Electrical Engineer vs. Chemical Engineer.

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I'm still waving my options to see whether should I major in electrical engineer or chemical engineer. As far as I know, rule of thumb is to go for ChE if you like or good at chemistry and go for EE if you like or good at physics. But, to be honest, I never got to know what I am good or like back in high school. It is really hard to measure for me because I just did enough of work to get by classes, which I regret now as it diminishes the purpose of high school. </p>

<p>I always was interested enough in electronics but I'm not sure if that's enough to major in it. I know that in any kind of major your gonna have to work for it but the fact that all I remember in physics class in high school was that I had a hard time with basic circuits is just bugging me. Similarly, when I took AP chem, I just worked enough to get by where as all my other peers were just acing on it. Also I have some bad memories of me not doing work and struggling in that class, which now is making me reluctant to major in ChE. In short, I'm just scared to pick one. </p>

<p>Obviously, I came into engineering because I thought it would be a best fit but at the same time I'm just scared as a pu***. I mean I don't want to waste my time majoring in something else if I'm missing out what could have content me. Any adivces from experience? Like, I just want to know the different qualities needed or maybe even job prospects for ChE and EE besides the obvious like hardworking, etc.</p>

<p>Thanks for reading! I'll be waiting for a reply.</p>

2

<p>If you struggled in high school physics AND high school chem, you might want to rethink if you should do either one. Did you struggle because you had a hard time learning the material or because you didn’t do the work? If your school allows you to go undecided engineering, you might want to go that route and take some classes and see where your abilities match up.</p>

3

<p>Maybe my phrasing was a little off when I said struggling.
I didn’t do work inside or outside of class so I just had a hard time with myself but I was able to get B’s.</p>

4

<p>I had to look at your other posts to make sure you were not my couch-sitting son. His uncle (a ChE) and I (an EE) have had this exact discussion with him a couple of months ago.</p>

<p>Our discussion revolved around what he could envision himself doing 10 years from now. Most ChE majors end up in some sort of chemical plant operation capacity – tires, soap, fuel, beer. His uncle works for a large pharmaceutical company. EEs, on the other hand, seem to stretch across a broader spectrum of the economy. Many work in the digital realm and spend most of their time programming. I am strictly analog – circuits, antennas, power supplies, etc. My existence is spending 10hrs/day in a Dilbert-styled cubicle doing paperwork on a computer in support of my designs. </p>

<p>You need to decide which work scenario better fits your personality, then acquire the skills needed to fulfill your goal. The amount of effort needed for the coursework will be about the same.</p>