Chemical Engineering vs Mechanical Engineering vs Computer Science and Engineering

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hi guys!

I am currently a mechanical engineering major finishing up my first year in college. When I applied to college, I knew I wanted to major in engineering, but I wasn’t sure which engineering field, so I just chose mechanical, which I was told that it could be applied to a broad field and that I will probably have couple years to decide my major while taking lower division courses and other GEs. Unfortunately, the chemical engineering program, which I became interested in, doesn’t have a lot of overlap (as you can probably imagine) with the mechanical engineering program, so I have to try to decide my major soon.

I am genuinely interested in both chemical and mechanical engineering. Chemical engineering sounds really cool and also broad, being able to work in variety of areas such as pharmaceutical companies and food industries. However, at my college, the research did not seem as cool as what the mechanical engineering program offered, which varied from robotics, biomedical devices, spacecraft, and neuroengineering (this really sounds like top notch technology, it sounds super cool!). However, when I took my first design class my first quarter, i really disliked CAD. Maybe it is because I never had a chance to get deeply involved in it beforehand, but it was really tough for me to complete the assignments and I didn’t really enjoy designing. Meanwhile, the chemical engineering course I took my second quarter (it is also known as the coffee class at my school! some people probably can tell which school I go to from this) was more enjoyable in terms of what we actually did in lab with coffee (math was okay, but difficult).

And on top of that, I am starting to consider switching to computer science and engineering. Two of my closest friends are pursuing it, and they’re both enjoying it, making me more interested in the program. It feels like computer science is limitless, compared to chemical and mechanical which seems more realistic (I don’t know how else to describe it…).

So long story short, out of chemical, mechanical, and computer science engineering, which major do you think is the coolest and rewarding? It will be awesome if you guys have some personal experience related to research, undergrad/graduate studies, internships, or basically anything. Thank you in advance for your response!

2

They are both very different. I have a BS in Chem E and an MS in Computer Science. I work in the computer field today. No one can tell you which one is better they both have there pluses and minuses. I majored in Chem E because I wanted to work in the Petro Chemical industry. I did that for a few years and decided to go back and get a CS degree since I thought I wanted to do Automated Process Control however I loved writing code and took a job working for a software company as a programmer. For me, I loved coding more then being a CHem E. so it was a great switch not necessarily planned by it has worked out for me. You need to think about what career options are out there and what excites you!!!. Either one can bring you a great and fulfilling career but you have to love what you do.