<p>is financial engineering even real engineering? many schools don't offer this major but i was wondering if its basically the same thing as...statistics (maybe just similar to stats) or comp science or applied math.
i was thinking about pursuing chem engineering in college. but that's because i'm pretty interested in what chem engineers can create. i'm honestly not sure if i'll be working in that field when i'm older. would it be more realistic for me to learn financial engineering? if it helps, i can't stand the investment banker - money obsessed type of person, even though i just sounded like one of those. great.
any help would be appreciated!</p>
<p>Not in the traditional sense.</p>
<p>OR is a real field, of course. I just attended a conference with hundreds of OR practitioners--one of dozens worldwide in any given year. But, finanical engineering is a very small segment of this field. (It's also, sometimes, listed in systems engineering departments.) FE uses significantly more statistics than the typical engineering field. Financial engineers will also work for credit card companies and others that need algorithms to assess risk. </p>
<p>Choosing FE isolates you from the engineering universe and 'specializes' you too early. Stay general and do the Chem E degree. My undergrad degree was in chemistry, and I never worked in that field from day one. Major in the most challenging field you can manage (and one that you can find at least somewhat enjoyable). </p>
<p>And, I understand your concerns about appearing 'money obsessed'. You're not. But, as the economists would say, you're just searching for the 'market signal'. You want to know what skills the world will pay for (and what skills it won't).</p>
<p>Does a degree in OR limit one's work in the business world to just computer techie and networking stuff? Or if I wanted a job, say, helping foreign companies sell their ideas to US companies, would I easily be able to go into something like that?</p>
<p>redbeard thank you so much for your posts on here. You are always so insightful and give excellent advice. You are a credit to your profession.</p>
<p>Yup, Financial Engineering, IMO, isn't "engineering" in the sense most people look at the field. When I saw this question, I wondered why it was in this forum and not the MBA or Finance forum. Financial Engineering is more along the lines or risk analysis and actuarial sciences. Great if you want to be a business analyst. It's a very difficult field, but will pays very well and will only pay more in the future.</p>