Why I pursued my PhD in Electrical Engineering | Should you get one?

As of filming this video, I am about one year post-graduation. In this video, I discuss:
- Why I decided to go to graduate school
- Whether I think it was worth the time (6+ years) and effort
- My advice to anyone thinking about going to graduate school in engineering/related fields
Mentioned website:
Dr. Brian Evans' Suggestions for Current and Prospective Graduate Students: users.ece.utexas.edu/~bevans/s...
Connect with me!
LinkedIn: / janice-pan-8baa4910b
Website: www.janpancake.com/
xo janpancake

[@jasondykstra2835]

I was working at a company that offered me a 50% raise NOT to pursue my PhD and stay there, saying I was a future VP. I left and got my PhD in Mech Engineering at a top university, although I did get a full fellowship from the national science foundation. Best decision I made was getting a PhD. You are treated completely differently with that degree at a big company, plus the amount of money I made was not within reach of anyone without a PhD degree in the tech side of the company. I made what the VP technology made as the chief tech advisor to corp. innovation. This is a VP in charge of 5000 engineers, so don't let anyone tell you management is the only way to go. I have since left to join a robotics startup as CTO and the upside is so much higher now with a piece of the company, this is a job I would not have been offered without the degree and my experience. If you are creative and are armed with a PhD in engineering you are way more valuable than management as you are incredibly hard to replace. The truth is in most big companies 95% of the new ideas come from 1% of the people, if you are that 1% you are golden.

[@akiller28]

Can I DM you? Need advice as I’m in the same boat

[@cryora]

What do you do at a company in order to make as much as VP?

[@jasondykstra2835]

@@cryora Official title was Chief technical advisor to corporate innovation. I have over 150 patents and some of my inventions are used in over 100 countries on a daily basis. I joined a startup as CTO because they gave me a nice chunk of the company, and I like the boot strap environment of startups a lot more than a fortune 100 company.

[@cryora]

@@jasondykstra2835 Impressive. I see that a PhD would help in your credibility as an inventor and patent holder when trying to license or sell ideas to companies. My PhD is in physics and the stuff I work on are meant for laboratories and rather experimental. I don't see them becoming patentable inventions anytime soon, but perhaps I can start to work on projects with patents in mind.

[@kifter4254]

Good for you Jason. You sound very intelligent

[@Saimouer]

This is probably the best video on specifically engineering phds on KZbin. Really great to hear this perspective.

[@janpancake]

Wow, what a nice comment. Thanks so much for leaving me some feedback! I'm so glad you liked the video :)

[@evahle]

This is really nice information for anyone. Although I've had a lot of experience in the electronics field, I wish I'd had some thoughtful people like you to have helped along the way. I wish success for you and everyone else in this fun and challenging field!

[@OsaidSasi]

Short, concise, straight to the point. Great video and great perspective

[@kyrinky]

Wow! even though you're so far up the ladder, you're incredibly humble! I really enjoyed this video. Thank you.

[@janpancake]

That’s so nice of you to say, but I’m only a few rungs up the ladder! I have so much higher to climb 🙂 Thanks for watching and for leaving me a comment 🥰

[@iemaj]

I am really glad i found a dedicated channel for electrical engineering. This video helped me a lot in answering my questions. You were right.. it's hard to leave the job and money to pursue masters/Phd. It's not that it's difficult it's that we're in a different mindset . And that's where i got my answer. Though I'm still a student but I think i know what you meant. Thanks a lot to you ❤️

[@ekpolador-ebi]

I really enjoyed your authenticity and the content of the video, thank you!

[@janpancake]

Thanks for watching and dropping a comment!

[@MoayyadYaghi]

As a grad student after 12 years of professional experience. It’s really hard to adapt to classes and exams. because the further you go the harder it will be. I knew from day one that I will go to grad school but I wasn’t able to afford it back then. Anyway “very hard” doesn’t mean impossible. That’s what my mom told me before I start :)

[@janpancake]

Definitely not impossible! You also do gain a lot of invaluable experience by working in industry. Great to hear you were able to make it back to school.

[@arjitbali9213]

Extremely helpful video and links, thank you!

[@jinyoungheo]

Yup, I also agree with most of what Dr. Pan said about the main advantages of having a PhD. Very insightful and concise video on those thinking of pursuing a graduate degree:)

[@ruby__2879]

Hi janpancake! I just finished watching your video. I just want to say thank you for your video :) It's an insightful one

[@MossadCIA43]

U got a sub today love ur content crisp and to the point very relevant advice ❤

[@Schwartzslyzzle_]

Thank you so much for sharing. This was very helpful.

[@f.osborn1579]

Thanks for this very insightful video!

[@sendonPNW]

You are a wonderful human being (: thank you for sharing your wisdom with us!

[@JasemQ8]

I'll be graduating with my bachlors in computer engineering next summer. I think this is really great advice, it gave me a lot of motivation to pursue grad school. Thank you so much for your advice, I hope I'll be able to get my PHD one day!

[@janpancake]

Good luck!!

[@dillonfinds5776]

How's it treating you?

[@rominiqueb4878]

New sub! currently finishing my undergrad this semester in EE! thanks for the info!

[@janpancake]

Congratulations!!

[@kaylao.7688]

Just finished watching and wow... I actually just applied for 4-5 Ph.D. programs! The advice you gave is amazing :) ! I Probably one of the best videos I've seen in regards to graduate school. Thank you so much and I'm looking forward to your other videos!!

[@janpancake]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@1984oner]

Hello.. and did u get your phd?

[@AndreaAbelian]

2:38 this is so true! i have heard from many people that once you leave school and make money you don’t want to go back to school. Thats why I did my masters right after my bachelors. Also thanks for such an insightful video it definitely gives me a lot to ponder while i decide if a phd is right for me

[@jamilkhan312]

Wow !! Nice video !! New subie 😊😊 Sure your videos will help me a lot since I am just done with undergrad in EEE

[@sshannon1948]

I have my BS in Chemistry from UT in Austin in 1972, had a USAF scholarship, went into the Air Force for 3 years and then in 1978 and began leveling courses in EE and eventually got my MSEE from Texas Tech in December1981. I wish I had gone on for the PhD but it seemed that there were several factors that were against it....One thing was that the GPA requirement was 3.5 as opposed to 3.0...students had to maintain that GPA and given my background, I didn't seem to be able to do that...I did well in undergrad but when I got to grad school, the courses were a quantum jump above the undergrad courses in level of difficulty and lots of Chinese students were coming to American schools...and they were very good and I didn't seem to be able to compete with them. They lived together, ate together, and studied together....Thanks for your video...

[@slackpat3k299]

After finishing undergrad at UT in Austin, how did you apply to the Air Force for graduate school in Electrical Engineering?

[@sshannon1948]

@@slackpat3k299 I paid for it myself with help of GI Bill.

[@imthegrk]

I’m starting my undergrad in Fall ‘21. I can’t wait to get to your level of expertise.

[@janpancake]

Best of luck to you as you begin your journey!

[@kyrinky]

Dood, I might start that fall as well. Good luck!

[@fightwithbiomechanix663]

Hey I am getting my PhD, and I found that your point in starting as a senior engineer is good. In industry you may get overlooked and perform at a high level deliver results but not get recognized. It was a factor in pursuing a PhD. I want more control over my career. Though I plan on doing industry post grad school. In industry career advancement is based 50% on who you know 30% on how you are perceived & 20% on what results you have produced. Getting a grad degree and PE lincense helps set us stand out Great video👊🏾

[@janpancake]

Thanks for your insight! I haven't been working full-time long enough to know/study how "industry career advancement" truly works, but from what I've seen, I completely agree with your point that how you are perceived can be more important than the actual results you've produced.

[@fightwithbiomechanix663]

@@janpancake Thanks I look forward to seeing more of your videos

[@alecmurillo56]

4:50 love this advice. “Nurturing environment to thrive” I agree. That is the best way to learn very well!

[@wyattforrest1879]

Thank you for sharing!

[@rawlinbogner5657]

I concur with Saimouer below that this was very nice video and gave prespectives to which I had not thought of myself.

[@janpancake]

Thanks so much! I'm so happy you found it interesting :)

[@martinliza4811]

This is a good video and I have heard from my adviser to that if I go to industry I would never want to go back to school again. However, I don’t bully agree with it because I think that the skills that you can learn in industry can be extremely useful for your PhD. There are some advantages on going straight from undergrad to PhD. However, doing a PhD with industry experience give you a different view and allows you to be more focus in your PhD work. I might be a bit biased in here because I actually quit industry after 3 and a half years (2 diff ENTJ engineering jobs) to pursue my PhD. Note I did a part time master while working. In my particular case my industry experience has not only helped me developing useful skills (coding) but has also allowed me to do summer internships. These internships have allowed me to define my research project and to make money during the summer. I think that going straight from undergrad to PhD can be dangerous because you can end getting tired and leaving after a MS (nothing wrong with that as you said it). Furthermore, I think that the skills that you learn in industry are extremely valuable for your PhD and most of the time those skills are not being taught in schools.

[@micahassefa5823]

Great video! As a sophomore in EE I never even thought of graduate school till now. Looking forward to your other videos!

[@janpancake]

Thanks so much 🙏🏼🥰

[@coolx9357]

I agree with the needing a nurturing environment. I graduated in May 2019 but started working in Feb 2019. Both my first 2 jobs did not have the best managers. First job is irrelevant. Second job was a large aerospace company in CA and the peeps were a little too stressed to teach someone new effectively. My current job at the same company had a much better approach to teach me, plus they had much more time. If you are a technical person and want to do technical things, I would suggest these things to think about: 1. Go straight to grad school if able after your bachelor's. If what you wanna do is complex, you may need this. Although, a work around is to join a club that does what you want to do, or if you can get an internship in a company that does what you want to do. 2. Try to get into a company that pays for school. After 1 year, companies will pay for your graduate degrees. And you can always back out. It is important to pursue some level of education in the type of work you want to do. The best place would be at school because there should be clubs that do this, or maybe even a professor can make a project for you in that field. Companies want experience, even for entry level. Do you want to buy the product that has great reviews and works? Or do you want to buy the one that has nothing backing it? Take this advice and apply it to a candidate's resume. Do they have what you need or no?

[@adebiyiadedeji1938]

Currently working on my master thesis and i was frustrated....came on to youtube to browse 'is it a good idea to go for a Phd?', and here I found your video. You don't know how much I needed this. Thank you for the little confidence pump you gave me. This should get me started 🙂

[@_r1nky]

Just started undergrad , will need to watch this vid in 4 years .

[@michaelscott1573]

Brooooo

[@michaelscott1573]

Where

[@maramam5024]

Great video+I like your voice very relaxing

[@vikaschauhan-mw3ky]

Great video! Thanks for sharing

[@mayankkumar1848]

Thank u very much for putting things in perspective 🙏. Greetings from India !

[@dickersonr6172]

I applied for my PhD. Waiting to hear back. Tears. Fingers cross for the best

[@janpancake]

Fingers crossed for you!

[@francesco884]

Hi, unfortunately I am not able to find a video about phd in computer engineering (no computer science). Even if you are not a computer engineer, I believe that in general in the engineering field can be useful a Phd for the reasons that you mentioned. I would like to inform you that you had helped me in my choice and I believe that I'll do the Phd. Thanks for your contribution.

[@raniermoura3825]

I am finishing my master's in Computer Science (my bsc was in Renewable Energy Engineering) and I am still not sure if I should apply for a phd... Most of it it's because I'm not sure about the field (IT or engineering), the low income and also because I am already 27 y.o... This video helped me a lot. Thanks :)

[@n.a3642]

Hi! This is sort of off-topic, but what do you think of a current sophomore taking a gap-year before Junior year to build skills and work in an internship or research? I'm an ECE student.

[@TheEnzoachi]

Wow wow wow. I am in my 2nd semester doing me EE master thesis. I feel really lost but thanks for sharing your experience

[@Californiansurfer]

I found a great secure job, but feel stuck. I majored in psychology and electronics which. I am a security tech which includes networking our companies. My hobbies reading psychology, philosophy and surfing. I have meet different people through surfing. My goal is finding that good feeling , all day long. 🇲🇽🇯🇵🇺🇸🏄🏽‍♂️🌊🌊🌊

[@Wvdoctorz68965]

You are so right. I got my PhD in Computer Science 25 years ago. I too asked this very question. Should I get my PhD? I had just completed my Masters degree and decided to bite the bullet and go for it. Just like you, my parents were also academics and valued education above monetary wealth. Having a PhD, speaks volumes about you before you even utter a word. My children are all grown now and they too are academics. Bottom line is, my parent were right. We are now at 8 generations of academics.

[@suhaibduco4496]

Thank you!

[@rodneyh1947]

PhD is really if you have aspirations for R&D and academia. If you are that kind of person and that is what will make you happy and fulfilled in life , then go for it. You can always leave with a masters, and the time spent beyond your masters doing phd work is experience on the resume, so it is not a waste. You only have one life, just pursue your passions.

[@Hierothewordsmith]

Can you make some more technical videos. I’m eager to see what high level work is like in my chosen major.

[@hassanabdur-rahman1559]

I really wish that I could have gone to graduate school and completed my masters and phd in EE. I was forced to go into industry after completing my undergraduate degree. I really want to be a teacher rather than just an engineer. I really miss the academic environment of learning.

[@seinfan9]

I think I remember you at UT. You wouldn't know who I am because we probably spoke like twice during undergrad, but we did graduate the same year looking at your linkedin profile. We have three mutual connections lol.

[@sarahappy3204]

I really enjoyed the video. Thanks for the insight! What do you think about pursuing a masters degree in EE?

[@janpancake]

It could be great if you have an interest in a particular area and want to gain a deeper understanding. What is it that you ultimately want after you get your degree? It may not be worth the time and money, but if you have an interest (+time/money) I’d say to go for it! Thanks for watching :)

[@aomorgancool1775]

@@janpancake are you saying that getting a graduate degree in electrical engineering is not worth it.

[@janpancake]

I’m saying it depends on what your priorities are and where your interests lie. If it’s about money, meaning you want to get a graduate degree to make more money, I don’t think it’s necessarily worth it. Industry pay varies quite a bit across the board, and if you’re good at what you do, and you don’t have a graduate degree, your salary could be comparable or higher than the salary given to some with MS or PhD degrees.

[@aomorgancool1775]

@@janpancake are higher paying jobs in engineering available to all bachelors in engineering. I am a first year college student planning on transitioning to mechanical and electrical and I want to make sure that I get ready for master's while in undergrad.

[@janpancake]

@@aomorgancool1775 If you're asking if the discipline matters (i.e., mechanical or electrical), I don't think I can speak on that. I don't know much about opportunities for mechanical engineers. And if you're asking about preparing for a master's program, I have a video in which I give some tips to preparing a strong application: How I Got into Grad School (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHXUopKuqrGcarc). But in general, for high-paying jobs, it really does depend on a lot of factors. If you want to get a really high-paying job with a bachelors, from my EE perspective, your best bet might be to get a job at a large tech company (Google, Apple, Netflix, Facebook, Amazon, etc...), because they can offer you more substantial packages (salary, bonuses, equity, etc...). And internships are great ways to get your foot in the door at those companies. So I suppose my suggestion for something you can do to increase your chances at landing a high-paying job post-graduation is to do internships while in undergrad. I hope that's helpful :)

[@raq1205]

As a junior EE I don’t want to go into industry right after graduation and I’m not ready to stop learning. I know graduate school is for me, except my abysmal mental health for a handful of semesters have significantly dropped my gpa. It wasn’t even exams or projects, but late submission penalties. Realistically, I know that if a school is choosing between a brilliant student and an “I would’ve been even better if...” student, I would get overlooked every single time. What would be important things to focus on to have a better application?

[@janpancake]

I think your passion, grit, and motivation can come through in your Statement of Purpose. And your recommendations can also highlight how strong of a candidate you are. Yes, they look at grades and overall GPA, but the grades you get in certain more-advanced classes may be more important. I admire your certainty in choosing to go to grad school. I don’t think you’ll be overlooked for a couple weaker semesters, because there are plenty of other parts of your application where your strength as an applicant can come through. I’ll actually be discussing some of this in an upcoming video 🙂 Good luck with your applications!

[@rushibhatt1201]

Hi, This video was very helpful. I wanted your opinion on UCLA's MS in ECE program for signal and systems track. I wish to work in the field of ML, CV after graduation? (not sure if I'd go for a phD immediately after MS). Thanks

[@pruff3]

Great video, I got a PhD but I'm not really applying the research. Maybe one day I'll return to the bench but it probably would have made more financial sense to just start coding and getting experience on real-world systems. Also I'm curious if your experience in a PhD program was encouraging industry jobs post grad school or not.

[@pruff3]

Most people, especially in my post doc, saw going to industry as some form of "selling out." I think it's better if your advisor helps you to transition into industry and/or you can be a lucky grad student who knows there is a good job waiting for them after the thesis defense.

[@janpancake]

In my department, actually, most grad students seemed to go into industry. And it also felt like every summer most students wanted to get an industry internship. My advisor did encourage us to get internships, and most of the projects we had were industry-funded, so there was also an incentive to make those connections. I’m similar to you. I’m currently not doing research or anything really related to my PhD thesis, but I do think I got some invaluable experience that helped me get to where I am now. I do think someone else could probably do what I’m doing without going through the PhD route, but I’m not sure I could’ve. I was too naive when I got my BS, and also not interested in coding, so who knows what I’d be doing now had I not gone to grad school.

[@pruff3]

@@janpancake that sounds like a good program that understood "the funnel" (i.e. not everyone can be tenured faculty at an R1 university). Well thanks for the video and the response and I definitely feel lucky that everything has worked out for us, I feel bad for those that put in years for the PhD only to "Master out" due to funding or other issues. Keep up the good work 👍!

[@bamffatboi5526]

Worked a year after my BS, just applied to schools for a MS, probably will try working again after I get that, then maybe think about a PhD later on. 🤷‍♂️

[@w4in]

Oh good question

[@edmonddantes1761]

if youre passionate, its something that will be fulfilling. if youre just chasing titles/money, nothing will ever fulfill you. Been in industry nearly 20 years, finishing my 3rd masters degree after EE, high level engineering advisor, basically never have to worry about money or getting fired. I've been putting the phd off for awhile because I just dont feel excited when i think about it and i would rather focus on my health and building a family. school messed up my sleep, my body, and i lost a lot of time.

[@trumanburbank6899]

I always wondered if an Electrical Engineer is necessarily an expert in electrodynamics. When the third year physics undergrad comes over with his electrodynamics textbook are you able to help him?

[@VedJoshi..]

Thanks for this, just subbed! What are your thoughts about going from Physics undergrad to EE master's for imaging/biotech applications? I am blessed to attend a top 15 Physics department (Ivy League) but I don't know if I stand a chance at competing with students with stronger backgrounds in EE itself?

[@cryora]

An engineering degree meets the qualifications for PE licensing, whereas a physics degree does not. Employers will tend to look at how well you are qualified for the position you apply for, so check out job positions that you are interested in and see if the requirements scare the f' out of you or if you feel confident you qualify.

[@atiladeoke]

thanks.

[@Mossskaterhans]

I did wanna start in the "real world" young. I passed up traveling as well as studying unneccesarily far (Just hons. in elect eng and also qualified as an electrician ("red seal", because practical hands on is a different animal ) to feel that real world "bottom of the barrel" feeling. Now I'm the boss. These PhD mommies boys now work for me., Although my cousin is a programmer, he's a beast, has many under him with masters degrees and more . He didn't finish high school, but started to code at 15 and was obsessed with programming . It all makes me think. I'm glad I went to hons degree though, although does one really apply all those differential equations ? No.

[@janpancake]

True, there’s a lot we learn in school that we don’t apply in our daily jobs/lives. I think school mainly teaches us how to solve problems and think critically. I’m glad your path took you where you want to be 🙂

[@hectorvidales876]

Great video. What type of EE are you?

[@janpancake]

Thank you :) My track in undergrad was signal processing. In graduate school, I was in the image/video processing and computer vision space.

[@12degreesnowman11]

I’m going for it, PHD it is.

[@m.rgh.i9199]

Actually I'm a little bit nervous because I think I will be overqualification after getting my PHD in power electrical engineering and maybe can't find my desired job in industry.

[@Jasthephdstudent]

I’m also a Ph.D. And make similar videos And I can relate! Love your video will be subbing

[@SM12457]

At first I thought electrical engineering wasn't invloved with coding so I was confused. But there are EE phd specializations that are related to coding like embedded systems. So it's more clear why your phd was EE with a coding background.

[@sakshamkumarsharma2309]

Does to get into PhD does it requires research experience provided that I have done my masters in the same institute?

[@furn6341]

I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering and I have been wanting to do my master's but I am really confused as to what to get my master's in and where. I was thinking about either an MS in Mechanical Engineering or an MS in Engineering Management. Do you have any advice on that? Thank you.

[@janpancake]

I personally don't think you need to get a degree in Engineering Management to be an engineering manager, because there are always opportunities to move into management once you have a job in industry if that's what you really want to do. But that's just my opinion, and I've never met anyone (that I know of) who has a degree in Engineering Management. It all depends on what you ultimately want to study and do after you get your degree though :)

[@karanmehta5694]

I have a question: I’m a junior studying EE. I really love research and want to get a PhD. However, I’m worried it doesn’t pay off in the future financially. What are your thoughts on this

[@janpancake]

If you love research, I’d say go for it! It shouldn’t cost you much other than time. You will be making a lot less than you could be making in industry while you’re getting your degree, but afterwards, your starting salary in industry will likely be higher. In the long run, I don’t think going for a PhD will set you back financially at all. Hope that answers your question!

[@issac4936]

So I am gonna put my perspective here. A Ph.d. for me was judged based on the merit if I am going to need it. For my line of work getting into a national lab job, that would almost guarantee you a six figure job would require a doctorate. Also, the scope of compentancie would require Ph.d experience. But that is just me, but I agree those that go are barely living off anything. My question would then be what kind of program or fellowship are people taking?

[@cryora]

Might need a postdoc before you can get a 6 figure national lab job.

[@fatihtasdelen4701]

Plz help me its vital How to convert 220 volt 150-200 hertz alternator output voltage to 50-60 Hz Will the frequency converter do the job? THXxxx

[@richporter3661]

in high school watching this, Deciding on Bachelors or masters at the moment

[@larry7124]

You said that Ph.D. make very little money but that dose not seem to be the case for Ph.D. university professors, also some of my friends are doing their Ph.D. online so not to lose their salary.

[@ankurpathak5964]

oh shit ...i m just in 10 + 2 but why am i watching such high level video🥵😳!!

[@vivekvickky9680]

It's good video ...

[@rawlinbogner5657]

Also did you do graduate school at the same place as your undergraduate degree? And would you recommend moving schools for graduate school versus staying in one place?

[@janpancake]

I did stay at my undergrad institution for grad school, and I had a few reasons, but the biggest was my advisor. If you don't have a particular person you want to do research with or a relationship with an advisor already, I would recommend going somewhere else. I think getting a diverse education is invaluable, but I guess I won't ever really know what I missed out on! Are you in grad school? Or perhaps considering going?

[@rawlinbogner5657]

@@janpancake Well I guess im researching the topic but no. I am graduating this spring with a BS in Diesel Technology and I have applied to ASU for a BS in Electrical Engineering. They offer programs all the way through to PHD and I guess I wanted to see a prespective on where it is best to stop from the highest level.

[@nocode659]

Where did you do you graduate and post grad in?

[@fernandocortes1187]

1:24 Profesor y su blog para estudiar maestrías y doctorados

[@s.9417]

Do you think 5 years duration of PhD is realistic? Thx a lot

[@michaelscott1573]

I find the UG ee course so hard though , can i even get it to masters😦🥺

[@janpancake]

Grad classes were harder for me, but I think going for a masters is worth a shot if you’re interested and motivated 💪🏼

[@gloryfrank6481]

I am a biomedical undergraduate student and I wanted to pursue my phd in either biomedical and Electrical... ?? Please any advice

[@janpancake]

I think it depends more on the research you’d like to do and the professor(s) you want to work with. If the topic is more electrical, I’d apply to the EE department. If the topic is more BME, I’d apply there. But once you’re in, you can usually work with any professor you’d like even if they’re in a different department. The rules for advancing through your degree might be a bit different depending on which department you’re technically in, but if the work you want to do straddles both EE and BME, the department that admits you may not matter a whole lot. That’s from what I’ve seen - hope it helps!

[@mukulmeshram9441]

Hello Janice, It's really nice that I saw video related to Electrical Engineering. I am currently an Undergraduate Student and I am planning for my master's from USA/UK and I am nervous will it be worth it to do masters from USA/UK, do Electrical Engineers have job opportunities there? Or will I face problems as I am not from CS/IT branch?

[@jimmyyeung5823]

UC Berkeley only has endurance homework as a revealing credential. Degrees can become useless if people around are illiterate in workplaces.

[@fakrbob4099]

Wow this is such good information. I’m in EE undergrad trying to do a MSc or PhD in integrated circuits. What was your area of research? What tasks are you able to do at a company that a MSc couldn’t do?

[@janpancake]

Image processing, and honestly, many BS and MS students can do what I do.

[@pierrojules]

With a Ph.D. degree, especially in Science, you have some level of expertise in your field, to begin with. Moreover, you don't need guidance to lead an industrial project from start (concept) to finish (product). You are thorough in your work and highly inquisitive. You know what information you need to solve a problem and where you can easily find it. You have the ability to, for example, develop sophisticated theoretical models to study complex systems, as well as get crucial information from data and provide a sound interpretation of its meaning. With only a BS or a MS, you lack those skills as well as the required knowledge/background.

[@phasorsystems6873]

Transitors, who needs them! Stumble Upon circuit solver on the playstore!

[@fernandogallardo3477]

I want to pursue my masters in Electrical Engineering. My problem is money to afford it.

[@user-dt1ie8ss6m]

Hi pretty , Iam an undergraduate EEE student. I'm lost , some advices from expert like you will be better to me , please insight me about Priorities and skills I should have.

[@janpancake]

Would love to help. I think the advice you'd get from me or anyone else would depend on what your ultimate goal with obtaining your degree is.

[@lilburger4274]

Is it ok to have a bachelors, masters and phd in electrical engineering? Or do I have to choose different majors?

[@janpancake]

You can do it all in EE if that's what you're interested in. There are no rules :)

[@alecmurillo56]

Exactly! 2:55 Elon Musk left Stanford in the middle of his studies to start his companies.

[@chiphill4856]

In all fairness, you need about 20 more years before you can adequately assess this.

[@CEA9234]

Hmm. I'm a BSEE and I've had 5 industry roles and about to start my 6th industry Job. This new gig is with Siemens Healthineers R&D. I'm really starting to think maybe me getting a PhD isn't crazy as I once thought. A masters is a great idea but may as well go all the way?

[@janpancake]

All depends on what you want to do I think. With your experience and the fact that you've already landed a R&D role, you may not even need to go to graduate school to move forward in your career. Unless, of course, your industry roles are asking you to go back to school and take classes on certain topics.

[@CEA9234]

@@janpancake Well the department I joined is supposedly R&D, but they hired me to install pcbs and troubleshoot the boards and do some motor control testing (Power Electronics/Embedded Systems). My main thing is I probably need to learn more about PCBs in general (design and CAD tools, analysis/ simulations) and I'd like to become more of an expert in power electronics and perhaps a bit of RF just because it seems important and Wireless Power... idk. Pretty much I was hired to do installs at Siemens tho so not uber technical. Perhaps a PhD would allow me to pursue more hands on projects in Power Electronics or RF

[@CEA9234]

Also I had 4 internships during undergrad and 2 industry jobs after BSEE. 2nd one is Siemens.

[@Inverter5253]

I disagree on your comments on pursuing graduate studies right out of an undergraduate degree. Sometimes most people don’t really know what they really want to do right out of undergrad school. I have been in the industry for 10 years, have 3 Master degrees in engineering and currently completing my PhD in Electrical Engineering while working. I am good at managing my time, but the cold truth is that majority of the industry values experience over degrees. I work in the power systems industry, we offered a straight PhD student an Engineer 2 position. The Engineer 2 position requires 2 years of experience. There are exceptions at research labs etc i have seen PhD students getting a higher engineering position.

[@valor36az]

Advantages of a late PhD, working on practically relevant research questions.

[@janpancake]

Good point

[@scholarlyanalyst7700]

@@janpancake What sounds harder to your "ears"? 1. Masters Degree in Mathematics or 2. Masters Degree in Statistics?

[@janpancake]

Mathematics I think 🤭

[@scholarlyanalyst7700]

@@janpancake Thanks for your input!

[@Jarrod_C]

2% sure???? thats it?

[@mario-qq7bq]

Do you need a master for a phd in engineer

[@janpancake]

You do not. Most PhD programs are designed so you can get your MS along the way to getting your PhD.

[@mario-qq7bq]

@@janpancake in total 5 year for a ms and phd

[@janpancake]

It’s possible!

[@mario-qq7bq]

@@janpancake do I get my ms two in to the phd program

[@janpancake]

MS can be awarded based on fulfilling course credit requirements, so if you’re going for your PhD, you could realistically fulfill those requirements and get your MS anytime from the end of your 2nd year to the end of your 3rd year. But if you’re ultimately getting your PhD, it doesn’t matter when or if you get it at all

[@AlkzandrDenmanm1_x]

a woman needs a phd like a fish needs a bicycle

[@ralluzarebon]

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