Finishing incomplete degree after a decade to switch to industry?

Question

I'm considering the possibility of completing a degree from which I dropped out almost a decade ago. In part because I feel I should, in part because I think it could be useful for switching to industry.**Context**Started a degree in Engineering in a non-US university with traditional system of long degree programs(five to six years), roughly equivalent to B.Sc.+M.Sc.I dropped out from the Engineering degree to pursue a career in Physics, which I did to some extent. I'll be finishing a Ph.D. this year with published work, good academic records, TA experience and all the usual academic stuff.Even though I don't regret having switched from Engineering to Physics, I have decided that I want to pursue a career in the industry and not in the academy. However, I'd like to keep in contact with the academic world through a part time position as a professor.I'm 29 years old. Almost no real world work experience, apart from a short internship some years ago.**Questions**Is it advisable to finish the degree in Engineering? I still have all the credits previously earned. I'd take me a year and a half studying full time or three years doing it part time.Asuming I finish the degree in Engineering, how should I present it in a CV? Just the graduation date? The entire time span from starting date to finishing date like "from 2008 to 2020"? The time spans of the two phases like "from 2008 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2020"?In the event of having a good postdoctoral opportunity with connections to the industry and real world applications, should I take it or should I start working in the private sector as soon as possible?

Answer 1

To accurately decide whether you should complete your engineering degree, I suggest talking to engineers in the city in which you want to work and finding out if the completing the degree is necessary to get a good engineering job. If you decide to complete the degree, please put the years you studied, even if these years are in two separate time periods, on your CV and show both your Ph.D. in Physics and your Engineering Bachelor's and Master's Degrees on the CV. You have to evaluate the time it takes to finish the degree, the money you will put into it and the potential returns. I recommend that you read Nelson Bolle's What Color is your Parachute? and answer the questions about yourself in the book. It is a fantastic resource for people deciding what career to follow. Education is never wasted and the conbination of a Ph.D. in Physics and a Master's Degree in Engineering could yield you a very satisfying set of career options.