As I am finishing my years Bachelors in Engineering at my university. I came to see that GPA isn't a key aspect to being hired.
To those who have graduated and or are experienced.
>What should one have accomplished by the time they graduate [Things to have on CV] to be considered the best engineer or most prepared.
Internship positions are typically the best experience you can get for your resume. If you are thinking about grad school than research is better. If you can get a year round internship (while enrolled in classes) then you have to fuck up bad to not get a job after graduation.
GPA is a key aspect in some entry level positions as some jobs have cutoffs still, but a 3.0+ will keep probably 75-90% of jobs open, and a 3.5+ will keep 95-99% of jobs open for you. What I always say and have seen in practice is that a mediocre GPA can still get you a job, but a good GPA can get you your dream job. A 2.7 GPA is fine for many companies, especially with intern/research experience, but most "dream" jobs/companies will get the cream of the crop and you will need a 3.0 or 3.5 or 3.7 at least. Of course after your first real job your GPA will fade away and become meaningless to most employers and you can still aim for that dream job, but a good GPA will probably get you there quicker.
I always advise STEM majors to apply to grad school and at least get that masters as it can increase earnings in the long run and can provide more time to get internship experience and build more people skills working in a research lab. Some companies pay for engineers to get a part time masters, but they can be difficult to get approved and may take 5-6 years to earn an MEng which is inferior to an MS anyways, and many people who enter industry may lose the will to go back to grad school because of other adult responsibilities like a family, work, shopping, etc. and the sharp pay cut from going back to school full time
+1
Internship/work experience should be the absolute most important thing. Research and technical extra-curricular activities (Formula SAE, solar car, etc.) can bolster your resume in the absence of work experience. Some employers also look for particular technical expertise that you could obtain through elective classes or research/activity experience.
A lot of decent jobs in engineering are in manufacturing, which can be more people/management-oriented. It would help to not be a total autist, particularly if you have a low GPA.
Veeky Forums-careers
Currently what i have aquired are three main things that i can say im proud of.
summer job as with a mechanic [ no pay was just there for the experience
BAJA SAE [ working under sub system]
BAJA SAE [Became subsystem leader]
What i want to do next is get a team of engineers so we can actually design something not to complex and maybe wont get manufactured [rather do it for the fun and then add it to our CV;s that we actually designed a prosthetic leg or arm [just an example]]
what would you say about the design thing, would you suggest it or i should spend that time on something else ... also GPA 3.19
When I was just starting in university I got this advice from an engineer who had been working for several years. "Five-oh good to go" was his motto. Several of my classmates had been getting straight A's all their lives, took it really hard that they were now C students and dropped out. Several more maintained an almost 4.0 GPA but couldn't get engineering jobs until years after graduation because they didn't do internship. I had an internship every summer, barely passed half my classes, and had three really good job offers before I'd even finished my last exams.
out of curiosity what uni did you go to and what where the three companies.
no need to answer if you feel it might divulge to much info
How do you even get all those internships? I am a junior with a 3.9 gpa and get no responses at all. I am in a few clubs, have a few projects completed, and apply to about 20/week. Same was happening sophomore year as well.
what are the few clubs ?
and what projects ?
The secret is that there are basically no jobs in engineering, and the few that there are have low pay and are incredibly demeaning. Jump ship to software.
t. no internships, working a $150k robotics R&D job with an ME degree