<p>I'm a freshman in college and I'm majoring in biology. I've always had an interest in technology and I think I want to switch my major to engineering. But the thing is, I'm not exceptionally great at math. The highest math class I took in high school was pre-calculus and I passed the class with just a C. Also my parents don't think engineers make enough, do too much work for their salary and it's not that easy to find a job. They're also really pushing me to go to med school or even if I don't go to med school, go somewhere in the medical field since they think health-care careers will always be in demand. And oh yeah, both if my parents are doctors. I don't really know what to do but, I really like the thought of engineering things that can benefit society rather than saving lives as a doctor. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Both my in-laws were physicians. They had five kids, and discouraged them from the field. None of them became doctors. Two are engineers!</p>
<p>Finding a job isn’t that hard. If you struggle with math, though, engineering might be a hard major for you. You could take calculus and physics and see how they go.</p>
<p>For medical school you will have to complete calculus courses to get in, with high grades. Most math classes aren’t really that hard if you study and get help on the subjects that don’t make sense to you. Then again if both your parents are doctors they might be able to hook you up with a job. But if you’re a doctor and hate being one, then life will suck. Just go with what interests you. </p>
<p>If I were you, I’d major in engineering while taking all the prerequisites for medical school, just in case. Engineering majors have lower GPA’s than biology since the classes are harder, but just try the best you can. When you graduate you’ll have two options, go into medical field or engineering field. For suckers who major in biology and don’t make it into medical school, their lives suck because they now have a bio degree and can’t find a job.</p>
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<p>I can’t comment on whether or not you would enjoy engineering or if your math skills are sufficient. You will have to take a lot of calculus and use math in almost every engineering class. Regarding your parents’ comments, and not to offend you but your parents seem pretty clueless on this issue. Engineers make a very good salary, get to work on very interesting things, and are almost always in demand. If you think you would enjoy being an engineer, then you should go for it and they should support your decision. They are doctors, not engineers so they probably know nothing about engineering.</p>
<p>On average do doctors make more than engineers, yes but they also spend much longer in schools/training and have to spend huge money and rack up student loans on medical school. This is significant and many people overlook this. Engineers can become managers or consultants and can make as much as some doctors so the important thing is to do what makes you happy. Their comment that it is not easy for engineers to find jobs is simply not true. I know many companies that have still been hiring engineers even during the economic downturn. Engineers are usually in demand more than almost all other undergraduate majors. Bottom line, do what makes you happy, not what you think makes your parents happy. You are the one that will have to go to work every day in either a profession you enjoy or a profession that you felt forced into.</p>
<p>It’d be advisable to have a conversation with your parents and try to reach a balance between what they wish for you and what you wish for yourself. Don’t follow their advice fully but don’t dismiss it entirely, either; attempt to compromise where you and your parents may find disagreement.</p>
<p>Also, it’d be advisable to obtain an Algebra & Trigonometry textbook and engage in responsible self-study. Solid Algebra and Trig knowledge is useful in many aspects of life; knowledge of basic Probability, Statistics, and Financial Math is great to have, as well. In general, possession of basic math skills decreases your chances of being a “fool” in everyday life.</p>
<p>Lastly, any job where you provide or are part of a team that provides a product or service that positively impacts people’s lives is beneficial to society. Use your time in college to learn more deeply about something that interests you, pick up a few practical skills, and worry about employment 1-2 years before you decide to hit the job market. Good luck!</p>
<p>I just tried to talk to my parents about switching to engineering. they said engineering and other technology jobs are being outsourced to india and china. Is this true?</p>
<p>Certain jobs are being outsourced, but there will always be plenty of engineering jobs here. There are a lot of engineering jobs that can’t be outsourced.</p>
<p>Remind your parents that with managed care physicians are not going to be making the kind of money they used to either so the return on their (your) investment of money and time (it takes years to become a Dr.) is not necessarily the best path either. Many pre-med majors major in engineering, especially bioengineering before going to medical school.</p>
<p>If fact, my friend’s husband who was an engineer then became a Dr specializing in cardiology and then worked for a number of years for Hewlett Packard. HP is the number one company making cardiac monitors so you might find the engineering serves you even if you went on to medical school after all.</p>
<p>Even if you do pre-med, you do not have to major in biology (which has poor job and career prospects at the bachelor’s degree level if you do not go on to medical or other graduate or professional school).</p>
<p>can anyone else comment about the outsourcing problem?</p>
<p>My parents didn’t want me to go into engineering either because of the outsourcing problem. </p>
<p>There are threads on it but I believe it more applies to computer / software engineers. I just graduated from environmental engineering and outsourcing is not a problem at all. Much of the work done by civil / environmental engineers[at least in my firm] is local, we have to be there to collect data and supervise the work.</p>
<p>Anyways, i’d say 90% of the class found an engineering job relatively soon after graduation, even in this economy.</p>
<p>The UC Berkeley career center’s [survey</a> of graduates](<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm]survey”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm) may be useful if you are trying to get an idea of job and career prospects of different majors at the bachelor’s degree level.</p>
<p>Offshore outsourcing was a huge business fad in the early 2000s, which coincided with the dot.com crash. That time was pretty bad for people working in the computer industry. However, companies that ran to offshore outsourcing mainly because it was cheaper got what they paid for in terms of quality (not just in the computer industry, but also in stuff like call centers). They discovered that they had to pay more to get better quality employees. Not as much as in the US, but the problems of coordination and such dealing with a remote site meant that the smaller cost difference when one looked for quality made it less obviously attractive (though it is still attractive for a 24-hour “follow the sun” model of technical support).</p>