I don’t know what to put for my major. I like coding a lot and have built websites and know many widely used languages (java, php, python, css, html, javascript, sql, etc) and in the future, I want to be able to create apps and software. However, I also began to take interest in engineering a bit and more hands on type stuff like designing parts for your own little smart phone or laptop parts or smartwatch etc so I started looking at Computer engineering. If I choose computer engineering, will I still learn how to create applications and software or is that just CS? I just want a mix of both software and hardware so I can code to create nice apps for a phone while also do hands on stuff to create parts that could be in a phone without having to double major. Also, does anyone know the difference between computer engineering and electrical because I was thinking about double majoring in cs and ee but then I found out about computer engineering and now I’m stuck.
If you want a median, CE is your game. However, as with any median, there are tradeoffs. My doing CE, you will be at a disadvantage to some straight CS people in the software world, and at a disadvantage to some hardware people in the EE world. If you want to be good at both, it’s going to take a lot of effort, flat out. Software and hardware, while working in the same specific area, are very different. If you do wish to put in the time to truly do both fully, then you do gain a true advantage.
Have you considered something like a CS major with an EE minor, or something along those lines? Is an EE or CE minor offered at your school?
@PengsPhils how useful would a minor be exactly, I feel like if I do minor in ee, I won’t learn too much to actually build something, but idk that is just my opinion.
I know CS much better than EE, so I couldn’t do any more than speculate as you have. That is the risk of this whole situation. As said before, they are two very different skills as a whole, and both take a good deal of time to learn well. More than 4 years at a school will allow unless you have a very special situation.
You learn the basics of electronics, circuits, and signals in CE, and you won’t be strictly at a disadvantage (at least not for the kinds of jobs you seem to be looking for). EEs tend to specialize, and you can simply think of it as specializing in software rather than in any of the other things that an EE might have chosen to specialize in.
No matter which path you choose, you won’t be able to learn everything in four or five years of schooling. Any way you go about it, there is more learning to be done in the future. Cover as many fundamentals as you can now so that you’re ready to learn on your own when you have to.
My son is CE because he likes to program at the hardware level. He is an Open Source programmer who has interned at Intel. When he was asked why not just major in CS he explained when he is programming he know certain technics are more efficient because of constraints of hardware but he doesn’t know why. He felt if he understood the computer hardware it would make him a better programmer. Don’t know if that helps you but it’s something to think about.
Btw I’ve never heard of anyone minoring in EE, I just don’t think it exists or is practical.