Lower Costs while Seeking a Job in Engineering

Lower Costs while Seeking a Job in Engineering

A career in engineering takes years of prior preparation and education, and this can become a costly affair. Here are some tips for prospective engineers on how to reduce the cost of getting into engineering:

Seek internships and work-study jobs in your engineering field. Take a paid internship over an unpaid internship, so that the money can help pay for school. Take unpaid internships in your field of study only if it does not add additional costs, such as travel or fees. Never pay for the opportunity to work for free or to volunteer. There are always unpaid volunteer opportunities in every field within your local community, if you want engineering experience and references.

Earn Advanced Placement (AP) credit and take CLEP tests before college and during college when you can earn a high enough grade to replace a college course. However, make certain that the AP credits and CLEP tests are accepted before paying for the tests. Some schools, such as junior colleges, requires that the tests be completed at their campus to accept them as replacing level 101 or 102 courses. Engineering jobs require engineering level physics with calculus. Be certain that the AP credit earned counts toward the degree program.

Apply for scholarships for which very few others qualify. For example, find out if your parent's employer offers scholarships to children of employees. Apply for scholarships at the employer where the student works, such as McDonalds, Walmart, and FedEx. For engineering students, look into applying for scholarships wherever you work as an engineering intern.

Minimize student loan debt. Unlike credit card and mortgage debt, this debt cannot be bankrupted. Social Security can even be garnished to pay federal student loans. Low interest credit card debt may be preferable. However, minimizing all debt for school is even better. And never use student loans to buy a car, pay off credit card debt, or take vacations.

Never take classes for mere curiosity or because you are interested in the subject. You have a lifetime to pursue hobbies for free or low cost. The only caveat to this is if the course is an overview of a degree program, and taking the overview course allows you to get an overview before taking a year of classes and then dropping it. Engineering students must also be careful about earning MBA degrees that may not help them earn a higher engineering salary, but do cost a year or more of schooling.

Balance what you want to do with what you can be paid to do. Aim for a job that interests you that can generate a reasonable income. Never select a career because it has high income. Never go tens of thousands of dollars into debt for a degree that has few job opportunities outside teaching that subject. Engineers rarely face this problem unless they earn a degree in a narrow specialization with few real world applications.

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