Thinking about doing a B.Eng (Hons)

[timwilky]

I did BSc(Hons) Mech Eng 30 years ago and it was damm hard work.

Doing it part time will take one hell of a commitment. I have seen quite a number start off and quite, but in saying that I had a mate who did his degree, and PHD in maths, part time whilst working as a project manager for a nuclear power station build in China. So if you have the time, enthusiasm and commitment do it.

Originally Posted by timwilky

I did BSc(Hons) Mech Eng 30 years ago and it was damm hard work.

Doing it part time will take one hell of a commitment. I have seen quite a number start off and quite, but in saying that I had a mate who did his degree, and PHD in maths, part time whilst working as a project manager for a nuclear power station build in China. So if you have the time, enthusiasm and commitment do it.

Unfortunatly, it would seem that modern degree courses are not as taxing as they once were so caddy, you might not find it as strenuous as The Right Honorable Mr Wilky did

I've done a b eng hons in CAED (basically its mechanical with a bit of cad thrown in)

Interesting hearing Matt say dont go cival as i have often thourght this would have been a better career path.

if you want to buld a bike then become a mechanic!

also dont go into engineering if you are
a) workshy
b) wanting to make any money

just my 2penneth

I studied Mechanical engineering to MEng level.

Looking at your 3rd reason to study, a degree like this will equip you very little in the way of hands on mechanical skill and knowledge.

A B/MEng degree will involve mostly mathematics, both high level pure maths and applying maths to the science of things like fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, failure modes of structures, IC engines, thermodynamics etc.

Oh and +1 for the two comments of the above poster ^^

Ha! If I wanted to make money I wouldn't have gone into conservation!
A*hero - thanks for the advice on maths, really enjoyed maths and physics when I studied it both in my FE and HE courses, but a refresher is never a bad idea.

With regards to whether it's the right path for me or not I'm waiting for a call from the OU to discuss what they have to offer. I'll never go into civils - working for Carillion I met too many of the suicide squad.

Got 10 months to go on my 3-year Masters with the OU - do not underestimate how much work it is on top of a job. If I'd have known what I was getting myself into....well, I probably would still have done it anyway. And the OU is good because you have to make more effort, and you'll get to meet other people who are similarly dedicated/mad.

If you're interested in automotive stuff then do an automotive specific degree. If I were you I'd be looking to study Auto Engineering with a slant on alternative energy - in 10 to 15 years those skills and knowledge will be really sought after.

[dizzyblonde]

You can study BEng hons part time. Well the Computer Aided one you can, Carnivore studied it for four years part time, even though its really full time.
Very hard, if you work at the same time, it was a biatch at times standing on this side of the fence, knowing what he did. Luckily he worked weekends so went to uni all week. Only downside was sitting in a lecture on a monday morning straight after a night shift!

Originally Posted by timwilky

I did BSc(Hons) Mech Eng 30 years ago and it was damm hard work.

+1(ish). I did it 10ish years ago and it was flipping hard work.

[anna]

It really depends what you are thinking of studying, very often these days a B.Eng is not enough you will only have put yourself on the same platform as many others looking for a job. M.Eng is probably the better if you are prepared to put a little extra time into it.

Sadly you are up against a lot of other people out there with similar qualifications plus experiance right now, however that isnt to say when you have finished in four years time the economic and job market situation wont have changed.

If you are looking into doing engineering it might also be worth your time to look into learning a second language, specifically German.

If you have studied before or have experience in certain areas, then certainly you can obtain merits for those and knock them off the list of modules you need for the degree, although I am sure the OU will give you more information about that if you speak to them.

Which area is it you are looking into?