Engineering/science jobs

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Is there a way to break into the field of science and engineering without slaving at college for 4-8 years? It's not that I want to sneak in or anything, but surely there must be a way to learn as I go, like an internship or something. I know that when I apply online, all anybody sees is degree/no degree. I know I would make a good engineer because science is more about a way of thinking and less about specific talents.

Education gets you some street cred when looking for work on these fields. There is no shortcut into Engineering/Science positions. I was able to find something in my field sometime after i graduated. I took the high road of education, took 6 years and other intangible aspects away from me but it was worth it.

The only way i have seen it in the past is that if you have a skill that makes you a prodigy on what you do without the formal education (i.e. Software Engineering self-thought) and you get discovered by the right people, that's one way of getting in.

An appropriate academic background is definitely the most surefire way to get involved, but there is much to be said regarding the maker movement. I personally have participated in multiple makerspaces and hackerspaces, where I learned more new content at a faster rate (and much lower price) than I ever did in school, and was exposed to potential career opportunities. The movement shines because it emphasizes multidisciplinary, low cost approaches to cutting edge technology. Home-brewed 3D printers are the perfect example. The movement has even made the Economist:
http://www.economist.com/node/21540392
Definitely worth checking to see if there are any resources in your community!

Euclid is said to have replied to King Ptolemy's request for an easier way of learning mathematics that "There is no Royal Road to geometry".

In the same sense, let me tell you as an engineer that there is no easy way to break into the field of science and engineering. At the very least, you must be able to demonstrate a workable understanding of your chosen field before you can be granted so much as an unpaid internship. Generally speaking, engineers will be too busy being engineers to teach a total noob how do do much more than operate a copier or make coffee.

Besides, those who want to take the easy way usually bag out when things get difficult. I'd rather hire a 30-year old technician with an Associate's Degree who spend the last 12 years working two jobs and going to school part-time while raising a family than someone who walks in off the street with no training and says "Hire me, teach me, pay me", and then quits the first time he's given any real work to do.

I might not have clearly said how that could lead to a job. Hackerspaces are filled with engineers and scientists, and are a perfect place to display your talents in related fields to others who could potentially recommend you for a job, allowing you to bypass the screening effect of submitting resumes without the expected academic background.

I put myself through college surveying land, which is a civil engineer's flunky. I never had any formal training in it, just OJT. But, if I had made surveying my career, I would've had to take some courses to get anywhere. I suspect it's the same in all types of engineering.

there are a lot of jobs you can get with an associates degree if you go to a tech school

I've had bosses who worked as engineers but on paper were Electronic Techs. But, 1) they owned their own businesses, and 2) they loved electronics and had spent 10-20 years building their knowledge and experience.

As far as science you might be able to find tech jobs on the periphery. I think labs tend to have machinists an other skilled tradespeople around to build & repair stuff. There's an old machinist who runs a bicycle repair shop near where I live, who built things for the nuclear researchers at Los Alamos.

The only science-related positions I can think of without having at least a 4-year degree requirement are medical lab techs, but even those positions usually require at least a 2-year degree. I considered going that route, but decided a 4-year degree would give me more options whether I pursued a career or graduate studies after graduation. I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens when I graduate.

Depending on what you want to do you may have no choice but to go to school to get the necessary background. I know of some jobs where a MS is considered an entry-level minimum requirement, and that's just for lab tech positions.

I'm pretty sure that this isn't a realistic example but...

My sister-in-law's brother-in-law is a design engineer on Ford's engine team; he's the air-intake manifold specialist. I always wondered how much education it took for him to have that position. A couple years ago at a family function, his wife mentioned that he'd gone back to school; nights. I asked him what degree he was pursuing and he said; My bachelor's degree. I was amazed.

Turns out that when he was in college the 1st time, he interned at Chevy as a draftsman. He stayed at Chevy until he was on their engine design team (without completing his degree) then he went where he really wanted to work; Ford. That's his story!

Yes and no. You likely wouldn't be able to get a job that specifically requires a degree, and some fields of engineering require knowing a lot of theory which will only be found in textbooks and university lectures. However there are technician jobs that don't always require a degree in engineering technology (a two year degree) to get, provided one was a fast learner and mechanically inclined. Machining jobs also don't require degrees.

But that's just it. I don't want the "easy way" because the job isn't easy, and it wouldn't be worth doing if it was. I just want a way besides toiling in a classroom for the rest of my life. It's also the fact that every place wants me to go online, and how can you demonstrate any knowledge on there? Any doofus can claim to know something on the Internet. It's like that Far Side cartoon. I also know that engineers are going to be busy, and even if they had time, it takes more than a few minutes to learn this stuff. All I want is some sort of way in, or as many possible ways as I can think of. I would go the internship route, except I have yet to see a place that allows an internship for someone who isn't an undergrad. I'm also just bummed that I got all these social skills that I can't put to use, you know? It took me forever to figure it out, and now it's all for naught it seems.

He must be in his eighties, at the very least.

It has already been pointed out, but it bears repeating that a self-taught person who owns his or her own business has a far better chance of being successful than an untrained person walking in off the street. Those with the best chance of becoming a real engineer or scientist are those who have first earned the appropriate academic credentials.

Then repeat after me: "Do you want fries with that?"


By taking their online tests, for one, and by accepting a design challenge and providing the correct answer. One test I had to pass went something like this: "Design a two-stage cascode amplifier using matched N-channel JFETS. That amplifier must have a voltage gain of 10 into a 1000-Ohm load, over a range of 30 Hz to 30,000 Hz with less than 0.05% total harmonic distortion. The input is fixed-amplitude sine-wave of 0.1 Volts peak. The JFETS have a Vco of -1 Volts, and an Idss of 0.001 Amperes. All passive components must be fixed-value and have a tolerance of +/- 1% under ambient conditions. Please show your work." I emailed the answer about two hours later, and they invited me to a face-to-face interview almost right away. I went to the interview, got offered a position, and turned it down because it involved 70% travel.


No, any doofus can look things up on the Internet; proving that knowledge is something else entirely, which is why we use "design checks" like the one above.


In that case, these are your choices:
(1) Go to school and earn a degree; (2) Self-study and take the "Professional Engineer" exam; (3) Start your own company and give yourself any title you want; or (4) Join the military and receive technical training in addition to free food, free housing, free medical, free dental, and a regular paycheck!

I've already done #1, #2, and #4. #3 is something that involves too much personal involvement in things that do not involve engineering. While #1 and #2 involved work, I learned more about applications and maintenance from serving 6 years in the U.S. Navy - about ten years before learning that I have AS/ASD. It was rough, but no rougher than any of the other abuse I had put up with before.


That's just how it is, kid. Internships are usually open only to those who have already proven their interest in the field, whether by having taken undergrad coursework or through military training. What you seem to be looking for is an apprenticeship, but those are usually limited to the Skilled Trades, like carpentry, plumbing, and other construction work.


Tough luck, kid. I'm still bummed that in spite of all the acting lessons I took, the best part I got was as an extra in one of the crowd scenes of "Apollo 13".

(Ron Howard is short!)

Thanks for being a douchebag as usual, Fnord. You really helped.

I have a degree in Accounting & Finance but cannot get a job or hired anywhere. Would going back to school make it possible? I would be close to 40 by the time I finished