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Many successful people, such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, did not finish university degrees. And they would probably not be that successful if they decided to finish their university degree. They did very difficult things that make you wonder if they are just geniuses or if engineering degrees are not worth it.
In General, Engineering degrees are still worth it in our day and age. Today, it is more required than decades ago. Engineers possess that unique systematic way of thinking that enables them to solve complex problems that make the world better.
Engineering is complicated, and the people who do that complex work need to be qualified. Some majors take years of practice until people can reach a level of professional competence. The world needs people like those, despite any argument of a university degree not being worth it.
Students go to university to learn how to think like engineers. Although they may not necessarily go in-depth, they get enough knowledge that puts them on the right path. What follows are years of experience in the field. For many engineers, it is the process of lifelong learning. The learning simply does not stop because there is always a new problem, new studies, and a new situation that forces engineers to think outside the box.
So you might say: all that is great, but it still does not fully answer the question, or you might feel that I am just biased. After all, the website is called the YOUNG HERO ENGINEER. Well, that is why we will take this argument and test it across several views. I will use examples of people who decided not to do their engineering degrees. And finally, I will provide a conclusion against this argument.
Is an engineering degree worth it from a student loan debt view?
University degrees are not cheap, and they can be a burden for many people for years to come. Many students borrow loans to do their degrees that cover tuition fees and other fees. Those loans come with interest. Students spend, on average, 3-5 years at school and 1-3 years after graduation to settle in a job that can earn them money to repay those loans.
In some countries, student loans can be extremely high. On average, people in the US borrow around $36,000 in student loans, which they spend paying back years after graduation plus the interest. In Australia, for example, student loans are not subject to interest but indexed to inflation, which means the loan amount will rise in the future as the cost of living increases. This takes a toll on students because most of those loans are paid back decades after graduation, which go up in value and are added to the future loans that people get.
On the other hand, student loans are not the only thing students need to worry about. There is a cost of living while studying. Many countries allow students to borrow loans to cover the cost of living, while others live on government allowance, and others might just have to work while studying to cover their expenses.
If we factor the financial view against the worth of doing this degree, we can see that it makes sense to consider the financial side. You spend a few years studying for this degree, but you spend decades paying back what you own. It does work in favour of the bank and student programs, but it makes sense to consider not doing an engineering degree because of the financial burden. We need to know if your future job can cover the cost of living and pay back those loans, as explained in the salary view.
Is an engineering degree worth it from a salary view?
In general, engineering jobs can assure a stable career with reasonable salaries and future growth. A stable life is possible for most engineering careers. You can most certainly pay your debt and live a comfortable life. On average, engineers can make between $80,000 and $90,000 annually, guaranteeing a reasonable living. Salaries can also go to the six-figure, which usually come after years of working in the industry.
We also need to consider the salary compared to other industries. You can find success outside engineering. People can make more than engineers and do not necessarily have to have a college degree. Therefore, working as an employee can provide you with all the basic needs and pay whatever debt you own. If you want to learn more, I wrote an article about if engineering can make you rich.
Is an engineering degree worth it from a technical view?
There is a traditional saying of engineering students: “Why am I learning all this? I do not think I will ever use this in a real job”, or “My friend who works as an engineer told me that most of what you learn at university you will never use in a real job”. This is both true and troublesome for many students. There is the fact that university teaches you many irrelevant and sometimes not-so-useful things for your future career, but why?
University takes a broad approach to teach you about an engineering major. Hypothetically, if you know exactly what major and what sort of career you want to do, you probably do not have to spend 4+ years at university. Instead, maybe spend a few months learning everything relevant to that job to be successful. But, if we examine the reason behind university board teaching, we can start to see some elements of a successful way of teaching.
University aims to give you a broad approach because it seeks to teach you the basics and build on your knowledge to prepare you for any future job you might encounter within your field. It does not teach you everything, but it gives you the tools and experience to expand your learning. For many engineering careers, the learning does not stop after graduation engineers spend years perfecting their skills to mastery.
Therefore, engineering degrees are worth it because they teach you to think and act like a future engineer. They shape the path of learning for you and provide you with enough support to pursue your passion. Surely they will not spoon-feed you the information, so there is a lot of self-study and hard work involved.
In general, the experience is worth it. Many people who change careers to different specialities within their engineering major already have some experience from their university they can rely on. There are other technical aspects and arguments that students usually discuss. These are some useful links for you to read more to help you to determine if engineering degrees are for you:
How Do You Know If Engineering Is Right For You?
Can You Get a Good Job With Bad Academic Results?
Is an engineering degree worth it from a study-length view?
The length of a degree is another factor we have to consider. On average, you spend between 3-5 years doing your degree. You can also spend that time starting a business or working in a job and gaining all the necessary experience to land a better job with a high salary. A university degree can keep you busy for a few years. During those years, it is hard to have a stable job or work on a business idea.
Although the above might be true, it is also true that the degree itself opens many career paths for you with a reasonable starting salary. Some jobs even only qualify for people who have a degree. Moreover, the degree you can do can provide you with the knowledge to start your own business. Therefore, this one depends on the individual.
It makes sense for those coming straight from high school to finish a university degree because they are still young to pursue other career paths, do a different degree, or even do something completely unrelated.
Doing a technical degree does have the benefit of providing a high level of technical knowledge that can enable you to do anything. This brings us to the final and most crucial view explained in the next section.
Is an engineering degree worth it from a business and entrepreneurial view?
Many people who have created huge successful companies were capable of great things. Yet, they have not finished their university degrees. People such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were brilliant and skilled people who changed the world as we know it, yet all they did was follow their passion and work hard on their dreams.
See this short video as Elon Musk explains how he was able to make Space X despite that he does not have a degree in aerospace engineering.
According to Musk, it only requires passion, reading some books, and asking people to achieve something. You can indeed be self-taught. Instead of wasting your time learning at university, you can just study by yourself. The answer to this question comes down to the abilities of the individuals as it is possible to achieve. Many people see Elon Musk as a genius, but all he did was work every day for 16 hours with no days off.
WORKING 16 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, 52 WEEKS IN A YEAR AND PEOPLE ARE STILL CALLING ME LUCKY
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is not lucky he is just a hard-working individual, which also seems true for any self-made entrepreneur.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, there is a compelling argument against engineering degrees if they are worth doing. We tested this argument against financial, salary, study length, difficulty, and an entrepreneurial view. Engineering is complicated, and it requires a lot of discipline to become one. People who go into the engineering field should not expect an easy job.
When I wanted to be an engineer, I did not have the skills or the knowledge to become one, so it made perfect sense to go to university. I firmly believe that if you have a passion for something, you should give 100% of your effort to it. Despite knowing the hardship, I decided to do a Civil Engineering degree because I wanted to be one. My passion has guided me as it is for many people who pursue a degree in engineering.
Doing an engineering degree can provide you with the skills to start your own business. In general, engineers makes great CEO because they know how to solve problems and manage people. People who go into engineering degrees for the sake of making money or having a stable career should be warned, as there are many other ways to make money or have a stable job found outside engineering. People who think this way should leave engineering to the more passionate people – no offence.
The world needs more engineers today than yesterday. There are challenges and risks associated with any field of engineering. Today, the world is in a better place thanks to the hard work of those people. Whether or not you want to do an engineering degree, if you have a passion for any field and work hard on yourself, you will surely succeed. You can read more on why we still need more engineers.
Finally, if you are asking this question because you do not see the value in your degree and get bored easily, you can read How To Not Get Bored While Studying And Enjoy Your Study.
