<p>I'm a rising senior civil engineering major (infrastructure track) at the University of Maryland, College Park. After questioning myself a lot I have finally accepted the fact that engineering is not for me and that I only chose this route because of external factors. I'm Indian and all my life I was indoctrinated into choosing a career that's "practical" and makes a lot of money. My parents came from India with nothing so I understand why they followed that philosophy but I can't live with it anymore. I switched my major 3 times in the engineering school, starting with BioE to ChemE to EE and now to CivE. Every time I changed I thought I would like my new major only to end up hating it. I also did really bad in sophomore year (when I was EE) because I came to terms with the fact that I am gay and when I told my conservative parents bad things happened and I fell into clinical depression. My GPA dropped from a 4.0 to a 3.2 and its been stuck there ever since. </p>
<p>Now I'm in CivE and have 3 semesters left till I graduate. I tried looking for internships but couldn't get anything this summer. At first I thought it was the economy, but then I realized I didn't try hard enough because I wasn't so interested in actually going into the field. Right now I'm doing "research" with a grad student but I hate that too. It's terribly boring and the guy is just using me as free labor while he sits in the grad lounge watching Youtube videos. The tests I'm running are compaction tests which are physically laborious. I would rather be doing something like programming like other engineering students are doing. I was supposed to work tomorrow but I just backed out last minute because I hate working in a lab. </p>
<p>I have decided to stick it out with the civil major and just get a degree so I can actually say that I HAVE a degree. But my question is where do I go from here? Should I be looking to grad school to find something new? Should I just go ahead and take the FE exam for the hell of it? Should I actually change majors? What non-engineering career options should I go to where I can use engineering? </p>
<p>Any help is appreciated. I feel lost right now :(</p>
<p>Engineers get preferentially hired for a lot of non-engineering jobs. Look for jobs in management, consulting (although that can still be engineering,) financial jobs, etc. Basically anything that doesn’t require a specialized degree.</p>
<p>You should watch the bollywood movie 3 idiots with your parents. I am punjabi and my parents always wanted me to go into medecine. It took me a long time to convince them that I wanted to study engineering. You still have a chanceto do what ever you want to!</p>
<p>Xinio, I would not worry about it. Your degree in Engineering from one of the top 20 Engineering schools in the nation will serve you well, regardless of your future career path. And your GPA is also fine, considering the major you chose. </p>
<p>You have many options. As some have suggested, consulting firms look for fresh-out-of-college Engineers with quantitative and project management skills. Investment Banks also love Engineers for their quantitative skills. Public Policy and Environmental agencies need employees with Engineering (specifically Civil Engineering)qualifications, even if they are not using those skills for Engineering purposes.</p>
<p>Graduate school is another option as well. Public Policy schools will certainly respect your3.2 GPA from Maryland. For that, you would have to take the GRE and have a well thought out reason for wanting to pursue a degree in Public Policy.</p>
<p>I really wouldn’t worry though. You are in a pretty strong position.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous posts that you are in a good position because of your engineering degree.</p>
<p>Just think?..if you decide to attend grad school in one of the areas you mentioned, you would already be prepared. I believe some schools have programs that merge engineering with public policy. I am not too sure with about a MS in computer science (too many prereqs) but a MS in Info Sys or Info Tech is very doable with just a few prereqs.</p>
<p>Thanks guys for the answers. It’s nice to know my degree is versatile. My question is now what should I do during the summer to start prepping for grad school/post-undergrad jobs? It’s too late to get any internship since it’s mid-June. I might as well start studying for the GRE. Should I take summer classes? Should I study and take the FE exam? Is it nice to have on a resume even to non-engineering people? What do grad schools look for in candidates? How do I make myself marketable to employers?</p>
<p>And alchemist007, I actually did see 3 idiots and that’s kind of what got the ball rolling on the whole leaving engineering thing.</p>
<p>You could probably get a job in the safety/environmental field. Most industrial sites have these specialists, your knowledge of bio, chem, and civil would be a plus for this field, as it involved humans, machinery and chemicals. </p>
<p>Here’s what I would do. Obviously, you can fully or partially ignore my opinion.</p>
<p>I would finish my engineering major by focusing in areas related to the environment while at the same time picking up a few programming skills. Environmental policy in the US is HUGE, HUGE, HUGE and EXTREMELY IMPORTANT as evidenced by my use of capital letters. Think asbestos in old buildings, water pollution, air pollution, etc.</p>
<p>Then I would pursue a Master of Public Administration degree with an environmental policy concentration. Afterwards, I’d try to obtain employment with the EPA, State Dept., and even the DoD.</p>
<p>I do not understand why I got an infraction for saying that all gay people can do fashion. Males are needed in the fashion industry to give a new perspective on things. It would be understandable if I said I hate gays, which I didn’t.</p>
<p>Not to blow the whistle or anything, but I’m skeptical of this assertion unless you come from a highly ranked (but not so highly-ranked that your major wouldn’t matter anyway) school, and are applying for some quantitative type of job that is also very competitive. It doesn’t seem like it would matter for most other things. Many people in many lines of work appear to be willfully ignorant of the mere existence of colleges/majors/people with degrees.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice, guys. I narrowed my career options to three fields:
1.energy & environmental public policy
2.computer science/IT
3.geography/GIS. </p>
<p>I know with public policy I should be going to grad school to study public policy then move on to that field. But for the other two I’m not sure. How does a civil engineering graduate go into the computer science/IT field? And what about geography/GIS? Since I’m taking a GIS course this fall I’m thinking I can be a good fit in this field but I don’t know if I have all the qualifications. Anyone have ideas?</p>
<p>I would agree with this. It’s not realistic to get a decent job outside your field of study unless you have connections. </p>
<p>Xinio you’ve been working toward a $40 or $50k/year job for the last three years. You just sound like you are burned out right now. The grass is not greener on the other side.</p>
<p>There are a bunch of schools offering Master’s in Computer Science (usually terminal, non-thesis ones) that are tailored for people with undergrads in other disciplines. That’s one way to go the CS route.</p>
<p>The other is to just pick up programming and learn on the job.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, finish your B.Eng first, you’re very close.</p>