My friend’s son is in his 5th year of US college getting a degree in engineering in a 4 year program. When she told us he would graduate next semester, she added, “Engineering degrees take 5 years.” I know many engineers who all went to 4 year programs and graduated in 4 years. So I said, “No, they normally take 4 years, but it’s a hard degree so there’s nothing wrong with taking it longer” and cited all the people I know who are engineers. She got pissed off. AITA?
Edit: YTA you were a dick about it
You are both correct
Yes there are 4 year programs
Also yes there are 5 year programs
They are both just as common just depends on the college
You are wrong thinking there are not 5 year programs…
Source- an engineer
YTA.
Even if you are correct (and according to another engineer responding, you aren’t – both exist), there was absolutely no need to correct her.
YTA. Wtf is wrong with you? Leave that girl alone. She’s proud to have accomplished a major feat, which you haven’t accomplished yourself so sit the fuck down and shit the fuck up
Edit: your post history has a post about how listening to people bully others is boring. Well, that makes you boring. Hypocrit
YTA
How long a degree takes depends on the college. 5 years is extremely common in the USA.
You should apologize, since you were giving inaccurate information in an attempt to correct someone who clearly knew more about the topic than you
YTA
Even if you are qualifying that there’s nothing wrong with taking longer, its still a put down. She has every right to be upset with you
YTA. Many schools have 5 year programs particularly ones with co-op programs. And even without an official 5 year program, lots of people take longer to work. Were you just trying to make someone besides yourself look stupid?
YTA, but you already knew that. Sometimes it’s ok to just let people be happy and proud without feeling the need to bring them down.
YTA, and you are also wrong. Usually it’s 5 years (3 years Bachelors + 2 years Masters), that is how the study just tends to be planned.
YTA for trying to shit on a proud parent.
Who cares if it takes 4 or 5 years? Engineering is hard. The kids still going to graduate and have completed something more difficult than most have accomplished. Who are you to gate keep the amount of years it should take? Are you a college counselor?
YTA
It’s considered fairly normal for an engineering degree to take more than four years, but you weren’t ~fact checking~ her.
You were deliberately trying to make her feel bad about something that she was happy about.
YTA. Doesn’t matter if it takes 4 or 5 years
My father was an EE with a 4-year degree who taught as an instructor for a university widely known for their 5-year program (it involved internships and people graduating usually walked into much higher-paying jobs than those who did 4-year degrees without internships).
There are both and you are a bit smug and judgmental about something you don’t fully understand, hmm?
YTA. Is it a 4-year or 5-year program? You don’t know. So you’re doubly the asshole, for asserting your assumption as fact and then making that snide remark.