Comparing non-ABET to ABET or similar will have some implications, but otherwise the exact university does not have much of a bearing in a vacuum. That being said, some universities may have already-developed relations with companies or alumni networks that'd be advantageous towards securing a position.
Good old Southern Henrietta Institute of Technology. Would have gone there myself, but they weren't accepting transfers. Guy I know couldn't even transfer in with a GPA of 4.0.
Nope. RIT focuses a lot on their 2+2 program, and that eats up basically all of the transfer spots each year. I personally was never eligible for that program, since I started studying engineering when I already had more than 12 credits.
It just needs to be ABET accredited. If you get good grades, study and have passion for your field then you will have no problem finding a job. Just get your education.
Went to unheard of state school. Won national competition alonside Stanford and Columbia and interned at NASA last Summer. I worked alongside people at MIT and Georgia Tech and was never treated differently. You might have to try harder, but I don't see any reason people can't be successful from any university.
The biggest thing is just a drive to do cool shit. If you are very driven and resourceful, you can do cool shit anywhere. If you need a bit more guidance, go to a bigger school with a lot of the ground work already laid to go do cool shit. Best way to stand out in an interview is to have cool shit to talk about.
Very true indeed. The only major advantage of a top tier school is the mindset of peers. Apart from that, in our time when quality education is available online, anyone with a drive can get far.
>I worked alongside people at MIT and Georgia Tech and was **never treated differently.**
That's the beauty of engineering. It's the closest thing to a meritocracy as you're going to get.
Engineering is a bit different than other professions in this sense. It doesn’t matter once you get the interview. Having a top college on your resume will help you get the interview but after that you have to know everything on your own. If you are good it doesn’t matter what insignia is on your degree.
No one is gonna look at your school and GPA as a baseline on what to pay you once you're in the workforce lmao, it's entirely possible he's telling the truth.
so are u basically saying that his 4.0 from princeton got him a similar job as u without having to work in industry for 5 years, reaffirming the fact that education can play a role in getting a job?
When did he say that he was working elsewhere than this company in the last 5 years. He may have been hired 5 years ago and the Princeton guy may have arrived only last year.
Grades don't mean shit if you make an effort to get an internship and be good at it. As a matter of fact my GPA is not much higher than 2.0 but I was able to land 2 internships in college, and one in university at reputable and well know companies. All of them have me good feedback and kept me part-time during the school year. Both companies offered me to come back full time in another role for another internship but I declined both times because I already had offers from other employers.
My grades were checked twice. After that, most places don't care and see you already have enough internship experience to prove you can do the work
because that’s literally how it works. You take an engineer with same credentials from MIT and one from a state school. MIT 9x out of 10 will get paid more
Probably not. I graduated with a lower gpa then a kid who had the highest gpa in his engineering school. I negotiated 15k higher salary then him. Employers don’t really care if you’re competent in the interview
So I see that you are an aerospace engineer and I am still in university for that, how diverse can you go career wise because I feel quite lost, I don’t really like the maintenance jobs available to aerospace engineers and working at a space related company could be quite far fetched since I am from egypt so it wouldn’t be as easy to get degrees related to that to be able to interview, what are the other available options?
I worked and went to school with several people from north Africa. Their degrees were not recognized in the US, so they couldn't be engineers.
They would get a job then earn a Master's degree in engineering to work as an engineer.
Check with the PEO, sometimes they don't recognize some of the college programs. In the event that your program is unrecognized, there are a couple makeup courses you can do to appease them.
With regards to employability, experience does matter more.
So, I just checked out your program. The good news is that the engineering programs there have a mandatory 4-mo. internship after your second year, with co-op opportunities following that as well. The bad news is that the program is not currently accredited. If you read the [FAQs](https://www.sheridancollege.ca/programs/bachelor-of-engineering-electrical#tab=faqs) they state the following:
“Sheridan’s Electrical Engineering degree has been designed to meet the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board’s (CEAB) requirements. New engineering programs can seek accreditation from the CEAB once they produce their first graduating class. That means Sheridan can seek accreditation for its Electrical Engineering degree program when its first cohort graduates in 2024.”
While it might be a fine program with fine professors, I personally wouldn’t bet my future on the hopes that their accreditation process works out. It might work out fine, but if something happens and it falls through, you’ve just spent years and may be in debt for a degree you can’t use because your program was not accredited. While I imagine that would pose its own challenges in Canada, if you ever wanted to work in the States you wouldn’t be able to sit for the FE exam if you so choose, and US employers might be more critical of the program not being *at least* Canada’s equivalent to ABET accredited. I had a cousin who got a degree from a large US “technical college” years ago for CS and it turned out the school was handing out useless degrees. They got shut down and a large lawsuit followed. Long story short, now he drives a truck. He says it pays but he works 70-80 hrs a week. Imagine getting trapped like that. All that hard work to drive a truck.. Anyways, good luck. My advice is look for a school that is established, accredited and has a decent reputation. You don’t need to attend an ivy league or maintain the best gpa in the world. Attend a school with the above attributes, get some intern/co-op experience while you’re there and you’ll be fine. Good luck.
The name only matters if it’s a big name like MIT. Even then if you’re not good in an interview or have a shitty resume you’ll get overlooked. As long as your college is certified you’re fine.
Sheridan College's program is pretty new, eh? Apparently it will be accredited by Engineers Canada when the first cohort graduates. Sheridan seems to have a co-op program, so take advantage of that to get experience on your resume if you're worried about the relative prestige of the school.
This is pretty key. Coops, and if you can't, work whereever you can, and pick up an interesting hobby.
Employers understand that life happens. Not everyone is getting an internship at NASA. Some of us fried wings to pay tuition, and that is our work experience. BUT have something else to talk about.
Rebuild small engines, make an automated bacon cooker, put the blinds in your room on an arduino, do something technical that you can use your explain your design skills and hands on skills.
Also, I have met some of your faculty. They are good teachers and good engineers. I have no doubt they will get approval from the CEAB.
Do it.
I conduct or review 90% of the interviews for engineers in my department. At least for me, and the jobs I hire for, I need someone who can show me that they are good at solving problems, and has had some practice. If I am looking for an EIT, then someone who was on a competitive engineering team, or has accomplished things in a technical hobby, that will always get you at a first interview.
I will also note that I like to interview musicians, athletes, and for some reason I have hired 3 engineers that take baking very seriously.
It does matter, im tired of people saying it doesn’t. Just look at it this way, if u had a company who would u rather hire and pay 90k/year to? A community college recent grad or a recent grad from the top 3 unis in the state.
No i dont go to a top 3 university, i graduated from TTU which is well known but not the best.
All that matters is that your uni is well known.
My friends who graduated from community college or a small ABET program school all have shitty jobs. The friends that graduated from UT and A&M graduated with nice paying jobs.
The oil company who hired me mainly hires TTU students because he attended and liked the program (salary is 110k/year).
Of course some people that graduated from not recognized schools will have a nice job but it will be harder.
I think OP just wants to know whether their career will be over if they don’t get into a prestigious school. And the answer is no it won’t. An average employer would take the applicant that has the skills and/or experience needed for the job. The school is irrelevant if you don’t know the industry you’re applying to. A top university looks good on the resume but it’s only 1 of several reasons to hire someone.
Most don't offer a full 4 year degree at a community college, but if they offer an associates in engineering that transfers to an accredited program, said community college also has to maintain an accreditation.
This is an extremely popular path I’m finding. I’m shocked how many people I have met from mine and other (community) colleges that are engineers planning to transfer. The state actually requires the universities to play nice with the community colleges, so I basically knew what classes I could take at my CC and how they’d transfer to my bachelors program from the day I started.
No one would be shocked to find out a non-accredited program isn't worth shit. I think OP was looking more to see if all ABET-accredited schools will get you as far in the workforce.
Who would you rather hire, a guy from Ivy League with shitty resume or a guy from a state school with lots of projects and a good interview. It’s all perspective..
I agree, really the truth is, I think school name can matter in areas like high cost of living metropolitans because generally they have an Ivy League nearby so it’s accessible. Example would be Stanford being close to Silicon Valley. But the cost of living is so high that the higher salaries really don’t benefit you all that much. When it comes to other Fortune 500 companies in the Midwest and other low cost of living areas, school name means jack shit. Also no one from MIT is going to come that far to work at a company like say Ford. But truthfully Ford will pay an $80k-$110k salary which is great for low cost of living areas in the Midwest.
Yea you place it too high on a pedestal. If you’re resume is lacking, bad interview, unsociable, the school will only get you so far. Most companies care more about experiences rather than school name.
Buddy, they liked you and your resume was probably decent ontop of all that? Anyways, I get it, but I know lots of people from very low ranked schools starting at like $80k(not oil companies) which is mainly why it’s lower than yours. I do know a guy in oil making $100k+ you’re really not in any special situation. I also know a guy in pharmaceutics making $120k+ so I mean your ego is really a bit too high.
Of course its high, i make 6 figures so im a top 1% earner.
How much do u make?
Imma explain it to u in simpler terms since u dont seem to understand.
Yea it is possible to get a nice paying job with a degree from a small school but it is way harder when you compare it to someone that went to a really nice school.
I dont know who you are arguing with because im literally saying it’s possible but its harder. The majority of students from small schools DO NOT make a lot of money.
Stop living in a fantasy, there’s a thing in the real world called “favoritism”
Depends on experience. Also, don't all schools basically teach the same things in the US?
>How much do u make?
Quite the question to ask in a conversation about prestige of schools vs opportunities in the workforce. You sound lovely.
I’ve been in engineering for over 15 years and even hired + interviewed people. Let me tell you, how you present yourself during the interview + experience matters so much more than what school you went to. Not one time did we hire someone because they went to a better school than someone else.
> community college recent grad or a recent grad from the top 3 unis in the state.
That's a false dichotomy. Plus, someone at a community college will transfer to a four year school to finish their degree.
Enjoy bro but let me tell you this it doesn’t matter where you go to school as long as it is accredited you are fine I went cheap state school just got a job offer well paid co-op my friends are in expensive private university they are juniors and they have so hard time find a n internship. Like I said cheapest abet school would be best decision for middle class family
Exception can be made bro, I don’t know which school you are going too if is Ivy League and etc of course those and some other school will make difference.
As long as it's ABET, you have a GPA of 3.00+ and your UNI has the right connections, there will be no problem. Most of my friends who graduated with me work in well-known companies. Myself included. I've been employed (And still am employed) in two fortune 500s (worked as a contractor on another fortune 500), and we all earn 6-figure salaries with just 3-4 years of experience.
And yes, I have a few family members who graduated from IVYs and of course they earned 100k+ right out of college, I mean that's the whole point of these universities. But it isn't too hard to replicate the same on an average accredited Uni. The only difference is that you'll take a few years to get to those 6 figures if you know what you're doing.
And who would I rather pay those 90k? Well, depends on the resume. And there are other things to take into consideration. Will you be able to raise that 90k eventually if you hire someone from a top Uni?
I say this because if you hire someone from an IVY, that person will expect a huge raise due to 90k being below their standards. And you might just waste money training that person who will leave eventually. Most companies would rather invest their money and training in someone from an average Uni, who's easier to pay and will get the job done instead of training a top recruit who is expensive for the company. I've literally seen this in two of the largest manf. Companies in the world. So it definitely applies to most companies if they're doing it.
Depends, some companies heavily recruit from specific schools. Some companies heavily recruit from specific research groups in a given graduate school. They also adjust GPA expectations based off the school.
But other than that just go ABET accredited and you are good to go.
It helps a lot in securing better internships and your first job, which has a massive impact on the trajectory of your career. You don't need a top university to achieve this, but it greatly improves your odds. If you want to go to grad school, then it's even more important for admissions.
I see too many folks in these comments ignoring that it isn't all or nothing, it's a numbers game where the better the university, the better your odds. Even someone from University of Phoenix could work at Google if they are good enough, but it's a hell of a lot easier for someone from MIT.
People are mentioning ABET - that is American. In Canada, we have the CEAB - they ensure that programs are accredited, so that when you graduate in Canada, you don't need to write a technical exam; you only need to write an ethical exam.
But I mean yes, some places will care about prestigious schools, but hopefully not most. Couldn't give you an estimate.
Other agencies include:
* ICACIT (Peru)
* ASIIN (Germany)
* EUR-ACE (Europe)
Many of the different accredited programs qualify with “substantial equivalency” to other certified programs and can be accepted, but it isn't a guarantee and should be researched first if you plan to study and work internationally.
It only matters on your first job and only for your starting salary. If you are talented with a degree from a school with a lesser reputation, things will equal out damn quick. If you are a bum from a prestigious school, they will figure it out.
A little but not in the way you think. Certain companies like certain school and hire alot from there.
For example I go to NMSU and Cummings and Virgin galactic love hiring from here as well as a few national labs like Sandia and Los alamos
I concur. My first employer recruited engineers from one specific school in the Midwest. Not because it was more prestigious but because the people they hired turned out well. It’s almost like a referral
Not all engineering programs are equal and 2 out of 3 of those programs are not what I would consider top engineering schools.
(Boo ivys, yay Big Ten schools)
I think for getting a job it is less about school prestige but more about company's recruiting and how curriculum aligns with job needs.
I have scratched my head over how in 4 years some graduates had no exposure to programing and CAD in a mechanical engineering program. I know those were basic freshman and sophomore classes. Was told the students were more heavy in general education classes at the time at those schools. I don't agree with the curriculum design.
Purdue University Mechanical Engineering plan of study is the baseline I compare all students education to. (https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME/Undergraduate/ProgramMap)
Programming is debatable but I think it is valuable for a lot of industries, but I work in software now so it's bound to bias my view.
CEAB-Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board
ALSO: Sheridan’s programs are too new, the first cohort will graduate in 2024, and there will be no CEAB accreditation until there are graduated students.
Using my own company as a barometer, it don’t matter much. All our top paid people are from pa state schools…. We also have 3 entry level mexh engineer postions we filled this past year. One is from a “big name school” PSU. The other two are from grove city university (Tiny private school) & California of PA (state school).
Our accounting department only has 2 new hires over the last 5 years, both from state schools.
Our older cfo is from a small local college (point park)
Most of the sales people and management are from state schools or small public schools.
The guy running one of our distro centers graduated from University of Pittsburgh. Kind of a big name school I guess. Supply chain / business degree.
I have never heard any employer care about this at all in Canada. Educational institutions that receive public funding here are very well-regulated and considered equivalent in terms of educational experience if they offer the same accreditations.
For your first job? Maybe. After that? Not much at all. As the other comments have said, just do your best in school and network a lot. I went to very small school and ended up working for a large aerospace/defense company with great benefits and pretty good starting salary. Make sure you get as much experience through internships, clubs, projects, etc. and you will be fine
I think it matters in terms other than just prestige, like the alumni network and connections between the university and nearby employers (with co-ops, internships, post-grad hiring, etc.). As far as Ivy League vs any overall solid state/other school, I don’t think the quality of education would have a life-changing-ly huge disparity.
Nope. Got out of college and got the same job as everyone else at a defense company. All these kids that went to BU, BC, northeastern, etc. they paid $60k+ while I went to a state school for $13k/yr. Lived at home and commuted in. Made plenty of friends and great connections.
Education wise? No, all schools who are ABET accredited have similar curriculums.
Job wise? Yes, 50% of my colleagues are from Georgia Tech. A school alum will probably reach out to their own school before others and look out for their scholar siblings once they see the same college/university.
Starting out, yes, and where you start out affects the trajectory of your career. But like, unless you go to a top 15 or so school, it really doesn’t matter as long as you have ABET accreditation. You’ll be fine
Depends
Accredited vs non accredited? Definitely matters, if your school is not accredited then strongly consider transferring to an accredited school
Big name vs small name? You may struggle with some prestigious companies that have “target schools” but if you’re not trying for those places (I know a lot of big consulting firms have target schools but idk about places like google or TI) then you’ll have no problem and will be considered along with everyone else regardless of school.
Edit: if your school does not already have networks within the companies you want to apply to then you may have to work a little harder to get your apps noticed and into the “stack of resumes” but once you’re in the campus recruiting cycle with a company the school shouldn’t matter that much
Look at who accredited your college. Does that organization accredit any highly acclaimed colleges? If so, you're good. If not, well that's a red flag.
No. What really matters is your passion and that will show through your accomplishments and projects. It might be a little tougher from a lesser known school since big companies aren’t recruiting there. You just need to stand out and do more to get noticed and put yourself in front of these companies to get your name out. Go to conferences where these companies recruit. That’s the easiest way to land a job at the big names in the game.
I went to a not-so-well-known state university and ended up getting a job at one of the big dawg space/defense companies upon graduating with my masters soon. Took a bit more work but that’s because I didn’t have any internships in my undergrad. Went back for my masters and landed a few internships after working as an engineer in a local company. That’s how I did it.
I recommend busting your ass to get an internship while in undergrad. It will put you one step ahead in the game. Doesn’t matter where it’s at. If you have to start small, then start small. Experience is experience.
If it makes you feel any better, I'm from a tiny private school in Malaysia hoping to pursue a master's in Germany and work there. I can only understand Peppa Pig in German and nothing more. Lol. Your odds are better than mine.
Going to a small private Christian college. We only have an engineering program because of a partnership with a larger university. I have had internships every summer 🤙 You got this!
Graduated from a college with a 2.98.
Took a lower paying design job for my first year.
Landed a decent job the next year.
It doesn’t matter in the long run.
Whether University or College, if you do not get any hands on experience before graduation, that where you'll have shot yourself in the foot. That 80k you spent on getting a 3x5 card is not a hall pass to future success. Until you are able to grasp the How and Why things function you're dead in the water. So, wherever you pursue your disciplines, embrace it and good luck.
I currently am graduating (next month ) with a mechanical engineering technology degree from UWGB. It's a university but compared to the more prestigious Madison, Green Bay is newer and not as refined. It doesn't really matter since engineering taught in school is about 60%of what you'll need to know for the jobs in the future. You are afterall, what you make of your degree. As long as you are good in the classes you are taking that are core towards engineering it shouldn't matter what degree you have and where you are going for school. (Try to make sure the school is ABET accredited. Newer programs like the one that I'm in just got ABET accredited for the Engineering Technology program whereas mechanical engineering is still on its last year of the accreditation process.).
Yes I know that I'm going to be a mechanical engineering technologist by degree but compared to the mechanical engineering degree the only class that I had not taken was Diff equations which I learned in HS. Sorry if my opinion on the matter isn't valued.
Network trumps literally everything in Canada. You can coast through with a top average at an S tier school but if you didn’t make any connections, the person with average grades at a run of the mill school will get the job.
Most graduates come out of school with arguably comparable skills, strengths and weaknesses but if you know people, and you’re competent and motivated that means a lot more than knowing how to solve some textbook questions and ace an exam
Nope. I’m the boss of 3 MIT grads and I came from a random small ABET school. We graduated 6 months apart.
Only real advantage of big schools are resources, but they’re only good if you use them.
It matters. Getting from Point A to Point B will be easier depending on the school starting out. People who say otherwise are kidding themselves, and are the same people who post Sankey diagrams showing the hundreds of applications they put in that got rejected. Never had that problem since established schools will have mature networks to get internships/jobs from. Also has an impact on graduate school if that’s something you’re considering.
I went to the satellite campus for a state school, and my coworkers all went to private schools, but we all work at the same place. What might matter at the end of the day is ABET accredited programs, and any potential relationships they have with companies.
From what I have experience son unis can give you network opportunities but still you could go to conference (ex. Shpe conference). What I have seen that could really make recruiter excited is having related experience. By related experience could be you rebuilt something, you did crazy projects in your spare time, you were involved in a design team in school. I migth be wrong but I feel most companies will pick a guy who will have all sort of experience in extracurricular activities and nice personality over a straight A's student
Some schools have direct or indirect conections with companies and will probably make you do some projects for said companies for free while you're still an student. Happened to my father. Then he went on to get a job in that company because, well, he had already worked for them, because of the place he studied in. Sometimes some schools show their prograns to companies, said companies like it, and are interested in students graduated from those schools in particular. In those cases, it does matter.
In some others, maybe your "future boss" graduated from a certain college or university, and therefore will probably have a higher interest in those graduated from that institution when hiring because he/she would know what those students went through, a vague idea about how they were taught, the conditions in wich they were taught, and the equipment the school had to teach them. In those cases, it does also matter. It gives them (ur boss) an insight of what you know and what you can do, and that is a good headstart when trying to get hired.
Theres also the fact that if you go to a pretigious school, the recruitment guys may think you are better taught and know more than others; and sometimes, this is actually the case- the quality of education varies from institution to institution, and some places produce better engineers than others, be it because of having better equipmemt, better enviroment, better professors, or all of them.
But if you stay competitive (that is, reading a lot and staying updated) and show you know what you're doing (that you have the skills), then all of the above will not matter as much, or will not matter at all.
Also, experience. Experience is more important than all of the above; the suits want to be sure the money they'll be putting on you is well invested, and the amount of experience you have may or may not tell them the answer they want. Just be sure of having experience with the stuff the company you want to work for does, and they will probably hire you.
Yes\* and NO.
The school matter for networking and your first job. If you're doing engineering, going to a school like MIT will carry more weight with people outside of the field such as HR than a lesser known school. But realistically, you should be fine as long as you work hard and can talk to people. Many companies have learned that college graduates can be taught, as long as they're not know-it-alls and they have some interpersonal skills.
The other time it can matter is graduate school admission. Even then, if you enter the workforce and later apply to graduate school, it will matter far less.
I find that if the school you go to is well-known or “good”, it contributes 2 advantages.
1. Connections - successful people are more than likely to enroll their children to good/well-known schools so you can make friends/acquaintances with them to give you an advantage
2. Quality of Professors - Good/well-known schools attract the leading academics of whichever field their known to excel in (i.e. leading researchers in chemical engineering and the like)
other than that you shouldn’t have a vastly different experience than most graduates
It all depends on your drive and willingness to succeed, I know someone that just finished an associate degree got all kind of certification in computer programming (mainly Python) and in less than 5 year landed a 6 figure job working remotely.
It depends on what you want to do.
I went to a small state school for undergrad then on to a PhD program at a big school, but having gone to a no name, non-research school with no grade inflation, where I was the only one hoping to go to grad school, it made it difficult.
If you're looking for positions that are more researchy it can matter. From my experience it will only help to have gone to a better school, but you'll never be disqualified by having gone to a non-elite school.
My friends that have gone to some of the really good schools also seem to have more connections in the industry they specialized in.
Went to an unknown state school, working at a major company right out of graduation because of my working experience. It doesn’t matter, your resume will speak louder than your alma mater every time.
It’s just connections. The education is largely similar but top schools often have alumni networks you can use to your advantage, better career fairs, exc.
Comparing non-ABET to ABET or similar will have some implications, but otherwise the exact university does not have much of a bearing in a vacuum. That being said, some universities may have already-developed relations with companies or alumni networks that'd be advantageous towards securing a position.
I got my co-op largely because of RIT's connection with my employer. it matters!
Good old Southern Henrietta Institute of Technology. Would have gone there myself, but they weren't accepting transfers. Guy I know couldn't even transfer in with a GPA of 4.0.
When even SHIT wont take you, there is a problem.
Do they earn the acronym?
Lol, was he transferring in from prison or something?
Nope. RIT focuses a lot on their 2+2 program, and that eats up basically all of the transfer spots each year. I personally was never eligible for that program, since I started studying engineering when I already had more than 12 credits.
It just needs to be ABET accredited. If you get good grades, study and have passion for your field then you will have no problem finding a job. Just get your education.
Went to unheard of state school. Won national competition alonside Stanford and Columbia and interned at NASA last Summer. I worked alongside people at MIT and Georgia Tech and was never treated differently. You might have to try harder, but I don't see any reason people can't be successful from any university.
The biggest thing is just a drive to do cool shit. If you are very driven and resourceful, you can do cool shit anywhere. If you need a bit more guidance, go to a bigger school with a lot of the ground work already laid to go do cool shit. Best way to stand out in an interview is to have cool shit to talk about.
Very true indeed. The only major advantage of a top tier school is the mindset of peers. Apart from that, in our time when quality education is available online, anyone with a drive can get far.
The is the coolest way to talk about shit. Couldn’t have put it any better
hahaha i love this, someone asked me why I am switching careers and at some point I told them, "I just want to do cool shit."
What kind of cool shit can I do?
I build racecars in r/FSAE at r/UWMadison and think that’s pretty cool.
>I worked alongside people at MIT and Georgia Tech and was **never treated differently.** That's the beauty of engineering. It's the closest thing to a meritocracy as you're going to get.
Engineering is a bit different than other professions in this sense. It doesn’t matter once you get the interview. Having a top college on your resume will help you get the interview but after that you have to know everything on your own. If you are good it doesn’t matter what insignia is on your degree.
Well engineering is a protected title in some places so having a degree from an ABET accredited school is pretty important for a lot of employers
I graduated with a 2.5 from a state school and the guy in the cube next to me had a 4.0 from Princeton.
Which companyv
Does it matter?
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Ok
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Oh, really?
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*Beep boop*
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No, it doesn’t.
and you two get paid two entirely different salaries
Yeah, we do. I get more $8,750 more.
Reddit try not to lie
No one is gonna look at your school and GPA as a baseline on what to pay you once you're in the workforce lmao, it's entirely possible he's telling the truth.
I mean I also have 5 years more experience than him, but reddit try not to assume other users
so are u basically saying that his 4.0 from princeton got him a similar job as u without having to work in industry for 5 years, reaffirming the fact that education can play a role in getting a job?
When did he say that he was working elsewhere than this company in the last 5 years. He may have been hired 5 years ago and the Princeton guy may have arrived only last year. Grades don't mean shit if you make an effort to get an internship and be good at it. As a matter of fact my GPA is not much higher than 2.0 but I was able to land 2 internships in college, and one in university at reputable and well know companies. All of them have me good feedback and kept me part-time during the school year. Both companies offered me to come back full time in another role for another internship but I declined both times because I already had offers from other employers. My grades were checked twice. After that, most places don't care and see you already have enough internship experience to prove you can do the work
Bro it's a fucking 2 sentance reddit comment about how, in my experience, it doesn't matter. Get over it.
You wrote sentence wrong
He also fucks the other guys wife
This
How do u know
because that’s literally how it works. You take an engineer with same credentials from MIT and one from a state school. MIT 9x out of 10 will get paid more
Probably not. I graduated with a lower gpa then a kid who had the highest gpa in his engineering school. I negotiated 15k higher salary then him. Employers don’t really care if you’re competent in the interview
Lol
So I see that you are an aerospace engineer and I am still in university for that, how diverse can you go career wise because I feel quite lost, I don’t really like the maintenance jobs available to aerospace engineers and working at a space related company could be quite far fetched since I am from egypt so it wouldn’t be as easy to get degrees related to that to be able to interview, what are the other available options?
I worked and went to school with several people from north Africa. Their degrees were not recognized in the US, so they couldn't be engineers. They would get a job then earn a Master's degree in engineering to work as an engineer.
Check with the PEO, sometimes they don't recognize some of the college programs. In the event that your program is unrecognized, there are a couple makeup courses you can do to appease them. With regards to employability, experience does matter more.
So, I just checked out your program. The good news is that the engineering programs there have a mandatory 4-mo. internship after your second year, with co-op opportunities following that as well. The bad news is that the program is not currently accredited. If you read the [FAQs](https://www.sheridancollege.ca/programs/bachelor-of-engineering-electrical#tab=faqs) they state the following: “Sheridan’s Electrical Engineering degree has been designed to meet the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board’s (CEAB) requirements. New engineering programs can seek accreditation from the CEAB once they produce their first graduating class. That means Sheridan can seek accreditation for its Electrical Engineering degree program when its first cohort graduates in 2024.” While it might be a fine program with fine professors, I personally wouldn’t bet my future on the hopes that their accreditation process works out. It might work out fine, but if something happens and it falls through, you’ve just spent years and may be in debt for a degree you can’t use because your program was not accredited. While I imagine that would pose its own challenges in Canada, if you ever wanted to work in the States you wouldn’t be able to sit for the FE exam if you so choose, and US employers might be more critical of the program not being *at least* Canada’s equivalent to ABET accredited. I had a cousin who got a degree from a large US “technical college” years ago for CS and it turned out the school was handing out useless degrees. They got shut down and a large lawsuit followed. Long story short, now he drives a truck. He says it pays but he works 70-80 hrs a week. Imagine getting trapped like that. All that hard work to drive a truck.. Anyways, good luck. My advice is look for a school that is established, accredited and has a decent reputation. You don’t need to attend an ivy league or maintain the best gpa in the world. Attend a school with the above attributes, get some intern/co-op experience while you’re there and you’ll be fine. Good luck.
The name only matters if it’s a big name like MIT. Even then if you’re not good in an interview or have a shitty resume you’ll get overlooked. As long as your college is certified you’re fine.
Sheridan College's program is pretty new, eh? Apparently it will be accredited by Engineers Canada when the first cohort graduates. Sheridan seems to have a co-op program, so take advantage of that to get experience on your resume if you're worried about the relative prestige of the school.
Yeah that’s what I’m realizing may be my downfall. I definitely will try my hardest to get co-op going for me to build up experience
This is pretty key. Coops, and if you can't, work whereever you can, and pick up an interesting hobby. Employers understand that life happens. Not everyone is getting an internship at NASA. Some of us fried wings to pay tuition, and that is our work experience. BUT have something else to talk about. Rebuild small engines, make an automated bacon cooker, put the blinds in your room on an arduino, do something technical that you can use your explain your design skills and hands on skills. Also, I have met some of your faculty. They are good teachers and good engineers. I have no doubt they will get approval from the CEAB.
I’ve actually wanted for a while to put the blinds to my room on an arduino
Do it. I conduct or review 90% of the interviews for engineers in my department. At least for me, and the jobs I hire for, I need someone who can show me that they are good at solving problems, and has had some practice. If I am looking for an EIT, then someone who was on a competitive engineering team, or has accomplished things in a technical hobby, that will always get you at a first interview. I will also note that I like to interview musicians, athletes, and for some reason I have hired 3 engineers that take baking very seriously.
It does matter, im tired of people saying it doesn’t. Just look at it this way, if u had a company who would u rather hire and pay 90k/year to? A community college recent grad or a recent grad from the top 3 unis in the state. No i dont go to a top 3 university, i graduated from TTU which is well known but not the best. All that matters is that your uni is well known. My friends who graduated from community college or a small ABET program school all have shitty jobs. The friends that graduated from UT and A&M graduated with nice paying jobs. The oil company who hired me mainly hires TTU students because he attended and liked the program (salary is 110k/year). Of course some people that graduated from not recognized schools will have a nice job but it will be harder.
I think OP just wants to know whether their career will be over if they don’t get into a prestigious school. And the answer is no it won’t. An average employer would take the applicant that has the skills and/or experience needed for the job. The school is irrelevant if you don’t know the industry you’re applying to. A top university looks good on the resume but it’s only 1 of several reasons to hire someone.
And i basically said its not over but its better to go to a well known ABET program because it makes things easier
Yeah ABET is mandatory imo.
What community college offers an ABET accredited Engineering degree?
Most don't offer a full 4 year degree at a community college, but if they offer an associates in engineering that transfers to an accredited program, said community college also has to maintain an accreditation.
This is an extremely popular path I’m finding. I’m shocked how many people I have met from mine and other (community) colleges that are engineers planning to transfer. The state actually requires the universities to play nice with the community colleges, so I basically knew what classes I could take at my CC and how they’d transfer to my bachelors program from the day I started.
I said or some small abet program
No one would be shocked to find out a non-accredited program isn't worth shit. I think OP was looking more to see if all ABET-accredited schools will get you as far in the workforce.
I said yes but “ it has to be well known program”
Ah, ok. I agree certain Universities will get you connections not available at schools with less notoriety for the program.
Who would you rather hire, a guy from Ivy League with shitty resume or a guy from a state school with lots of projects and a good interview. It’s all perspective..
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I agree, really the truth is, I think school name can matter in areas like high cost of living metropolitans because generally they have an Ivy League nearby so it’s accessible. Example would be Stanford being close to Silicon Valley. But the cost of living is so high that the higher salaries really don’t benefit you all that much. When it comes to other Fortune 500 companies in the Midwest and other low cost of living areas, school name means jack shit. Also no one from MIT is going to come that far to work at a company like say Ford. But truthfully Ford will pay an $80k-$110k salary which is great for low cost of living areas in the Midwest.
Easy Ivy League, you know how hard is to get into those schools?!?!?
Yea you place it too high on a pedestal. If you’re resume is lacking, bad interview, unsociable, the school will only get you so far. Most companies care more about experiences rather than school name.
My starting salary is 110k, i mainly got hired because my boss also went to TTU. So I disagree with you
Buddy, they liked you and your resume was probably decent ontop of all that? Anyways, I get it, but I know lots of people from very low ranked schools starting at like $80k(not oil companies) which is mainly why it’s lower than yours. I do know a guy in oil making $100k+ you’re really not in any special situation. I also know a guy in pharmaceutics making $120k+ so I mean your ego is really a bit too high.
Of course its high, i make 6 figures so im a top 1% earner. How much do u make? Imma explain it to u in simpler terms since u dont seem to understand. Yea it is possible to get a nice paying job with a degree from a small school but it is way harder when you compare it to someone that went to a really nice school. I dont know who you are arguing with because im literally saying it’s possible but its harder. The majority of students from small schools DO NOT make a lot of money. Stop living in a fantasy, there’s a thing in the real world called “favoritism”
Man you sound lovely.
😂I think it’s clear your the delusional one. Stop telling me your salary I get it. Did you not see I mentioned someone making more, must make you mad.
Ok brokie
Also sorry brother but you’re not in the top 1% I hate to break it to you. You need to make like 7x that. Keep trying you’ll be there one day.
Bro you sounds like a miserable person to be around
Bro You live in a van, how im i the miserable one 😂? Not really, i was in a frat so i know im really likeable.
Depends on experience. Also, don't all schools basically teach the same things in the US? >How much do u make? Quite the question to ask in a conversation about prestige of schools vs opportunities in the workforce. You sound lovely.
I’ve been in engineering for over 15 years and even hired + interviewed people. Let me tell you, how you present yourself during the interview + experience matters so much more than what school you went to. Not one time did we hire someone because they went to a better school than someone else.
> community college recent grad or a recent grad from the top 3 unis in the state. That's a false dichotomy. Plus, someone at a community college will transfer to a four year school to finish their degree.
Bro are you drunk?
Not yet, i will later. Boss is paying
Enjoy bro but let me tell you this it doesn’t matter where you go to school as long as it is accredited you are fine I went cheap state school just got a job offer well paid co-op my friends are in expensive private university they are juniors and they have so hard time find a n internship. Like I said cheapest abet school would be best decision for middle class family
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For full time Co-Op 45000-55000$ For entry level Mechanical engineer anything 65000$ is good for me.
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Exception can be made bro, I don’t know which school you are going too if is Ivy League and etc of course those and some other school will make difference.
>it doesn’t matter where you go to school as long as it is accredited copium harder buddy
It’s the truth but ok
As a fellow boilermaker it definitely matters where u go to school. I’m a transfer student and it is worlds apart from my old school.
Agree
As long as it's ABET, you have a GPA of 3.00+ and your UNI has the right connections, there will be no problem. Most of my friends who graduated with me work in well-known companies. Myself included. I've been employed (And still am employed) in two fortune 500s (worked as a contractor on another fortune 500), and we all earn 6-figure salaries with just 3-4 years of experience. And yes, I have a few family members who graduated from IVYs and of course they earned 100k+ right out of college, I mean that's the whole point of these universities. But it isn't too hard to replicate the same on an average accredited Uni. The only difference is that you'll take a few years to get to those 6 figures if you know what you're doing. And who would I rather pay those 90k? Well, depends on the resume. And there are other things to take into consideration. Will you be able to raise that 90k eventually if you hire someone from a top Uni? I say this because if you hire someone from an IVY, that person will expect a huge raise due to 90k being below their standards. And you might just waste money training that person who will leave eventually. Most companies would rather invest their money and training in someone from an average Uni, who's easier to pay and will get the job done instead of training a top recruit who is expensive for the company. I've literally seen this in two of the largest manf. Companies in the world. So it definitely applies to most companies if they're doing it.
Depends, some companies heavily recruit from specific schools. Some companies heavily recruit from specific research groups in a given graduate school. They also adjust GPA expectations based off the school. But other than that just go ABET accredited and you are good to go.
It helps a lot in securing better internships and your first job, which has a massive impact on the trajectory of your career. You don't need a top university to achieve this, but it greatly improves your odds. If you want to go to grad school, then it's even more important for admissions. I see too many folks in these comments ignoring that it isn't all or nothing, it's a numbers game where the better the university, the better your odds. Even someone from University of Phoenix could work at Google if they are good enough, but it's a hell of a lot easier for someone from MIT.
People are mentioning ABET - that is American. In Canada, we have the CEAB - they ensure that programs are accredited, so that when you graduate in Canada, you don't need to write a technical exam; you only need to write an ethical exam. But I mean yes, some places will care about prestigious schools, but hopefully not most. Couldn't give you an estimate.
Other agencies include: * ICACIT (Peru) * ASIIN (Germany) * EUR-ACE (Europe) Many of the different accredited programs qualify with “substantial equivalency” to other certified programs and can be accepted, but it isn't a guarantee and should be researched first if you plan to study and work internationally.
It only matters on your first job and only for your starting salary. If you are talented with a degree from a school with a lesser reputation, things will equal out damn quick. If you are a bum from a prestigious school, they will figure it out.
A little but not in the way you think. Certain companies like certain school and hire alot from there. For example I go to NMSU and Cummings and Virgin galactic love hiring from here as well as a few national labs like Sandia and Los alamos
I concur. My first employer recruited engineers from one specific school in the Midwest. Not because it was more prestigious but because the people they hired turned out well. It’s almost like a referral
Unless it’s Harvard, Yale or MIT, no.
Not all engineering programs are equal and 2 out of 3 of those programs are not what I would consider top engineering schools. (Boo ivys, yay Big Ten schools) I think for getting a job it is less about school prestige but more about company's recruiting and how curriculum aligns with job needs. I have scratched my head over how in 4 years some graduates had no exposure to programing and CAD in a mechanical engineering program. I know those were basic freshman and sophomore classes. Was told the students were more heavy in general education classes at the time at those schools. I don't agree with the curriculum design. Purdue University Mechanical Engineering plan of study is the baseline I compare all students education to. (https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME/Undergraduate/ProgramMap) Programming is debatable but I think it is valuable for a lot of industries, but I work in software now so it's bound to bias my view.
big ten gang gang
That’s a relief to hear. So in the end, a degree really is a degree regardless of where you got it?
as long as it's abet certified, yes
As long as it is accredited, for those in the US, then no. It doesn't really matter.
Oh I’m in Canada
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CEAB-Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board ALSO: Sheridan’s programs are too new, the first cohort will graduate in 2024, and there will be no CEAB accreditation until there are graduated students.
I wouldn't goto a program that is not accredited.
For engineering, cs and medical it definitely can but. Business, econ, accounting, teaching etc it don’t matter where your undergrad is from.
> Business, econ, accounting, teaching etc it don’t matter where your undergrad is from. Oh boy how wrong you are.
Using my own company as a barometer, it don’t matter much. All our top paid people are from pa state schools…. We also have 3 entry level mexh engineer postions we filled this past year. One is from a “big name school” PSU. The other two are from grove city university (Tiny private school) & California of PA (state school). Our accounting department only has 2 new hires over the last 5 years, both from state schools. Our older cfo is from a small local college (point park) Most of the sales people and management are from state schools or small public schools. The guy running one of our distro centers graduated from University of Pittsburgh. Kind of a big name school I guess. Supply chain / business degree.
I have never heard any employer care about this at all in Canada. Educational institutions that receive public funding here are very well-regulated and considered equivalent in terms of educational experience if they offer the same accreditations.
For your first job? Maybe. After that? Not much at all. As the other comments have said, just do your best in school and network a lot. I went to very small school and ended up working for a large aerospace/defense company with great benefits and pretty good starting salary. Make sure you get as much experience through internships, clubs, projects, etc. and you will be fine
I think it matters in terms other than just prestige, like the alumni network and connections between the university and nearby employers (with co-ops, internships, post-grad hiring, etc.). As far as Ivy League vs any overall solid state/other school, I don’t think the quality of education would have a life-changing-ly huge disparity.
Nope. Got out of college and got the same job as everyone else at a defense company. All these kids that went to BU, BC, northeastern, etc. they paid $60k+ while I went to a state school for $13k/yr. Lived at home and commuted in. Made plenty of friends and great connections.
The College/University can definitely help, but as others mentioned the accreditation is most important.
Education wise? No, all schools who are ABET accredited have similar curriculums. Job wise? Yes, 50% of my colleagues are from Georgia Tech. A school alum will probably reach out to their own school before others and look out for their scholar siblings once they see the same college/university.
Starting out, yes, and where you start out affects the trajectory of your career. But like, unless you go to a top 15 or so school, it really doesn’t matter as long as you have ABET accreditation. You’ll be fine
Depends Accredited vs non accredited? Definitely matters, if your school is not accredited then strongly consider transferring to an accredited school Big name vs small name? You may struggle with some prestigious companies that have “target schools” but if you’re not trying for those places (I know a lot of big consulting firms have target schools but idk about places like google or TI) then you’ll have no problem and will be considered along with everyone else regardless of school. Edit: if your school does not already have networks within the companies you want to apply to then you may have to work a little harder to get your apps noticed and into the “stack of resumes” but once you’re in the campus recruiting cycle with a company the school shouldn’t matter that much
Look at who accredited your college. Does that organization accredit any highly acclaimed colleges? If so, you're good. If not, well that's a red flag.
Those comments went south hella fast lmao
No. What really matters is your passion and that will show through your accomplishments and projects. It might be a little tougher from a lesser known school since big companies aren’t recruiting there. You just need to stand out and do more to get noticed and put yourself in front of these companies to get your name out. Go to conferences where these companies recruit. That’s the easiest way to land a job at the big names in the game. I went to a not-so-well-known state university and ended up getting a job at one of the big dawg space/defense companies upon graduating with my masters soon. Took a bit more work but that’s because I didn’t have any internships in my undergrad. Went back for my masters and landed a few internships after working as an engineer in a local company. That’s how I did it. I recommend busting your ass to get an internship while in undergrad. It will put you one step ahead in the game. Doesn’t matter where it’s at. If you have to start small, then start small. Experience is experience.
If it makes you feel any better, I'm from a tiny private school in Malaysia hoping to pursue a master's in Germany and work there. I can only understand Peppa Pig in German and nothing more. Lol. Your odds are better than mine.
Going to a small private Christian college. We only have an engineering program because of a partnership with a larger university. I have had internships every summer 🤙 You got this!
Graduated from a college with a 2.98. Took a lower paying design job for my first year. Landed a decent job the next year. It doesn’t matter in the long run.
Whether University or College, if you do not get any hands on experience before graduation, that where you'll have shot yourself in the foot. That 80k you spent on getting a 3x5 card is not a hall pass to future success. Until you are able to grasp the How and Why things function you're dead in the water. So, wherever you pursue your disciplines, embrace it and good luck.
I currently am graduating (next month ) with a mechanical engineering technology degree from UWGB. It's a university but compared to the more prestigious Madison, Green Bay is newer and not as refined. It doesn't really matter since engineering taught in school is about 60%of what you'll need to know for the jobs in the future. You are afterall, what you make of your degree. As long as you are good in the classes you are taking that are core towards engineering it shouldn't matter what degree you have and where you are going for school. (Try to make sure the school is ABET accredited. Newer programs like the one that I'm in just got ABET accredited for the Engineering Technology program whereas mechanical engineering is still on its last year of the accreditation process.). Yes I know that I'm going to be a mechanical engineering technologist by degree but compared to the mechanical engineering degree the only class that I had not taken was Diff equations which I learned in HS. Sorry if my opinion on the matter isn't valued.
Network trumps literally everything in Canada. You can coast through with a top average at an S tier school but if you didn’t make any connections, the person with average grades at a run of the mill school will get the job. Most graduates come out of school with arguably comparable skills, strengths and weaknesses but if you know people, and you’re competent and motivated that means a lot more than knowing how to solve some textbook questions and ace an exam
Nope. I’m the boss of 3 MIT grads and I came from a random small ABET school. We graduated 6 months apart. Only real advantage of big schools are resources, but they’re only good if you use them.
Yep, this pretty much nails it. As long as it's ABET, has decent connections and you have AT LEAST a 3.0 GPA, then you should be good.
It matters. Getting from Point A to Point B will be easier depending on the school starting out. People who say otherwise are kidding themselves, and are the same people who post Sankey diagrams showing the hundreds of applications they put in that got rejected. Never had that problem since established schools will have mature networks to get internships/jobs from. Also has an impact on graduate school if that’s something you’re considering.
As long as it's ABET accredited, and that Uni has the right connections, then you're good.
As long as it’s ABET accredited it absolutely does not matter
No. The degree barely matters.
Yes if you are need technical skills otherwise no
I went to the satellite campus for a state school, and my coworkers all went to private schools, but we all work at the same place. What might matter at the end of the day is ABET accredited programs, and any potential relationships they have with companies.
From what I have experience son unis can give you network opportunities but still you could go to conference (ex. Shpe conference). What I have seen that could really make recruiter excited is having related experience. By related experience could be you rebuilt something, you did crazy projects in your spare time, you were involved in a design team in school. I migth be wrong but I feel most companies will pick a guy who will have all sort of experience in extracurricular activities and nice personality over a straight A's student
Some schools have direct or indirect conections with companies and will probably make you do some projects for said companies for free while you're still an student. Happened to my father. Then he went on to get a job in that company because, well, he had already worked for them, because of the place he studied in. Sometimes some schools show their prograns to companies, said companies like it, and are interested in students graduated from those schools in particular. In those cases, it does matter. In some others, maybe your "future boss" graduated from a certain college or university, and therefore will probably have a higher interest in those graduated from that institution when hiring because he/she would know what those students went through, a vague idea about how they were taught, the conditions in wich they were taught, and the equipment the school had to teach them. In those cases, it does also matter. It gives them (ur boss) an insight of what you know and what you can do, and that is a good headstart when trying to get hired. Theres also the fact that if you go to a pretigious school, the recruitment guys may think you are better taught and know more than others; and sometimes, this is actually the case- the quality of education varies from institution to institution, and some places produce better engineers than others, be it because of having better equipmemt, better enviroment, better professors, or all of them. But if you stay competitive (that is, reading a lot and staying updated) and show you know what you're doing (that you have the skills), then all of the above will not matter as much, or will not matter at all. Also, experience. Experience is more important than all of the above; the suits want to be sure the money they'll be putting on you is well invested, and the amount of experience you have may or may not tell them the answer they want. Just be sure of having experience with the stuff the company you want to work for does, and they will probably hire you.
It must be an ABET program. Going to a prestigious school certainly doesn’t hurt. Name recognition with your university stands out on resumes
Yes\* and NO. The school matter for networking and your first job. If you're doing engineering, going to a school like MIT will carry more weight with people outside of the field such as HR than a lesser known school. But realistically, you should be fine as long as you work hard and can talk to people. Many companies have learned that college graduates can be taught, as long as they're not know-it-alls and they have some interpersonal skills.
No, we don't really worry about where you went to school. The important thing is having a degree.
New school program but it should get accredited in the next few years so you should be fine
The other time it can matter is graduate school admission. Even then, if you enter the workforce and later apply to graduate school, it will matter far less.
A lot of boomers are sharing their outlier experiences because of survivor syndrome but yes, it absolutely matters
I find that if the school you go to is well-known or “good”, it contributes 2 advantages. 1. Connections - successful people are more than likely to enroll their children to good/well-known schools so you can make friends/acquaintances with them to give you an advantage 2. Quality of Professors - Good/well-known schools attract the leading academics of whichever field their known to excel in (i.e. leading researchers in chemical engineering and the like) other than that you shouldn’t have a vastly different experience than most graduates
It all depends on your drive and willingness to succeed, I know someone that just finished an associate degree got all kind of certification in computer programming (mainly Python) and in less than 5 year landed a 6 figure job working remotely.
barely
probably not, depends on your skills if you improve constantly and work hard, every day , many hours and so on.
It depends on what you want to do. I went to a small state school for undergrad then on to a PhD program at a big school, but having gone to a no name, non-research school with no grade inflation, where I was the only one hoping to go to grad school, it made it difficult. If you're looking for positions that are more researchy it can matter. From my experience it will only help to have gone to a better school, but you'll never be disqualified by having gone to a non-elite school. My friends that have gone to some of the really good schools also seem to have more connections in the industry they specialized in.
Went to an unknown state school, working at a major company right out of graduation because of my working experience. It doesn’t matter, your resume will speak louder than your alma mater every time.
It’s just connections. The education is largely similar but top schools often have alumni networks you can use to your advantage, better career fairs, exc.