So, engineering...

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Okay, my strongest subject has without a doubt been math. I consider myself to be extremely logical and to have excellent problem-solving skills. I've been trying to find a major that I could enjoy, but would also use my abilities to their fullest extent. I love math, and from what I've seen, you can make a ton of money with a math major. However, the jobs themselves look hollow and boring. I've also considered architecture, but I really don't think I'm artistic enough to be extremely successful in that field. The last field I've been considering is engineering (probably mechanical, but I'm pretty undecisive). This is something that I think I would love, but from what I've seen, the pay is pretty mediocre.</p>

<p>I am leaning towards engineering right now, but I am apprehensive about it. Ideally, I'd like to work for a car company, preferable somewhere in Europe (preferable England, Germany, Italy or France), and I'm wondering how the pay would be and how difficult it would be to get a job with, say, BMW if I minored in German and majored in ME.</p>

<p>Lastly, what's the general consensus of Northeastern University vs. Boston University? From what I recall, engineering at NEU is ranked in the high 50s, while BU is in the lower 50s. And while BU's academics are stronger overall, NEU has the co-op program, which I hear is very good to Engineering students.</p>

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<p>I can't really comment on the rest of your post, but I can give you some info about BMW. My son is currently attending Clemson University in SC for engineering. His roomate (a mechanical engineering major) just got selected to Co-op at the BMW plant in the Greenville-Spartenburg area. I believe it is the largest BMW plant in the US. The whole car business is big down there & Clemson is right in the middle of it. BMW & Clemson just built this new ICAR facility together... not really sure what it is all about, but it sounds interesting. That is the reason that this young man choose to attend Clemson University. It is good you are thinking about the co-op program, because I think that is important to getting a good job. Good luck with your decisions!</p>

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<p>If you love math, and are really logical, why not consider CS?</p>

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<p>I took 2 years of programming (QBasic) in highschool, and excelled at it. I just don't think it's something I could hold a career in, though.</p>

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<p>Programming != Computer Science</p>

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<p>QBasic is one of the worst programming languages EVER!</p>

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<p>Particle_Man:</p>

<p>I would caution you against majoring in math, not because the jobs are boring, but because not many people get rich with a BS in math.</p>

<p>Architecture wouldn't use enough math for you, probably.</p>

<p>Engineering may be a huge disappointment to you, if you like math for math's sake.</p>

<p>I would agree that CS is a good option for you to look into. The pay is good, the demand is high, and the opportunities for advancement and becoming rich and famous abound.</p>

<p>Other options would include economics and industrial engineering / OR. I would definitely look into these, as well as CS, if I were you.</p>

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<p>ya i've heard math goes well with ECE and CS...but isn't true that someone good in physics should go into MechE?</p>

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<p>Math + CS + Finance = Quant ~ $$$, (Quant; MS < Quant < PHD)</p>

<p>Im not sure about Physics & MechE. EE ~ Physics, MechE = Classical Mechanics + PhysChem.</p>

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<p>It depends largely on what kind of physics you're talking about. If you like E&M / Circuits, EE is better. If you like thermodynamics, chemE would be best. Classical mechanics would go best with mechE. If you like fluid dynamics, go Aero. And if you don't like physics but like math, CS is the only way to go.</p>

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<p>what really does a CS major entail? last summer i did a program and had my first real programming class (as in first that wasn't html based) in java and though i liked it found that the work felt like it was gratuitously time consuming. most of it was just programming certain things like games or just having a program that will do a certain function, which i felt wasn't what higher level CS is about, so if you could enlighten me that would be awesome</p>

<p>P.S im going to be a freshman in EE next year, if that is relevent, but my school has a BSCECS degree, basically a computer engineer/computer science joint major which could be an option. right now i feel i want to go into either controls/robotics or quantum computing, though i don't know much in depth about either</p>

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<p>to the OP: if you are seriously interested in doing a co-op at BMW, I would first look at the info on their website about co-op opportunities:</p>

<p>Co-ops/Internships</a> - BMW Manufacturing Co.</p>

<p>It appears that with respect to co-ops they are interested in students who would commit to doing multiple co-ops with them, and the last one could be in Europe. In this case, NEU might be better than BU since their co-op program and course scheduling is specifically designed for students to do multiple co-ops, but it may also depend on how BU does their co-ops (do many BU students do 3 co-ops and how difficult would that be to do there? Obviously, the number of co-ops you take extends the number of years it takes to graduate and could also effect your ability to take courses offered only at certain times. You might want to talk through your options with someone at BU if this really is something you are interested in doing). </p>

<p>And, since BMW's American office is in SC, it makes sense that Clemson and other SC schools would have long established co-op relationships with BMW and would typically send more students to BMW for co-ops than other schools from other parts of the country do.</p>

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<p>I'm not sure if a minor in German would help, but I think it would definitely help to be fluent in German, both conversationally and on paper. (Fluency and numbers of classes you took don't necessarily coincide. Some classes might even be culture or history classes about Germany taught in English).</p>

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<p>Furyshade:</p>

<p>There are two competing aspects of CS undergraduate programs: one is the theoretical description and understanding of computation in its most basic form, and the other is the practical application of principles to create powerful, robust, and correct software. These are quite different areas, and some even separate them into Computer Science (theory) and Software Engineering (practice).</p>

<p>You could, perhaps, study Computer Science without ever writing a single program. One of the fundamental idea in Computer Science is the algorithm: a systematic (and therefore programmable) way of taking a given set of inputs (the domain) and producing a corresponding set of outputs (the range). In many ways, algorithms are similar to the functions of mathematics, and in many ways they are different. Also, it's not just the specification and creating of algorithms that is of interest, but also how fast the algorithm is, how much "room" it takes up, and whether it is "correct" for all inputs in the domain. Logic also plays a huge role in CS. The main thrust, perhaps, of CS is computability and decidability: what sorts of problems can we compute the answer to? Finite state machines, formal languages and grammars, graph theory and combinatorics all enter into CS theory at an early stage and are there to stay.</p>

<p>By the same token, one could study Software Engineering without ever taking more math than a few courses in calculus. Software engineering asks the following sorts of questions: what is it about software that makes it better or worse? how can software be designed most efficiently? how can code be best written?</p>

<p>The theory of CS, while much more intellectually stimulating, is also the part that employers are least impressed by. Software Engineering skills are fundamental to businesses which make software. Most programs combine CS and SE, in practice, so that students are exposed to a wide range of ideas and techniques.</p>

<p>Programming is something which should not be brushed aside so easily. Could you learn math without ever solving a single equation? Sure you could. Physics? yeah. Could you learn chemistry without mixing a single chemical or performing a single calculation? most definitely. Could you learn biology without ever dissecting something? indubitably. My point is that while you could be a CS/SE major and never write a program, why wouldn't you?</p>

<p>Computer programs are the same thing as mathematical proofs, as has been demonstrated. They are really the same thing. Computer science is a branch of mathematics - discrete mathematics - and it is inherently constructivist, meaning that for something to be true, you have to be able to demostrate it by providing evidence for its claim. Such evidence is the program.</p>