hi,
I would be happy if you can help me with my current situation as well.
I am a 22 year old girl from Iran. Back home I studied architecture for 2 years but I did not like the artistic side of it. At the same time, I was really good in Math and Physics and chemistry ( mostly calculus,mechanics and statics ). I dont have a Bachelor Degree from Iran. But Now I am a student at Santa Monica College with a 4.0 GPA. I took all the Science and Math classes! And I was the best student in all my classes. Now that I am about to transfer, I do not have any idea what major to choose! I am so sad about this. Because of my FAmily financial situation I HAVE TO choose something that has a good salary in future. But, I do not know anything about America And I can not decide. Any Advice? ( I like Civil Eng and structural Eng as well)
Sorry for the bad English,
Thanks,
I would aim for Civil with an emphasis in Structural Eng… Cal Poly Pomona would be an excellent choice. Close to home and relatively inexpensive.
Best.
Civil engineering certainly isn’t a bad bet. Construction in the US is not as active an industry as you would want it to be - the US just had a housing crisis 6 years ago, but it’s a solid career choice.
As somewhat of an aside (but an important one), if you want to do well in the US, you will have to learn to speak English properly, with few to no mechanical errors. This means you cannot use your foreign origins as a reason for non-proficiency; you just have to learn the language better. Take a few courses more if you must. I also recommend buying and occasionally reading a short book called “The Elements of Style” while you learn. It costs about the price of shipping: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/020530902X/sr=1-1/qid=1439501436/
Whatever you choose, make sure it is something that you are interested in doing as a career. Even if you feel obliged to find a well-paid career for your family, you will not do it well unless you like it somewhat.
All that being said, a degree in engineering or physics will probably offer you the best career options. You should stay away from engineering disciplines which are primarily employed in the defense industry (Aerospace) as not being a citizen will prevent your employment. Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical Engineering are all good choices.
I agree with above posters. Choose something you like. Civil engineering is not necessarily a path to good employment either. My cousin’s son graduated with a degree in architecture and then civil engineering. Got a job out of a country for about a year. He is back in the US running his own business.
@xraymancs thank you very much! very helpful