<p>I keep hearing all this stuff from ZeroX about making the most money...and a lot of other people talk about the money, too...are there any people left (like me) who decided to do engineering because of a genuine interest in it? I mean I might have an interest in medical school, but if I was interested only in medicine...I would've taken a crappy undergraduate major that I care nothing about (like history) just so I could get a 4.0 GPA and enter into medical school at Johns Hopkins unblemished. No matter how bad I do, I really like chemical engineering. If I get into med school, terrific. But if not, I'll try engineering grad school for biomedical or biochemical engineering. I could live with that. I'll have enough money to make a good living either way. Whether it is $70,000 / yr. or $150,000 / yr.</p>
<p>My reason for engineering is because
1. i want to go into managment (hopefully at the top)
2. garanteed a job
3. good major to brag to friends because its hardest major
4. could get my PhD and really hit jackpot
5. I also problem solve in the 99.9th percentile of the population.</p>
<p>Zerox, you do realize that there are people out there who happen to have an interest in medicine and law, right?</p>
<p>It just so happens that doctors don't even make that kind of money until they are done with their residencies (say around 35 years of age) and then they have tons of debt to pay back from all the loans. Yes, doctors make a lot of money...eventually...but they also have a lot of debt and the hours are sometimes inconsistent and long. You really need to have a genuine interest in medicine to go through all of that stuff.</p>
<p>The same thing goes with lawyers. Out of law school, do you know how much you'll make? Not 6 figures. You know why? You don't just go from law school to a HUGE firm. You start out at a small firm; therefore, you make less money. Over time, you'll get a better job at a bigger firm; hence, more money.</p>
<p>I do have a interest for technology and learning about how things work, that coupled with my interest for math and science makes engineering a good choice for me. Also the the nice salary upon graduation doesn't hurt either.</p>
<p>To resurrect this thread from the depths of despair, I'm starting it again. We can talk about "Why engineering" there (and the ins/outs of related professions - in a very rational manner), and you guys can bicker here.</p>