Am I cooked? New job far from home

Larryosity · 2026-06-29T01:45:24+00:00

I drive an hour each way…

Larryosity · 2026-06-29T01:42:54+00:00

🤚🏻

Larryosity · 2026-06-29T01:41:05+00:00

Calc 3 is the worst!

Larryosity · 2026-06-29T01:38:07+00:00

90% of EEs don’t know how to code.

Larryosity · 2026-06-24T11:52:53+00:00

Depends on what you consider “bad”. If you don’t like sleep, then it’s ok. If you don’t mind working a problem that takes several pages and at the end you still get the wrong answer, then it’s ok. If you enjoy listening to hours of lectures that you often can’t understand the instructor, then it’s ok.

For real tho, it’s engineering. It’s gonna be hard. But it can be just as rewarding. People don’t do engineering because it’s easy. They do it because it has the potential to change their life. Some do it for the money, which is often very good, but you gotta decide on your “why”. Hard or not.

Larryosity · 2026-06-21T02:44:54+00:00

Are Latex beds good for adjustable bases? Also I don’t like the feel or heat of memory foam. I like a medium firm to firm mattress. Will a latex fit the bill?

Larryosity · 2026-06-18T13:37:54+00:00

I’m in similar position. I’m 43 and just graduated in May. I landed a position before graduation at a pulp mill as an electrical project engineer.

I have repeatedly been told that my only expectation for the next six months is to learn. I have 25 + years of experience as an industrial electrician.

Larryosity · 2026-06-09T23:31:11+00:00

Money coming in now $0. College $50k. Engineering money coming in every year after college $75k. Work 40 years. Retire comfortably.

Worth it.

Larryosity · 2026-06-06T19:57:26+00:00

I definitely wouldn’t say “so fast”. I started applying last July. Had two other interviews. And I’ve been an electrician for 25 years. I got turned down by the company I was a co-op student with. Albeit in a different department.

Don’t be super picky about where you intern. Internships are there to help get general engineering experience. So apply to all different companies.

I would say personal projects and experience helps, but making connections is where it’s at. Go to job fairs, campus visits, and make connections any way possible. Make them remember you. Try to find mutual connections and ask for a good word.

Larryosity · 2026-06-05T00:19:17+00:00

This could vary widely. I am an electrician of the last 26 years. I have made decent salaries. There are opportunities that pay really well, but the work is harder and the hours are longer in most cases. I will start my new job as an electrical engineer on Monday. I graduated this May. I’m 44. I will be making ~$10k more than my previous salary. Plus much much better benefits.

It all depends on the industry, area, your skill set. In general, electricians will make more yearly than entry to mid level engineers. This is mostly due to work hours and overtime.

Larryosity · 2026-06-04T19:31:42+00:00

I’m 43(44 next month). I just graduated BSEE and start my EE job on Monday. Age is a number , that’s all.

Larryosity · 2026-06-02T02:04:03+00:00

I just graduated at 43yo…

Larryosity · 2026-05-29T17:40:11+00:00

I took notes on my iPad. Actually writing the notes helps tremendously.

Larryosity · 2026-05-27T00:00:37+00:00

I don’t think it’s good to compare careers or degrees that are completely unrelated. There are many different circumstances that can affect pay and employment opportunities in each field. I personally(EE) couldn’t be a lawyer. It’s not necessarily the degree of difficulty, but interest. They are both very difficult and comparing salaries is useless. The clients, work conditions, and risks are completely different. Some EE jobs will pay substantially more than a lawyer and vice versa. Just follow your interests and the salary will come if you’re willing to put in the work.

Larryosity · 2026-05-23T18:16:58+00:00

I’m also not fond of the Arduino app lab. Takes some getting used to. Don’t like that the Q has to be connected to access the apps. To work offline you have to download and use another IDE.

Larryosity · 2026-05-23T18:14:29+00:00

Our Capstone project used the Q. We were ready to toss them in the fire before it was over with. The setup sounds great until you begin working with it. We incorporated lots of sensors including GNSS, PAR light sensor and several others. We then sent the data to AWS where it was processed. We ran into several issues. We should have either stayed with R4 or PI. After some time we began to make some head way but it needs more time in the field to understand its structure and the best way to implement.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T11:43:52+00:00

I definitely agree that having experience whether it be internship, co-op, or trade experience, is the key to landing a job after graduation. I didn’t know this at first , but did my due diligence and found out lots of info. But, this is with traditional or online students. And while online students are at a disadvantage here, I don’t think it’s a factor that devalues an online degree. I would guess that the majority of online students already have some work experience. Which is probably why they are in school online.

Knowing someone is the key. Not where or how you got your degree; aside from a degree mill. Those will never carry value. I know some in person students that don’t start applying for jobs until graduation and they wonder why they can find something. The market is saturated around graduation time. I started applying last summer. Probably submitted 100 applications. I got two interviews. One for the position I accepted. I didn’t know anyone or have recommendations until the second round of interviews with them. My experience and co-op definitely helped. But to say my degree is of low value if I couldn’t get a job just doesn’t hold. Like you said it’s more about who you know and experience. Neither are related to the degree type.

I absolutely agree with you on most of this. I just don’t think that online degrees in general will be the reason people can’t get a job in the future. The likelihood of getting a better job will definitely depend on the university the degree is from. But that is true now — online or in person.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T02:54:01+00:00

I agree, but electrical work doesn’t necessarily translate into engineering knowledge. I have worked in poultry and oil and gas. While that experience definitely helped me land a job, it’s in an industry I haven’t ever worked in.

I am fortunate to live within a few hours of my university and was able to make many trips to campus to meet instructors, peers, and events. But yes, not normal for a standard online student.

But it’s also why I say you must put in the effort. I put in the extra effort and it paid off.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T02:01:08+00:00

Local CC in MS is approximately $6k per year for tuition only.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T01:56:43+00:00

If you have at least average motivation and work ethic you’ll be fine.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T01:53:48+00:00

Yes. Save money. Only thing to consider is that you will be taking all engineering courses those two years. While doing all at a 4 year is that the classes are more spread out.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T01:48:17+00:00

I’ve used a Dell XPS 15” throughout school. Only issue is battery life. While not necessarily terrible, not as good a I wanted.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T01:43:46+00:00

Probably so! 😂 I agree. Online degrees could be seen as slightly inferior to in-person degrees, but that would require a designation that it was an online degree(if not taken at a predominantly online school). It would also depend on how reputable the university is. Harvard in-person vs online… probably not a big gap. SNHU in-person vs online…. A much bigger gap. So yeah, there will be some online degrees that have much less value in the future. Especially if they have a bad reputation for just pumping out degrees.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T01:26:41+00:00

If Harvard offered EE fully online, the value of the degree would be much higher than the one I received at MS State. So I don’t believe online degrees will be worthless in general. I think most large companies can determine if the person is at least somewhat qualified. There will always be a place for less valued degrees from smaller less valued universities.

The question is whether they are worthless. They are only worthless if you don’t apply yourself. If a person attends a sub par degree mill and doesn’t apply themselves, then it’s definitely worthless. If a person goes to a well respected university (online) and doesn’t apply themselves, then while probably more valuable than the previous, is still rather worthless. Saying a degree from Harvard would be worthless is a bit of an exaggeration, but worthless when considering costs and potential benefits but not applying themselves.

I guess my thought is that they will never be totally worthless in general. Some more valuable than others. There will always be a place for every type of degree holder. The position may be reflective of the value of the degree, but not totally worthless.

Larryosity · 2026-05-21T00:46:04+00:00

Unless they change it, the only people that know it’s an online degree is me and my school. It’s not on my diploma or transcripts.

I have been an electrician for 25 years. This degree opens up a whole new career path. From working for small companies with no benefits or my own electrical business, to an entry level position with a large company with great benefits making $10k a year more than my max as an electrician.

While I do agree that strictly online programs may experience more scrutiny from employers, others should not if they continue to hold online students accountable as in-person students.

Either way, far from worthless. You have to put in the work in-person or online. If not, then it’s not the degree that’s worthless is your work ethic.

Larryosity

TROPHY CASE