AngryRobot

Best program to finish a 4 year degree? (long backstory)

8 posts in this topic

I started into college more than 13 years ago on a  Computer Networking degree track.  Over the years that changed several times, including a sting a state university as a Criminal Justice major, before ending up in Engineering Technology.  I ended up finishing with AA in humanities, an AAS in Electronics Engineering Technology, and about 24 credits shy of an AAS in Network Administration.  I started working as an Electronics Technician right after graduating and did that for almost 3 years before becoming an Engineering Specialist at a manufacturing facility.  Honestly I got really lucky in landing that role.  I had one class in PLC programming while getting my AAS; and while I loved the class and was easily the best in the class at it I really had no real world experience with it- and I had zero experience with robotics (which was a huge part of the job working as a Specialist).  That company took me on because they were having trouble finding qualified people and they liked my troubleshooting experience as an Electronics Tech.

 

I worked there for a year before being scouted by a recruiter trying to fill an Automation Engineer role for a small machine builder.  It offered more money (plus hourly with OT as opposed to salary) and promised more control over the work I did.  My former company couldn't match the salary so I took the job.  I was with that company for a year before being offered the same role with a slightly larger OEM that had a more stable work schedule and better benefits.  One of those benefits is tuition reimbursement. 

 

I like where I am at this early into my career (I have 2 and half years of automation experience) but one of the things that has always nagged at me is that I never finished my  four year degree.  Now that I'm with a company that offers tuition reimbursement and a fairly flexible work schedule I've started looking into online programs.  I'm just not sure what program would be of the most benefit to me.  Ideally I would like to complete a BSE; but honestly I don't know if that would really be of much value in this industry compared to the effort it would require.

 

What online programs or degrees do you recommend for this industry?

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In my opinion, and I have a 4 year BSEE from a superb engineering school, the paper is just that...paper.  The skillset is far more important in my book.  The only time I see the degree coming into play is when they set my pay range on a new position.  

Employers and positions that give you exposure to new controls platforms, new technologies, different applications, this is where the real foundation of an automation career is.

But that is me.  Where do you want to go in your career?  Some people want to move up the management chain, then they would want to pursue a business-based degree.  For controls, there just aren't that many programs geared to teach the current technology (that I am aware of).  

For instance, robotics platform.  There are many robotics courses taught at tech schools and universities.  But designing the interface and starting up a Fanuc-Rockwell robot cell is often taught by the manufacturer and not by a tech school.  

I have been a controls engineer for almost 20 years.  90% of what I know today I learned on the job and out of the classroom.

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To be honest I'm not sure where I eventually want to end up with my career.  Part of me does like the idea of migrating into a management role; and if it happened organically I would be OK with it- but I don't think I want to purposefully set out in that direction.

 

In the grand scheme of things I would love to obtain a BSEE; I feel like I would learn a lot of electrical theory that my AAS didn't cover.  I've learned a lot over the last two years of designing control circuits... but sometimes it is still hit-or-miss; and I feel like an Electrical Engineer is a lot more prepared for that sort of stuff than I am.  (Though on the flip side of that coin we had an Electrical Engineer quit after being here for a short time because he didn't feel like he would ever really get the programming down.)

 

I know ASU has an online engineering program; but honestly I'm not sure what that would look like.  I know it isn't easy to obtain a BSEE... so I can't imagine it would be very easy to do it online with little to no hands on instruction.

 

 

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My degree is in Computers and Information Systems.  It's from 95, and it's worth exactly toilet paper.

Your best bet isn't an expensive sheet of paper to put on the wall, but actual hands-on experience.  Since I switched into industrial automation in 98, I've been able to attend a variety of classes from a variety of vendors, and learned how to work with numerous products related to factory automation.  I've worked on PLC, servo, HMI, networking, robot, and SCADA.  And I've worked on multiple vendors.

Most colleges don't have the latest equipment, if they even have equipment at all.  I visited a college a couple years back that was still teaching AB PLC5, which is over a decade obsolete.  What use is that knowledge when they are done paying for it?  I've seen other schools which have maybe 3 PLCs that have to be shared among 30 students.  Hard to get your time in and learn things without access to the hardware and software.

If I had it all to do over again, and I was certain that factory automation was the way to go, I would try to attend as many classes from companies like Rockwell Automation, Omron, Mitsubishi, and Siemens as I can.  And I would try to locate some cheap hardware and continue to learn after class.  Get a job in a panel shop or system integrator, show them you can design and program, and work your way up into an engineering role.  That's basically what I did from 98 on.

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i was studying EE 25 years ago, did not finish and it was something i always regretted. few years ago i went back to school and got my degree. it is just a paper but - it opened a lot of doors...

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It's really hard to gauge what value you'll get out of a diploma. It depends on the program and on you. I tend to agree with what has been said, that it is essentially a piece of paper. But I have two caveats.

1. As mentioned, the degree opens up doors. It can make a difference to salary, to job opportunities, and to status among your peers. This last may be the key point. Whether or not those of us here think the degree means anything doesn't really matter if someone you have to work with or for has an education predjudice.

2. There may be some un-quantifiable value to the education. As time passes, I am constantly made aware of how my previous experiences shape me in ways that I don't realize. Whenever I try to explain boolean logic to somebody with no background in the subject, no matter how intelligent they are it can be difficult to overcome their lack of previous knowledge of the subject. So, it is superficially true that everything I know about controls I learned on the job. After all, I was barely aware of the field when I graduated. But my education prepared me to learn the subject more deeply and more quickly than someone starting from scratch.

Only you can really decide whether it will be worth while given your past experience.

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I've got a bachelors in computer science and I find a way to apply something from it to the automation world on a daily basis.

If you want to get a feel for CS before actually committing to something try a free class from somewhere like https://www.edx.org/

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Another BSEE here, from a great school...that ignores the existence of PLCs.  The theory and math have come in handy on a few occasions, but the real world experience has been FAR more relevant on a daily basis.  The education definitely has value in my work, but I'm not sure the program I studied was the best bang for my bucks.

If the company is paying for it, I'd say go for it.  As mentioned above, the paper will open some doors.

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