Down to the wire

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>Glad to find this forum ! I'm hoping some of you can offer some insight on a bit of indecision i'm going through. Thanks in advance for takin the time to read!</p>

<p>I'm 30 years old and heading back to school full-time this fall. My <em>ultimate</em> goal (at least over the next five years or so) is to obtain my BS in either computer or electrical engineering (geomatics was my distant third choice...but I digress). I've been out of university now for going on 8 years - I took journalism fresh out of high school without giving it any thought, and ended up being suspended, which subsequently led to me dropping out of it completely. I had trouble in math all through high school until my final year, when i pulled off really good marks in advanced math and science (84-90%). I remember the huge kick, the satisfaction i got out of solving problems that looked difficult initially. By then it was too late - my major was chosen and I wasnt bothered enough to change it. I just wanted to go to university for something i thought seemed 'easy', get loaded with my friends and worry about what i would do with the degree later. Pretty stupid! </p>

<p>Even dutring this time in journalism school i felt the inner nag telling me to take science and math courses, but i was still too ineffectual to do much about it. The department thought i was a bit peculiar when i asked to take them in place of more run-of-the-mill sociology and english electives, and they turned me down anyway. Financial difficulty including bankruptcy prevented me from returning to school for the years following, but I had it in my mind about four or five years ago to go for my journeymans for electrical work once the troubles had passed. The troubles did pass and after a lot of thinking and a couple of math ugrading courses I decided i'd rather be an engineer than an electrician. Being adept at computers (been using them since I was 6) I set my sights on compEng and/or EE. Since I lacked my science prerequisites to enter university, I applied to college for both programs, and was accepted to both. These college diplomas have good transfer agreements with universities offering the same field of study, so I may be able to enter a bachelors program after only one year.</p>

<p>Being more comfortable with computers I figured I would go for CE, but a part of me is also interested in working on big electrical projects, big manufacturing facilities and the like (My employment background is in manufacturing). Now i'm thinking more in terms of what skillset I want to obtain. I'd like the bulk of my skills to be in CE, while still having a solid footing in EE as well as software/programming, both high-level and low level languages. Currently overall i'm fairly confident in my math and science abilities, and am getting 80s and 90s in the grade 12 physics class i'm currently taking. I wouldn't be considering a career in technology if I thought I was terrible at math. But looking at the higher level courses EEs take, and hearing from people who were math/physics geniuses their whole lives and couldn't hack EE, i'm still intimidated and discouraged.</p>

<p>So, here's what I have to decide:
1 - I can go with the CE diploma now and end up transferring into a BS of CE with perhaps a minor in EE, or possibly a double major of CE and EE.
or
2- I can go with the EE technology diploma now and end up transferring into a BS in EE or possibly CE since the two programs are so closely intertwined.</p>

<p>Two paths to roughly the same destination, one perhaps more risky than the other. Which would you choose?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance..</p>

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<p>Like you said, most EE/CE programs are so intertwined that you get a firm background in both. In most cases, the only difference are a few upper division classes. </p>

<p>First, I'd suggest looking at the degree plan for both EE and CE and see which classes interest you and your skill set. </p>

<p>From what I have read, I feel that a CE would be more beneficial to you since you seem adept with computers and a CE degree would give you functional knowledge on a wide range of programming languages. </p>

<p>On a final note, EE/CE requires extensive amount of Math but DON'T be discouraged, it is no where near the amount for a Math or Physics degree.</p>

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<p>Thanks - this is my feeling about it as well.</p>

<p>One thing I noticed in researching schools is that a BS in EE can lead to a career in CE or EE, and also can lead to a masters in CE or EE, but the same isn't true for the reverse. I guess the trade-off is you're more likely to find work in software development with a CE than an EE. Still I find the hardware side more interesting.</p>

<p>One other thought I had was: if I go the route starting off with the EE diploma, which takes 3 years to complete, and then transfer to university for a bachelors in compEng, the university would more than likely have me start more or less at the bottom (I might only get a couple of transfer credits). With the CE diploma, which also takes 3 years, I would only receive transfer credits equal to one term, so only a half a year, and thats going directly into CE from CE. So looking at it that way I would still have a bachelors in 6-7 years with either route, one route giving me a firm foundation in EE and the other not. </p>

<p>Still the fact remains if I went from EE diploma to EE bachelors, or CE diploma to CE bachelors, I would be much more likely to be allowed to transfer before I finish the diploma - which is appealing because i'm wary of spending 7 years just to get my bachelors.</p>

<p>I think i'm making this way more complicated than it ought to be !</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>Has anyone here gotten their bachelors in computer Eng and then gone for their masters in electrical?</p>