Engineering School Question

[joeyww12000]

I want to increase my electrical knowledge to more than understanding installation. I dont have the money for a major university engineering degree, but how about an online degree? Can I learn anything from an online engineering degree program?

 

[bbaumer]

Don't know about online degrees but I would guess they are a waste of money. Just buy the books yourself and read them.

Another suggestion would be to look into whether your state has an "Electric League" or association.

In Indiana we have ELI, the Electric League of Indiana. The sponsor several classes twice per year that are excellent. These are not engineering classes but practical courses.

http://elinews.org/

Unless you have a very strong background in mathmatics and physics engineering classes will be very tough. Heck, they're tough even with the background in mathmatics and physics. You need a minimim of Calculus I and basic mechanics (talking physics here) under your belt before you take a single beginning Engineering class. Then you go on to calc II and calc III then differential equations plus electromagnetics and optics plus more math all calculus based.

 

[drbond24]

If money is the problem then going online won't help you. Online classes are more convenient, not cheaper. It would still cost as much as physically going to college.

 

[gar]

080530-0644 EST

Find a good local junior college that has a program that provides good credit transfer to a major university. This also has the advantage of smaller classes and maybe better teachers for the basic courses. By contrast major universities use a lot of teaching assistants for basic courses.

You can do a lot of self study from books alone, but there is quite a different learning experience in a class room with immeadiate interaction with the teacher.

.

 

[brian john]

Read and in my case read it again and again. I usually fall asleep reading some of the intriguing literature, but it sinks in. I am lucky because I get to look at weird problems, then I research these, till I THINK I know what I am doing.

But any education you receive will not damage your mind. Take a course in anything electrical at your local community college offers. 3 courses a year and soon you could have a degree. Not all that expensive.

Some of the community colleges do some courses on line, such as math.

 

[rdelauter]

I have looked for online degrees in engineering and never found one. I have been going to school for about 8 years now and should finish my BSEE in May of 09. Been a long hard road with work and family but everyone tells me it is well worth it. There are things you learn in class and reading, and as some have said, rereading and rereading, that you won't learn any where else. I believe experience in just as important, but you can't learn it all on the job and most of us can't learn it from just reading books. Good luck.

 

[rexowner]

If you want to learn about things on your own for no credit,
MIT has an extensive amount of course materials available
free online:
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm

If you work yourself through the course, it may not be totally
free because you may have to buy a textbook, depending on
the course.

It may or not be the subjects you are looking for, but the
class notes on the stuff I have looked at seem excellent.

 

[BryanMD]

If you want to learn about things on your own for no credit,
MIT has an extensive amount of course materials available
free online:
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm

This was a terrific suggestion.
Taking it to the next level (once you know the material) is to challenge the course work by examination.
http://www.clepinfo.com/

 

[kingpb]

Due to the requirement of lab work, it would seem unlikely at best if there could ever be an on-line engineer program.

JC is the least expensive route, making sure all classes transfer to a University. This way you can go at night and work during the day. Save as much a possible by living cheap. This will give some cushion later. Once at the University, sit down with the dept counselor, and get the course work mapped out. This will get you through in the shortest time physically possible.

Work while your going to school, many others do it, it just takes longer. If you want it bad enough, you'll find a way. There are no short cuts in getting a quality education.

I know this method works, because many years ago I did it; so can you.

 

[weressl]

I have looked for online degrees in engineering and never found one. I have been going to school for about 8 years now and should finish my BSEE in May of 09. Been a long hard road with work and family but everyone tells me it is well worth it. There are things you learn in class and reading, and as some have said, rereading and rereading, that you won't learn any where else. I believe experience in just as important, but you can't learn it all on the job and most of us can't learn it from just reading books. Good luck.

One of the thing that was not mentioned in the various posts that either online or in situ courses tend - or at least should attempt to - funnel the knowledge in an organized way.

The other aspect of the coursework is that your knowledge is verified and tested. I find some autodidacts have a very distorted interpretation of reality, not on their account either. One example is the 'different interpretation of electricity' post recently discussed. It is akin to kids trying to raise themselves.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Here is an online EE program.