<p>I am thinking of transferring from a Bachelor of Commerce program to a Bachelor of Applied Science program. I have 10 days left to make this decision.<br>
I originally wanted went into my current program with aspirations of becoming a successful investor or trader or financial analyst. However, after learning more about these professions, my interest has waned and I feel that they are not right for me. One of my reasons for this is that I believe that my strong dislike for financial accounting means that I am most likely not a good fit for a finance job.
I have already completed the first year of my program and I feel that I don't really enjoy it. I like the idea of learning how to design things and figuring how things work. I also enjoyed physics and math in high school. I applied to transfer majors a couple months ago and I have recently been offer admission to the faculty of applied science at my university.<br>
The main things that are holding me back is the thought of the intense workload and the associated sleep deprivation and the possibility of working in an adverse work setting after I graduate.
Please note that I would also have to spend an extra year in college to get my degree as only 9 of the ~30 credits which I took are salvageable.
Could anyone provide me with any insight on this matter? Anything related to personal experiences of studying as an engineering undergrad or working as an engineer would be greatly appreciated as well. </p>
<p>Edit: I have been admitted into a general engineering program where I choose my specialization in my second year. I am mainly considering mechanical or electrical engineering. To clarify: I am transferring into the first year of the engineering program. </p>
<p>What do you consider an adverse work setting? Engineers can get all sorts of jobs, from a steel mill to a consulting firm. </p>
<p>If you don’t like what you’re doing and have the chance to change it, even at the cost of an extra year, by all means do it. You’re better off switching now than in a semester, or another year, or after you graduate. Yes, engineering is hard. With proper time management and a little aptitude you won’t be sleep deprived and you will have time for a social life.</p>
<p>By ‘adverse work setting’ I mean any workplace where any one or more of the following is present: fumes, heavy noise pollution (enough to warrant hearing protection), potential safety hazards (enough to warrant safety equipment).</p>
<p>i had a pretty interesting conversation with our engineering dean on the subject. what it came down to is that an engineering degree can set you up to do about anything (law, med school, teaching, business). it’s a harder degree, you get design experience, you have to work in teams, you prove you can think spatially and abstractly. engineering isn’t for everyone, but if you don’t enjoy business than try something else. i’ve even talked to businessman who wished he was “in” on the innovation his engineers were doing. he felt that they got all the excitement and were essentially driving the new product line. he just had to facilitate, manage, budget, etc.</p>
<p>That’s a good question. I’m not absolutely certain that I will like engineering more than business. I’m not even certain that I have what it takes to complete the degree. If I switched into engineering and then didn’t like it, I suppose I’ll just have to change my major again. Although, I really hope that if I change my major now, it will be the last and only time.</p>
<p>I’ve recently talked to a friend who said that he had to pull an all nighter before every midterm exam and during all of finals week. Do all engineering undergrads have to suffer through all-nighters?</p>
<p>Depends on the school, the course, the professor, the student, at many schools, they do have a heavier courseload over the course of their four/five year college career.</p>
<p>Like it or not, an engineering degree is a great door-opener. But don’t fall into the trap of thinking your major equals your career. That’s almost never true.</p>
<p>From engineering you can go into anything, but from a commerce degree you sure can not get an engineering job. IF you have the smarts to handle the math and science transfer immediately.</p>
<p>All-nighters are for people who don’t manage their time well. Keep up with the work and study regularly and the workload is doable.</p>
<p>How much did he study up to the all-nighter? I pulled a few, and to be honest my grades didn’t reflect the effort. Once I started studying from day 1 instead of blowing off the first few weeks thinking I could make it up my grades improved. My gpa was much better once I treated school like a job; 8 hours min. 5 days a week + overtime if need be, regardless if there was work to be done or not.</p>
<p>It really is the way to go. School becomes less stressful when you approach it this way. I can’t imagine trying to cram for a math/science/engineering exam at the last minute and doing well on it especially since everything is cumulative in those subjects.</p>
<p>I am a person who needs 8 to 10 hours of sleep.</p>
<p>I’ve recently spoken to another of my friends.<br>
His schedule is like this:</p>
<p>6:30am - wake up and then do morning routine, eat breakfast, drive to school
8:00 am- first class starts
4:00 pm - last class ends
5 pm - get home and relax
7 to 8 eat dinner
8 to 10 do hwk, write lab reports
10 to 12 study
12 to 12:30 shower, brush teeth etc.
12: 30 to 6:30 sleep</p>
<p>That’s only six hours of sleep, and he does this every day. Before midterms, and finals, he sleeps even less. He has only finished 1st year of engineering. I’ve talked to several of my friends and they all have a similar schedule. Do all engineering students only sleep six hours?</p>
<p>Not at all, but most of us work hard. Just like any field, there are people who try and skate by, but I’d argue the threshold for slacking is much higher than many other majors. There might also be some classes that you’re good at and they won’t require as much time.</p>
<p>Just my opinion: undergrad business is overrated. I mean, there are always jobs in engineering and management grads are too cutthroat about grades and realistically, unless you are in Wharton, chances of getting a job are slim.</p>
<p>That seems a little extreme. I don’t think I ever had more than 4 hours of class a day. And… 1 hour for dinner? I usually heat something up and eat while I’m reading papers or something. There’s some mad inefficiency in taking 1.5 hours between waking up and getting to the first class too. Engineering is all about time management, you see.</p>
<p>I think my first year was hardest. I still studied a lot, but not as much as those first two semesters. My Arch E friends and I found plenty of time to party@</p>
<p>how long does it take (usually) to read a chapter in engineering.
I know in Tax each chapter took me about 3-5 hrs to read and I had to read it 3-5 times just to get the stuff in. This does not include HW.</p>