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In summation: what are the benefits of going into a Physics major rather than Engineering, and vice versa? Which Engineering field, if any, sounds more suitable to me if I would highly prefer a desk job?</p>
<p>As for what drives me: I value the knowledge that comes with taking high level math and science courses. I have found some unexpected interest in social sciences such as sociology and macroeconomics. More personally, I come from a low income family, and am somewhat driven to succeed monetarily so I can improve our quality of life. At the same time, I do not really want to work 100 hours a week like an investment banker. Not to say I am not willing to work hard -- but I do need time to spend with my loved ones. Sacrificing family, friends and significant others for work does not make sense to me.
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<p>Now to actually answer your question!</p>
<p>If you want a desk job, look into CS. You'll never leave the office building except maybe for meetings, your desk is your lab, and so far there always seems to be more demand for software engineers. At my school, software people typically receive offers for about $5-10,000 more than other engineers. </p>
<p>The advantages of physics over engineering:</p>
<p>At their best, physics courses will give you a deep exposure to the reality of the world around you. Engineering courses will use some of the same equations and touch on many similar topics, but will not take the time to dwell on insights into physics. As a consequence physics courses will better train you to understand and critically evaluate new problems. </p>
<p>Physics also does a very good job of teaching students about the assumptions that underly a lot of the methods used in engineering. This can be important in more "cutting edge" (e.g., nanotech) fields because it turns out that a lot of the cutting edge stuff occurs in regimes where existing engineering methods are not applicable because certain assumptions no longer hold.</p>
<p>Also, physics major programs typically have fewer required courses so you will have more space for electives of your choice.</p>
<p>The advantages of engineering over physics:</p>
<p>Engineering courses, specifically the engineering design/capstone courses, will give you applicable, employable "real-world" skills and knowledge. If you put in the effort to do well on your projects and learn the hands-on skills involved in the process of making them, you will have a comparatively easy time getting an engineering job. As far I know, engineering jobs pay fairly well, have pretty good benefits, and entail generally reasonable (not necessarily always 40 hours a week, but reasonable) work hours. </p>
<p>Depending on your personality, you may find engineering work to be more satisfying since you are actually making something. There are potentially a lot of opportunities to do creative and elegant work in engineering. Some of my friends have showed me some pretty cool stuff they got to make in class.</p>
<p>A word about skills</p>
<p>There are basically two different kinds of technical courses: Lecture/theory and lab/design. </p>
<p>Lecture/theory courses primarily revolve around reading textbooks, going to class, and doing problem sets. From these classes you will learn mathematical methods and get a general idea of what kinds of things engineers can do.</p>
<p>Lab/design courses revolve around performing experiments or designing and making projects. Physics labs will involve performing lab experiments with the idea being that students will gain confidence in the reality of physics while learning skills useful for doing scientific research (which may involve designing specialized equipment) in the future. Some of these skills will be very useful for finding a job, while others will be totally useless. </p>
<p>In contrast, engineering design courses will involve designing and making things with the idea being that students will learn how their lecture/theory courses actually work out in real life. Most of the skills learned in these courses will be useful for getting a job after college.</p>
<p>About me</p>
<p>I'm currently an upper division undergraduate with a mixed background in physics and a mishmash of engineering fields. I have taken upper division courses in the Math, Physics, EE, ME, and NukeE departments. (Don't do this--I spread myself too thin so I don't have any depth in my program.)</p>
<p>Everything I mention about the job market is based on anecdotal/non-scientific study. Please do not make decisions based on my projections of the job market.</p>