Why didn't you do a more lucrative or easier career?

In order to understand engineering concepts one must have a high IQ. In order to understand the concepts behind engineering, one must also put in hundreds of hours of studying in undergrad or grad-school. Yet, all that work doesn’t seem to have a very high pay-off. From what I understand, most engineers level off somewhere between $80-$100k.


If you’re smart enough to become an engineer, couldn’t you have become an actuary or gone to med/dental/law school and made more money. Heck, you probably could have made more money just becoming a nurse practitioner or CRNA. I’m sure the average engineer could have made it into nursing school- the demands of which are undoubtedly less than those of engineering courses.


So, why were you xxxxxxxxx enough to do engineering?

[QUOTE=UnicornDemon;7138]If you’re smart enough to become an engineer, couldn’t you have become an actuary or gone to med/dental/law school and made more money. Heck, you probably could have made more money just becoming a nurse practitioner or CRNA. I’m sure the average engineer could have made it into nursing school- the demands of which are undoubtedly less than those of engineering courses.[/QUOTE]

Engineering is not just about about money... Contribution, accomplishment, creativity, the chance to maybe change the world.

I always thought that drop-out engineers and other technical types went into to medical and law..

:grin:

I did not know the word XXXXX was so offensive.

If you have to ask that question, then PLEASE DO NOT become an engineer. As a successful retired engineer after 40+ years of practicing this proffession the thing I miss most now is the lack of the continuous challenges that I was privileged to enjoy every day of my career; and, the contributions I was able to make.
All this being said, I believe a quote that I heard in response to the question of "Why, considering that the majority are destined to a prolonged career in relative obscurity, would anyone become an architect?”. The answer was: "Because they cannot perceive doing anything else." That is the reason I became an engineer!

One constant that I've noticed from both myself and other Engineers is: non of us have ever listed money as a reason for this career choice. Good job really.

It's funny you mention the medical professions as an Engineer I used to work with, when asked a similar question, said he wanted to go into dentistry but the courses were full. He didn't want to wait another year so he picked the next available slot which was Civils.

Funny how things work out.

[QUOTE=JAlberts;7142]"Because they cannot perceive doing anything else." That is the reason I became an engineer![/QUOTE]

Brilliant...

First, my handwriting skills are nowhere near that of a doctor. You can actually read what I write.

Second, I have met way more lawyers than I care to admit. No sir, it's not for me.

Finally, I enjoy what I do. I also enjoy grasping the concepts of how things work and being able to share them with my friends on the weekends as we tackle projects together, completing them without having to worry about seeing a doctor or a lawyer afterwards.


Ron

Son, if you think that money is the most important thing in life, perhaps you should reconsider your life.....

It takes all kinds...

It's not all about the money. Like someone said, it's more about the challenges