Engineering to Optometry, Advice needed.

[overst33r]

Where do I start... I think I just wasted the last 4 years of my life.

It all started 4 years ago when I had no clue what to major in, so I put down a major that I was encouraged to do by my HS instructors at an engineering program. I was very optimistic for the first couple of years and then things went downhill. I questioned myself everyday what I would do with the degree once I get out.

I had hopes of joining the military because this way I can at least contribute to society while I figure out what I want to do. So I stuck with my new goal and worked very hard to get to that point. To my dismay, 2 months ago I was disqualified over a medical issue and the plan ended just like that. I had to find something new.

My biggest fear set in, I realized I would have to find a job just like everyone else. I was trying to avoid this the entire time. Mindlessly looking for anything that comes my way. (I'm in this stage right now)

I've completed several semesters of Co-op/Intern with a local company. Through this experience I have come to hate engineering even more. The boring CAD work day in and day out that will basically be standard for any entry level position. Overall, I think I'm in a better position experience-wise than 50% of engineering graduates.

I will be graduating this summer with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
Jobs are scarce, money sucks, and I don't enjoy the work.

Anyway, what this all boils down to is if I should try something new. I am single, have no dependents and have no debt.

My current plan is to find a decent job that will meet my monetary needs (40-50k) and work 2-3 years to gain some real world experience. This way I have something to fall back on in case Optometry doesn't work out. If after the 3 years I still feel the same way I do now, I would drop everything and go back to school.

I have come to realize that I don't know what I want to do, but I do enjoy motorsports and cars. So to fund this love, I plan on becoming an Optometrist. This way I still don't know what I want to do, but at least I will make some money and be able to enjoy my spare time.

I would need to borrow money to complete another bachelors degree which would take me at least 2 years. Then I would need another $100k+ for 4 years of Optometry school. I have thought about dentistry as well since their salaries are significantly higher, but I read that optometry is more relaxed and the overall customer atmosphere is easier. You don't have people hating you after they leave with pain.

My question for you all is if you think this is a good idea in the slightest? Has anyone done anything similar? Are you satisfied? What would you do differently?

Should I just scrap engineering and go to school right away and minimize the time lost? I would finish by the time I'm 28-29, 22 currently. Or should I give engineering a chance for 3 years, and if it still doesn't work out, go the same route, but finishing up at 32 or so?

Some of you might think I'm selfish, some of you might think I've wasted an opportunity some people would die for, please try to understand that I am thankful for even being able to complete a college degree. I am just confused.:\

At this point in my life, I just want to help my parents as much as I can. As a first generation immigrant, I long to provide for my family what they deserve and could never have.

There might be some things I left out, so feel free to ask. I just want your opinions/advice. Thank you for taking the time to offer it.

Cliffs: Majored in engineering
Unhappy with choice
Should I go to school for another 6 years (optometry) right now or should give engineering a chance and then decide in 3 years?

 

[Tristicus]

Give engineering a chance and decide in three years.

 

[Spoooon]

Get a job and see what happens.

I'm of the mindset that grad school > another bachelor's + optometry.

Go to the career center or whatever you have at your school and see what they can do to help with identifying potential options for majors if you do end up going back to school.

 

[Azraele]

Since you really don't know what to do and you're just picking the field for monetary purposes, I'd say stick with engineering until you find what you really want to do with your life. If you become an optometrist and then realize you hate it, you've wasted even more time.

 

[overst33r]

Get a job and see what happens.

I'm of the mindset that grad school > another bachelor's + optometry.

Go to the career center or whatever you have at your school and see what they can do to help with identifying potential options for majors if you do end up going back to school.

Grad school is not an option for me. I absolutely cannot do another year of engineering school. It's just hell.

 

[Spoooon]

Grad school is not an option for me. I absolutely cannot do another year of engineering school. It's just hell.

What is hell about it and how sure are you that optometry would be different?

edit: Fall Semester at University of Houston:

OPTO5111, OPTO5133, OPTO5134, OPTO5171, OPTO5233, OPTO5271,
OPTO5314, OPTO5320, OPTO5334, OPTO5344

20 hours.

It is a 4 year program though.

 

[Gibson486]

You have an engineering degree. You can do whatever you want. I have seen engineers take finance jobs. Really, an engineering degree is not just limited to engineering positions. Just work and you will eventually find something you like. As for the CAD stuff, yeah, it sucks. I did 1.5 years of non entry level internships only to find out that they do not care unless you have a masters. I am in this job now that has lots of CAD...it sucks.

 

[overst33r]

What is hell about it and how sure are you that optometry would be different?

edit: Fall Semester at University of Houston:

OPTO5111, OPTO5133, OPTO5134, OPTO5171, OPTO5233, OPTO5271,
OPTO5314, OPTO5320, OPTO5334, OPTO5344

20 hours.

It is a 4 year program though.

I feel that it is too intensive for me and I don't have the desire to complete it. Optometry would offer me the money as an incentive.

 

[Elbryn]

I feel that it is too intensive for me and I don't have the desire to complete it. Optometry would offer me the money as an incentive.

money for an incentive isnt going to cut it if you dont enjoy the work. it'll be just like engineering, which pays better than most jobs out the gate as well. You can go to other grad degrees, ones that are not tied to engineering. you can go mba, pharmd, etc.

 

[Blackjack200]

OP - First of all realize that you're in a wonderful position. Engineering undergraduate degrees are the highest paying and most flexible undergraduate degrees out there. If I could go back in time I'd smack myself and make me go to engineering school. At you're age, and with your degree, the world is your oyster.

You could:
- Go to medical school (may have to knock out one or two premed courses, but this is easy)
- Go to law school
- Get an MBA (most executives actually have engineering degrees + MBA)
- Get a masters or doctorate
- Get a job with your degree - does not have to be engineering
- About a million other things.

But I would not rush into any of these options. First, figure out what you want to do.

Read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/What-Color-You.../dp/1580089879

Try to find people in the fields you are interested in and talk to them. Have you talked to optometrists? Have you researched online what their 9-5 is like?

You are in a great spot. I'm 28 and am taking classes with the intention of either getting an engineering degree or going to medical school, remember that as long as you don't sink yourself into rediculous debt, you can always change your mind and do something else later.

 

[BoomerD]

You might contact your counseling center and see if they offer the interest/aptitude tests. (also, your local state employment office may offer them.)

Find out what your interests actually are before you jump into yet another degree program.

 

[radioouman]

I'm a Mechanical Engineer. I graduated in 2002 with a bachelors, worked for 3 months as a designer and realized that it was too slow-paced and I "knew there had to be something better out there", so I enrolled in a masters program while working. I graduated in 2005 and still haven't found much better.

However, there are TONS of jobs for mechanical engineers alone. You can design HVAC systems. You can design car/truck/tractor/airplane parts. You can work at an OEM where they integrate all of those parts. You can be a project manager (consider getting your PMP). You can work in the semiconductor industry. Heck, you can even maintain ships.

Now, if you (like me) want to help individual people and you get satisfaction by having someone tell you "thank you", it will be hard to find one of those positions in mechanical engineering. Occasionally you will find a design job at a company that makes custom parts (think test equipment built to customer specifications, or custom display cabinets.... etc.). These jobs are fairly hard to find.

You may also find a job as a test engineer... someone who take something and puts it through tests. What if you could test drive a prototype car and put it through a bunch of tests? Would that be interesting to you?

You've paid for the engineering degree, so it would be worth taking a job for a couple years in engineering to see if you can find something that satisfies you. Keep in mind that very little that you are doing in school actually applies to the work you do on the job.

 

[Pollock]

I feel like there are all kinds of opportunities with mech. eng. alone, since it's such a broad discipline. As others said, you can do pretty much anything with an engineering degree. You don't have to do CAD work all day. I actually had a co-op last quarter with the customer support division of the company, where it was much more business oriented, and yet everyone there had an engineering background. I really enjoyed it, just wish I had more technical background/experience before getting to that point.

 

[Dirigible]

Since you really don't know what to do and you're just picking the field for monetary purposes, I'd say stick with engineering until you find what you really want to do with your life. If you become an optometrist and then realize you hate it, you've wasted even more time.

Doing something for the money means you will likely be miserable. Work while you figure out what you want to do. Shed all debt and get used to living cheap because you may find that doing what you want doesn't pay or doesn't pay at first.

 

[Mani]

Have you considered the business route? Lot of engineers (myself included) that paid their dues in engineering and worked their way into marketing or strategy. You could get an MBA to that end and it would be a hell of a lot less schooling/ expense.

 

[Gibson486]

I'm a Mechanical Engineer. I graduated in 2002 with a bachelors, worked for 3 months as a designer and realized that it was too slow-paced and I "knew there had to be something better out there", so I enrolled in a masters program while working. I graduated in 2005 and still haven't found much better.

However, there are TONS of jobs for mechanical engineers alone. You can design HVAC systems. You can design car/truck/tractor/airplane parts. You can work at an OEM where they integrate all of those parts. You can be a project manager (consider getting your PMP). You can work in the semiconductor industry. Heck, you can even maintain ships.

Now, if you (like me) want to help individual people and you get satisfaction by having someone tell you "thank you", it will be hard to find one of those positions in mechanical engineering. Occasionally you will find a design job at a company that makes custom parts (think test equipment built to customer specifications, or custom display cabinets.... etc.). These jobs are fairly hard to find.

You may also find a job as a test engineer... someone who take something and puts it through tests. What if you could test drive a prototype car and put it through a bunch of tests? Would that be interesting to you?

You've paid for the engineering degree, so it would be worth taking a job for a couple years in engineering to see if you can find something that satisfies you. Keep in mind that very little that you are doing in school actually applies to the work you do on the job.

yup, that is what they do not tell you in school. Engineering is not fast paced work, especially the mechanical realm. Engineering is only fast paced when you get to smaller companies that do not have the budget to waste on a years worth of design time. Unfortunately, new grads are not really hired there.

They make it seem like engineering is doing work that solves all the worlds problems. What they do not tell you is that only represents 10% of the work out there. The other 90% is mundane. When you design, you are more likely to fix bigs rather than solve problems. Designing is the easy part, it's making it work perfectly that is the hard part. However, it's the most boring part of the job (testing it over and over again).

I thought that it would change by going into consulting. It is a different ballgame here. It is more fast paced...but it's even more dull. Fast paced means being more efficient. Being more efficient means doing the same stuff over and over again to the point where every project seems the same. I actually miss teh slow paced work. Just remember, the grass is always greener on the other side.

 

[overst33r]

What if you could test drive a prototype car and put it through a bunch of tests? Would that be interesting to you?

I'd have much more interest in doing something like that but I don't even know how to go about getting my foot in the door. My work experience doesn't correlate to such a job at all.

 

[Hacp]

You work to pay the bills. Many jobs are boring. As long as you get a paycheck, its all good.

 

[overst33r]

Have you considered the business route? Lot of engineers (myself included) that paid their dues in engineering and worked their way into marketing or strategy. You could get an MBA to that end and it would be a hell of a lot less schooling/ expense.

I thought about it and it is still on the table. I'm just hesitant at the moment because I'm so confused.

What kind of entry level positions are there for someone with a BSME and an MBA? Isn't that mainly managerial type of work?

 

[overst33r]

You work to pay the bills. Many jobs are boring. As long as you get a paycheck, its all good.

It shouldn't be like that. I envy the people who defy this and enjoy their work.

 

[Hacp]

It shouldn't be like that. I envy the people who defy this and enjoy their work.

Enjoy their work? Do you thin janitors, plumbers,cashiers etc enjoy their work? NO! They work hard to pay the bills to eat. You don't need to enjoy your work to enjoy your life.

 

[jaedaliu]

Optometry shouldn't take 6 years. You should be able to take the courses you need for pre-optometry, then apply to optometry programs. I hope you were an excellent student, though. The typical engineering student doesn't care about grades as much as a pre-optometry student does.

If you want to work for the military, www.usajobs.gov is a good place to look. I recently had interviews with civilian branches of the navy and army. There are jobs out there if you look.

People work to pay the bills. A very small percentage work because they love it, and it also happens to pay the bills. You need to decide how much you're willing to sacrifice to pay the bills. The money for additional schooling isn't a big deal. You'll make good money both as an engineer and an optometrist.

Final bit: warning: Optometry classes are nothing like your engineering classes. I took 3 optometry courses during my undergrad in bioengineering. The first was the science of vision. That one was amazingly fun. The next 2 were courses on wavelengths, color scales, and so forth. They required a lot of memorization. those sucked. Most of your pre-optometry and actual optometry courses will need memorization. a lot of it. If you do pursue optometry, I hope you aren't wired like an engineer; it'll make things easier.

 

[Mani]

I thought about it and it is still on the table. I'm just hesitant at the moment because I'm so confused.

What kind of entry level positions are there for someone with a BSME and an MBA? Isn't that mainly managerial type of work?

Technical marketing, technical sales, product management, program management for starters - there's plenty of opportunities for someone who is technical but well-rounded.