Career questions tagged purdueuniversity
Does college ranking really matter? Purdue vs Northeastern (energy/renewable engineering)
I'm an incoming freshman choosing between Purdue and Northeastern for engineering. I have an Army ROTC scholarship covering full tuition at both schools, so cost is not a factor I'm considering. My career goal is currently in renewable energy and electric grid/storage technology (think grid-scale batteries, renewables, energy storage, not oil/nuclear) I acknowledge Purdue's incredible research opportunities, programs, and longstanding history within the industry. Though Northeastern seems to have somewhat caught up, with lots of partners in the Boston tech hub. Another big factor is location; I really love cities and do not prefer a college town like Purdue (I think). My dad's perspective is that I should be learning the fundamentals and learn from research/projects within the school, rather than focus on a specific field/discipline. But I'm not sure if I completely agree with that. My gut says Northeastern for renewable/electric energy specifically because of the Boston ecosystem and co-op pipeline, but I want to hear from people actually working in the industry: 1. Does the Northeastern vs Purdue distinction actually matter to hiring managers in renewable energy, or do employers in this space care more about co-op experience and skills than school name? 2. For someone targeting grid-scale storage or offshore wind, is Boston actually where the action is, or are there better geographic markets I should be thinking about? 3. How much does location really matter? Purdue has lots of opportunities within, and NEU has outside opportunities. 4. Do employers recognize a harder curriculum and research like Purdue, or real experience at co-ops/internships? Will I get enough experience at NEU coop that it can cover the gap in academics and reputation of Purdue? 5. In terms of alumni network, Purdue has over 600k, while NEU has about 300k total, with 54k within COE. Though is the density of these alumni in the energy industry, since Boston is the leading energy hub? Appreciate any perspective from people in the industry or who've done the military + engineering track.
