<p>I am a high school senior, and my career plans are currently stretched between engineering and medicine. I just don't know which one to choose; I keep thinking that if I chose one, I will regret it later! Here are my "stats", if you will (in order of importance):</p>
<p>[ul]
[li]Working in a field with a lot of unknowns.</p>[/li]
<p>[li]At least some degree of variability (not doing the same thing everyday).</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Job security.</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Salary is enough to live comfortably, and not worry about money too much.</p>[/li]
<p>[li]Regular, or near-regular hours.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Please advise!</p>
<p>You would definitely make more money if you go into medicine, but the hours can be pretty bad sometimes. For your first three criteria I think a case can be made for either field...</p>
<p>Keep in mind that if you go to an engineering college, it doesn't mean you can't go to med school. I know a few who are taking this route, so if you change your mind, it's not the end of the world. Going the other way is a bit tougher.</p>
<p>Major in engineering, and take the necessary pre-med courses like Calculus, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. Calculus, Physics, and Chemistry should also count towards the engineering degree. Remember that medicine is studied at the graduate/professional level, while Engineering can also be studied at undergraduate. Med Schools don't want a class full of biochemistry majors.</p>
<p>I'm currently working as a full time engineer and I can tell you that:
1. I work with a lot of unknowns, a lot of research and development work.
2. I do something different every single day. There are so many different problems to solve.
3. Job security is pretty good. Everyone I know in the field have no trouble finding work.
4. Salary is decent. You can look up the engineering salaries online.
5. Hours are from 9 to 5, sometimes I work overtime when there's a lot of work that needs to get done to meet deadlines. That's always fun because you get paid more money overtime.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about the medical field though because I don't know too many doctors.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm currently working as a full time engineer and I can tell you that:
1. I work with a lot of unknowns, a lot of research and development work.
2. I do something different every single day. There are so many different problems to solve.
3. Job security is pretty good. Everyone I know in the field have no trouble finding work.
4. Salary is decent. You can look up the engineering salaries online.
5. Hours are from 9 to 5, sometimes I work overtime when there's a lot of work that needs to get done to meet deadlines. That's always fun because you get paid more money overtime.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Does aerospace engineering feature these characteristics?</p>
<p>What area of engineering are you in davidng1? Do you think your experience is typical? It sounds pretty good to me: interesting work, decent pay, nice hours. Have you found any negatives?</p>
<p>Well as for your first two points--they are quite vague. Holistically there are unknowns in numerous fields, from Anthropology to Zoology.</p>
<p>One thing I want to stress is that your major does not necessary shape your career or entire life--there are many engineering majors who work in a non-engineering field. In fact, chances are that you'll probably change majors when you enter college anyway and find something you'll enjoy. Before making a "final decision" you should try out a major that you think you'll enjoy and if it doesn't appeal to you, switch to something else! In the end you'll only be truly happy and therefore successful doing something you love.</p>
<p>Now as for the Engineering/Medicine divide I want to stress that the pre-med requirements are no way a burden upon your engineering degree (usually just a few more classes) and if you choose ChemE/Biomedical you'll end up fulfilling them anyway. With that said there is no reason you can't have the best of both worlds and go to Medical School as an engineer. Engineering majors are VERY versatile and all of them (yes, aerospace especially) have many unknowns and exciting possibilities.</p>
<p>If you choose Mech/EE/ChemE/Biomedical it'll be even easier for you to become an Engineering Doctor and there are always dual degree programs (M.D/Ph.D, M.D/Masters, etc) where you can fulfill both professions. In fact, a Biomedical Engineer with a M.D is very interesting in the sense of the clinical interaction as well as the ability to create new instrumentation.</p>
<p>In the end don't single yourself out for one career and allow yourself plenty of time to experiment with what you enjoy.</p>