<p>I live in NJ
i got accepted for petroleum engineering in pennstate university in the lehigh valley campus which a really small campus and i got accepted for mechanical engineering in rutgers which gives the real college life experience and it is also closer.
However PE gets like more 100K but ME gets like 80k average</p>
<p>which major i should choose? (i am interested in both so i don't mind either)</p>
<p>And pennstate tuition is 45k in opposite to 25k for rutgers</p>
<p>Are you majoring in PE just for the salary??? </p>
<p>Don’t choose a major purely based on salary. Think about if you really like physics and really see yourself as an engineer. “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”</p>
hii… I am doing my BE in Mechanical and will complete it by May, 2015. I am confused about pursuing MS in Mechanical Engineering or Petroleum engineering. Can anyone please guide me.
Out of work PE gets 0k
Hello? Do you ever read the news? Oil is at $50 per barrel.
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/100000-Layoffs-and-Counting-Is-this-the-New-Normal.html
Many analysts are predicting prices to stay low for years bcause of oversupply and softening global demand. A nuclear deal w Iran will further flood the market with oil.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-30814122
@vidit12 – petroleum engineers have higher highs and lower lows – meaning when the oil markets are hot, they make much more than mechanical engineers; however when markets take a downswing, they make much less as an unemployment. Petroleum has done fantastic for the last seven years, but with the recent collapse and prices there are a lot of bankruptcies and layoffs.
Overall mechanical is steadier, however make no mistake unemployment goes up in mechanical when H1 visas increase. If you have one area that interests you a lot more than the other, then pursue that one. But if you like both equally, then think about your risk tolerance overall and whether you’d be okay going through some stretches of unemployment knowing that when the market turns back around you’ll be making a lot of money. Some people are okay with that, whereas others prefer a lower but steadier salary. Also think hard about where you want to live. The vast majority of the jobs in petroleum are going to be in Houston and Oklahoma and possibly Dallas, while mechanical is not really concentrated in any one city. If you’re from the East Coast (I am assuming given that you’re considering Penn State), consider whether you would want to live down south for job opportunities.
^ I want to echo the sentiment above. Many PetE and ChemE jobs tend to be in VERY industrial areas. ME’s can work anywhere. I remember learning that ugly lesson my senior year of undgrad.