Agreed. I did almost the exact same path. Once you've gotten that first job and have a few years of professional software development under your belt, changing

Agreed. I did almost the exact same path. Once you've gotten that first job and have a few years of professional software development under your belt, changing jobs is very easy. Potential employers see "software engineer" and "PhD" on your resume and don't care that it's an ME degree. Btw, scottndecker, did you go to Rose-Hulman for undergrad?