Hi, I’m a high school senior who has to make a college decision by May 1st. Currently, I have been thinking that Biomedical Engineering is a good idea for a major. I have read many posts on here about how Biomedical Engineering majors have trouble finding jobs, but I have never seen any documentation to back it up. However, if that is true, I am considering majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering at another university. Lastly, because at the moment I am having doubts about me becoming involved in engineering in general, do I need to be able to design to excel in engineering? I have no artistic ability, so if that is important in engineering tell me now please. Thanks, in advance for your help, and please be kind although I know some of these topics have been discussed before I would really appreciate any help.
OK, advice here from a non-engineer, so take it with a grain of salt. I can tell you though that my son had similar fears about his artistic ability and it’s relationship to design. It’s not about art per se. It’s about using your engineering tools to solve problems. For example, you wouldn’t conceive of the beautiful shape of the iPhone. You’d figure out how to stuff all the crap into it and still have it function well (in reality there are thousands of engineers dedicated to that task, over 400 work on the camera alone). So when you see the elegance of a Tesla, lets say, it’s the product of a massive collaboration on LOTS of little problems. Have no fear, many engineers are not artistic in the classic sense.
As for BME, there’s been lots of evidence offered here over the years regarding the utility of a BME undergraduate degree. The consensus is that in order to expand your job options and upward mobility, you’d need an advanced degree.
Lastly, if you aren’t certain about engineering in general, make sure you choose a school that has other majors AND the ability to switch. It isn’t a fait accompli every where you go.
Good luck.
"I have no artistic ability… " - No problem, if you have good math and problem solving skills. It is helpful (especially for MechE/CivilE) if you are good at 3D visualization, but not mandatory.