I’m in the process of deciding if i’d like to go for a Bachelor’s in Computer Science or in Mechanical Engineering. I absolutely love mathematics and computers and i’m fairly certain CompSci would be a good fit for me. However, i’ve also had this dream since I was a teen of pursuing a job in biomedical so I can help people. The idea of designing prosthetic and wearable technology sounds very exciting to me. This is by far the hardest decision i’ve ever tried to make in my life.
The main questions I have about this:
1.) As a mechanical engineer, would it be possible to have software/compsci as a fallback career option? This would of course be provided that I study the languages through certifications or tutorials etc.
2.) From the looks of it, it seems as if Mechanical Engineer would be the more well rounded major for me, with the most potential career options available. Since with computer science i’d be pretty much constricted to software, while with ME i’d get to learn the mechanical aspects of things as well as some programming. Am I at least partially correct in this observation?
Good to know. I think what i’d like to do is somehow combine my interest for computer science, engineering, and medicine somehow. My areas of interest would definitely be in wearable technology and prosthetics.
Get some background in CMMI or some other similar process quality standards. Medical devices are a lot like avionics and flight controls in that they are heavily legislated. This isn’t a bad thing, but understanding how to operate in an environment where you have to demonstrate compliance can be a Big Deal when it comes time to make your resume stand out. Not to mention the first year on the job when your stuff passes design reviews on time and needing no major revisions.
As long as you have an engineering degree and some experience either with an internship or your school professors research, you can get a job in any engineering field. Take it from someone who graduated as an engineer and could apply everywhere for a job.
Can, sure… I can become an astronaut, that doesn’t mean it is realistic. An ME trying to get a software job is going to need to show some good reason why someone should hire them instead of some bright CS major, and that is an uphill battle.
Anyone can apply anywhere. Where did you apply, where were you hired outside of your field, and what do you think got you the job?
What stage are you at? When I started university I took a computer science course, a mechanical engineering course, a math course, and a physics course (and a humanities course that I took pass/fail that was intended for engineering / math majors and therefore was not possible to fail if you even showed up). It was a couple of years before I needed to pick a major in a way that I couldn’t undo. Are you early enough in the university process that you can study some ME and some CS at the same time? It would seem to me that some CS would be very useful for pretty much any engineering major.
I have heard of some cases of a person majoring in some form of engineering with a minor in computer science, and then going on to get a masters degree in computer science. Of course the longer that you stay in school the longer it takes to get a real job and a real apartment, and the more that you need to consider the cost of education.
One of the very best things about undergraduate education is that you can study a bit of several different technologies that are interesting. This might be the only thing that I miss about being an undergraduate!
It used to be that anyone who could code could get a programming job, but every day programming gets more competitive and working without a degree gets harder and harder. It’s not just knowing a language, it’s about understanding the structures and the methods and having the experience to make things efficient, and that is more than most people can learn in “a few programming classes”. There are thousands and thousands of CS grads every year who have spent years preparing to compete for these jobs, it is not easy to convince an employer that you are superior to them.
In my office we have phd’s MEs writing code. Why? Because the codes are analytical in nature and these guys are world class in their disciplines. They do, however, depend on some real software guys as well to get the project done (for the real programmers here, forgive me if I make it sound simple)
Is that their primary job, or a smaller part of their overall responsibilities? I write code as part of my job, because it is the unique application of my design, but I am not a software engineer, my code never gets installed on deliverable hardware nor delivered on its own to the customers. Many, perhaps most, engineers write code, being a software engineer is a whole different type and level of work.
Depends upon how you looks at it. They are the technical expert, and spend a significant amount of time, 25-50% on the code. These are in-house analysis packages used by many engineers.
In reality,this code cannot be written by the phds alone, nor can it be done by the true software developers. That’s probably the point I was really trying to make. Sometime engineers find themselves needed for the code due to engineering expertise, but don’t have the skill set to do the whole thing.
I’m about to graduate in a few months with an associates degree in science. As a science major i’ve taken a variety of math/science related courses, while continually focusing more and more on math (I seem to enjoy math the most). After this I have the opportunity to earn a bachelors using my current course credits towards the bachelors. So for example, as a science major i’ve taken a number of the physics, chemistry, and math courses required for mech engineer and/or computer science. Now it just leaves the big question of which i’d like to pursue the most because honestly, both fascinate me. I’d love to be able to study both and combine the two somehow. Time and money is certainly a worry for me, which is why i’m so determined to decide which field to go into. The reason i’ve been asking engineers this question is because from the looks of it, it seems as if engineering may be the pick out of the two with the broader curriculum (allowing me to learn some programming, and still learn mechanical, physical skills.)
Congrats on you upcoming degree. Be aware that engineering has very specific course sequences, starting Freshman year. Talk to your adviser and/or consult the website at 4 year college. It will very likely add an extra year or more (5+ years total).
If you’re saying it’s harder to find a job without a degree, I’d agree. If you’re saying it’s harder to get a programming job without a CS degree, I’d disagree. There aren’t nearly enough people coming out of school with CS and Software Engineering degrees to fill the available jobs, so people with STEM degrees who have taken a few programming classes fill the backlog. Of the programmers I work with, CS grads are in the minority, even among the younger ones.