<p>I'm trying to narrow down the list of majors that I might want to pursue. I'm good, not great at maths/sciences. I'm not sure what branch of engineering I'd excel at and I'm not even sure if I'm cut out for it since it is said to be pretty rough as far as classes and such goes, but I'm keeping it in mind because i know it is a strong major and engineers of any sort are in demand. Any help on clearing up what exactly engineers so as far as jobs would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>“engineers of any sort are in demand.”</p>
<p>No they are not. There are too many engineers. Contrary to what you have heard in the media, there is absolutely no shortage of engineers.</p>
<p>We would need a lot more information from you. What are you interested in academically and outside of school?</p>
<p>You do not need to be great at math and science for engineering, but it will require you to work harder if it doesn’t come easily. You do need to be at least somewhat good at math and science and not everyone can do engineering. A good work ethic is more important than being very smart, except for the super geniuses who can sleep on a book and absorb all the knowledge through some kind of osmosis.</p>
<p>Homer…</p>
<p>I don’t usually go at posters but I think you need to do some research before you post. In some areas of I.T., recruiters now ask “if you know anyone and we will give you money if you do.”.</p>
<p>I am a I.T. contractor for the federal agencies and these defense companies are giving $3,000 to $5,000 in referral bonus if you can find folks…and most of the time, I have to let that $5,000 offer pass me by.</p>
<p>@ Homer</p>
<p>Your statement may be true for some engineering fields but for many other engineering fields it is completely wrong. Such as any Resource engineering discipline or IT as Global-traveler mentioned where there is actually a shortage. Especially in 5 years when a large percentage of Resource engineers are expected retire there will not be enough new grads to fulfill the need.</p>
<p>Ignore the ■■■■■. He is just a bitter accountant who is having a tough time finding a job and feels the need to go and dishearten everyone else.</p>
<p>I agree with PurdueEE that we would need a lot more information to know whether the OP can succeed in engineering or if it would be a fit for them. You don’t necessarily have to be a math whiz to be an engineer, but you definitely need to at least be above average.</p>
<p>"In some areas of I.T., recruiters now ask “if you know anyone and we will give you money if you do.”.</p>
<hr>
<p>Well, that’s great. Because my father actually knows someone. His friend was the head of the IT dept. at the White & Case office in Manhattan and he was laid off last year.</p>
<p>Specifically what kind of IT jobs are in demand?</p>
<p>So now one incident of an IT guy who worked in an industry that was especially hard hit by the current economy at a firm that is well documented to have been one of the most affected is grounds to declare his situation the norm? That is darn near close to the definition of an outlier, my friend. One extreme case does not signal a greater trend. Law firms especially have been hard hit, and White & Case has let go of nearly 10% of their lawyers since 2008 as a result of the economy. Your dad’s friend was just in the wrong job at the wrong time.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Homer,</p>
<p>In any type of engineering (and probably most sciences too), the key to staying employed is to keep up with the latest/changing technology. I basically have 2 “wives”…the one I married and Borders Bookstore…along with various niche user-groups and other forms of media that keep my “ears to the street” as far as the technology goes. As long as you stay current with the technology, Engineering/I.T. can be very rewarding. If you stay behind, yes…it can be cruel.</p>
<p>One more thing about your post. You said that you father’s friend was the “head” of a I.T. department. Mid and sometimes upper-management will be the first to go when there are cutbacks. Hell, I remember about 17 years ago while working for Westinghouse outside of the Pittsburgh area and came into work. I went to my manager’s office and it was cleaned out. I then went to my director (who was the boss of both of us) who kindly told me that MY BOSS was laid off. I asked about the barely-new project that my boss was to lead (with me on it) and my director said…“Ummm…you and so-and-so would be leading it”. By 5pm the next day, the ONLY folks left in the department were engineers who were either “hands on” and/or graduated within 4 years of myself.</p>
<p>It happens.</p>
<p>Also, once you enter management, it gets risky because you are no longer using your technical skills, which are really your “bread and butter”. That is how an employer profits from you. Pure-management layoffs is why now many employers offer “dual-tracks” to allow an employee to work BOTH management and technical work…so they can still have a “fall back” plan when the management gets shaky. Hell, you have a WHOLE BUNCH of engineers like myself who kind of avoid management entirely or RETURN to their technical roots because the technology will always pay the bills.</p>