Do an MEng or graduate with a BEng?

Hi guys,

I am a current third year mechanical engineering student.

I deep down want to just graduate and start making money already but I am scared that if I don't do an integrated masters (MEng), I will regret it?

On one hand, people say that an MEng is a must have if I want to be competitive and find jobs, but on the other hand people say that an MEng would disqualify me for entry level jobs?

As I have heard about colleagues being jealous and resentful of people that are more qualified than them in smaller companies and in addition, when applying for bigger companies, the competition is too fierce?

I feel like sticking with the BEng in order to not be overqualified for entry level positions

But so far I have seen my coursemate secure a graduate role at a reputable big/medium sized company as an MEng?

Overall, will I regret not doing the BEng if I decide to do an MEng?

Also as a side note, I might want to live abroad in the future, isn't having an MSc better than an MEng in this case?

And finally, I love my current university but I think if I did an MSc I would come back to the same university.

Hi guys,

I am a current third year mechanical engineering student.

I deep down want to just graduate and start making money already but I am scared that if I don't do an integrated masters (MEng), I will regret it?

On one hand, people say that an MEng is a must have if I want to be competitive and find jobs, but on the other hand people say that an MEng would disqualify me for entry level jobs?

As I have heard about colleagues being jealous and resentful of people that are more qualified than them in smaller companies and in addition, when applying for bigger companies, the competition is too fierce?

I feel like sticking with the BEng in order to not be overqualified for entry level positions

But so far I have seen my coursemate secure a graduate role at a reputable big/medium sized company as an MEng?

Overall, will I regret not doing the BEng if I decide to do an MEng?

Also as a side note, I might want to live abroad in the future, isn't having an MSc better than an MEng in this case?

And finally, I love my current university but I think if I did an MSc I would come back to the same university.

Hi guys,

I am a current third year mechanical engineering student.

I deep down want to just graduate and start making money already but I am scared that if I don't do an integrated masters (MEng), I will regret it?

On one hand, people say that an MEng is a must have if I want to be competitive and find jobs, but on the other hand people say that an MEng would disqualify me for entry level jobs?

As I have heard about colleagues being jealous and resentful of people that are more qualified than them in smaller companies and in addition, when applying for bigger companies, the competition is too fierce?

I feel like sticking with the BEng in order to not be overqualified for entry level positions

But so far I have seen my coursemate secure a graduate role at a reputable big/medium sized company as an MEng?

Overall, will I regret not doing the BEng if I decide to do an MEng?

Also as a side note, I might want to live abroad in the future, isn't having an MSc better than an MEng in this case?

And finally, I love my current university but I think if I did an MSc I would come back to the same university.

Are you looking to get Chartered status in future? if so, an MEng is probably worth it. However, many Engineers don't bother and are successful - there are also other routes to chartered status.

https://www.imeche.org/membership-registration/become-a-member/chartered-engineer

An MEng does not over qualify you for any graduate engineering job. I had never actually heard of this being raised as a concern until someone else mentioned it a few weeks ago on this forum. An MEng is an entry-level qualification and, for larger or more competitive companies, will at minimum give you a slight edge over bachelors level candidates, and in many cases will be a requirement. And you certainly won't be "resented" for having an MEng - it's a common qualification, has been for many years, so lots of people in industry have one. But regardless, people in industry rarely talk about qualifications. It doesn't matter once you're in.

You might regret doing an MEng if you don't do it and subsequently do not get a graduate job at a leading or tier 1 company. I don't regret doing an MEng, but do I regret that it is now the de facto standard for a decent graduate job. But it is what it is, and it's also a fairly objective way to whittle down the number of applications as well.

On one hand, people say that an MEng is a must have if I want to be competitive and find jobs, but on the other hand people say that an MEng would disqualify me for entry level jobs?
- nope MEng qualifies you for graduate level roles (open to either beng or meng), in competitive companies some specifically require MEng/MSc graduates (this is largely due to excessive candidates and they use this as a filtering technique).

As I have heard about colleagues being jealous and resentful of people that are more qualified than them in smaller companies and in addition, when applying for bigger companies, the competition is too fierce?
- nope, colleagues won’t resent or be jealous someone for having a masters (I don’t think you really understand what the working environment is like for engineers), industry is filled with people with wide variations in qualifications, they will care about your competency. Yes in big companies the competition for graduate positions is fierce (it’s not unusual in well known companies to have 100:1 applications:job, although in less visible companies this number greatly reduced).

I feel like sticking with the BEng in order to not be overqualified for entry level positions
- again, beng/meng can both apply for graduate roles, meng just opens more doors

Also as a side note, I might want to live abroad in the future, isn't having an MSc better than an MEng in this case?
- an MSc is better for specialisation, if you are applying as a graduate to specific market such as the US then they will be more familiar with a MS rather then MEng however this isn’t really a road block (just requires you to explain at interview) and if you move over with experience after a few years nobody will care.

I'm not really interested in getting Chartered to be honest?

I have been struggling with bad mental health during my degree and it has led me to being hospitalised twice and it has made me only just scrape by with a 2:1. Isn't it better for me to cash in my BEng and just go to work rather than risk getting bad grades and suffering from poor mental heatlh if I decide to do an MEng?

I am also almost in my 30s and I feel so behind inn life, I just want to go to work and call it a day rather than be stuck for another year at university?

Well you have a more unique set of circumstances.

I can’t comment on the significance of your specific mental health needs, and wether your best route is finishing up asap or to take a break from academics etc. But I would encourage you to put your health first.
If you do a BEng you can always go back and do an MSc in a few years (or even part time) & some companies do sponsor these.

I barely scraped by during my three years at university and had to get exrta support for my mental health. And even with that extra support I found studying challenging. Doin an MEng would just place me in the deep end and my biggest fear is getting terrible grades.

It seems much more practical to get the BEng qualification and do an entry level job for a while?

I do get jealous seeing other classmates get top jobs with their MEng qualifications though?

Worst part is that my mental health has also prevented me from getting an internship/placement due to getting hospitalised

I don't see myself applying to placements now as I am very close to just graduating with a BEng, as it's also almost the start of the next academic year so I would be quite late for placements?

I also don't want to do a year long placement, isn't it better if I just secure an entry level job instead?

Well it sounds like for your sanity you need to just do the BEng.

What I find weird is your seriously in or near your 30s & jealous of others academic performance and worried about how beng/meng status will be perceived in an office.

Id think if you have 10 years experience in a job or jobs you actually have significant leverage you could use. Soft professional skills and experience are very valuable (especially at entry level). That said I think your maturity will need to strengthen to do well in industry.

How do I stop from feeling like I am a failure for not getting a first in an MEng and not landing top jobs at large companies?

I feel like such a failure in comparison, even though my mental health caused me to get hospitalised twice at university?

Is there a way for you to take some time out of university to deal with your health problems?

I already have been hospitalised and had to take a year out from studies, so it wouldn't make sense for me to take another year out while I'm so close to graduation?

You need to do whatever is best for your health.

As I have heard that engineering jobs are not as difficult and demanding as engineering school?

Who told you this?

Generally id say the expectations grow after working in industry, the level of complexity grows exponentially, projects move faster then coursework & you have don’t have a PDF lecture notes walking you every small problem.

Generally expectations of a fresh graduate is fairly low but after about 12 months your “graduate” leniency will disappear.

I don't know what to do

I mean I have already had to take time out from studies in order to heal my mental health and now I am on medication.

If I pursue an integrated masters (MEng), I will just be miserable as it's quite difficult. I barely scraped by with a 2.1 in third year due to my mental health.

I'd rather just do an entry level engineering job that isn't that stressful?

Also I have been in university for about 7 years now because of getting hospitalised and I think it's time for me to leave education and start earning? I personally just want to leave education already, it's been too long and I want to live my life.

Even my personal tutor is advising me to do a masters after graduation and take a break from school for a while?

EDIT: Also, throughout researching the internet, a lot of people have said that engineering work is nothing like engineering school and that it's less stressful?

If you want stress free there are jobs where engineers are preferred but they aren’t really engineering positions. Jobs in supply chain, sales, drafting technical documents, regulatory administration. Of course these typically pay a lot less.