yeah, im a network engineer. know a couple of network architects too.

>>51826904
Soo do you think ill have time to Go to school and work full time. I haven't applied to college yet and i have no idea what to expect.

Im currently an electrician but want to be an aerospace engineer. But not willing to uproot family out pf city to attend an aerospace school.

>>51826953

no, become a guard and study at work

>>51826953
I'm a person with a BS and MS in electrical engineering.

It is possible to get a degree in mechanical engineering while supporting a family. However, depending on your job and your aptitude, it may be difficult.

Is your job an office job that pays pretty well and has lull times during which you might be able to do something else? Will the job make allowances to allow you to get your degree? That will make getting the degree much, much easier.

Regarding aptitude. Are you good with mathematics and physics? That is, you should not have had difficulty with calculus and high school physics. In mechanical engineering, you'll be more likely working with differential equations.

Where I went to university, an engineering degree was one of the more difficult degrees to earn. Not only were there a lot of science and mathematics courses, you had to take more credit hours than other STEM majors to get the degree.

>>51827077
Well thanks for some hope first of all.

Im an apprentice electrician. I work a min 40 hr a week. 7 am to 3pm five days a week. I would like to keep that for at least two more years to get a journeyman electrician license as a fallback.

As far as aptitude. I believe i have more common sense than the average person. And have always been C - B average in high school. But i wasnt motivated. Just getting stoned all the time. But im highly motivated and willing to find the time to study.

How many hours a week can i expect to go to class. Both full time or part time..?

Im ok with going part time i just need a goal to set myself on. I know anything is possible for..

>>51826898
Assuming you have no prior math credits and take 12 credit hours a semester, you'll likely be studying for 5 years, give or take, and with a full time job 12 credit hours (while possible) isn't realistic

>>51827247
Hmmm.... Based only upon what you've written, I have my doubts if you'd be able to handle a job, a family, and pursuing an engineering degree (and earning it in a reasonable amount of time.)

If I remember correctly, my undergraduate EE degree required about 44 classes. A full time student would take about 5 classes per semester.

Some of those classes are garbage classes such as English, history, and some other trash which you can take at a community college. However, you're still looking at quite a few core classes.

I'm a bit surprised you're not looking to be an electrical engineer. At least some of your electrician background would give you a leg up in some of the EE curriculum.

If you take 5 classes per semester, you'll have to attend class about 15 hours per week. There will be a few lab classes here and there and those will take about 3 to 6 hours per week.

>>51827308
I get that. But what would a weekly schedule look like. How many days and hours?

I'm 24, have a full-time job that I won't be leaving when I start school this spring.

Enrolled into my local community college with 14 credits.

With a little discipline I don't see why I shouldn't be able to do well. with 8-9 hours at work I still have another 8 hours of free time if I want to have a full nights rest.

>>51827368
It's doable but it will be difficult, I think, unless you're relatively smart and very motivated. Is your wife willing to help out quite a bit while you're working and going to school?

Also, have you considered what kind of career is available to a mechanical engineer upon graduation with the degree from the college you're planning to attend?

There is a tremendous effort in the U.S. to offshore and lower the wages of technical workers (software developers, engineers, etc.) I would tell any person earning such a degree that he has approximately 20 years to save up enough money to retire because after that, it's a real crap shoot if you get laid off unless you decide to go into management.

>>51827368
Ok 15 hours a week does sound like alot. But maybe i can do some on the weekends. I know it'll be hard. But i want a career that im interested in ive been studying different careers since i graduated.

And ive thought about electrical engineering but i just dont think it will keep me interested.

>>51827449
Thats what i figured. I dont go out and party. Im usually just at home

Do you know what your schedule will be like?

>>51827486
You could take fewer classes during the regular semester and make it up in summer. Say 12 hours per week in the fall and spring semesters and 6 hours per week in the summer.

That would allow you to complete the degree in 4 - 5 years.

>>51827469
Well i really want to be a aerospace engineer and work on propulsions. I love in san antonio a major air force city. Plus a boeing facility is here. I know the demand is only growing for mechanical engineers. Or id like to get into the renewable energy field. I want to be able to make a impact and not waste my life.. Tbh

>>51827559
Thats a great idea. Thanks.

>>51827469
And yes my wife motivates me and i know she'll be there for my son when im not. She works part time also.

I tried to make her go to school..but she doesnt want to..

>>51827610
OK. I think of the two degrees, aerospace engineer and mechanical engineer, the mechanical engineering degree is more general purpose and has a greater number of jobs open to it. Mind you, I'm an EE (and one who has never worked as an EE) so I know very little of the job markets of other engineering disciplines.

But it always seemed to me that aerospace engineers really only be be working (as aerospace engineers) for Boeing, NASA, or any of the companies making warplanes.

>>51827746
Yea ive been researching the different engineer fields over the last couple years trying to decide. And figured that would be best for My interest. Well good luck on your career and thanks for the good advice.

>>51827814
Good luck. Also remember that software development is a field that an engineer can fall back on, too.

>>51827539
work off on tues and thurs which is when i have my classes that start from 7 in the morning and end around noon.

I just got all the classes compact so i can have the rest of the day to study.

I also plan on hanging out at the library or at least on campus for the most time possible.

might actually try to get some adderall but not sure if i want to go through with it yet.

>>51827858
Lmao yea i thought about aderall too.

Sorry if I wind up hijacking the thread, but this seems an appropriate place to ask.

I was a dumb teen. I wrecked my grades by coasting through high school with minimum effort, then right after graduation went to community college to get general education out of the way and just quit going mid semester and never went back. I'm 28 now, jesus fuck time flies, but I'm nervous about going back there to talk to a counselor or whatever. I keep telling myself I'm too old and my grades were too terrible.

Assume my interests are the same as OP's, since they seem pretty similar. How fucked am I?

>>51827920
Nobody cares about you or your grades. The only thing holding you back is your fear of embarrassing yourself. Just start again or live life in regret.

>>51827920
man, just do it. time will fly regardless if you decide to pursue a degree or not. you'll be 32 and you'll either have a cozy degree and make a decent income or you won't. when you think of it like this it kind of seems like a silly question, "Is it too late for me to want a better life?"

CERTS. also great wallpaper

>>51826898
I have known many people who got their EE or ME degree while working full-time. It took all of these people at least 5 years, usually 6 or 7. But, you can do it, provided you have a supportive spouse and you do everything you can to maximize what you get out of the time you spend studying.

ME is a good degree to have because it means you can work damn near anywhere and in just about any serious industry.

Assuming you have the aptitude for the courses required for this degree, I think an honest answer to your question is that it will be very hard for you to work full-time and pursue a ME degree full-time. There are just 24 hours in a day and you have to sleep at least a little bit. No matter how smart you are, all of the engineering/mathematics/science coursework required for this degree at a real university will consume a LOT of time. But, if you can find a decent program that will allow you to move along at a part-time pace, it is doable.

Senior mechanical engineering student here. I started at intermediate algebra at my community college It's been a long road, but the end is in sight now. I've never been exceptional at math or physics, but I've managed a B average with a few Cs and a few As here and there. The biggest thing has always been persistence. You'll be tired and defeated by a failed exam at least a few times, but you have to push through. As you move along with the degree you'll find it never gets easier, you just get better.

>>51827920
Your high school grades don't matter too much unless you're trying to get into one of the elite colleges.

Take the SAT or ACT, get a strong score, and then apply to the colleges of your choice. The worst thing they can do is say "no" through a letter. Much less torturous than having a girl reject you in person.

Other than the application fees, what do you have to lose?

As for age, it matters to a certain extent but you're not getting younger. If you're not making very much money now and reasonably believe that a college degree will enable you to make more money, do it. Clean, healthful living will do a great deal to hide your age if that's your goal.