Is Engineering the right major for me?

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>I'm confused on whether engineering is the right major for me. In high school I really enjoyed my history and English classes where I discussed things and how the world worked.</p>

<p>The thing was I could never really see myself making that into a career. I did a program in high school called FIRST Robotics and I really enjoyed FIRST and engineering. I probably enjoyed this just as much if not more then those history and English classes. The difference was of course that I felt more like I was accomplishing something when I did that. So my sense of accomplishment was greater. That isn't a riff on LA majors, it was just the way I felt. </p>

<p>However, I always felt like the math and physics courses in high school were more like "work". I worked hard I did well in them, but I the difference is I read books for fun. I watch the history channel for fun. I don't whip out a math book and do that for fun. I watch NOVA for fun though. But I also don't see a viable career opportunity in LA. As far as engineering I'm happy building things and designing things like video games, cars, etc for fun but math and physics is just work. You do some problems over and over again and you study really hard. </p>

<p>Plus I'm a perfectionist, and I got straight A's in high school till junior year and even then I was super depressed whenever I got a B. I've heard its tough being a perfectionist in Engineering. I'm going to the University of Colorado at Boulder, I got into some better programs but they were too expensive. From what I've heard the average GPA is really low though ~2.8 for graduating, 2.6 for freshman. I wasn't good enough to hit Stanford/MIT level though. However I'm fine with working hard, I just won't like it when I get a B. I have gotten a few B's though in high school so it won't kill me. C's probably would though.</p>

<p>I'm just looking for some input. My parents think I should stay in engineering or do med, but I'm not really 100% sure at this point. I haven't started college yet, just moved in. After engineering I would most likely look for an MS or work for 2 years and go for an MBA or something.</p>

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<p>A vast majority of the engineers I know do not do engineering stuff for fun. They do not bust out math books, build robots, or anything like that. Instead, they might play sports or participate in many many other non-engineering activities. I, personally, participate in some kind of activity 3-4 times per week and spend exactly zero time doing anything related to my job during my free time. The only thing I see changing that is graduate school and even then I cannot foresee myself putting that much time into it beyond what is required to do well (mostly A’s, a few B’s).</p>

<p>You can definitely maintain a 3.5+ GPA if you work at it. You are NOT doomed to a poor GPA just because you are in engineering. You most likely will get a good mix of A’s and B’s… just realize that this is normal. You could probably become a recluse and push a 3.9-4.0 GPA, but it’s not worth it. </p>

<p>Ultimately, nobody but yourself knows if engineering is right for you. You might find it very interesting and truly enjoy it. It’s also possible that you will find it terribly boring. More likely is that you will fall somewhere in between and have some interest in engineering and stick with it because of its career potential.</p>

<p>Also, consider that if engineering ends up being the “wrong” major for you, you will be stuck in a boring job making $60-$70k per year. With liberal arts majors, on the other hand, you will be stuck in a boring job making $30k per year. Which would you prefer?</p>