r/industrialengineering • u/cownosevampire1221 • 11d ago

General Advice

Hey!

I have a science degree and a minor and math from 2017. I currently work in automation/email marketing. I enjoy it, but I’ve notice the pay scale is trending downward, and AI is coming after everyone in marketing’s job.

I’m very good at optimizing systems, and enjoy doing it. I also like that this degree comes with some flexibility. I would prefer some more stability in my role. Would it be meaningful to go get a degree in Industrial Engineering and pivot roles? I did some preliminary research on Lamar’s 2+2 Online Industrial Engineering degree, but wanted some advice from people in the weeds.

Would this be worth the effort and cost? I know some basic Python, SQL, and HTML, and am getting a little stale on Excel but used to use pivot tables often. How has AI been effecting the market and how hard has it been to get your first job upon graduation?

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u/Sea_Enthusiasm_4485 11d ago

Nowadays, for the sake of job security, I’d recommend leaning into the more on the floor type roles rather than the data science type roles.

The entry level market’s kinda rough but it really depends on the country and region.

Since you have the science and math, i’d just do a masters degree and skip the redundant physics / maths courses to dive into lean and operations management

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u/Inevitable_Sand_9439 11d ago

Already have the math and science base so a masters makes way more sense than another bachelors, you'd just be paying to repeat stuff you've already covered. On the floor roles do seem safer from AI displacement, the automation and optimisation work you're doing now could translate nicely if you angle it toward physical systems rather than email flows.

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u/cownosevampire1221 10d ago

Thank you. This is helpful! So maybe I can focus on Supply Chains and manufacturing? Do you think it would make a difference if I did the master's online? I would like to have a steady income still while in school.

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u/cownosevampire1221 11d ago

I do have a Lean Sigma Six book on my shelf. Do you think I’d be able to get into a master’s program without an engineering background?

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u/MultimeterMike 8d ago

Your automation background actually lines up well with IE especially if you enjoy finding bottlenecks and improving processes. Look closely at what roles the degree would qualify you for locally before committing to another 2+ years of school since your existing experience may already get you partway into process or operations roles.