I am a freshman in college and I plan on majoring in operations research. If I take 3 extra classes I can get a double major in systems engineering. The school I attend requires me to graduate in 4 years, so I would just end up taking an extra class every year following this one. Without the double major, I already need to take around 20 credit hours per semester just to graduate, so taking the extra 3 classes would make things a bit more difficult and possibly hurt my GPA a little bit. Would this be a price worth to pay for the double major? Would the double major open up a lot of job opportunities for me? Would graduate school programs be more likely to admit me if I am a double major?
Also, I go to a military academy so after I graduate I am going to have to be a military officer for at least 5 years. I plan on being an Air Defense Artillery Officer and basically they are experts on the AVENGER and PATRIOT missile systems and use these systems to eliminate targets and defend the United States. This sounds like something a systems engineer would do, which is what makes me think the double major may be a good idea, because after my 5 years I could become a civilian systems engineer. I am unsure if I could become a civilian systems engineer if I just have the major in operations research though, so it would be great if someone could comment on this. Do I need the double major to become a civilian systems engineer or I can be a systems engineer with just a major in operations research?
What exactly do you think systems engineers do? You will not really get to do any engineering in the military–systems or otherwise–and certainly not as an artillery officer.
Can you take the extra three classes on winter break or over the summer? I don’t really know what the majors you are taking do, but do the two mesh together in a cohesive way that will make you more skilled or marketable when you finish your military commitment and move in to the civilian workforce? Can you talk to your adviser and see if anyone has done what you are planning to do before you and how it turned out for them? If nobody ever has, why not?
For a lot of jobs, you will only end up using one of your majors, so double majoring isn’t going to get you a significant return for your investment. Before you begin taking actual engineering classes, you might think that just one additional class in the same semester can’t be that bad, but be careful. Actual engineering classes tend to be very demanding and you will soon learn to appreciate any opportunity you get to take a non-STEM course.
I would say that if you are really that interested, you can try. However, I wouldn’t sacrifice your mental health or pay extra tuition just to get a second major.
First, if the difference is only three classes then you can probably find jobs in both fields with either degree - maybe not everywhere, but in some places. If you can switch, the SE degree is probably the better choice, simply because it is an explicitly technical degree.
Second, if you are in a military academy then you need to be aware that you already have substantially higher time commitments than most students. For most people, 1 extra class a year should not be a huge deal. For you, it might be.
Third, you are trying to predict 9 years into the future. A post-military engineering career usually benefits from an educational “refresh” during your last few years in uniform or immediately thereafter. As has been noted, you aren’t going to be doing any actual SE work during those 5 years, so if that is what you want to do then 3 courses 5 years prior are not going to make the difference. And you will have a lot of opportunities that won’t require an update anyway, in areas like program management and business development.