I am more than a little shocked that upon graduating that she was immediately inundated with job offers from all across the country. During my last assignment as a Hazmat team leader I had several engineers turned firefighter working with me. This was because of exactly the issues that you mentioned. I was pursuing an engineering degree myself when I became sidetracked by scoring well on a civil service test.
When I was hired by a big city fire department I told all of my friends that I was going to use the position to work my way through school. But one of my first mentors on the department was a chemical engineer that I worked with for decades. He advised that the career that I had ahead of me on the fire department would be as rewarding as that of an engineer. It was surprising but I believe that it was good advice.
“He advised that the career that I had ahead of me on the fire department would be as rewarding as that of an engineer. It was surprising but I believe that it was good advice.”
As a career engineer, I can say that he was right. There are many, many more careers that make every bit the money an engineer does but are more rewarding.
Amen. Would never recommend an engineering degree. Spend the time and money on certifications. Welding, plumbing, mechanic.