<p>Hello CC!</p>
<pre><code>Recently my family and I have been searching colleges and possible majors, and I've been experiencing a dilemma. Before this year(I'm a junior), I was always really passionate in physics (taking AP Physics and doing Physics olympics this year) and mathematics (did mathcounts, volunteer there on Wednesdays, and did AMC last year).I also signed up for heavy duty math/science classes (AP Calculus, Phizz C (both)). I was sure I was going to major in math/ physics or Mechanical Engineering or something of the sort.
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<p>However, things have changed. My friend and I recently started a Bioengineering team at our school, and we are hoping to do an original project and participate in the iGEM competition (international genetically engineered machines), though we don't know for sure. Additionally, I've applied for an internship at NCI in my area. Those are both biology related fields. The starting of the club and the prospect of the internship has really got me interested into Bioengineering as well. </p>
<p>An additional constraint for thinking about a right major is how well it pays after college. My family has been telling me stories of smart kids who majored in Chemical and Mechanical/Civil Engineering in college, and are having difficulty finding work. I don't want the same thing to happen to me. </p>
<p>So, what should I do? Should I do a straight up general engineering major( and then specialize)? Should I major in a science? (Mathematics or Physics), or should I go for a bioengineering major because my E.C's (Internship[if i get in], and Bioengineering club) point in that direction? This is all very confusing to me. I really enjoy anything STEM really, and I just don't know how to narrow my focus. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>AtharvaLarva</p>
<p>Civil engineering has a higher unemployment rate. Mechanical and Physics are about the same around 6%. Chemical and electrical engineering have a lower 3/4% rate. You should choose something you love within employment parameters. @xraymancs is the local physics professor. He should weigh in also.</p>
<p>All the sciences are starting to blur and overlap, along with computer science. That’s why you come across things like biogeoscience and cheminformatics and biophysics, and interdisciplary nano engineering. You are getting awesome preparation for a variety of possible paths. The job market is a bit scary for most majors. The one area I hear that remains in very high demand with salaries over $80,000 to start is petroleum engineering. That can use a wide range of science knowledge. But the job market is always changing. So I would say just keep taking advantage of opportunities like you have been and see where your experiences and interests lead, and keep an eye on the job market. You could wind up with a biophysics major, bioengineering, nuclear astrophysics or who knows what. I tell my daughter to follow the open doors - if you get the internship and enjoy it and keep having success in an area and building contacts and skills and knowledge in it, then that’s the path for you. But if your parents are concerned about job prospects, why don’t you try an internship or other exposure to petroleum engineering and see if you also like that?</p>
<p>At a Carnegie Mellon open house they told they don’t offer a Bio-Med engineering major because they typically don’t it’s hard for them to get jobs ,and a bio-engineer turn mechanical engineer who was delivering a sponsorship presentation at my school told me that’s because employers typically get hung up on the “bio” part of the degree rather than the “mechanical” part of the degree.</p>
<p>Some people go into bio-engineering and move on to med-school to become doctors and whatnot(you could look into that) or try finding schools that offer a lot of research opportunities in said field.</p>
<p>Though personally I’d recommend majoring in the two main engineering groups(ECE/Mechanical) and minor in Bio-Engineering. You should continue only your physics and math activities, while you do seem to enjoy them both but you might be spreading yourself too thin with the new activities you’re doing/plan to do.</p>
<p>Anyway hope this helps.</p>
<p>From the experience of those I am acquainted with, the key to landing a job after graduation is internships, or at least one the summer before graduation. Get involved at school, make connections with professors who can help you find them.</p>
<p>FYI, Case Western Reserve has renamed its chem E dept as the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.</p>
<p>BioEng is obviously the narrowest field. Math/Physics the broadest. It depends on career goals (more specific than “finding a job”), whether grad school is in the cards (might make a science more appealing), your grades over the next year, research projects and interests over the next year, etc. Decide at the beginning of senior year. </p>
<p>It’s not necessarily the fields themselves that will make you more employable or wealthier (they are all relatively safe STEM fields). Have a look at what you bring to those fields and how much passion you have for them. </p>
<p>@AtharvaLarva: You’re attracted to STEM disciplines; that’s great and it appreciably narrows your decision range (which is also good). While you’re likely to have to decide “science” or “engineering” before you apply (or, more important, matriculate), you probably will not have to make a final choice regarding which science or engineering discipline for two or three years. It might be wise to use those years – internships, discussions with professionals, independent research, conversations with academics, and especially survey-level courses during your first college semesters – to EXPLORE your options and to ascertain where your passion truly lies. In sum, you are unlikely to need to make such decisions now . . . and it may be foolish to do so. </p>
<p>If you look at many biomedical engineering departments, you will find faculty who have degrees in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and physics. This is sort of the problem with the field for those who have a B.S. in biomedical engineering. There is no specific industry associated with the field yet. This may change in the future but the moral of the story is that if you get your B.S. in a more established engineering field or physics, you can move into biomedical engineering for a graduate degree with little problem. There are jobs for those who have Ph.D.s in the field.</p>
<p>My advice is to choose a field that you really like within the parameters of where the jobs can be found. Then make sure that your resume highlights the skills you have not necessarily what your degree is in. This means get internships and experience in research labs at university. So if you like physics, don’t be afraid to major in it. </p>
<p>Gearmom, could you send me the data your looking at for the high unemployment rate for civil engineers? I am quite curious. My first instinct would be to say that physics would have a higher unemployment rate than civil engineers, but I’ve been wrong before.</p>
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I disagree. BioE/BME tends to be a poor choice not because it’s narrow, but because it’s broader than nearly every other engineering discipline that it tries to encompass. Students in BioE/BME end up with a lot of breadth but very little depth in both biology and engineering, which puts them at a disadvantage relative to mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, electrical engineers. Problems in biomedicine are at their core mechanical, chemical, electrical, and biological in nature, and most BioE/BME students have had some exposure to all of those but little depth in any of them.</p>
<p>^^^ Is BioEng a narrower field than General Eng, Math, or Physics? That’s what the OP is interested in.</p>
<p>It depends on what you mean by broad. Physics is broad because it covers mechanics, electrodynamics, statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics at a minimum and includes experimental, theoretical and computational aspects. Each of these can be a whole engineering field in itself… However, the field of physics is well established and there is consensus on what it means to be a physicist. </p>
<p>Biomedical Engineering, has the problem that is claims to be engineering but it does not have the depth expected of an engineering discipline.</p>
<p>In many ways, looking for a job with a Biomedical Engineering B.S. or a B.S. in Physics presents similar challenges but physics is better understood. </p>
<p>I should have replied to this thread earlier, but this is all really great news. I felt that I was asking these questions a bit too soon, and time will tell(eventually). I never wanted to limit my options but felt like I kind of needed to. </p>
<p>In terms of an internship at a lab/university, how could I get one? Should I just contact a professor at a local university and ask to work in a lab? I live in a small town Maryland, and there aren’t really many research opportunities/internships presented at my school. </p>
<p>@xraymancs if I were to get experience in physics or bioengineering research, what would you recommend? I’ve done some research on such programs for high school students, and they all seem to be very expensive and located everywhere but Maryland (which means I would have to pay for commuter residences/dorms for things like RISE at…Boston, for example)</p>
<p>Thanks to all who replied!</p>
<p>Well, since you are still in High School, you are doing the right thing by taking advantage fo whatever clubs and activities are available in your school. Is there a college close by your home? If so, see if you can volunteer in a research lab over the summer. If not, don’t sweat it. No one expects you to have research experience in high school. </p>