Quote from monty09:
really hope your kidding.... maybe for entry level salary... but all in finance blows it by... if the money is so good why are 35% of 1st year mba's ex engineering majors?
Your correct that finance does blow by it in the long run, my point is that he will have a job waiting for him barring a complete meltdown.
His talent is math and his interest is the new energy paradigm.
He's at Colorado School of Mines and doing very well, it will be fine.
btw - one of good friends was an OU engineering grad who went on to get his MBA. In him these degrees have created an amazingly useful mix of abilities. I doubt many of that 35% have left engineering behind entirely.
http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/18/college-majors-lucrative-lead-cx_kb_0618majors.html
{...}If you're looking for a big paycheck straight out of school, think about an engineering degree. The four highest paid majors for people with less than five years' experience were all engineering-based, with computer engineering leading the way. "It is a matter of supply and demand," says Lee, adding, "Engineers tend to stay at their jobs longer, so getting the good people right out of college is important." Despite the high pay, the number of engineering degrees issued has barely budged the past 10 years; 67,000 degrees were handed out in 2006, the latest year available.
One reason the number of engineering degrees has not grown much is that the programs tend to be very rigorous. This benefits the engineering students who can complete the coursework, though--employers know they're typically getting competent people straight out of school, and therefore are willing to dole out generous salaries.
There are several majors with better growth potential than the assorted engineering degrees. Engineering salaries tend to start high, but there is not huge growth on an annual basis. Witness the difference between engineering salaries for those with little experience compared to those with 10 to 20 years' experience: The experienced jobs tend to pay 55% to 60% higher. Meanwhile, the economics, finance and math majors are pursing jobs with salaries that often double once they've gotten some decent experience under their belts.
"The kinds of majors where you learn to integrate mathematics and science with the everyday world have a tremendous benefit in terms of earnings potential," says PayScale.com's Lee. These include economics, engineering, finance and mathematics.
