Greetings Everyone,
I am a recent graduate currently working in industry as a shift engineer for a major computer component manufacturer. I was strongly advised to obtain "real world" experience before obtaining an advanced degree by a family member, but lately I have been feeling... unchallenged by day-to-day work and am considering an attempt to return to grad school. I am hoping that in graduate school and afterwards, I will have more opportunity to work on more advanced, in-depth problems, and fewer monotonous tasks than in my current position or one that I could gradually advance to with just a bachelor's degree.
My background:
1. Started as biomedical engineer, completed degree requirements in 2009
2. Stayed extra year at same school to complete chemical engineering 2nd major, completed degree and graduated in 2010 in top 5 ChemE bachelor program.
3. Top grades in BME coursework, average grades in ChemE, overall tech GPA 3.59
4. 2 summer REU's at a lab in Cornell, work focused on microfabrication, similar to current job (1 strong LOR)
5. Some bio lab work for a professor at home university (1 above average - strong (?) LOR for professor in BME program, did very well in his traditionally difficult class also)
6. Also, one summer REU at NIST, and an internship at a medical device manufacturer
7. Unfortunately, no publications as undergrad
8. Currently working since mid 2010 as shift engineer with semiconductor-type fabrication technology, such as photolith, vacuum etch and depositions, SEM, etc. (Probably 1-2 strong industry LOR)
Lately I have been considering returning to graduate school for a doctorate. In my current position I feel that my skills as an engineer are underutilized, and I get few opportunities to apply engineering knowledge to solving problems. My work now is focused on keeping parts moving through various processes in a factory. I would like to have more opportunities to tackle larger problems that require more in-depth thought, and would prefer a job with fewer demands to take care of various day-to-day tasks that I do not find intellectually challenging.
I am wondering:
1. Do I have any chance of being accepted into a decent ChemE or BME graduate program, after being out of school for a few years? By the time I would be potentially entering grad school (Fall 2013), I would have been out 3 years.
2. Are there any particular programs that I would have a better chance of acceptance into, or is there anything I can do to bolster my chances?
3. Am I considering grad school for the right reasons? Would I be better off just sticking with my job in industry, even if I don't find it super-fascinating, possibly just get a masters, and gradually climb to hopefully more interesting challenges? What is the right reason to earn a PhD?
4. I would like to move back towards more biology-related work, and am also fascinated with BioMEMS. Is this a good field to get into?
Thanks everyone, any advice is greatly appreciated!
