<p>I am a high school senior and currently conflicted with determining which type of engineering work I would like to do in college. So, I have came here to get some feedback from actual engineers in hopes of eventually getting an idea of what I could possibly look further into. What engineering career did you decide to pursue? What do you do? How is/was the college work? Any tips and other resources to explore my options would be of extreme value to me! Thank you! </p>
<p>I’ll give a limited response as I have not started an engineering career yet:
I’m an electrical engineering major, going into my second year out of three.
My college only offers the following variants: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering
Civil and Mechanical engineering involves dealing with macroscopic processes and a lot more 3D / drafting than the electrical and computer engineering majors. I chose electrical because I wanted that mystical feel that you can’t simply see and the designing process has a conceptual feel (schematic diagrams and representations of circuit elements). Based off of these concepts and theories from physics, in electrical engineering (apart from the other disciplines including computer) you get to do loads more with complex mathematics, which I really enjoy. </p>
<p>Again, I’m only an incoming second year that has most of the lower division completed but I haven’t really seen what the bulk of the curriculum in the upper div. looks like. So far, I really like engineering coursework because it doesn’t require you to memorize a whole bunch of concepts/terms or write papers. </p>
<p>I am currently aimed at being a power systems engineer that will be involved in updating our nation’s current electrical infrastructure to meet 21st century demands by making transmission more efficient, incorporating renewable energy sources, creating a system that makes it easier for consumers to match the electrical demand w/ supply, etc. ~However I’m at a crossroads right now in my curriculum–I might be pulled into electronics and be doing things with circuit boards depending on this upcoming semester!</p>
<p>To explore your options, try researching some senior projects across engineering majors. It’ll show some of the “cool” things each discipline gets to do, I must admit that the mechanical engineers typically demonstrate some of the most impressive displays!</p>
<p>I chose ChemE. The reason was it best matched my interests. I want to work with Medicine, and DNA and Chem E is a very good prep degree. for it. </p>
<p>Do I regret it? So far… its a cycle. At some point kids will curse their major choice, other times they are satisfied. It’s not the major perse, more about the difficulty of tests. Unlike highschool where hw is part of the grade, in many college courses, hw isn’t a factor. It’s all test based. </p>
<p>The best way to find your path is experience. Call local engineering firms, see if you can do a tour or something. But additionally, look at some topics and books of the work various disciplines do. Not simply “Can I do this” type of questions, but will I enjoy doing this? In my case. I took Physics: Mechanics, Electromagnetism, and Heat light and waves. Although all of them were hard, I minded the fluids portion of physics, the least. Which is great in my case since Chem E deals a lot with fluids. </p>
<p>Fyi, engineering is hard and (possibly) a gpa killer </p>
<p>@tangentline Thank you so much for your response! Usually alot of people I see on here really do like electrical engineering but I don’t know much about it yet to really formulate an opinion yet. I have been thinking civil engineering more lately, I really like designing things and seeing my works on the macroscopic levels. So you say alot of 3d is involved with civil engineering? Because that would be very fun for me and I could see me doing something more like that. Also, since you are studying electrical engineering do you feel like alot of creativity is involved or would you say more brain power, or a mixture of both? Thanks!</p>
<p>@ninjex Okay so I have realized that I have been limiting myself too much with little knowledge, by that I mean for me it’s either Chemical engineering or Civil engineering or even architectural. But in all reality I know little to nothing about what these majors would really be about, so I will definitely take your advice about different books and works! I have also considered Chemical Engineering due to the fact that I did really good in regular chemistry and AP chem in highschool, which is probably a bad way to choose just because i’m good at it. My high school is probably considered an “easy high school” so i’m almost positive the college work chem will be a thousand times harder lol. The problem is that I am unaware of any local engineering firms because I really do live in the middle of nowhere (a small farm/prison town in Northern California). I took high school physics this year and it was alright (passed with like 100% in the class), I think I would have had a way better experience if I had a better teacher, because he made it no fun. I guess all I can do for now is just take your advice and start some in depth research…</p>
<p>My son spent some time with an engineer that helped him understand the different fields in an easy, quick way. It is simplistic, but will get the gears turning to help you narrow things down. First he said “Is it important to see and feel your work?” If the answer is yes, then look at mechanical and civil. If the answer is no, look at chemical and electrical. The tangible disciplines tend to work on things you can ultimately see and feel. Chem E and EE involve processes less tangible, like @tangentline said, “that more mystical feel.” If you choose the tangible route, then do you want to design things that move (ME) or things that don’t (Civil). As I said, it’s simplistic, but it’ll get you thinking about your options. Good luck!</p>
<p>@eyemgh That sounds really simple, if not too simple actually haha. Well about that question, yes it is important for me to see and feel my work. So I guess that shifts me towards mechanical and civil. And I don’t really care if it moves, CIVIL ENGINEERING IS CALLING MY NAME. </p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief. Chem E can have very little chemistry. Core ChemE is better phrased as process engineering. You learn about fluid dynamics, mass transport phenomena for example. At a commercial level, you essentially learn how to mass produce things. If you want to work with Chem, Bio or the other sciences, you would take technical electives that would allow you to do so.</p>
<p>Good news though. Engineering isn’t a bubble like other jobs. One type of engineer will work with other types, so you potentially could dabble in a lot of areas. More good news. 1st and (mostly) 2nd year of engineering is essentially the same course work. So you don’t have to decide right now. The course work you get over the year will teach you what you like to do. </p>
<p>@eyemgh - any conversation that gets you thinking is useful . Heck, at our house we had to do a playful “what major DON’T you want” game with DS for a few months. That made him more ready to discuss a possible list of majors. </p>
<p>It is hard to choose which branch of engineering is most interesting as your high school classes don’t really prepare you to make that choice. </p>
<p>For me, I always liked the idea of doing something with the space program. I stayed away from aero in making my choice as they were laying off aerospace engineers in droves when I entered college. I went into civil instead, focusing on structural engineering. When it came time for me to graduate, they weren’t hiring civil engineers but just starting to hire aero again. So, I was able to go and become an aerospace structural engineer, where I really wanted to be anyways. That goes to show you that once you get a degree in engineering, you can make some twists and turns in your professional career. </p>
<p>My son got into mechatronics, which is the mechanical engineering version of robotics. It combines mechanical engineering and some programming skills. He enjoys the work. Kind of ironic that his job title is “software engineer”.</p>
<p>My advice would be to look at colleges where they admit you to the school and not to a specific department. That way you can explore the various forms of engineering your freshman year before designating a major, typically at the beginning of your sophomore year. (some schools will ask your preference for which branch of engineering you are thinking about but the selection is non-binding. you’ve got to read the fine print)</p>
<p>What engineering career did you decide to pursue?
I majored in Optical Sciences and Engineering. Most people are unfamiliar with it, but basically what it entails is the science of light, the properties and characteristics of light as well as the various technologies that use light to solve a problem. For example, LCDs, LEDs, Blu-Ray players, CMOS or CCD sensors, fiber optic cables, X-Ray machines, cameras, etc. all fall within the realm of optics. Although the field is specific, it is in fact very broad.</p>
<p>What do you do?
I got an internship the summer before my junior year at a large company who acts as a defense contractor for the government. Upon graduating, I was offered a full time job at this company. Although I can’t talk about the specifics of what I do, I can tell you that I aid in the test of the optics of defense weapons that are used to intercept ballistic missiles. Our work is important in ensuring that the weapon can accurately track hostile targets.</p>
<p>How is/was the college work?
It was incredibly hard. Most definitely the hardest I have ever had to work in my life. This field involves a lot of math and physics and it takes a lot of homework, tests, and other assignments before you really start to understand the concepts taught in class. What kept me going was my love for the field I was studying. Seeing all the cool technologies that applied the hard physics and math we were learning made it fun for me.</p>
<p>Do you regret anything?
There are a few things that I may have done differently as an engineering student, but I don’t regret the field I chose at all.</p>
<p>Any tips and other resources to explore my options would be of extreme value to me.
I highly recommend looking up several different fields of engineering and finding one you really are interested in and will enjoy. Because if you are not happy in the field you choose, you will be a miserable engineering student. Also be prepared to put in a lot of hard work as an engineering student. The field of engineering is very hard and you will have to stay committed to succeed. That means attending every class, being an active note taker, studying days in advance for tests, getting help when you are lost, etc. I also recommend getting either a research position at your university or an internship so that you get some real life, practical experience in your field.</p>
<p>I hope this helps a little. Good luck as you make your decision!</p>