Getting Re-Started in School

I think its about time to get my butt back into school, everybody is leaving now to go back to college and its giving me some motivation so I need to jump on board and do something. I went to PennState for two years trying to get my ME degree but I messed up with a math course took it somewhere else and now they don't have room in the major for me anymore, too many damn people. I tried applying at the university of delaware for ME but they weren't interested either and I feel like getting the degree from a smaller lesser known school would hurt my chances at finding a good job in the field afterward. (Am I wrong to think that?) I want/wanted to do something automotive but we all know how well that industry is doing right now, but at least with mechanical I could try and come back to the automotive sector when things are looking up.

After thinking up some new ideas I am curious about getting into work with alternative and renewable energy. I think its going to be a growing industry for awhile since oil isn't going to last forever and I would really enjoy the work. Problem is I don't know where to start. What kind of degree would I need to dive into that field and how good are the prospects of getting a job in two or three years? Who could I work for?

Set up a meeting with the Dean of the ME school. They have a way of getting around admissions bots. It may require re-starting in the spring instead of fall, but BFD.

IMHO, Big Schools are very over rated for undergrad.

Granted, there's a little more exposure to some special projects, but in terms of engineering, all schools have to meet the same class requirements.

Actaully, in the basic undergrad classes, smaller schools are better- in the large schools, you tend to get the basic classes taught by grad students, since most of the professors are working on research, which gets them tenure and money, vs. teaching. Small schools don't have the grad students to do that.

And my example is myself. At Idaho, I had a professor teach statics and then the same teacher for dynamics.

At Michigan, grad students, such as myself, taught statics and dynamics. Basically, the ~200 or so students I taught for 4 classes (yes, ~50 students/class) got an Idaho education.

Grad school is very different- since you pretty much only get taught by professors, so you need to know where the leading edge research in your field of interest is.

Automotive- MIT, Michigan- always near the top.

The other "in" for automotive is F-SAE- so if your school has that, it's the easy way to get a job.

But the auto industry sucks. You get 0 reward for being an enthusiest... but that's for another thread.

Eric

On his way to work today Dave forgot more about engineering than I will ever know.

But I do know this, get back in school. Use that momentum. Just start taking something and knock out core requirements. One of those overfilled ME majors is gonna drink his way out, the stats tell me I'm right. Even if they don't, you might find another interest that gets your attention.

The definition of a good job is a vague concept at best. If it's something you love, you can handle bad pay. This board is full of folks that took a pay cut to do what they want.

The advice about scheduling a meeting is spot on. Educators love to see passion and there is usually a way. Even if there isn't, that person might have an answer.

A "back door" into the ME program could be to apply to the Physics program, take a lot of the physics classes that you'd have to take in engineering anyways and then transfer into ME at a later time. You could also see what courses Penn State allows you to transfer from a community college and take those while you're waiting to get back into Penn State. This will save you some time and probably money and when reapplying for admission it will show the administration that you're serious about your studies and are not just going back because all your friends are and you've got nothing else to do.

Getting an undergrad degree from a lesser known school won't hurt your chances of getting a job much, (unless you're comparing Economics degrees from the University of Lower Unkton vs Harvard) but does have slightly greater bearing on your chances of getting into a Master's degree at a top level university later on - they can tend to be more 'stuck up' about things, for lack of a better term.

And I completely agree with Eric - the auto industry can be an incredibly frustrating place for an enthusiast, but that's for another thread.

Bob

Edited for speelling