<p>Hello, people of the Engineering Majors board. I am a rising senior who has been considering engineering for the past year or so. Now, my explanation: if it were up to me, I would study foreign language and history in college, but that is neither practical nor financially appropriate. So, I came to the conclusion that engineering and living in a developing country (I also like Europe....) would go pretty well together (my language skills are in Spanish and Arabic, and I plan to study French in college because it goes with Arabic). Am I making a dumb decision? I can't tell. I figure that it would be easier to change my major from engineering to something else then the other way around (if I change my mind, that is)... :)</p>
<p>Btw, I have other [more typical] reasons for wanting to do engineering as well.</p>
<p>Do you want to work in developing countries (Vietnam, Nigeria, etc) or do you want to work in Europe, because those are two very different things.</p>
<p>For a developing country position, pursue a type of engineering based around natural resources, such as chemical or petroleum engineering. In those fields, it’s fairly common to find companies looking for engineers willing to work as ex-patriots in one of those countries. In one of those roles, you’ll usually get paid more than working in the US because it’s not a preferred position for many people.</p>
<p>Europe is an entirely different situation. Because they have good engineering schools in Europe, it’s difficult to find a company that will move you there from the US, especially because of the difficulty in obtaining work visas in the EU (non-EU Europe isn’t as bad). Also, keep in mind that engineers in Europe (outside of Germany) are generally paid much less than in the US. In Italy, the equivalent of $30,000 for a senior engineer is the norm. However, you do get more time off and work less hours for that salary (but not that much less). Your best bet to work in Europe is to work for a well known international consulting firm then see if they’ll send you over there for a few projects or if they’ll relocate you. </p>
<p>From my experience, it’s easier to work abroad in developed countries with a business background, and it’s easier to work abroad in developing countries with a medical or engineering background. The absolute easiest way to work abroad is to be an English teacher, but you won’t make much money doing that.</p>
<p>You mean expatriates? Not sure how working in a foreign country necessarily affects whether or not you are a patriot with respect to the country of your citizenship (or any other country).</p>
<p>Thanks for the information! @BanjoHitter, I’m interested in Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia (basically all of north Africa and the middle east), as well as western Europe. I am aware that Europe and developing countries are two different things, haha, but I want to keep both “options” open. It’s quite unfortunate that engineering is not as promising in Europe as it is in the US. $30,000? jeezum. Work for a well-known international consulting firm?? Isn’t that a little easier said than done, lol.</p>
<p>@begineer, could you list some of those similar majors? :D</p>