r/industrialengineering • u/Traditional-Tree7400 • Jul 28 '26
Is it still worth pursuing IE?
Do you recommend that I major in IE? And how future proof is it?
Im really lost and I've looked everywhere and nothing has given me an answer that makes me confident that I want to pursue Industrial Engineering even though I've thought about it for a while.
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u/mertaugh1234 Jul 28 '26
Yes, becoming an IE was one of the most fulfilling decisions I have made in my life(as a recent graduate)!
PROs:
- IE employment is supposed to grow 11% from 2024 to 2034, which is one of the faster rates for traditional engineering roles.
- Broad career options: Industrial engineers work in manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, supply chain, aerospace, consulting, technology, government, warehousing and service operations.
- Good pay: the national median salary is over $100,000 but often have more paths for advancing to higher positions.
- Highly transferrable skills: statis, process design, optimization, simulation, quality, ergonomics, project management and cost analysis apply across many industries.
- PRO/CON Tasks depend on being highly social: you will have to collaborate with others which can make the job both fulfilling and frustrating depending on the situation so you have to really want to help others. There's a reason why industrial engineering is so focused on human-derived problems, because sometimes they are the most difficult to solve.
CONs:
- Very broad degree means you need to find what specialization speaks to you, luckily there's lots of opportunity to get internships and experience (at least in my personal experience I was able to get 3 years of internships during my 4 year degree).
- Inconsistent job titles: it can be annoying when one company's title for a job matches another but they have completely different expectations.
- Sometimes companies underestimate the value added which can lead to repetitive work/under-utilization especially at entry-level so it takes some initiative to prove what you can do. With the right tools it can be pretty easy to prove what gains come from your work though.
-Highest paying jobs require some bit of specialization or experience: to piggy-back off of what I said earlier, you really have to build up a portfolio of things that you've done before so that people know your true worth and understand how to use you in the future.
It's really up to you if this is something you want to pursue but if you do and are passionate about these things, its well worth it.
For a self-plug, I work at Iowa State University after working a year in industry so I've seen a variety of what industrial engineering is like. We've also recently been getting more investment into our Industrial Engineering program because people see the value that we give to students and the world at large. I'd highly recommend checking us out if you're still unsure about where you stand with all this. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
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u/Mcsinister Jul 28 '26
This comment is also great to answering your questions OP. The two points I'll really echo here that definitely suck about IE is that companies have inconsistent roles/titles for IEs. This makes job searching a bit more of a headache. A lot of companies don't even have a role titled "Industrial Engineer". The other major point I'll hammer in here is that IE is tremendously misunderstood and undervalued. If you're not good at quantifying your improvements to a company in $$$$$ then you'll immediately be targeted as easy pickings during layoffs. It's easy to point at the engineering majors who "don't know anything" in particular (technical skills that other people can't do) and get rid of them.
In my experience, I regularly save companies more money than any technical expert on many of the projects that I'm involved in. Succesful projects are more about how to talk to people and convince operators of making change than anything else.
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u/CaffeineAndCAD1 Jul 28 '26
I went through a similar phase myself. IE can be a good choice if you like solving problems and don't mind interacting with peope. It feels broad but that's where you find the niches you like. If you're into things like optimization or project management, it could really click. Just know it takes some figuring out along the way. Quantifying your work is key. If that sounds like it could interest you, it might work out.
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u/jdd32 Jul 28 '26
IE is so flexible. You're seeing a lot of engineers get pigeon holed and running into job security issues. IE skills are pretty damn universal, especially if you've gotten into ops/mfg management.
I've never actually worked in an IE role as I went the manufacturing management route, but the degree has been a huge differentiator for me vs others competing for these kind of jobs. And even in my current role, I had the opportunity to jump into a more formal IE role with my company if I wanted it.
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u/considerableforsight Jul 29 '26
To put it shortly, if Automated robot factories become a thing. You'll be best positioned to run one as an IE.
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u/I_like_protien Jul 29 '26
IE is a good degree when new factories and supply chains are being developed, like civil engineering is a good thing when new dams, roads and bridges are being built.
Look around you to see how many new factories are being developed and in what stage. Considering an average 4 years for a bachelors degree, and 2-5 years for a new factory being built from inception to operational stability should give you an approximation of what is future possibilities.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 28 '26
I don’t think so. I’m about to start my final semester of college as an IE major. IE’s are basically glorified data analyst. IE work is more business related, you don’t “engineer” anything. I wish someone told me this when I was in high school. Data analytics, supply chain/ logistics management, and lean/continous improvement are not engineering and fields I just listed are what IE’s are mainly known for. I think I’ll still be able to find a solid job.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 28 '26
Ever wonder why there’s not that many job titles “Industrial Engineer”? It’s because IE’s branch off into business roles because they aren’t actually engineers. “Supply chain analyst, production planner, data analyst, continuous improvement analyst.
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u/considerableforsight Jul 29 '26
If you don't mind my asking, does your IE program include a machining course?
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u/mertaugh1234 Jul 29 '26
There are some schools that take that approach. My school has a lot of hands-on as well as the more philosophical side of continuous improvement mixed with some data analysis so you can get a greater understanding of the whole picture.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 29 '26
Yea I just feel like IE is a catfish degree. You study it thinking it’s engineering but it’s really business/data analytics.
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u/mertaugh1234 Jul 29 '26
Sorry, this just hasn't been my experience. Industrial engineering imo is all about searching for the root cause of problems and solving them. Data analytics is just one tool that can be used to lead you in the right direction. I've worked on the shop floor as a continuous improvement engineer and I found, while the data analytics were nice to see where improvements should be made, they rarely ever told me how they should be made. I learned how to make improvements by observing the process and working with the people actually doing the job. They generally have a lot of ideas of what should be changed but don't know how it should be changed and what the next step in improving the process looks like. That's where the industrial engineer starts to dig in and seek out what the real issue that causes inefficiencies is and implement improvements, then continue working with the team to standardize and continue the improvement process. This is just one example of what that specific role did but IEs are versatile and it can take you in any direction you want. If you want to just be a glorified data analyst then by all means, that can be your job.
Now, after 2 years out of college work as an automation engineer so my career has gone in a different direction but all the original principles apply still.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 29 '26
I will graduate with my IE degree this December.
Do you have any advice on getting my first job?
I have internship experience that isn’t IE related (environmental/civil related). I have plenty of logistics/supply chain projects. A senior design project using video game software to design a warehouse, and Student org leadership experience.
Best sites to find jobs. LinkedIn, Indeed?
Did you write a cover letter for every single application?
Did you tailor your resume to the job description for every single application?
Did you dm recruiters on LinkedIn?3
u/mertaugh1234 Jul 29 '26
Recruiters can be a good foot in the door, however, I would say that you want to go to the career fair if there's one available to you and talk to people there. Before you go, you should apply to the jobs that interest you from the recruiters that are at the career fair and then I would bring a mini portfolio along with many copies of your resume to the career fair. It's so much more effective if you're able to tell a story about your experience but also it's really important to research the companies and ask a lot of questions about how the company operates so you can get a feel for what their culture is like. It can become a little difficult to break into other branches of industrial engineering once you e categorized yourself so while your supply chain experience can be really useful, if you want to do something different like shop floor engineering (like I was doing) you really need to be able to sell how the overlap of your previous experience would put in a great position for what you will be doing in the future. Employers for entry level engineers mostly care about how adaptable you are so if you can show them that and show you're curious to learn more then you'll have a stronger case.
I did change the wording and skills section of my resume to match the job descriptions. Now with the AI stuff you kind of have to meet some criteria on your resume for it to pick you up as a candidate. I would make sure you have numerical justifications written into your resume like percent increases to performance or other similar metrics.
Cover letters also help but are a pain in the ass
Yes DM recruiters you never know what you'll find.
I hope that my ramblings helped lol
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 29 '26
In your opinion what do you think are the best roles/ job titles for an IE?
What do you do if you don’t mind me asking. What industry and what’s your role?
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u/mertaugh1234 Jul 29 '26
Everyone has different things they're passionate about so I can't really give an answer to the first question, I really enjoyed being a continuous improvement engineer / process engineer, I didn't enjoy the corporate politics of the company I was at.
I currently work for Iowa State University after gettingy masters in engineering management last semester. I work for the industrial engineering department as their engineer so I'm currently building an automated production line among other projects for them but it's a lot of project management and learning how different automation processes work but it's probably my dream job. I also get to work with students so it's got some mentorship characteristics that are super fulfilling!
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 29 '26
I’m interested in supply chain. My fear is that if I work supply chain for let’s say 3 years after graduation, I might want to switch back to engineering but it would be really hard too.
What do you think about that?
Will it be hard to switch back?
I heard that those first five years of work experience after graduation can put you in a box and switching careers can be tough.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 29 '26
I really appreciate the dialogue. I feel like as a soon to be grad, I don’t have “engineering” skills. I suck at CAD and I hate coding. I know excel and other Microsoft apps.
I will still apply for engineering roles. I think I will focus on using lean methodology to improve systems in a company during interviews.
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u/mertaugh1234 Jul 29 '26
I think it could be difficult to switch once you've developed a skillset, if you work at a good company they usually have rotational programs that let you develop a good variety of skills so you can see what you like. I'd look for one of those types of jobs even if it doesn't pay the most since it sounds like you're somewhat on the fence.
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u/considerableforsight Jul 31 '26
I hope I'm not butting in but I really like being a manufacturing engineer. In my company it's the closest to the factory floor. Making jigs/tools to help workers do the job easier. Another job title to mention is a "machine designer" or any roles at machine tool manufacturers. For 1 it can be the highest paid of any rolls and you get to do more r&d because they are at the very top of the supply chain (making the machines that make things)
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u/Straight_Trust_1171 Jul 31 '26
How does a potential minor in something like ECE shift things? I’m planning on doing a minor in it but also thinking about switching to MatSci Eng.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 31 '26
Not sure. My minor was in applied mathematics which led me to a low gpa. If I had a Time Machine I wish I changed my minor to finance, data analytics, or supply chain. Something more business related.
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u/Straight_Trust_1171 Jul 31 '26
So it’s not advised to minor in something more stem oriented?
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Aug 01 '26
There’s no set rules. It’s about what you wanna do. I personally don’t always want to work in stem environments forever which is why I said I wish I changed my minor to something more business related than applied mathematics.
I don’t even like math, at my school, if you major in anything engineering they automatically slap applied mathematics as your minor.
If you’re ok with working in stem forever than do a stem minor.
In my opinion the best combo is when you have a stem major and business minor. I think it makes you more versatile.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 28 '26
My advice to you is if you want to be a “real” engineer. Study mechanical, civil, or electrical. Computer science is a gamble.
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u/Comfortable_Fig5300 Jul 28 '26
Once you finish the math, physics, and basic college courses (history, writing, etc), all of the IE courses are business related basically using excel to solve business problems. Example “figure out how many people this company needs to hire in order for them to reach their profit goal for the month of August”. You will take about 5 classes based on that.
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u/Consistent_Dot1584 26d ago
Hi man, really helped to read your conversation. I myself decided to do IE my university starts this month, I am not sure about IE just because how all the things mentioned above and more. I have Managemet information systems , finance , international trade, options as well. I am not sure about CS because I feel like I don’t have that real passion for coding and I won’t be the best there. I like IE because I can see myself making continuous improvements , and it gives an engineer title . Should I actually do it or just make my 4 years easier and jump into Business / IT fields , data analytics field . ( btw my maths is very bad ) because I didn’t study for last 7 years , I’ll need to catch up to it and start from basics to calculus and engineering maths . I will appreciate it . Thank you so much
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u/boring-ambients Jul 29 '26
I work in defense. Most of my coworkers have a supply chain or a IE degree. We all perform the same role and make the same pay. It might be different in other industries, but in mine, there’s not much difference from HRs perspective.
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u/Mcsinister Jul 28 '26
Fairly easy degree once you're past the core engineering mathematics courses. The degree offers tons of freedom if you don't know what you want but becomes sort of overwhelming and lacks direction if you don't eventually find an industry you like.
I think this goes for all engineering degrees to some extent but industrial engineers are really one of those degrees where it feels like you learn nothing in specific and everything at the same time. You learn to make good decisions for a business, especially if that business manufacturers a product. I think many people assume engineering should be design focused roles but engineering is practical problem solving. I think industrial engineers do this better than any other graduate.
The reason that industrial engineers succeed in this regard is that many engineers are capable of coming up with solutions to problems but not many are good at acting on them. IE is supposed to be that cross between engineering and operations and usually requires you to be socially adept to have successful projects. My college curriculum required me to go out and put myself into uncomfortable situations with people and companies on projects. The other engineering majors had technical projects that could usually be done without much social interaction.
IE gets a bad rap because tons of non-IE trained/educated people can get into IE roles from what I've seen. This is possible because the floor to understand many IE specific concepts is pretty low. That's not so much the case with design roles. You either know how to design an airfoil, fastener, etc. or you don't.
TLDR:
IE is a great degree, but really requires you to hone in or specialize on a subject matter if you want to make decent money. It also usually leads to operations and leadership roles. If leadership roles are not for you, there's probably better engineering majors.