I have 60 credits towards Computer Science through UMUC, and 11 towards Electrical Engineering at Arizona State. I like the idea of getting in to either field. Though, having to teach your self several programming languages and then keeping up with new ones seems grueling. My experience is that of an Avionics tech. in the Marine Corps (6 years now and going on more). So, it would make sense to go the EE route (You would think). The jobs prospects for CS seem better though, the more and more job searches I do. There will always be a need for both fields, and in some sense both fields are completely different. I know some of you might say, an EE can do a CS’s work. Though once you start getting more advanced with CS work, a typical EE would not have the knowledge (the same applies the other way around).
I’m half way done with CS and I’m 26 ( I know 26 isn’t old). I just feel that it may be better to continue with CS and get it over with (60 credits left). Though, then you have to think about the fact that I may be 90 some day wishing I should have gone the EE route no matter if it takes longer or not. Maybe I should just go EE and while I’m at it, get a master’s in EE.
I KNOW EVERY ANSWER I WILL GET IS OPINION BASED AND THAT EVERYTHING I HAVE TYPED HERE IS MOSTLY OPINION BASED. I’m just looking for your thoughts to kind of give me some more insight.
You really have to ask yourself what it is that you like to do. It sounds to me like EE is what like best as a career. Why not go that route? There are plenty of jobs in that field and your CS background will not be wasted at all. Lots of people who work in the software industry don’t have a degree in CS. EE grads can get into that field pretty easily, particularly if they have a strong programming background.
You say you are only 11 credits into the EE major, however, it should not take you more than 2 years or so because you must have already complete most if not all of the GenEd requirements.
How about Computer engineering? It’s a combination of CS and EE
Computer Engineering might be a good compromise. I started out CE and decided to double-major in EE as well since I had almost finished my CE degree. What I figured was this: programming comes naturally to me and I can learn it on my own in the future. However, learning electronics esp. fundamentals is difficult outside of a classroom environment so I decided to study more hardware.
Since you have so many credits in CS, why don’t you pursue a CS and CE double major? It should not be more than an extra year. As far as jobs are concerned, make sure you get an engineering job and not a computer science job when you graduate, or else you might be stuck in a CS career path.
Remember though, from a purely financial perspective, you are better off finishing CS, getting your degree and getting a job, rather than spending extra money and time pursuing another degree which will not significantly alter your starting salary.