<p>I'm transferring to UCSD and need to decide which major I will be going into. The list goes as follows:</p>
<p>1)Chemical: High starting salary, interesting material, and high difficulty attract me.
2)Environmental: I've heard it's one of the most "economic downturn" resistant, and the job growth is amazing. The only problem is low starting salary.
3)Aerospace: From what I've read, an aerospace engineer now has a relatively good job outlook out of college, and a great starting salary. However I refuse to build missiles or fighter planes.</p>
<p>My main interests are majors that will 1) Job security and easy entrance into the market, 2) High salary, 3) location, California (home state) or north east would be nice, 4) interesting material, and 5) High difficulty, I do better in classes that are seen as a challenge.</p>
<p>Also I've heard that it's easy to transfer between engineering disciplines out of college with proper training, in that case, is there an engineering discipline that offers the most "flexibility" (I assume ChemE)?</p>
<p>so... do you want us to choose one for you? I'd say go with ChemE because its one of the main engineering disciplines, and not a sub discipline. Aero is basically MechE, and Enviro is usually a sub-discipline within CivilE.</p>
<p>Also, ChemE's make the most out of college compared to the other main disciplines, although EE's (especially CompEs) come close. Job security in ChemE is comparable to other engineering fields... there are plenty of jobs in California... and it is considered the toughest engineering discipline alongside EE. I can't judge whether you'd find it interesting or not.</p>
<p>ChemE would be the most flexible out of all the choices you have presented.</p>
<p>I suggest going with the one you are most passionate for... high salary, job security, location, and job satisfaction will fluctuate dramatically over the age of your career. Many people become disillusioned upon getting their engineering degrees because they were chasing after all the wrong things... take what you will, and good luck.</p>
<p>ChemE or Environmental -- I would avoid Aerospace. But if you want to stay in California, you may want to consider EE. Also UCSD is pretty famous for its BioE.</p>
<p>Aerospace would be good for working in CA, but OP said "However I refuse to build missiles or fighter planes". Given another criteria is Job security, refusing those areas would really limit your job options.</p>
<p>well if you don't want to build missles or fighter planes aero is not for you. Environmental you won't make any money in that at all. Not only will you have a low starting pay, you won't make any money on the top end either. I would recommend chemical. You better love chemistry though. I'm a petroleum engineering major. I have a love for geology and math. All my family works for oil field companies. So, petroleum was a natural choice for me. But if I wasn't doing petroleum I would probably do chemical or electrical. Yes you can take conversion courses. I know mechanical engineers and electrical engineers who have become petroleum engineers. Also mechanical who have become aerospace. Chemical basically stays chemical. Although you might find yourself working at a plant the rest of your life. Electrical offers travel opportunity. I mean it is up to you though. In the end it is what you love the most that will count. Don't look at salary when choosing a degree. I wouldn't even be doing petroleum if I didn't love geology so much. IN the end though, a job is a job.</p>
<p>I mean, are you asking me where most work overall, or where do they work in the united states, or where do they work in louisiana? I mean give me some more details, lol.</p>
<p>I was originally going to go EE, but I've heard that EE jobs are on the decline because of job outsourcing. I would rather go EE, but is it comparable to ChemE in terms of job availability?</p>
<p>To all you Petroleum Engineering/ChemE majors, y'all are seeing the boom of the oil business. Having lived in South Louisiana during the Oil Bust, early eighties, and husband losing job during it, I would just recommend to not spend all your money right away: ie, big expensive house, expensive car. You're going to have to save for a rainy day.</p>
<p>If you do want to go into it, by all means, do so. Great career. But you have to be willing to relocate, travel. Have to live in such hopping places as Tulsa and Odessa. And have to travel to H-Town as much as once a month. </p>
<p>You may have to even go back and live with Mom and Dad while you're out of work for a year or so at a time. God Forbid!</p>
<p>When they offer to send you to a course, even though it means leaving your family for a couple of months, do it. </p>
<p>Have a computer background as well, so that when the oil biz goes bust, at least you have other skills to fall back on.</p>
<p>Learn all the newest software. Take classes.</p>
<p>Get a Masters!</p>
<p>Maybe get a double major in EE or Computer Engineering.</p>
<p>But hang in there! The good times are great!</p>
<p>Thus, choose your major based on your interests. If you are going to go through 4-5 years of engineering studies, you should enjoy what you're studying, or at least tolerate it. Any of the engineering majors will do, though I'm not sure if I would advocate environmental. Not very knowledgeable about how that one is perceived in the work force.</p>
<p>Montegut, you couldn't have said it better. My father lost his job during the bust of the 80's but that's when he went work at the chemical plants doing computer operating work. He was doing it partime on the side anyway, so he just took the full time job there. But every industry has its ups and down, excluding medical. That is like rock solid. But the up and downs of the industry aren't preventing me from getting a petroleum engineering degree. Although, I'll be staying an extra year, bringing the grand total to 5. I'm staying longer to take classes in digital logic EE class, Circuits another EE class, Mechanical engineering design, ME class of course, and a few industrialial and Civil Engineering classes. What is good about petroleum most of the classes are the same as Civil and Mechanical. That being said, it doesn't take much to get a second degree in Civil or mechanical because the classes are so much alike. Petroleum is civil but with drilling, well head, and formation evaluation courses thrown in. I'll probably finish with a second degree in Civil because I'll have enough credits for the double major. But its good to be diverse in everything, no matter what you do. Get the most out of your education.</p>
<p>I graduated Spring 08 with a degree in chemical engineering. I interviewed with the big name petroleum companies (upstream), big name petrochemical companies (downstream/misc chemicals) and environmental companies.</p>
<p>In the end, I chose an environmental company. I wanted stability and the ability to work 40 hr/week. (Also, love how I can walk to work, go windsurf in the morning, clock into office later and leave later).</p>
<p>The petroleum companies do pay the highest, but they dictate your lifestyle when you're in training either drilling/production/off-shore.</p>
<p>The chemical companies pay second best, but usually you have to drive to the factory/refinery. </p>
<p>Choose a job you think you would like. Somedays I don't like going into the office so I go windsurfing or run on the beach with my dog. Drudging into work 8-9hrs a day for 5 days a week min is different from college. </p>
<p>There's benefits/consequences of each field. You can't have it all. </p>
<p>As for petroleum engineering salaries, Sakky and Forever LSU are debating it. Note: When I interviewed with the petroleum companies (upstream), Sakky's quoted salaries matched what I was offered. However, my school isn't known for petroleum engineering or anything in that nature, due to the location of where Forever LSU is, it's possible that his quoted starting salaries are possible.</p>
<p>So an EE degree isn't a dead end? My uncle worked for TRW in California as an electrical engineer and says EE jobs are on the decline because of outsourcing, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics agrees. Maybe a double major MechE/EE? I'm interested in chemistry and am very good at it, but my real strengths are math/physics. It just worries me because EE jobs seem to be losing numbers.</p>
<p>I guess it is a sad reality. Americans want to be paid, and when you have other countries whose college classes are 40 percent engineering students and we are only graduating 5 percent, that tells you something. And these are guys who will get paid less, for arguably better work. Why have one engineer on a project when you can be paying 3 or 4 for the same price to work and do exactly the same thing. You can definatly get more accomplished. I see it everyday. The american engineer is a dying species, we still have the best universities in the world, yet that is going to be very arguable in the near future. What you have, these engineers who are from china, Middle east, India, who once stayed in the US either to research or work, are now moving back to there own countries for more opportunity. I mean who in this world wants to be that far away from family. I talk to engineering students everyday, from China, Egypt, South America, Africa, Saudi Arabia. These guys are all moving back home. In my honest opinion, in the next 20 years, america is going to be in trouble. In the past, large funds have bailed us out of the hole. But the thing is we aren't the only ones with the money anymore. This is a world economy now and there are bigger players in the game.</p>
<p>They airforce and defense department don't know what the hell to do now because the head engineer who was over the defense department retired last year, this man worked on every fighter since the SR-71. A Ph.D grad of engineering from MIT. He supervised the development of the F-22, F-15, F-16, F-117, and a few combat choppers. It was in a new york times article a while back. They are constantly having to push back time estimates for projects because of the lack of experienced supervision.</p>
<p>I really do think that America's golden age is coming to a close. I may be wrong, but the reality is I'm not seeing where or how for that matter we will compete with these other countries now. I just don't see it. When engineering classes go from 120 to 25 and the only people sitting around you don't speak your language, huh, thats not a good sign.</p>
<p>you refuse to make missiles and airplanes- thus you do not want to be a aerospace engineer. a valid point. but what about working for NASA/JPL? remember, you are basically a mech E, so anything they can do, you can basically do. design cars that people drive their children in.</p>
<p>also, say you do become a chemical engineer- whats to say you wont be at a factory that just produces gun powder? a company that makes pesticides? is that much better?</p>