Engineering Research with a BS degree

[spectastic]

I asked a question to one of our R&D guys, asking for insight on degree recommendations for industrial research, and he ended up setting me up in a meeting with the R&D manager, who basically told me that you don't need a doctorate degree to do real research in industry (academia is another story). He said that the intrinsic drive to innovate and one's capabilities are valued above one's credentials. He shared with me his nontraditional route in R&D and how he made his mark in the company by coming up with ideas that eventually led to more projects and innovation (without a graduate degree). And the whole kicker of the meeting was to inform me of the plans of expansion within our R&D department, and how he's looking for curious individuals (basically encouraging me to apply). I didn't tell him that process development doesn't really interest me. Our company uses a well known reaction to make a well known product, and while there's still a lot of room for technological growth, I'm interested in working with the science more than the process. And although he told me that he was preaching from a neutral unbiased perspective, most of his information was geared towards how a PhD is just a title that does not necessarily mean success, and that he has experienced personal success by applying himself on the job, with a bachelors.

 

I'm wondering if there are seasoned PhD's or engineers here who can offer a different perspective.