Should I do Electrical or Biomedical Engineering?

<p>Hello! I am having a hard time deciding between Electrical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. I have an interest in Computer Science but that degree is becoming increasingly saturated and by the time that I complete 5 years in the career, I am worried that it will become commonplace and a career with a surplus of candidates for the job. I decided that if I wanted to do Computer Science, I had to do another engineering as my bachelors so that I can segway into CompSci for my Masters. On the other hand, I really love Medicine. I've always been interested in it but i'm not sure if the money and the job prospects are as good as that of Electrical Engineering. In the end, I want a career that I can stick to for the next 40 years and a subject that isn't dry. I want something that is really fun to do as well. I understand that liking the career depends on the person but I weigh both of the careers equally so far. If there are any engineers in these two fields, can you help me please?</p>

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First, please note that field saturation is never an issue for “top” graduates, so you can overcome this somewhat by working to be one of the best in your class. Second, a lot of fields ebb and flow over the course a decade, so don’t ignore the fact that ANY field you go into right now could dry up 5 or 10 or 20 years later. Always good to remain agile!</p>

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Well, I can see issues with both EE and BioE. The former is easier to get into overall, but there are strong subfields and there are weak subfields, and many subfields have substantial outsourcing risks. The latter is harder to get into especially without a graduate degree.</p>

<p>If you are looking at something as a backup/complement to CS, I would suggest EE over BioE, as they dovetail together well and are often in demand by the same companies. But I would recommend picking a single major and doing well at it over going for the double any day of the week.</p>

<p>@cosmicfish‌ Thank you for your response! Do you think that I should just do medicine instead if my path of choice is something in the medical field? I’m glad you told me to think about other majors and their future, I didn’t think about that!</p>

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If you think you have aptitude in that area and that it is where your passion lies then YES. If it is really your first choice, then go be a doctor or a PA or a nurse or whatever - don’t waste your college time or your life in engineering if your passion lies somewhere else! Plus, medicine is unlikely to suffer the degree of uncertainty that engineering (and most fields) will.</p>

<p>@cosmicfish‌ Thank you! I have some serious decisions to make and you’ve helped me greatly.</p>