MS Electrical Engineer, do I need another degree? PhD, MFE? Booze?

[blastermaster]

Hi all, I'm wondering if I need to go back to get a shot at getting into the field, and if so what would be better, a PhD in EE or MFE.

Undergrad: No name school, EE(Maj)/Math(Min), 3.8
Grad: Univ of Washington, EE(DSP/Coms/Image Proc), 3.7
GRE (took just before change to new scoring): ~760Q, ~660V, ~4W

I've been out of school for 5 years or so, and worked as a software tester on embedded systems for 2 yrs, then spent 3 yrs as a hardware guy, so my software/prob/stats skills are a bit rusty. I used MATLAB, C++, Java, and did prob/stats/stocastics, a during during my masters and C as a software tester, and I've been brushing up on my programming skills lately.

I think getting back in to a PhD program would probably be easier than getting into a MFE, but the prospect of spending 5+ years with low income doesn't sound appealing at all.

From reviewing books like Cracking the Coding Interview, I think I could answer questions at that level of technical detail for C++ or Java, but questions deeper than that would cause me trouble.

Do I even need to go back? Should I just spend the time beefing up on my prob/stats/stocastics and programming? Are certificate programs worthwhile? I tend to interview poorly, that's one of the reasons I think getting a credential might be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[Fenderbender]

PHD prepares you for research. MFE prepares you for industry. What do you want to do?

Try seeing if you can get some internships in the particular fields of finance that interest you...get a sense of what people in that subset of the industry do...what their background is...etc.

Again, if you want to go into research a PHD might be the way to go, but getting a PHD for the sole reason of just doing an MFE is a huge waste of your time...since alot of positions MFE's fill dont require a PHD.

And its not "easier" per se to get into an MFE than it is for a PHD. A PHD from a topschool will be difficult and so will an MFE from a top school . There are lesser known schools that offer degree programs in FE/CF.

As a side not you might want to know what KIND of Ph.D would be most useful for the field of finance you'd want to do research in ( if research is the reason the main reason for you wanting to get a Ph.D). Obviously a Ph.D in EE gives you a different skillet than someone with a degree in Math or Finance. Know what the industry is looking for and what role you are trying to fill.

I.e. this all comes down to doing your homework. Know what the job(s) you are interested in require from you.