<p>So, I am a sophomore, and have been enrolled in my school's Industrial and Systems engineering program for the past year and a half. For most of that time, however, I've had doubts about whether it is the right fit for me. This semester I am taking my first programming class (java, required for the major), and its sparked my interest in computer science. Combine this with loads of trouble finding any internship for my major that even remotely interests me, and I'm very uncertain about what to do.</p>
<p>Since I am a but of a perfectionist, I made a pro/con table for each. The summary of what I've found is that computer science would be shorter (graduate in 2 more years vs 3) and, from my initial impression of the classes, easier. BUT, I do not want to base my decision on what's easier in the short term.</p>
<p>My question is regarding which field would allow me to best pursue my career goals. Ideally, I would like to have a position, preferably with a small company or one I start myself (later on in life), in which I am responsible for a lot of analyzing, strategizing, decision making, and, in essence, managing. I understand that this goal is not so simple that it can be achieved through major choice alone, but I would like to know which would best put me on the right track for this.</p>
<p>Note that with either major I will be pursuing a minor in Business Administration, and that while I am considering obtaining an MBA, if I do, it will be much later in life.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance for all of your help and advice!</p>
<p>You will be two years into Industrial Engineering by the end of this semester. How about if you stick with Industrial Engineering but pursue a minor in Computer Science? The Industrial Engineering knowledge will be very useful should you end up managing a company in the future.</p>
<p>It sounds odd that you can finish a CS degree in 3.5 years. Are you taking 16-18 credits per semester? If you like programming and discrete math more than industrial engineering. I recommend switching. The CS degree will open more doors than the industrial engineering. CS actually starts easy…but gets hard, way harder than IE</p>
<p>Sharp, my university structures classes so that the first two years cover general math and science classes, so this is the last chance for me to switch without having tons of classes to make up (if I switched now, I’d only be behind by 2 classes, and I will have some technical electives for later on completed). Also, I’m already getting a minor in business administration, so getting a second minor might be very difficult. It is, however, an option I have been looking into.</p>
<p>Lightnin, it’s a 4 year program, and I graduated high school with around 40 credits. While I couldn’t use them for my engineering major, they would work for some electives and foreign language reqs for CS. But when I said two more, I meant from the end of this year, so you are right, it will take me 4 years in total.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation as you. I declared Industrial Engineering near the end of 1st semester, and decided to double major in Industrial and CS near the end of 4th semester. You could do the same. I’ve met others who have done similar too.</p>
<p>In my opinion, you should take the classes you think will be useful. I’ve certainly had classes that I didn’t like and haven’t provided me any benefit in both departments. IMO, if you think your interested in both, but don’t want to double major, then pick whichever you would be closest to (in terms of number of credits) to finishing from the end of this semester, and taking the classes you find interesting in the other major. </p>
<p>CS however will be much easier to find a job in. At least where I go, insane starting salary jobs are thrown at just about any idiot who decides to major in CS. IE you have to try a lot harder to get a job in.</p>
<p>Both myself and the Mrs. have degrees in both. The Mrs. is an IT consultant in manufacturing information technology, factory information systems, and the like (as in, writes the software that, say, makes the machines that make medicines talk to each other). </p>
<p>I focused on Human Factors Engineering and spend my days playing with cool consumer electronics stuff, and designing user interfaces for said stuff. </p>
<p>The synergy between IE and CS is a no-brainer. Even if you like the more mathy part of IE (Operations Research and the like) CS plays very well along. If you’re in an IE department that has lots of options and don’t mind spending some additional time I’d go for a double degree or undergrad in one and grad in the other.</p>
<p>Go with CS for the B.A./B.S. degree. You then work a few years in CS (hardware or software) until you have some expertise in a certain CS area. </p>
<p>THEN…</p>
<p>Go for a Systems Engineering graduate degree which is usually offered by the I.E. department. The usual breakdown of a M.S./M.Eng Systems Engineering degree is:</p>
<p>6 or 7 courses in: Probability, Statistics, Operations Research/Optimization, Simulation, Quality Engineering/Control, Cost Estimation/Engineering Economics, Project/Engineering Management, Intro to System Engineering, Human Factors Engineering</p>
<p>GlobalTraveler, the reason I want to avoid that path is because I want to try to move up into management as quickly as possible. I’m equally interested in both as far as classes go, but I don’t want to be “pigeonholed” into either field. My question isn’t so much which one is better as far as job market goes, but rather, which will allow me to move up in the company as quickly as possible?</p>
<p>Moving up in the company is NOT by management, it is by experience and expertise. You will have highly-paid experienced engineers with 20+ years experience walking around your employer building. You will have to get to their level to “manage” them.</p>
<p>The REAL management money is becoming a CIO or CTO, etc. Middle-management is not attractive anymore because 1) They pay engineers with the same experience the same or even more and 2) The middle-managers are at the same level as the experienced engineers. It’s just that the experienced engineers (including yours truly) look at the middle-management job posting and walk right pass it.</p>
<p>I think current students and new grads have a false sense of engineering management.</p>
<p>Will, no offense meant but if you are considering the fastest way to advance in a company regardless, save the tuition and open a frozen yogurt joint or similar. </p>
<p>Engineering is hard work. The last thing you can do for your career is to go in looking for the fastest way to climb the ladder. </p>
<p>Because, for the most part, the ladder is gone before you even knew it was there in the first place.</p>
<p>Advancement is by job hopping and once you’re 35 or 40 you’re as old as a week old newspaper used to wrap fish. I have been blessed to have the same guy as manager for 15 years and he is staying put just as his team are. But such people (superb technical skills and out of this world people skills) take decades to develop.</p>
<p>Not to mention that because of the messed up HR policies we have I probably make more than he does :)</p>
<p>GlobalTraveller nailed it once again. My boss has passed on more promotion opportunities than I can think of. Why spend your time with budgets and timelines when you can rub elbows with the tech world’s über personalities ?</p>
<p>This blog has helped me a tremendous amount. I currently were debating between C.S or I.E. I have now decided to finish undergrad in computer science with a minor in business and then do grad school in I.E.</p>
<p>I do have a question however, which degree is valued more, if one is? and what is a realistic entry level salary one should expect from either degree?</p>
<p>Computer Science is valued more. At my school there’s easily a 20K difference in starting salaries between CS and IE. Average for IE seems to be about 60-65K starting, and for CS starting seems to be about 80-90K.</p>