Can a concentration hurt me?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

I’m currently a junior at Rutgers University for MechE. They have three options: Standard (just a mix of whatever tech electives you’re interested in), Energy Systems and Aerospace. My original plan was to just take the standard route and take a class in each concentration but I’ve really become interested in aerospace so I’ve been thinking about making that my concentration.

So my question is, will taking that concentration make me “too specialized” of a MechE to get MechE jobs outside of aerospace, or will I still look like a standard MechE to employers?

2

You are still a standard MechE to employers. Though you will lose some opportunities for having one type of experience over another, that’s not a bad thing. You only need to be offered one good job, not every job in the field of MechE. Specialization is good, as long as the specialty is a highly applicable one.

3

As long as your education in mechanical engineering includes all the basics, it doesn’t matter if you have some specialized classes in energy or aerospace. It will be your work experience after college that will define your career.