Another Degree? If So, Which One? 5

[SamChem]

Should I get a masters degree to tack onto a B.S.? A masters in Industrial Hygiene is available very locally, about 7 miles from my home - and an MBA or a masters in Chemical Engineering is available further away, toward downtown Houston from UH.

I'm a chemical engineer who has worked in battery manufacture, PLC programming, high-purity chemicals for the electronics market, and then a few years wildly riding the beast that is semiconductors. Then a divorce put a rough patch into the career, combined with a layoff when new semiconductor fab construction went overseas for the most part.

Currently, I'm in Houston, working for a nice contractor company to the oil industry doing LDAR (Leak Detection and Repair) as required by the Clean Air Act and other various state, local and federal regulations. Various health issues have sidelined me to a mostly-desk job, these days, but I want to try and remain competitive and useful to my present employer, and future ones if and when I need to be looking once again. Layoffs or business downturns just happen, after all.

Opinions or completely different suggestions welcomed. I'm just scratching my head right now, trying to determine which avenues will work out best for me in the long run.

 

[BelspringKen]

If I were to continue my education, it would be to get an MBA. That would be a good move more toward the business/management end, and away from the day to day design.

 

[mizzoueng]

Yeah, if you are going towards the management side then grab the MBA. But if you are working on a design side then get a Masters in something related. I think there is a college online where you can get a masters. I think JAE was saying something about it, maybe South Carolina? I'm deffinetly thinking about tacking on a EE or maybe a CE to my ME

 

[Ashereng]

A masters in petroleum, especially, someone based in Houston, I think would be an asset.

If you are already doing leak detection work, maybe you can specialise in that more. I'm guessing here, but leak detection is in mechanical discipline? BP is currently leaking more oil back into Alaska than they are taking out (that is a joke by the way), I can definitely see them seeking out some leak detection help.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[zdas04]

SamChem,
It looks like you have a cart and horse problem here. Think about your desired future before jumping in a direction. If you want to stay technical then an MBA is a liability. If you yearn for the management ranks then a non-environmental technical MS could be a liability.

If you want to stay in environmental-related fields (either technical or management) then some HSSE Masters would be really helpful. It doesn't seem to matter which trees you decide to become a master of hugging. An MS in Industrial Hygene would probably help as much as an MS in Air Modeling. It just has to be somewhere in the HSSE field.

This is true even if you leave Oil & Gas, but there are different levers that help/hurt in each industry.

David

 

[THEReifleman]

I agree with zdas04. I was going to start my MBA last spring but was talked out of it by my company education coordinator. He ask me if I had a burning desire to go into business management.....well, no. He ask if I'd like to get into management but stay technical....well, yes. Then he informed me of a degree program the company would pay for, MS Systems Engineering Management. It's Industrial engineering which isn't my cup of tea but I know a lot about it from wearing many hats in previous jobs. So far it's pretty interesting (I'd find any engineering field interesting) and it satisfy's my management career path.

Point is, there are other management options out there besides the MBA which I didn't know about until recently. It pays to research (which you're clearly doing) and talk to a couple of school engineering dept. heads about management paths in engineering.