<p>Which is more useful these days?
Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering?
How about for job prospects/salary?</p>
<p>Both are equally useful. Check US Dept. of Labor for statistics.
Electrical/Comp hardware Engineering - Engineers[/url</a>]
Comp software Engineering - [url=<a href="http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos267.htm%5DComputer">http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos267.htm]Computer</a> Software Engineers</p>
<p>I'm not talking about software engineering necessarily though. Comp Engineers dont do software, do they?</p>
<p>^ they can do either, depending on what exactly they're working on. The data for hardware engineering is in that first link (it's separated by category later on down the page).</p>
<p>Software is really big right now. Starting salaries are ~10k/yr higher on average for software people than for hardware people.</p>
<p>EE</a> versus CS</p>
<p>While this is funny, its also true. CS projects have a tendency to grow into monsters that keep growing forever. CS offers you the freedom to easily change, manipulate, and develop something... you are especially not hindered by cost of materials and operation every step of the way. Therefore, CS projects are usually more complicated and need a larger team of people working on them. However, CS is also easier to pick up and will experience a greater influx of undergraduates than will EE... Many people with degrees outside of CS work as programmers.
Computer engineering is more than just programming, but that is the primary skill that CompEs have over EEs. I think that its a better idea to choose between them based on what you enjoy doing. I also believe that EEs can work as CompEs, but that its a lot harder to do it the other way.</p>
<p>I think CS gets outsourced where as CompEng does not , right?</p>
<p>If you consider CS = debugging and coding, yes. I highly doubt that research in CS is being outsourced, though.</p>
<p>I've heard Computer Engineering is more sought after these days.</p>
<p>These days, the lines between CE and EE are becoming more blurred. In my school, as far as curriculum goes, the difference between technically being an EE major and a CompE major comes down to CompEs being required to take three courses that EEs are not required to take: discrete mathematics, computer systems engineering, and computer organization and design. </p>
<p>With that said, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that any computer engineer is more sought after nowadays. I believe that many of the skills associated with computer engineering (programming, being able to understand systems and networks) are sought after in the industry right now. I myself am technically in EE, but I have been working mainly in applications development at a firm this summer. It is my opinion that the traditional hardware-oriented paths in EE are becoming less popular nowadays among students in ECE.</p>
<p>Do Computer Engineers get to work with software, too? Or only CS majors?</p>
<p>^ yes they do. In fact, my father's an EE and even he gets to work with software from time to time.</p>
<p>Wait, if an EE can do a CE’s job, and a Master’s specialization is almost a requirement down the road, then why is it not a better choice to just go with EE?</p>
<p>You seem to be under the impression that degree = job, which is definitely not the case. I am an EE and probably do just as much software work, if not more, than hardware.</p>
<p>degree = job, that does not happen all the time.</p>
<p>I am working as a software developer without a degree making over $23 an hour. But am just making business applications that others have designed.
But I’m going to get a BS degree.</p>
<p>hey! i just found this thread an i am having the same issue this guy is having, i hope he resolved it already… but me on the other hand, im 23 and trying to decide which way i wanna go and i dont wanna waste my time… for example, im finishing my A.A right now and plan on transferring to the University of Florida hopefully by next year, but the difference between EE and CEN there is that, CEN has a couple classes i have no interest in: intro to software engineering, and operating systems, which are great if i were looking into a carreer in software development but im not. EE has only 12 mandated courses, which leaves me more computer programming electives that i would really like to take. but other than that they’re pretty much the same on the other courses. so if i get a EE degree… and have programming classes (even though i wouldnt have a computer science minor, would jobs still consider me capable of performing coding jobs? in case engineering doesnt work? the electives i was looking at were, discrete structures, data structures and algorithm, and i already know how to code, and i will also be taking advanced c++ next year… but in the end it all comes down to me wanting to do BioMedical Engineering or Biomedical robotics as a graduate course… so i wanna be well rounded on electronics AND software… so if anyone can help me decide on that i’ll appreciate it thanks!!!</p>
<p>Since software has come up, I thought I’d jump in and say what every reasonable person must be thinking deep down, that is, CS / SE undergraduate degrees offer better preparation for working on general-purpose software systems. That’s why they’re there. Like I said, I’m just trying to inject some rationality into the discussion… I’ll let the EEs keep talking now.</p>
<p>I personally went for EE, rather than CE.
Its true if you are interested in RF, Power, DSP, that is more of an EE thing.
But even if you’re more into embedded systems, fpga, digital side, you can pick your EE classes to make it like a CE degree.</p>
<p>And I think EE degree has better industry recognition at this point.</p>