Value of SA education after 5-20 years in service?

[LineInTheSand]

You can fly a plane, drive a ship or sub, be a SEAL or a Marine with any major. The majority of limiting factors will come into play for follow on type assignments. Certain degrees will open doors like TPS, EDO route, certain acquisition related billets, teaching assignments, etc. Most of these are shore or B billet type of assignments. Some of them are follow on assignments to Masters programs. I have friends from every major at USNA who are succeeding at very high levels within the Navy and Marine Corps.

I also have friends succeeding with humanities degrees in engineering in the civilian sector. I also have friends who have engineering degrees who do nothing with engineering in their civilian careers. They common denominator is that they are are smart, motivated, driven individuals who had a door open for them and they were able to seize the opportunity and make it work. I was a history major at USNA and am in a Masters in Systems Engineering program. I have had no problems tackling the subject matter in the courses mostly because I do the work daily for a living now.

What Fleiger83 above mentions is what I have mostly run into. We like what you bring to the table, you are smart, you will figure the rest out.

+1 well said.

 

[SamAca10]

You can fly a plane, drive a ship or sub, be a SEAL or a Marine with any major. The majority of limiting factors will come into play for follow on type assignments. Certain degrees will open doors like TPS, EDO route, certain acquisition related billets, teaching assignments, etc. Most of these are shore or B billet type of assignments. Some of them are follow on assignments to Masters programs. I have friends from every major at USNA who are succeeding at very high levels within the Navy and Marine Corps.

I also have friends succeeding with humanities degrees in engineering in the civilian sector. I also have friends who have engineering degrees who do nothing with engineering in their civilian careers. They common denominator is that they are are smart, motivated, driven individuals who had a door open for them and they were able to seize the opportunity and make it work. I was a history major at USNA and am in a Masters in Systems Engineering program. I have had no problems tackling the subject matter in the courses mostly because I do the work daily for a living now.

What Fleiger83 above mentions is what I have mostly run into. We like what you bring to the table, you are smart, you will figure the rest out.

Out of curiosity are you able to be professionally licensed? We've always been told that one must receive a B.S. in engineering, take and pass the F.E., and then get a masters degree in engineering and then take the P.E.

And LITS is right. There is a difference between engineering and engineering-related job. I'd argue that the EOIT's on ships are more maintenance types than designers or analyzers (which is why I'll go DWO over EOIT any day if I go to a ship)

 

[NavyHoops]

Not sure. I don't need it for what I do so never explored it. And yes there is a million different levels of engineering. I work systems engineering. I do have some licensed PEs that work for me mostly in the Mech and Elec areas, some not. Some jobs require it, some don't. Civil engineering side from what I have seen seems to be much more heavy in the cerification side of things then what I do. The stuff you mention below, I suspect is very USCG centric language and I am not familiar with it.

 

[Packer]

Out of curiosity are you able to be professionally licensed? We've always been told that one must receive a B.S. in engineering, take and pass the F.E., and then get a masters degree in engineering and then take the P.E.

The PE is governed by each state so the requirements may vary some. As I recall, you can become licensed without a BS in engineering. I believe more experience was required before you become elgible to take the PE exam. I don't remember if the FE was required as part of this process. The most straightforward way is to get your BS in engineering, pass the FE get 4 years experience and then take the PE. I would recommend taking the PE as soon as you become elgible after school if you intend to ever take it.

 

[KPEngineer]

There is a point in someones career (assuming they are upwardly mobile) where they choose between a technical track and a management track. Someone who has not practiced their discipline for an extended period of time would likely find it diffuclt to keep up on the technical track. You could do it but you would have to accept the fact that your "peers" are going to be younger than you. Graduation from an SA and x number years of service would likely prepare you quite well for a management track career.

 

[KPEngineer]

The PE is governed by each state so the requirements may vary some. As I recall, you can become licensed without a BS in engineering. I believe more experience was required before you become elgible to take the PE exam. I don't remember if the FE was required as part of this process. The most straightforward way is to get your BS in engineering, pass the FE get 4 years experience and then take the PE. I would recommend taking the PE as soon as you become elgible after school if you intend to ever take it.

In some states you can take the FE as a senior in college. I've looked at multiple states and they typically require something like 15 years of engineering experience to be able to take the PE without the degree and 10 years with a BS but without the FE. I never saw any state that required an MS to take the PE.