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Which branch of engineering?

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skibikeclambake
Posts: 2346 - Karma: 27

Serious thread, asking for some advice, so please be nice.

So I am currently a freshman at a small liberal arts college since I couldn't afford to go to any of the schools I got into for engineering. I am taking GenEd courses that are likely to transfer to most schools I would apply to. I am planning on staying here until the end of my sophmore year, at which point I am hoping to transfer to a school with a legit engineering program.

Next year I am going to be taking courses like Calc 1 and 2, physics, and other courses that most engineering programs seem to require (at least at the schools I am looking at).

I am currently looking at three different branches of engineering: Mechanical, Aerospace, and Computer.

I am super interested in all three areas, but when push comes to shove, I have no idea which is my first choice. I am hoping the college-age NSers can help me narrow it down a bit.

Mechanical-I've always heard that this is the most general branch of engineering. I am really interested in bicycle frame design, and firearms technology/design (kinda random I know). Are either of these, areas that an ME degree might be able to help me get a job in one of these fields?

Computer-I would love to work at Sony, or Apple (to redesign the iPad, haha), but these seem like they would be dream jobs. Any idea what the job outlook is for someone with a BS in Computer Engineering?

Aerospace-I may end up becoming a Naval Flight Officer after college to serve, and take advantage of some of the benefits. An AE degree would obviously help me understand how to be NFO a bit better, so that is a benefit. My dream would be to design planes for the military, or to work for Northrup-Grumman, Boeing, or a similar company.

 

Based on what I have written, any suggestions on which path I should pursue?

Feb 1 2010 11:49PM
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ElbridgeGerry
Posts: 5902 - Karma: -27
food and beverage
Feb 1 2010 11:49PM
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pmills
Posts: 7162 - Karma: 59
of the generally fast variety
Feb 1 2010 11:54PM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
All 3 of those are great majors (had roomates in every one of those fields over the years).  I would also consider looking at Environmental Engineering (which can easily be coupled with Civil Engineering if you are interested in doing that).  It is one of the most sought after jobs these days with fantastic opportunities to excel.  I can list a couple very recent articles citing Enviro as one of the top 10 most valuable/recession proof degrees.  I am considering double majoring as I am a CE major and would only need a few extra classes to get it done.
Feb 1 2010 11:56PM
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skibikeclambake
Posts: 2346 - Karma: 27
Thanks for the suggestion, I will look into that as well. Not sure I could do the double major because It will most likely take me five years to get a degree, but that sounds pretty good.
Feb 1 2010 11:58PM
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dbricknasty
Posts: 387 - Karma: 9
your plan for taking GenEd classes is right on point. I took calc 1, physics 1, introduction to engineering, and engineering processes last semester. this semester, im taking calc 2, physics 2, chem 1, strength of materials, and CAD.

your job outlook for mechanical sounds right on point, as does your aerospace. if you are really interested in both, you can persue both, and get a dual major degree. that would put you in a good spot to persue your mechanical interests, and a slight edge for your aerospace interests.

anything else, shoot me a PM
Feb 1 2010 11:59PM
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Bar_Down
Posts: 5896 - Karma: 395
if you want as many options as possible when it comes to jobs after, you should definately go into mechanical. when you go into mech, you can pretty much get a job in any field. both my parents are got mechanical engineering degres, my dad is a health and safety consultant and my mom works in logistics for CN rail. theyre both pretty successful. mechanical engineering would definately give you the most options. as for aero, correct me if im wrong but i think thats a relatively new branch, so you might have some options there seeing as its not as popular as the other branches and whatnot. i almost picked that one myself but i decided to go into industrial/management engineering instead. im not gonna talk about computers cus i dont know shit about that stuff. oh and you probably already know this, but expect a big shock when going into engineering. there are gonna be 0 girls in your program ahaha
Feb 2 2010 12:00AM
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Bepo
Posts: 8195 - Karma: 17
I'm in computer/electrical engineering and for jobs almost everything nowadays is programing, theres very little hardware design involved which kinda sucks. One of my professors helped design the iphone and he said there were about 100 software engineers for every hardware guy. I'm sure you could find jobs doing hardware at small startups, but at a big company like apple or sony there's not much in terms of hardware design jobs.

I've had 3 internships at startup companies doing programing and a bit of hardware stuff and it's given me a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of jobs after school. Try and get an internship during the summer in the field you're most interested in to get a good idea what it's like. It's also a really good resume builder because getting a serious job after college really only requires a kick ass resume as long as your GPA is good (3.5+ depending on school). Experience and teamwork skills go a long way versus just good grades.
Feb 2 2010 12:22AM
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skibikeclambake
Posts: 2346 - Karma: 27
Yeah, the careers I posted for each field are just dreams I have, not exactly realistic. I get what you're saying about the hardware thing. I really don't like programming as much, so that is at the bottom of the list currently.
Feb 2 2010 12:26AM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
Take an intro to engineering course (its required here for engrs) You will quickly find out what you excel in.

that being said, mechanical, go mechanical, it is the best for what you want. Aerospace is worthless, it is arguably one of the hardest degrees to get, and has the least amount of work (also, the navy doesnt care what kind of engineer you are, as long as its mechanical, civil, environ, etc)


If you are planning to go navy or military, look into ROTC. Im 90% sure im going to join. I told the ROTC capt. here that I am an BSEE major, and he offered me a full ride, right then and there.
Feb 2 2010 12:51AM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
also I dont agree with this statement.


OCS/ROTC will teach you how to be an NFO better.

just do mechanical, I met a mechanical engineering PHD student, and hes being paid by nasa to work on cooling fans on their rockets, I got to see his lab, it was sick.
Feb 2 2010 12:53AM
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skibikeclambake
Posts: 2346 - Karma: 27

OCS, ROTC, will tech you how to lead. Flight school will teach you how to be an NFO. What I meant was that some of the knowledge from an AE degree will help when it comes to flight school, basic concepts, etc.

Right now I am looking at mechanical the most. I would take an intro to engineering course, but I go to a small liberal arts school that doesn't offer that type of course work.

As for what I said, I am looking into ROTC, but the Navy has the Bachelor Degree Completion Program, and that would be preferable for me.

My dream had been to get an appointment to the Naval Academy, but dreams change. Now I want kick myself in the ass for not trying for it.

Feb 2 2010 1:02AM
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prontocuts.com
Posts: 5244 - Karma: 42
I just want to divert the thread and claim how happy, how so happy I am that I goto the school that I do. We have one of like 30 something MIT built fab labs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fab_lab in the world.

In our intro class we built a power generator and a robot all using the CNC machine and laser cutter. It was soooooooooooooo fun. People always give me crap for going to community college but I love mine. Maybe there is a school with a fab lab near you?
Feb 2 2010 1:06AM
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Palardy
Posts: 176 - Karma: 11
I'm in doing a degree in Electrical right now which is very similar to computer. If you head that way all I can say is be ready to do lots of math.

Of all every engineering departments we have the most and hardest math classes to take.
Feb 2 2010 1:12AM
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Gnarshred
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 18
Im currently a freshman Mechanical engineer, although I'm taking a few intro elec. eng. classes.

I think i will switch to EE because mech E at my school (CU boulder) seems to be a little too focused on nano-bio tech which im not very interested in.

So make sure that you check into what your school's focus is in before you decide completely. 

Also, I got really excited this year about electrical hopefully to do something in the music industry.

Hope that helped a bit.  you can't really go wrong with any engineering degree, you can pretty much work in any field with any eng. degree so choose based on what sounds the most fun!!

Hope that helps!
Feb 2 2010 1:31AM
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Inbred_Redneck
Posts: 2776 - Karma: 28
I'm taking ME next fall as a freshman. I would suggest going for that. I always wanted to go strictly Aerospace but Aerospace and ME are pretty much the same courses. Main difference is the later Jr and Sr year courses are more focused in aerospace rather than ME. If you want a job then get ME because you probably wont find one with AE. I will probably be taking some AE electives along with my ME ones, or just double major.
Feb 2 2010 8:52AM
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flexpattern
Posts: 1090 - Karma: 45
aero for sure, i didn't take any straight engineering course, i do geophysics which is just as tricky (my dad is an engineer and he persuaded me not to do it), but i think that if i really wanted to do engineering then i would do aero, imagine designing something than can actually fly, a lot better than some computer program or a new type of gearbox

aero ftw!
Feb 2 2010 9:07AM
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JayDope
Posts: 6842 - Karma: 408
at my old school it was a big civil engineering school, i was friends with some of the kids in that major, and they always talked about how difficult the classes were and what not, and one of my friends had the hardest time finding an internship over the summer/into this years past fall semester. One of my best friends from home is a mechanical engineering major at clemson in SC, hes a smart kid , graduated from HS with something like 20 college credits, so he would be able to graduate much quicker in college. He was telling me about some math class he was having trouble in, and will most likely still take 5 years to graduate. But he is looking into jobs in the car industry, probably not the best time for that, but there is a BMW factory right near his school that offers jobs to many of the mechanical engineering students from his school. Mechanical engineering seemed more interesting to me form talking with my friends who are engineering majors.
Feb 2 2010 9:40AM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
If aerospace is the same as aeronautical engineering, you have no idea what you're talking about and need to stop giving advice.
Feb 2 2010 9:57AM
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TGdude
Posts: 290 - Karma: 10
I did 2 years of chemical and even though i found out that i hated it i dont regret it at all.  Engineering is so intense that even though i didnt finish i still learned a ton about study habits and what my limits were.  So whatever you pick, i think it will be beneficial to you.
Feb 2 2010 10:53AM
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Alkyy
Posts: 2839 - Karma: 149

I wouldnt do env unless you like monetering shit flow into a stream...literally.   It makes you hate the people in the world, and yeah you might have a job but for me at least i couldnt monitor sewage for my whole life an feel good about my self.  I was planning on going into it for grad school ( im just env science now undergrad) but after taking a few eng classes im deffanatly not

Feb 2 2010 11:04AM
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1337
Posts: 31054 - Karma: 29,231
hes right and wrong, its definitely not worthless but it is a very narrow branch of engineering and it limits your options when you get out of school.

BK, I would suggest you go mechanical as a bachelors because it does give you the most broad spectrum of jobs to choose from when you graduate, and you can always build off of it an get an aerospace masters if thats what you would want to do. That's what I'm thinking of doing, because like you said, plans change. And if you do go navy, the same benefits apply. Good luck man
Feb 2 2010 11:07AM
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sstricky
Posts: 1876 - Karma: 111
University of Colorado at Boulder: AEROSPACE DOG
Feb 2 2010 12:25PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
There are no jobs in aerospace.

Computer science has a shit load of math but I know several successful people who went this route.

Environmental/civil are the lowest paid and boring as fuck, you will do 90% permitting.

Mechanical is the best undergrad degree there is, then you can go to grad school once you know more about what actual jobs are like and specialize. I have a buddy who went to med school after his undergrad and is doing quite well.

In my opinion the more specialized you get the more you limit yourself. I did petroleum engineering and not that I am complaining, but I have a pretty limited scope of jobs and living location. If I had it to do over I would probably do the same thing but if not PE I would fo sho go for mechanical.


good luck.
Feb 2 2010 12:42PM
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Edew19
Posts: 365 - Karma: 13
Not at all. An Aero major can get pretty much any job an ME can get.  Same material, applied differently.  And its much more interesting IMO.
Feb 2 2010 4:44PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
no way dood.
Feb 2 2010 4:51PM
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Inbred_Redneck
Posts: 2776 - Karma: 28
Definately not man. It's based on mechanical and alot of the properties but it's not the same. Full fledged ME degree goes way more into the physics of everything where as AE focuses on flight systems/dynamics and shit like that. I thouht it was interesting too but the ME will get me farther.
Feb 2 2010 4:55PM
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pommes_vertes.
Posts: 1260 - Karma: 10
Definitely go mechanical over aerospace.  They are essentially the same major, though aerospace will pigeonhole you into a narrow field of careers related specifically to aerospace, whereas mechanical has a verrrrrrry broad selection of careers available.

Also worth mentioning, any job you can get from aerospace, you can get from mechanical.  There is nothing (that I know of) that absolutely REQUIRES aerospace.  However, it doesn't work the other way.  There are plenty of jobs a mechanical engineer could get that aerospace could not.  Hence, for the sake of keeping your options open post-undergrad (since you don't know exactly what you want to do), stick with mechanical.
Feb 2 2010 5:09PM
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Dustin.
Posts: 13839 - Karma: 7,704
Enviro is making bank right now.  My professor made 90K in contracts since January 1st.  It's also one of the top 5 most in demand jobs right now.
Feb 2 2010 5:46PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
Meh I don't think so from my experience but you may be right.

*Environmental is the lowest paid starting.
Feb 2 2010 5:55PM
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TerminatorX
Posts: 3087 - Karma: 169
have you looked into biomedical engineering? you could design medical equipment, prosthetic limbs, and other artificial body parts. and you're pretty much guaranteed a job after you graduate.
Feb 2 2010 6:18PM
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BigJew
Posts: 6974 - Karma: 79
I'm in Electrical & Computer Engineering (They're almost identical at most schools) and I'd pick Computer if I were you.

The mechanical kids are having a hard time getting coop jobs at my school while the electrical & computer program has 95% placement and software engineering has 100% placement. The world is digital. You can't buy anything nowadays without a computer in it, that means there's always room for more computer engineers.

Aerospace is one of those programs, like nano engineering that sounds great and all until you realize that there's hardly any employment in north America.
Feb 2 2010 6:42PM
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troublemaker3
Posts: 1954 - Karma: 225
aerospace is booming right now, trying to make planes more fuel efficient and greener in general. id say this would be your best bet to land a job in your desired field if you have the smarts. overall "green" technology is the fastest growing job market

all my good friends with mechanical engineering degrees are salesmen for their respective companys. they all found jobs but they dont actually engineer anything. it is a very general degree good for many career paths though.


Feb 2 2010 6:54PM
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cornholio
Posts: 3952 - Karma: 3,057
i'd avoid computer engineering but that's just my opinion.  i started out in computer engineering, but got super bored with it and the classwork just became project after project after project.  after 2 1/2 years i switched to civil and now i spend my working days trying to remember my high school spanish and arguing with old farts in the construction industry.  just my 2 cents
Feb 2 2010 6:59PM
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S3B
Posts: 251 - Karma: 24
took Mechanical for 2 years, did all my co-ops in Manufacturing and hated it, so dropped out.  I just started an Electrician Apprenticeship, when i'm done i'll be looking at going back for Civil-Enviro.

coming from someone that's been around and seeing where my friends from school ended up, although it's cool to dream of these awesome jobs (ie. bike frame design, ipod and so on), you should remain a little bit more realistic or you may end up being unhappy when reality hits

my bro was in the Aerospace industry for a bit with his Mechanical Engineering degree and it's not at all what you would imagine, seems cool at first but the amount influance one person has over the design is next to nothing unless you devote your whole career to it, even then you're still working on some small detail

in my opinion pick something that will bring you the most satisfaction, cool jobs not always bring it.  helping the environment is a sure bet though, that's my plan

peace
Feb 2 2010 7:13PM
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chapz
Posts: 10182 - Karma: 66
this thread looks good! i also had similar questions...

im deciding between mechanical or computer. id love to be an architectural engineer, but mcgill doesnt offer it.
Feb 2 2010 8:57PM
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An10a_Eng
Posts: 2505 - Karma: 26
ECE. i work in the aerospace industry...its pretty fucking boring. ECE is where its at man
Feb 2 2010 9:13PM
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Mac.
Posts: 953 - Karma: 24
I am a senior in hs now, and I am looking to go into mechanical or applied math at either McGill or UBC.

Mechanical definitely seems to offer the most amount of jobs after, because the things you learn are so applicable to other engineering jobs.  My dad is a mechanical engineer and has and can work for a broad range of companies based on the fact that he knows such a broad range of subjects with his mechanical degree.
Feb 2 2010 9:20PM
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Edew19
Posts: 365 - Karma: 13
Well im not sure what the "physics of everything" entails but im pretty sure aeros do it too.  But anyways, companies don't give a shit about what exact classes you take.  They just want to know that you have the skills and ability to succeed in the position.  A typical ME and AE will have the same skill set and can both get the same type of jobs.
Feb 2 2010 11:06PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
Whoa there Debbie downer. Just because you didn't try hard enough for your dream job doesn't mean its not possible.

OP I have a buddy, ME from CU, who designs bike frames for Yetti. He has an awesome job, riding every single day. If you are serious about this stuff send me some questions and I will send them to him.
Feb 2 2010 11:08PM
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skibikeclambake
Posts: 2346 - Karma: 27
It's really funny you should mention that, because Yeti is exactly the type of company I have in mind, along with Bianchi and BMC.
Feb 2 2010 11:24PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
Aeronautical and Mech, are pretty simmilar,

its just the Aeronautical classes say AA in front of the number and the MechE ones say MEE.

you get one degree you can work in either field.
The real differences is that in Aeronautical you will deal with air and gasses as fluids, and in MEE you will deal more with liquids.

Yes, in your final year you will have specialized projects which are more unique to one field then the other, but the main differences in most projects I have seen is that one has bigger wings and the other has bigger wheels.

And Aeronautical is much more than just planes and rockets and all that stuff. Right now the AA department at my school is being funded by a pretty damn famous italian car company to work on engine efficiency.


Really there are three main blocks of engineering (in my opinion) with some overlap between the groups.

Group 1, (forces and efficiency)
Civil
Mechanical
Aeronautical

Group 2 (material)
Material
Chemical
Bio
Paper Science

Group 3 (logical and efficincy)
CSE
Industrial
these are fairly independent of each other, but are somewhat similar.

I really don't know much about Environmental, but I would say it splits the first two fairly evenly.

Obviously all of them will overlap the other groups more or less, especially groups 1 and 2.
Feb 3 2010 4:07PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
I should add to that:
the prereqs for MEE and AA are pretty much identical.
Feb 3 2010 4:07PM
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Gnarshred
Posts: 5670 - Karma: 18
I change my stance. Don't do engineering unless you hate happiness...
Feb 3 2010 4:08PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
I am not gonna lie,

there is a lot of uninformed bullshit in this thread.

also if you want to get any type of Engineering degree on any sort of decent time schedule, you will straight up not have much of a social life.
Feb 3 2010 4:11PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
That's such bullshit. I did engineering, took 5 years got a masters and did a semester abroad and partied more than enough. You will not be able to go out every night, skip 90% of your classes and smoke pot every day. If that is the life you want to live then go ahead. If you want to work hard and play hard engineering is a great road.

I heard the same shit from people all the way through. Now they are making 30g a year and I am making 3 times that and having a great time. I have become a weekend warrior for sure but mixing work and play is part of life. For god sakes I sit on NS all day and I still get all my shit and more done. And I love my job. Engineering gives you such a great perspective and knowledge of working things. I would suggest every college student at least look at engineering, our country would be a lot better for it.
Feb 3 2010 4:24PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,686
Well I live like you describe and people told me my social life was shit.
Al I know is that most other kids get out more then I do.
Feb 3 2010 4:54PM
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JZ
Posts: 577 - Karma: 15
Not sure where you're going to be transfer to but keep your grades up now and lots of schools have pretty good transfer scholarships available with not much competition for them.

also to the response of "food and beverage"...that's my career track...it's nice
Feb 3 2010 5:03PM
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Phormat
Posts: 774 - Karma: 20

I went with mechanical. A lot of mechanicals also get a minor in electrical, which is probably the best route. My dad worked at GE and said that companies need smart North Americans that speak english well and are well rounded. A lot of the workers they are getting are from India and China, and the bottom line is that they are harder to work with, they are just really good at math and specific disciplines within engineering, but when it comes to communicating with other people they can be akward and difficult to work with. Be prepared for a lot of hard work, high school is a joke really, nothing compared to what you will find in college engineering. Time management is key, and yeah your social life will suffer compared to business or criminal justice majors. I can't stress taking the time to study enough, I still haven't figured it out after 3 years, but I pass all my classes and have a mediocre GPA, I figure i balance partying too much. Finding the right kids to study with is key unless you are a fucking brain and a half.

Feb 3 2010 5:11PM
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Phormat
Posts: 774 - Karma: 20
Elaborating on the foreign workers. People at GE said that the Chinese and Indians were very smart, but when it came to figuring out where a part went, or what tool to use they were useless. They couldn't tell a phillips head from a flat head. As a mechanical engineer you learn a little about everything, which is key to leading an engineering team and being the glue between specific disciplines. And if all else fails, say you don't really want to be an engineer after all, you came out of college with the most valuable degree available. Everyone hires engineers because they know they are probably more capable at doing any job than a lot of the people who actually went to school for a specific degree.
Feb 3 2010 5:16PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
I guess I don't really have a comparison because I went to an all engineering school so everyone had the same schedule. It would be hard to do engineering at a big university where people are out trying to get laid every night.
Feb 3 2010 5:18PM
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