<p>so i have just finished my freshman year in electrical engineering and really enjoyed my introduction to electrical engineer class. i have become a part of my schools robotics team and have been looking without success for a research position in some field of engineering. the problems i am encountering are first that i dislike everything i hear about working in industry, the more i talk to people the more i am just repulsed by the idea. i am very interested in getting more and more interested in the idea of graduate school but have also noticed another problem, i am not sure if i'd rather be doing math or physics than engineering. i go to a school with a fairly well known engineering program but that i've heard our math department is pretty bad (not awfully ranked but the range of classes and the quality of the professors as teachers i've heard is lacking to say the least). i am not sure about physics and i know the professor for the honors physics series which i'll be starting next semester is very good but don't know much about the rest of the physics classes. </p>
<p>i'm wondering if anyone on here has gone through similar doubts, i feel like i know where i want to be in 5 years but have no clue what field i want to be in. also i am just not sure what it takes to say get a PhD in math and physics vs. electrical engineering, i've heard a lot of people who drop out of PhD programs for math and physics go to teaching in high school and specific jobs in industry but in electrical engineering if i find a PhD isn't right for me i can still work in industry fairly easily. right now i'm declared as electrical engineering and math major but have only taken pre-major requirements and general education classes. i have heard some schools have engineering physics majors but sadly mine doesn't seem to have anything like that so any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>I don't think anybody really knows what they want to do until they graduate. Not many, if any, people go into college knowing exactly where they want to be in 5 or 10 years. I'll give you some down to earth advice. EE is a good major for someone who enjoys physics and math. With an EE degree you'll be able to go into fields that aren't even engineering related.</p>
<p>Outside of statistical jobs I don't know many jobs for mathematics majors other than teaching it. Physics majors often go into engineering themselves. Math and physics majors tend to go into graduate school as well because there aren't a whole lot of options available to them.</p>
<p>I didn't know what I wanted to do when I started college either. I stumbled around quiet a bit, and I ended up loosing about 15 hours during my first year due to the fact that I changed my major 3 times (I tried out 2 other majors before I found ME). However, I'm glad I did it because I would rather loose those hours at the begining than loose them later on, say when I had already completed a few years of study. </p>
<p>Basically, I think what you should do is stop worrying about what you are going to do later on. And stop thinking about Graduate school so much. Take it one day (and one degree) at a time. Find what you like learning about, what material you enjoy. Major in that subject, and you can figure the rest out later. Also, if you are unsure if you want a PhD, you could get a Masters first, which usually takes about 3 semesters, and you get to do a bit of research. If you like it, you complete the PhD, otherwise you can move into industry after the MS.</p>
<p>Once you have found what discipline intersts you, and you have graduated, you can figure out what you work you want to do. Engineering is extremely versatile, so you could be employed in a number of different jobs with any engineering degree.</p>
<p>Math and Physics major end up working in the same engineering jobs. Can you do double majors in EE and Math/Physics.</p>
<p>i can do both math and EE, which is what i am currently declared. i can also do physics and EE but since those are two separate degrees it seems like to fill both requirements will require 5 years. i have talked to my parents and they are alright with me taking 5 years but i really don't know if that extra year is worth it. the only reason i feel i have become so obsessive is that i realized what i feel was a problem for me in high school was that i didn't have any idea what i wanted to do until my senior year and i don't want to fall victim to that same problem twice.</p>
<p>^Don't worry, my daughter still does not have a clue yet. Make sure you take plenty of CS courses and keep a reasonably good GPA just in case.</p>
<p>Its good that you're thinking deeply about this. The answer won't come to you instantly, but it will slowly become clearer what you should do. I still don't know exactly what I want to do, but each day you learn something about yourself that makes the choice easier. I say, follow your gut feeling.</p>
<p>As carnelian said above, take it one step at a time. Worry about your current degree first (taking a reasonable but not obsessive care for the future). If you're just plain unsure then stick with EE. Here's why:</p>
<p>A major in math or physics will limit your career choices. You will almost certainly have to go to grad school. Or you might be able to get an engineering job, but then why not just do engineering in the first place? Engineering, on the other hand, allows you to work right after college, if you need to. And you can still go to grad school in pretty much anything you want, though you'll probably need some additional schooling for certain graduate degrees.</p>
<p>Until recently, I was torn between engineering and physics. However, I found that while I love physics, I really have no interest in solving most of the problems that exist in physics today. So even if I get a PhD, it would have to be in engineering. Also remember that a PhD tends to have a loosely defined scope. Depending on what problem you're working on, a PhD in EE can involve a lot of physics plus the advantage of possibly inventing a useful technology, plus applicability to industry. I have been told by several PhD students and professors that the difference between fields like Math, Chem, Physics, Engineering, and even Biology, becomes negligible or irrelevant at the graduate level.</p>
<p>Getting jobs in industry with an engineering PhD should also be easier than with a math or physics degree, though it won't be as easy as with a B.S. or M.S. Remember that a PhD is an extraordinary degree, so the proper job/application of the degree will also be harder to find. But in most cases, a proper opportunity for a PhD will be a lot more diverse than a B.S. (ie: a pivotal development role in a potentially successful startup).</p>
<p>Should probably worry about the BS before the PhD =P</p>