Hi, I am currently a senior in highschool. Here we have the PLTW program that consists of the Biomed and Engineering pathways (each containing 4 courses). I have taken the first two of the four courses of the Biomed pathway. This coming year we will also have a computer programming class.
I want to major in nanotech in college and I am unsure whether to continue on the Biomed pathway or to start computer programming. I have no computer programming skills.
My question is whether it would be beneficial to take Biomed or Computer programming in highschool if I want to later major in nanotech at UCSD.
First, UCSD has a nanoengineering major, not nanotechnology. Second, it was the only nanoengineering major at the Bachelor’s level I could find at any school with a quick Google search. “Nanotechnology” majors at the Bachelor’s level are equally rare. Keeping in mind that I don’t know what graduates of these BS degree programs go on to do (that information might be available from the schools/departments themselves), I would not recommend choosing this major.
Nanotechnology/nanoengineering is a highly specialized, multidisciplinary field. Undergraduate-level study is not really conducive to studying specialized topics–generally, as an undergrad, you are learning about fundamentals and core concepts. Specialization is something that usually requires graduate school (ie, an MS or a PhD). Biomedical engineering is a good example of this; BME is a broad, multidisciplinary field with many types of specializations within it. Consequently, individuals with only a BS in BME often have a hard time finding a job in their area of interest, and usually need at least an MS. Nanotechnology is not my area, so take this with a grain of salt, but I would guess that it also suffers from the same issue (ie, an undergraduate-level degree might not make you very useful, and may well limit your job options).
If you’re interested in nanotechnology/nanoengineering, you would be better served with a degree in material science/chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or physics, followed by an advanced degree (MS or PhD), as these are typically the backgrounds of people who work on nanotech-type stuff.
To answer your question, you should go with computer programming/engineering, as programming is used in all engineering disciplines.
If I major in Nanoengineering, am I limiting my job opportunities? Since it is a multidisciplinary field, can I easily apply for jobs for Material Scientists, Bioengineers, etc? How much different is the majoring in chemical engineering and nanoengineering? Should I really just major in chemical engineering or material science so I am not limited to just UCSD?
I should make it clear that nanoengineering and chemical engineering are not my area, so I would recommend asking people who are more familiar with this field in particular; there are probably individuals on the parts of reddit dedicated to these fields, for example, or on engineering forums, who might be able to answer more precisely. Alternatively, you can try talking to professors or hiring managers who work in the industry. Speaking generally, though, I think the issue with majoring in something interdisciplinary is that it’s a little bit of everything and not enough of one thing. This doesn’t help, it hurts. In other words:
It can actually make it harder to get jobs in those fields. Let’s take the field of biomedical engineering, for example. BME is a mix of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, and biology. However, BS graduates of BME programs tend to have a hard time getting jobs in BME, since they’ve studied a little bit of all those things but don’t have enough depth in any one of them to really be useful. Most jobs in the BME industry go to individuals who have backgrounds in the traditional MechE/EE/ChemE/Biology majors, not BME majors. BME majors must usually get at least an MS to get a job in their field.
If UCSD’s NanoE program is anything like that, then the results may be similar. But I’m not familiar with UCSD’s program; if it’s essentially a ChemE/Mat Sci degree with minor differences, then a NanoE major might have just as many options available as any ChemE/Mat Sci major. If, on the other hand, it’s a mix of courses from many disciplines, then getting a job may be difficult without a lot of internship and co-op experience. You should compare the course requirements of UCSD’s chemical engineering and nanoengineering programs to find out what the differences are, and maybe also compare UCSD’s nanoE program with the requirements of chemE/mat sci programs at other schools.