Hello everyone, I’m really in need of help here. I’m going to be a junior next semester and I still can’t decide if I should stay in Civil Engineering or switch over to Industrial or Mechanical Engineering.
My future goal is to run my father’s companies, which generally includes distribution, hotel and tourism and construction businesses (where the construction company holds the largest share). I planned to throughly understand the construction part of the business before I expand on other aspects. This was why I thought Civil Engineering would be the best fit for me when I started the program. Now, I’m seeing other branches such as industrial and mechanical engineering that really interests me. The problem is that I seem to have interest in all three majors equally and I really can’t decide.
The aspects that I find intriguing for the three majors would be for:
-Civil: structural and design
-Industrial: relevancy to business
-Mechanical: intimacy with creation of objects
It sounds like any of them could work. (I actually know a bit about this topic. I switched from Civil/Environment to Mechanical during my sophomore year - my friends joked “she’s not civil anymore”). I switched to get a more general degree, but civil could be good with your goals.
Think about this question - any plans to work elsewhere before joining the family business? That could be a factor.
A strong case can be made for any of these majors.
Either way, think about getting a business or finance minor (or certificate, if offered at your school). to go along with your major. You’ll find the business and finance/accounting classes useful. Anyone that plans on running their own business should take a basic class in finance/accounting! Some schools also offer minors in Entrepreneurship.
Good Luck!