From Tenth Grader to Professional Engineer in Ten Years or Less

[vangj90]

Wow, i'm amazed by your presentation. I am a senior in college and I learned so much from you. I wished I had followed some of the steps you described.

[LutherSetzer]

@vangj90 Spread the word about the video -- and thanks for the compliments!

[superyou918]

You are awesome. We need more people like you explaining this to the kids. Thanks for commenting on my blog.

By the way, people, there are parents (rich parents) who pay thousands of dollars to guide their young teenage kids to a path to financial success. Similar to what Luther is doing here for free. Nothing happens by accident.

[LutherSetzer]

I have read that the Casio FX-115ES calculator is the best to get for the engineering examinations so please consider it as it is now on the approved list.

[EritreaBIG]

Thanks for posting a very important presentation.

[LutherSetzer]

One aspect of housing I failed to mention involves extended stay hotels. Google "Extended Stay America" and "Microtel" and learn how reasonable their monthly rates can be. I would consider them if I had cooperative education to do again today.

[remmyjable]

My university (Florida Institute of Technology) has a very liberal CLEP policy. I am able to CLEP almost all of my gen-ed courses (36 credits). Should I take advantage of it? I'm going for Civil.

[LutherSetzer]

Yes! Absolutely! Those credits have the dollar value equivalent of their tuition costs plus the ancillary costs of living near campus and the opportunity costs of not working full time. See my other video "Slash $24,000 and Two Years from College at NCSSM" for closer analysis of these cost savings.

[aegisforex]

CLEP as many courses as your school allows. Failure to do so would be like pissing money away. The only reason not to CLEP is if you plan on going to med school. Med schools don't allow CLEP for math/science prereqs. A few don't even allow AP, which I found strange.

[LutherSetzer]

Failure to do so would be like pissing time away, too.

[aegisforex]

Better be prepared to not have much of a life for at least 10 years though. Definitely don't go for mechanical unless you absolutely love it. According to the BLS, there will only be 3% job growth for mechanical engineers from 2006-2016. Electrical doesn't fare much better (4-5%).

I'd go for Environmental and become a government contractor. That's where the money is.

[LutherSetzer]

Thanks for the insights. The video applies to all engineering disciplines. I hope it helps students succeed.

[LutherSetzer]

Please also remember to use CLEP for credit in addition to AP, DE, and IB courses.

[numberonesurvivor75]

Why can't students who major in, say Physics, and know enough to ace all of the PE licensing requirement qualify for a license?

[LutherSetzer]

State laws regulate this profession and they do not always follow logic. As the saying goes, "If you think you like laws and you think you like sausages, you should never see how either get made." I recommend checking laws in your state and talking to a PE in your school for more insight. It is conceivable that a physics major could pass the EIT, get work experience under a PE, and have the PE vouch for him before the state board. But I make no promises. Bureaucrats tend to be inflexible.

[numberonesurvivor75]

Ah, good points. Great video overall too!

I just think that there tends to be too much bureaucracy that hinders the more autodidactic, but often equally or more effective somewhat. I write somewhat frustrated right now because I'm transferring and not all of my credits count.

Today, with the recession harming lots of people, I think it'd be a good idea to just have the EIT and open testing for certification. The experience factor for qualifications could probably be replaced by endorsements.

[LutherSetzer]

If I had my education to do today, I would consider taking the GED out of tenth grade, commencing an AS program in Mechatronics at the local community college, and starting cooperative education at that time. Concurrently, I would earn credits toward an AS and AA for later college transfer to a university that would accept all 64 credit hours. This would let me start working in an interesting career and generating income very quickly. Challenging and unconventional, but possible, I think.

[aigiqinf]

That is no longer required. Here in NC you can earn your AS or AA and HS diploma in 4 years if you play your cards right. Heck you could have a JD and a PhD by the time you're 26.

[LutherSetzer]

Understood. I only suggested the other path because of cooperative education. It would have been nice to have started work in an interesting career at age 16. Interestingly, the money made that way outweighs the costs of paying for the AS degree versus having the state finance it in high school. It takes much longer, however, and time is money. Thanks for commenting!