<p>Flipsta.....I think I can categorically affirm that the civil field is close to being as strong as the pure environmental engineering field. There is quite a bit of overlap in both disciplines, in academia & in practice. Civil engineering students are often in the "civil & environmental engineering" department, and civil engineers work on many environmental projects, such as wastewater treatment & contaminated site remediation. Structural engineering is another off-shoot, so to speak, of civil.....being more focused on "structural" issues as the name implies, like building bridges. The "vertical construction" part of the civil engineering field has a different set of drivers than the environmental industry, but although there are cycles for sure over decades, our society always has to build new infrastructure, or repair whats already there, so civil engineers are always in demand. I have a VERY difficult time finding enough engineers (mostly env, civil, some chem, a few mech) who can also talk & write well.</p>
<p>I don't know as much about the mechanical engineering world, but based upon the general engineering marketplace that I deal with, seems like mechanicals are always in demand also. Mechanical engineers have many many options, from working in a firm like mine to building the space shuttle. The mechanicals at my firm work on pollution abatement designs for industrial clients, alternative fuel vehicles, treatment systems, and more.</p>
<p>In the private sector design-consulting world, you'll see "A&E" (architect & engineer) firms specializing in civil & structural engineering, and some specializing in mechanical & electrical ("M&E") engineering. The big firms have all major engineering disiplines (except perhaps aeronautical, nuclear & petroleum).</p>
<p>SO WHAT MAKES A "GOOD" MAJOR?.......I've only been talking here about the prospects of these types of engineers. As many have pointed out, getting the degree is a major challenge, realy no matter which engineering discipline you pick (but I wouldn't pick chem e unless I was a brainiac!). I think its safe to speculate that gender parity is better in industries that have multidisciplanry work-forces where those disciplines other than engineers attrack more women. Thats why the environmental consulting industry has more parity IMO, cause there are more women env scientists. Likewise probably for the life sciences & medical fields. But, probably not the case for many other engineering intensive industries.</p>
<p>Much discussion has taken place on CC regarding jobs being shipped overseas. While some design engineering jobs have gone to India, many environmental, civil & mechanical projects require ONSITE oversight. While US projects may have elements outsourced overseas, there is still a need for local leadership & interaction w/ clients, contractors, regulators, and the site, so I'm not too worried. I have heard of big civil designs going overseas, but haven't heard that its affected the environmental industry yet.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>ps......one way you can get a better idea of each discipline's character in the context of deciding what to major in, is to study the research interests & projects of each engineering department's faculty. While their research most probably will not reflect whats going on in the non-academic world, it will help you better characterize each discipline.</p>