<p>Could anyone who works in any of those fields give me a short description of WHY they picked that specific major? I have a genuine interest for all of them to be honest, and need to narrow my choices down. What exactly are you studying for each major? All engineering seems so similar because you always have to take certain math/physics etc. classes.</p>
<p>I'm really good at math and like physics and programming. Basically, all the classes that any of the above majors have take, I'm sure i can cope with.</p>
<p>I don’t **only **like programming. I like many of the things that each major has to offer, so I’m asking for someone who’s either in one of those majors or interested in one of the majors to give me some insight on each one.</p>
<p>im not sure but i dont think so, since the data are from the bureau of labor statistics. well, eventhough they might not be 100% correct, just how wrong can the data that the government has be?</p>
<p>If you are thinking Petroleum engineering, yes the money is higher than most. However, at Penn State, I checked the internships available and it’s about 3-5 openings vs other engineering majors which would have 50-80 openings. Out of those 3-5 opening slots, it’s all international. I’m thinking of doing industrial or chemical or even mechanical after seeing those stats.</p>
<p>Do you like chem? I mean good at chem? If not you can cross out nuclear engineering.</p>
<p>Im an EE undergrad at Stanford and I’m very satisfied with my choice. The best thing about EE in my opinion is that it’s also fun to do as a hobby. For example, I’m building an EEG right now and trying to interface it to a microcontroller or FPGA so that I can do something like control a video game with my brainwaves, just for fun, not for any class. With a few lab classes, you’ll surprised with some of the cool stuff you can build. EE is also very diverse and you are likely to find some sub field that interests you. Some parts are heavy on math and physics, while stuff like digital design is a lot of programming. EE will also offer you a much wider variety of career options than petroleum/nuclear engineering.</p>
<p>I’m not a chemE and I don’t really know any chemEs here, but I’m almost positive that the number of companies at any job fair recruiting MEs or EEs will be significantly higher than those recruiting chemEs. Go to a career fair and look for youself what kind of companies are searching for chemEs.</p>
<p>WHY NE?
I chose this major because I am interested in sustainable/viable/clean alternative energy, and because the major is academically challenging and extremely diverse.</p>
<p>COURSE WORK
If you enjoy math, physics, and programming, you will do well and probably enjoy NE. Within the major, you can go towards reactor physics core designing, thermal-hydraulics, PRA/safety analysis, fuel cycles, medical physics, and much much more. I suggest reactor physics core design if you enjoy math, physics, and programming.</p>
<p>TYPE OF JOBS AND PROSPECTS
There are mainly three types of jobs in NE. Utility companies, national laboratories & government agencies, and energy companies (fuel/reactor suppliers). Job prospects are extremely good. My peers seem to get 2-3 offers regardless of their GPA (Obviously many more for the super-stars). I am an international student and got some offers as well. In our school, BS graduates got offers between $55k - $75k and MS graduates (including myself) got offers between $65k - $85k. However, the locations for NE jobs are typically detached from big cities (e.g. Nuclear power plants, national labs, etc.)</p>
<p>SUMMARY
You will do high level of work with an NE major, earn good money, and will not have to worry about not having a job.</p>