I have worked with many degree educated people and found most wanting. That is until they have several years in their line of work even then many have no real aptitude for hard graft. They all think them selves above those who have worked up through the ranks or who served an apprenticeship a very few prove worthwhile. Most moved on to do something less demanding. I worked in electronic design.

Highly educated people (government scholars) who regard themselves as superior to everyone else are a huge problem in my country (Singapore) as well. We actually have a Member of Parliament's daughter who wants working class people "to get out of (her) elite, uncaring face". And her father, the MP, actually supports her. And we have another MP who laments that working class people are jealous of the elite because of the backlash against the brat, nevermind the fact that she brought it upon herself by claiming that working class people are "born inferior" and "should just learn to accept their lot in life instead of yearning (and aiming) for something better." And how do I know all this? She expressed her odious, bigoted opinions on a blog open to all the world to read.

Were that not enough, HR managers in my country seem to think that just because someone is a scholar means he can do any job, even something as highly specialized as engineering. I quit my job at the local metropolitan rail operator because a government scholar, who is not an engineer, took over as manager. To cut a long story short, I now avoid using the system unless absolutely unavoidable; having had an insider's view of the consequences of his actions, let's just say I have serious doubts over the safety of the system. All the more so since he's now the Senior Manager of Safety, even though everywhere he went, there was a spate of mass resignations. Yes, you read that right, a man who knows absolutely nothing about engineering and makes it clear to everyone that he's not interested to learn anything about engineering is in charge of safety.

I have an Honors Degree in Water & Wastewater Engineering. I also worked my way up from a mechanic to a process engineer. I had a hard time landing a good job after I resigned from the rail operator, but I finally did land one. I applied many times for government jobs, but couldn't get them. Instead, the civil service kept recruiting not only staff fresh out of school with absolutely no experience, but also foreigners because "there are insufficient trained locals to meet demand." And now in a real ironic twist, the charity I volunteer for has been approached by the Education Ministry to develop a syllabus for natural wastewater treatment systems. Imagine that: the civil service does not regard me as being good enough to work for them, but is good enough to develop a training program for their scholars. Can anything be more ridiculous than that?

So what is the point of my rant? Ignore these morons. If you have an interest and an aptitude in a field, go for it. And if these "intellectually superior" asswipes want to push you around, turn the tables on them by asking them how to solve a certain highly technical problem, one which only experience can provide the answer. In full view of everyone. And while they're hemming and hawwing, ask them more questions. And when they give dumb answers, ask them questions that all the workers know the answer to, questions that show everyone just how ignorant they really are. It may not change anything, but at least you have the satisfaction of humiliating them in front of everyone. And that is what people like these truly deserve: to be humiliated in public.

The mentality is present all over the world not only in your country!

May be not as undemocratic and cast bound as your MP's daughter presents it but there are "good" and "bad" schools and thus "good" and bad" guys.

It is unfortunately a human disease to despise and reject for different reasons.

I am very objective since my degree is high but I learned during my career to appreciate people not making a difference between schools and grades.

To my fellow engineers

Both coursework and tons of hands-on experience are critical! I've got a Mech E degree, some graduate ME coursework, some undergrad EE coursework plus fine art and psychology. I've also spent most of my life lying under cars and boats, and rebuilding vintage motorcycles. My day job pulls all of this together. I've occasionally ordered a high strength sailboat part for use in our large industrial plant because they're small, corrosion resistant, and extremely strong. But I wouldn't know of the existence of these if I didn't mess about with boats, and I wouldn't know the applicability if I hadn't taken Strength of Materials, and Statics.

Most jobs I've had, even government jobs, have added something to the knowledge base, as had almost all of the college courses.

Keep learning!!

I am a Mechanical Engineering graduate and feel that makes me have training that outhers do not have. In my field I find many without degrees that have a common sense that makes them able to capable of doing good engineering work.

My daughter works for a wordwide company. She just got her degree in Business because the company wants it management to have degrees. She took macineshop in HS and CC. Worked in a "mans" field of hard knocks. Her greatest attribute is she knows that to succeed it requires the acceptance of those who will use the item she develops. So when working on a project she involve everyone who will touch the item to find the best solutionacceptable to all.

She just got a big promotion and I am sure will succeed.

I think my ME degree is very valuable. As far as the professional license, that is different for every degree in every country, and every job. It should be looked at on an individual basis. I don't think I'll ever need it, bu I'm going to get it just in case (I have to work 5 years before I can, and just graduated). If you are a decent engineer, its not a big deal to get, and can't hurt.

Hands on experience is immensely important to understanding all aspects of engineering work. I know managers in very technical, borderline 'academic' engineering fields who refuse to hire new graduates with perfect GPA's if they don't have significant, relevant hands on experience.

Any engineering degree should require hands on experience, such as a senior design project. Most ME degrees require this. More and more schools are also pushing co-ops hard, some even require it.

In summary, I view hands on experience as giving you a visceral understanding of principles and practices, while education gives you a more detailed understanding of what is going on and (most importantly) why. Personally, I don't trust the judgment of an engineer that has never built anything, and would never design/build a new part without talking to technicians and engineers with more experience than myself.

One thing that you guys might be interested in for furthering education - MIT OpenCourseWare is awesome (http://ocw.mit.edu). It is not a path to any kind of degree, but invaluable as a source to further your own knowledge - basically, MIT is posting all of their engineering course material for free.

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm

The engineering field has changed drastically. With so much work being done overseas I wonder how long an engineering degree will be worth the paper it is written on.

You can hire all the engineers you want from good schools in the Philippines, India, and other countries at $12,000-$15,000 a year. They live very cheaply and send money home.

To Guest who replied to my post. Exactly. This is an unfortunately common disease that plagues societies all over the world. And that is the whole point of my post. Ignore the bigots such as the MP's daughter and the MPs who support her in this. Do what you feel, think and know is right. As long as you aren't breaking any laws, go for it. In time, it is we who do what we believe in, and not the bigots who will have the last laugh, because it is we who will be happy with what we are doing, whereas the bigots will always be miserable deep down inside, because their selfish hedonistic lifestyle will eventually lead them to find life hollow and meaningless.