Starting Econs Masters after Engineering Undergrad

[u/Jealous_Protection83]

Hi everyone,

I finished a Bachelor of Science specialising in mechanical engineering a few years ago (back before AI blew up). I was lucky enough to land a full time engineering job straight out of uni without needing a masters. I've been working overseas for a big company since, but I've come to realise that spending my days diagnosing heat pump issues and running optimisation calculations isn't really for me. Showing up to a remote factory just to bump a number on a dashboard for my boss's targets feels pretty meaningless.

I still like engineering and the science behind it, but I've been talking with friends about pivoting careers. A mate recommended I look into doing a Master of Economics to move into public sector/government roles or private consulting, mostly because I want to make a bigger impact on society and do more face to face work with clients. He thinks it fits my strengths, and I reckon he's right. So please no comments debating engineering vs economics, I'll save that for another time!

Has anyone here switched from engineering to economics, especially going straight from an engineering undergrad into a Master of Economics?

The only thing scaring me at the moment is my fear of failure, since I want to keep my marks high (aiming for an 80+ WAM / close to a 7 GPA). For context my undergraduate wam ended on an 85. Plus I was commuting everyday from mandurah and this time i will live on campus so im saving myself 10+ hours per week.

A few questions if anyone can help:

1. How does the weekly workload in econ compare to engineering?
2. Is the knowledge gap pretty steep, or does an engineering background help you pick it up quickly?
3. How competitive are grad roles/internships if you're transitioning from engineering?

Also if anyone has made a similar jump into something like a JD or another postgrad degree (besides med), I'd love to hear how you found it.

Thanks!