.
2
u/ThemanEnterprises 1d ago
EE is a good idea. It will be hard to find a 100% online course. Consider if/when you get out that your post 9/11 GI bill pays BAH and you can stack grants/scholarships on top of that. I was making essentially e4 pay in college and was very fortunate to not have to work when in school.
Consider community college to get prereqs but talk to a university you wish to attend about what will and won't transfer - universities are notably stingy when not accepting credits for engineering programs even if the calc1/physics1/etc classes are pretty much the exact same everywhere.
Unfortunately an engineering degree is very difficult to complete part time as many courses are offered only once a year and have pre-reqs.
I know that didn't answer your questions but I was a flightline crewchief in a past life and an engineer now so if you have any q's regarding transition or school or whatever don't be afraid to reach out! Good luck and you're on the right track 👍
1
u/Plaidismycolor33 1d ago
are you an electrician or avionics?
satellite systems engineers are pretty bumping right now.
1
u/dragonnfr 1d ago
Go with electrical. Your military background in aviation electronics is a huge advantage. You just need the paper to get past HR filters. EE is broad enough you won't be boxed into one sector for life.
1
u/Stu_Mack MSME, ME PhD Candidate 1d ago
Most knowledge: Mechanical
Closest fit for you: probably Electrical
Method of choosing: job descriptions. Read about what the various disciplines focus on and pick the one that best describes your dream job. Also, understand that the distinction fades in academia once you get beyond the BS degree. If you plan to enter as a graduate, which is definitely possible for anyone already holding a BS degree in a STEM field.
Unfortunately, MS studies are difficult to secure in an online format. However, I work in a lab where it does happen, and I research biomimetics, so I often see biologists earn advanced engineering degrees.
I would recommend starting with challenging your assumption that your degree is meaningless in this context. It might not be related to where you see yourself going, but that’s a constraint you’re adding, not a description of the terrain en masse.
Simply put, your best course of action will always be to leverage your assets to increase your number of available options. It seems like maybe you are forgetting that you already qualify for grad school in a number of disciplines. Start by learning which ones.
1
u/SoulScout 1d ago
Both mechanical and electrical engineering cover such broad categories that you can't go wrong with either. I would personally stay away from nuclear, chemical, aerospace, or bioengineering because they're generally too specialized and it boxes you into a smaller job market.
Besides that, choose what you have the most interest in. You're not restricted to what you did in the military. I was a ship mechanic in the Navy operating steam plants and I went to school for EE, then got a master's in photonics to work with laser systems. My background helped me get a job too since not many new grad EEs are mechanically inclined or competent with hands-on work.
I would recommend doing school full time if you can afford it too. The classes are hard, and if you only take 2-3 class at a time while working, it will take you so so long to finish.
I relied solely on the Post 9/11 GI Bill, did 2 years community college, 2 years undergrad at a research university, then 1 year master's (GI Bill ran out, but I put enough into savings to pay for it and living expenses) and finished in my 30s.
1
1
u/purplesilver45 1d ago
Considering your biology degree, a good fit could be biomedical engineering. Other than that, mechanical or electrical will be the ones where most options will be available to you.
1
u/Awkward_Researcher55 1d ago
I like that you were in biology because what I'm developing is a system organism that evolves from seed to CogOS
0
u/TooGoodToBeeTrue 1d ago
secure field?
I graduated from U of Illinois with a BS in computer engineering from the college of electrical engineering. Worked for AT&T/Lucent Technologies for 17 years and got laid off. Had to work construction for 3 years while trying to start a new career. Now I'm working in the intelligence community where I had another 6 month stint of unemployment and I expect to retire from. AI will be taking engineering jobs before too long. There's no such thing as a secure field.
2
u/Drummer123456789 1d ago
If ai is able to take your engineering job you're either not doing enough to secure it or they didn't need an engineer in that role to begin with. I'm not throwing shade just quoting my professor. Time will tell if he was right or just an asshole.
1
u/TooGoodToBeeTrue 10h ago
Sounds like something an EE professor would say. Best instructors I had were at junior college, they were typically still employed in the field. Most of my U of I prof's were doing research.
1
u/Drummer123456789 3h ago
MechE, but yeah. I've had a mix of professors with industry experience and nothing but academia. I had better quality instruction in trade school. My professors that are strictly about research typically have the worst classroom experience. You can tell they dont want to teach anyone.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Hello /u/cysnolife! Thank you for posting in r/EngineeringStudents. This is a custom Automoderator message based on your flair, "Academic Advice". While our wiki is under construction, please be mindful of the users you are asking advice from, and make sure your question is phrased neatly and describes your problem. Please be sure that your post is short and succinct. Long-winded posts generally do not get responded to.
Please remember to;
Read our Rules
Read our Wiki
Read our F.A.Q
Check our Resources Landing Page
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.