Long story short, I’ve always taken engineering elective courses since middle school because my dad is an engineer and it sounded cool. But during quarantine I’ve joined a couple organizations as a graphic designer (I create their posts, etc).
I love doing the work, and I’m rethinking majoring in engineering because my grades are not enough to guarantee me a spot in an engineering school in college. I definitely have a shot, but I’m afraid of applying and not getting into any good schools.
Would it be a good idea for me to apply to a few colleges with an interest to major in engineering, and a few colleges with an interest to major in graphic design? Or should I stick with engineering?
Note: I have not taken any graphic design courses from my school - I’ve only learned from watching Youtube videos and Coursera tutorials.
Sounds to me like you should stick to graphic design if you enjoy it so much. I’m not hearing that you think would like engineering the same way. I’m a structural engineer, and know how tough the field is.
Engineering because if you don’t like it, then you can study graphic design on the side. But if you are not good at engineering, then you should study something else.
These are the rules for bad majors and degrees:
Will it prevent you into switching careers into actual lucrative fields.
Can the material be studied on its own.
Is it over-saturated with too many people so that any idiot can pass
Will it screw over your finances
Are lazy people taking it
Does the job require a set of over-hyped credentials that cost an excess set of money and continued schooling or can it be done with just a bachelors.
Um. You can’t do Graphic Design “on the side” and expect to get good jobs. You actually need to study theory as well as gain skills. 95% of the graphic design jobs require a Bachelors degree.
Having a portfolio is more important. The type of degree does not matter for any field outside of engineering because a lot of jobs will ask for a PE license.
Sounds like you might enjoy graphic design more so than engineering. I’d research the job opportunities in graphic design thoroughly and see if that field has a good payback if you decide to pursue it. Likewise there are many engineering fields. Have you decided a path there?
There’s no harm in applying to two different sets of colleges geared towards different majors. In the end that might make the decision easier when you see those acceptances come in. Why not apply to both?
I am telling my kids to choose a career that they enjoy because it will make going to work more enjoyable but I’m also steering them towards careers that won’t be a struggle because of salary, advancement or career opportunities.
Many kids do what their parents do because it’s familiar or they have similar interests and aptitudes. Some other kids actively try to avoid being their parents. What’s your passion? What do you enjoy? What are you good at? Can you make a good living at that?
I was hesitating with graphic design because I’ve read there’s already a lot of competition on the field. My mom said to still try it out, but I wasn’t sure how much of an opportunity for advancement I would get because of how many graphic designers there already are.
I wouldn’t pick a field based on the job prospects. My husband and I got master’s degrees in structural engineering. We had top grades from UT-Austin, one of the best schools in the field. We expected to get jobs easily. We sent out 271 resumes all the way from Hawaii to Maine - “We are a newly married couple looking for work as structural engineers in the ________ area.” We got back maybe seven replies, most of them something like, “Sorry, we don’t have any work” or “You don’t want to live here.” We ended up with one interview in New Mexico and one in Maine. The same company in Portland hired both of us, so we had to move 2,500 miles from Austin, where we lived. They went through a reorganization and laid off both of us (and about 20 other engineers) on the same day, shortly before our four-year anniversary with them (when we would have been vested in the company’s retirement plan).
When I was in school, petroleum engineering was all the rage. The kids in that field thought they were going to get rich. Then oil prices tanked and they couldn’t find jobs to save themselves.
I think a lot of engineering fields tend to be cyclical. My husband and I were laid off multiple times during the 90s. We solved the problem by starting our own company in 1999. It hasn’t always been easy, but MUCH more stable than working for someone else.
So I wouldn’t make a choice between engineering and something you’d rather do based on the “stability” of an engineering career.
I am an art director/graphic designer with over 20 years of experience who was recently in the job market. While a portfolio is the most important piece, 95% of the jobs in graphic design require a bachelor’s degree. Especially if you want to move beyond entry-level. Not sure why you would make the comment that the type of degree does not matter for any job outside of engineering. This information is simply wrong. Many companies these days use ATS tracking systems to qualify applicants and you are simply filed in the trash can if that job requirement is not on your resume.
I was stuck between biomedical engineering- at one point I was looking at going to medical school for becoming a doctor - and environmental engineering.
They use graphic type work and it’s a very cool field. Just take time and see if this interests you.
Take some time like today and just look at many different fields. For engineering you need to be math focused. Look at different fields within engineering… To see what they look like. It’s extremely demanding and so is medicine…
Like I said above. Nothing is stopping you from applying to different colleges that cater to those different majors. Sounds like you still have some soul searching to do. It’s a tough decision and it’s hard to know what’s the right move. I say leave your options open.
I’m sure either path could serve you well. I just personally work with many engineers so I am more familiar with that route. We have a biomedical engineer working with us but she is working out if her field mostly working with capturing data and processing it. She seems happy and is a great worker. Not sure if she had trouble with getting a job in her actual area of expertise but many employers are flexible on the type of engineering degree as long as you have acquired the skills they need to get their specific job done.
Computer Science is always the best degree to have when dealing with technical skills and would recommend it over Graphic Design because you can design computer graphics with CS.