Hi all,
I am in a dilemma as deciding between the two engineering disciplines. I was brought up in high school to be as someone who liked programming. I invested myself so much into it that I eventually got a part-time job at a startup this year (senior year). At the same time, I really like mechanical physics and would like to work with cars or at a power plant. My passion for both is split 50/50. Essentially, I started to realize that if I go into computer engineering, I will most likely work in an office 8+ hours a day for a long time. Job environment is #1 priority for me, and I feel like I would get burnt out staring at a computer screen all day writing code (cause that has happened a couple times this year at the startup). I am in the middle of which to choose. If it helps, I’m going to Penn State. I’m starting to lean towards mechanical though due to the variety and typical job environment, plus I’d be able to program which might make me unique from others. Or maybe it’s just wise to go with computer engineering due to how far ahead of the class I will most likely be right off the bat.
I guess really what I’m asking is, if you know how to program and are adequate at it, is it a bad idea to get an engineering degree in anything but CS/CE/EE if you have interests in other engineering disciplines?
No, it’s a fine idea. I work in embedded controls with a LOT of ME’s and when we find one who has more than a superficial knowledge of software, bells chime, the sun comes out, bunnies frolic, etc.
ME can give you the skills to model some physical system. Software can give you the ability to do something tangible with that model.
I am a mechanical engineer, and I am writing code today to model the physical behavior of a system. It is becoming more and more common for ME’s to write code. I work with a few ME’s who spend a significant portion of their time writing code. Look at some of the mechatronics majors and programs with an emphasis on robotics and control systems.
Note that ME currently requires a 3.20 GPA and CompE a 2.60 for entrance to major. (May change for the incoming class but probably not by much.) https://advising.psu.edu/entrance-major-requirements-college-engineering-2017