[Guardsman]

For those of you that may have done this, what's the best way to approach this? I want to do an Electrical Engineering program, but it will be while I am working full time, my job will be 1+ hours each way from home, and I'm in the Air National Guard.

The only schools around me that have BSEE programs are Berkeley, which is about 80 miles away, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which is about 250 miles away. I'd prefer Cal Poly, because they have a blended BS+MS program, where you can work toward your BS and MS at the same time.

However, the distance is going to be the biggest problem, as the vast majority of the courses are in-residence only.

I will be able to test out of a bunch of the lower-level electronics/electrical courses, as I have been an electronics tech for eleven years, so that should somewhat shorten my total time required.

So, what am I looking at here to do this?

Second question on this subject, is what am I looking at in terms of all the math calsses I will need to take? I know that I will need statistics and calc, but what will I need to take to get there, i.e., algebra, geometry, trig, etc.?

I found out that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's continuing Ed has online math, from basic to Algebra 2, so I'm going to do those to get my textbook math skills up to where I can test into higher-level math courses.

Thanks again guys.

John

[z28barnett]

I will be able to test out of a bunch of the lower-level electronics/electrical courses, as I have been an electronics tech for eleven years, so that should somewhat shorten my total time required.

This is not likely, the school will not allow it, you know practice and they will teach theory not the same thing.

For those of you that may have done this, what's the best way to approach this?  I want to do an Electrical Engineering program, but it will be while I am working full time, my job will be 1+ hours each way from home, and I'm in the Air National Guard.

In that situation don't even try it. If you mess up your grades then you will have a really hard time finding a job. Engineering takes alot of time.

However, the distance is going to be the biggest problem, as the vast majority of the courses are in-residence only. 

Passing the classes is the big problem, what techs see engineers do in the shop is much different than what an engineer has to do in class. You see a tiny fraction of what an engineer is trained to do. You may have a false sense of confidence. Only about half of the people in the engineering school I went to ever finished. This is an actual stat not a guess.

I found out that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's continuing Ed has online math, from basic to Algebra 2, so I'm going to do those to get my textbook math skills up to where I can test into higher-level math courses. 

This makes the most sense of anything that you have said so far. If you can tear up those online courses, that will mean that you have a good shot at the engineering course work.

I don't want to be a total downer here, but I have had a rocky history with engineering. I might be dumb, but I finally got an ME degree. It was hard without a job and a 2 hour drive. The math is harder in EE. If you start, you don't want to fail, so stack the odds in your favor.
If you get the degree, you want a new job and you will have to move anyway, so perhaps you should consider a move.

Entrance scores will give you an idea of your chances also, they can predict your chance at your chosen degree. Admissions offices keep these kind of stats.

This is a lousy time to be an engineer in the USA. GM is opening engineering offices in China, Mfg has moved overseas. I have been out of a job for over a year with a ME degree from Mizzou. I am considering going back to school and with a degree, I wonder if I can keep up with a masters program. I am not even sure that it is a good idea, but I am running out of options.

Best of luck with what ever you decide.

Z28