Technically, you could finish your Engineering degree in 4 years if you put your head down, focus and don’t take on too many extracurriculars. But that is not a realistic path for many people, and it’s completely reasonable to want to spend more time in school to succeed academically, professionally and socially.
Why Would You Need to Extend Your Engineering Degree?
Co-Op Programs
A co-op program is a great opportunity to start getting some work experience while you are still in school, but it usually means you are taking at least one year away from academics and fully immersing yourself into work at a company. You will need to extend your degree by at least a year to complete a co-op program.
If your school offers a co-op program it’s a great opportunity to get a line on your resume before you graduate. They can also turn into a job offer after you graduate if you are a good fit for the company!
A Job Outside of School
Different than co-op experience but just as valuable, you may find yourself taking on a job outside of school to support your tuition and living expenses. This is completely reasonable, and also shows future employers that you are proficient at time-management, as you will need to manage your time well if you are going to be successful at courses while you work elsewhere. Depending on your needs, you may need to take a few less classes to accommodate your job which will extend your degree if you can’t make them up in the spring/summer terms.
If you didn’t go the co-op route and found a relevant summer job, consider asking your manager if there is an opportunity to carry-on part time during the year. Though you may have to lighten your course load, you’re already trained and students aren’t usually budget heavy, it’s a win-win for the company and your career.
Extracurriculars & Electives
University isn’t just about technical training, there are tons of other opportunities to develop skills or learn non-technical topics. Getting seriously involved in a project team, club, or student governance is a great way to develop soft skills employers are looking for like communication, and conflict resolution. It’s perfectly reasonable to want to divide your time between school and other activities, and taking 1-2 fewer classes per semester can help make it happen.
Extending doesn’t have to just be about taking less classes, you can also take extra classes to explore whatever interests you, like learning German or Graphic Design. Taking advantage of these opportunities has other benefits. It makes you more interesting and generates more experience to talk about during job interviews. It’s also a great way to make friends, build your network, and have some fun!
Mental Health
Most engineering programs require 6-7 classes per semester to finish in 4 years. If you consider that course load, homework and studying, jobs and extracurriculars, it can be overwhelming! Mental health issues are becoming more prevalent and the stress of university can be a contributing factor.
You’re not an effective learner if you’re struggling with your mental health. Sleeping less will only make things worse. Reducing your course load can give you some breathing room to focus on yourself and take advantage of the university mental health resources.
Won’t employers be mad if I don’t graduate in 4 years? Will it harm my job prospects?
No! It’s completely normal (and reasonable) to take longer than 4 years to finish your degree. If anything, you are probably graduating with interesting stories you can discuss in interviews because you will be finishing with life experiences.
For example: if you took a lighter course load to accommodate a job to support yourself through school, a good hiring manager will ask “What did you learn at your job.” You can then disclose skills you honed outside of school like time management, client interactions, and more.
If you took longer in order to be able to focus more time on each class, this shows you care deeply about your academic performance, which is never a bad thing either!
Did you take longer because you might have not been academically focused?
That’s fine, mistakes happen and the transition to university can be tough. Even failing a class or two doesn’t damage your prospects. It’s all about how you frame the story, is doesn’t need to sound like a bad thing.
If a hiring manager asks about it, focus on what you learned. Maybe you learned how to regain focus and how to be resilient, or maybe you took a dean’s vacation and came back motivated and persevered. It’s only a failure if you don’t learn. Keep that mindset and you can overcome academic shortcomings.
Tips for Taking Longer Than 4 Years to Finish Your Engineering Degree
1. Don’t stress about it, it is most likely not going to be a problem long-term. Adding a year seems like an eternity now but a few years after school it won’t even register.
2. Identify early how many classes per semester you need to take to have full-time or part-time status. It is different in every program, keep an eye on pre-requisites that could bottleneck other courses and structure the next years accordingly.
3. Keep track of your work, extracurricular and co-op experiences as they happen. Everything you do can be used as a potential discussion point in a job interview!