Ten years ago, I would have said, hands down, get your engineering degree because that was the general tenor of things, never nind the fact that it was shoved down everyone's throats that you needed to be ridiculously over-qualified right out of college just to get an entry-level job if you couldn't rely on nepotism or fat loads of cash to buy your way in.
Since the mass exodus of jobs overseas, I would say get qualified to the present limits of your field without going into huge debt, and then find the practical application.
I was a mechanic, started my training in 1993 at the age of 17. I have an above average IQ and the skills to acquire an upper-level education, but I had no money. None. My parents couldn't go into debt for me, and with my credits screwed up from an overseas stay at school in Antrim, I just decided to go for what I knew would hold my attention and be a necessity in the lives of others. Cars. My foremen immediately began to lean me into computer controls and hydraulics. By 1998, when I'd moved into the realm of heavy equipment/diesels, computer controls were rife on the machines and there was a strong need for highly motivated and smart people to specialize, so again, my foreman pressed me into that service. Plus, I was small enough to get into tight places (my size should have been a hobble, but it was used to my advantage).
Question: Do you *NEED* the degree to procede with your life goals?
Question: Is this something you would regret every day of your life if you didn't do it?
