<p>First off, I know that many of the answers will be "Go what with you like most." The problem is, I really do like BOTH. I was thinking of possible engineering majors that I would love (I'm a STEM kind-of-guy.) </p>
<p>I've narrowed them down to AE and EE. My only hesitancy in AE is from what <em>I've HEARD</em> that it doesn't/will not have a job market soon. I also know that in EE you can do similar things and can even work in the AE industry. </p>
<p>So, the question I ask is not for you to pick the major for me, but rather to give arguments for or against one of them. </p>
<p>The school that I'm going to (Georgia Tech) has both programs very much up the list, so I don't think that asking what the better discipline at my school is will particularly matter in context for me.</p>
<p>Obviously, aerospace companies have some need for electrical engineers, though the jobs that electrical engineers do may not necessarily be the same as what aerospace or mechanical engineers do.</p>
<p>You may also want to consider mechanical engineering, which is a somewhat broader field that includes some aerospace subjects. But it may be easier to sell yourself to a non-aerospace company for a mechanical engineer position with a mechanical engineering degree.</p>
<p>You can go to the web sites of aerospace companies and look in their careers sections to see what kinds of jobs there are looking for people with what kinds of degrees.</p>
<p>As far as aerospace is concerned, you can get into the industry with both degrees. The only question is which part of the planes do you want to work on.</p>
<p>As for your job market comment: as long as humans travel by air, there will always be a job market for aerospace engineers. The real issue is that the jobs tend to be concentrated in a handful of geographic regions and the job market is fairly cyclical, as the industry itself is fairly volatile.</p>
<p>Is it possible to study both? Could you do one major and take electives in the other? In terms of satisfying distribution and core major requirements, is there enough overlap that you could complete enough of the other major through electives to satisfy whatever career requirements are expected? Would you consider spending an extra year (or so) to get the other degree, or use some of your free time to study for the additional classes you take that would allow you to graduate with both degrees sooner?</p>
<p>Consult the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (you can Google BLS OOH). You can read up on these fields by going to the A-Z index and checking the entry for Engineers. There’s lots of good information (employment, opportunities, pay, education, work, etc.) there, and in not too long, there will be more up-to-date information.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnius: I agree that breadth may work to my advantage, which may be an advantage to EE. I really would enjoy breaking into the Aerospace industry or something that isn’t ENTIRELY paperwork-oriented. I know Georgia Tech has an Aerospace Minor. Do you believe that having a MechE degree with AE minor would be viable for the kind of jobs that I am looking for?</p>
<p>@boneh3ad: Thank you for your response. I never really thought of it like that. What types of jobs do EEs work in the aerospace industry?</p>
<p>@yagottabelieve: It is definitely possible to do so, but I don’t think it’s wise on my part. I plan on co-oping or doing a B.S./M.S. program, or <em>possibly</em> both. That, tied up with the fact that GT is pretty damn hard, is why I believe that your idea may not be the best fit.</p>
<p>@aegrisomnia: Thank you for your suggestion, I have actually consulted that before. It says that AE will increase in jobs by about 10% while EE is about +2%. Then again, EE already had more jobs (a bit more than 2 times as much!) than AE to begin with. Nonetheless, thank you.</p>
<p>EE is probably more broad in terms of the places one can work, and the fields in which they can work. But has a terrible unemployment/underemployment problem.</p>
<p>AE probably isn’t much better on the employment front, especially when/if military cutbacks come into effect.</p>
<p>But really, one needs to follow their passion. If you’re not interested in electronics, you’re not going to like EE. If you’re not interested in fluid dynamics, then you won’t like AE. It might be possible to do a degree or a course of study that effectively combines both (ie: coursework relating to aircraft control systems/avionics, for instance, which definitely would be useful in other applications of EE even outside the aerospace realm).</p>
<p>AE and EE were actually the 2 majors I was picking between when I applied to college as well. I narrowed it down to these 2 because of the interest I had in them and the fact that they were considered the most math intensive (that’s an opinion) and I’m a math minor. I ended up going with EE because I figured I could have either and work in aerospace if I wanted to, but I couldn’t work in EE with aero. I’m also a pretty big computer guy (I work at my school’s tech center) so that had its benefits with EE as well. Almost everything needs electricity (even airplanes) so I figured to go with breadth for my undergrad and specialize as needed for grad school.</p>
<p>@yoonalover: If you don’t mind me asking, do you enjoy your job/career track? If you’re still in grad school, do you enjoy your major? Again, thanks for the help. :D</p>