<p>That’s what I’ve gathered from everyone on here… That double majors are not recommended, and I understand that. There would definitely be a very large number of courses involved, making engineering school even more intensive.</p>
<p>So… Even with the dot-com bust, I would think CS and CE would still be very prominent majors. I mean, to me it seems like the whole dot-com boom is not over and won’t be for a while. I can think of so many great web/internet/information ideas that have yet to be made (at least successfully), despite the reign of web giants like Google and Facebook. Why exactly is the dot-com era said to be over by some people?</p>
<p>On another note… What is the general consensus for Biomedical Engineering? I have thought about it some. My interests toward the medical industry would be entirely toward the field of bionics and such. I like the new breakthroughs in robotic limbs, such as legs that are allowing the crippled and paralyzed to walk. It looks like we could very well be heavily robotic beings in the future, or at least robotic-dependent beings (which we already are, just not as closely). Although, I take an interest in the defense industry as well. Raytheon’s “Iron Man” suit is pretty amazing. There’s several companies developing such suits now. So… I know statistics say BioMed going to grow around 60% in the coming years, but as small as the field is right now, that doesn’t constitute for any larger of an industry than the other engineering types occupy, it seems. In fact, it seems that it’s still going to be pretty small, for now anyway. I could be wrong on that though.</p>
<p>The consensus on BME seems to be negative, at least for undergrad. The big medical device firms hire ChemE, EE, ME grads as well. As you correctly point out, the predicted large percentage increase corresponds to a relatively small absolute increase. Taking the point a little farther, BME enrollment has exploded over the past few years as new programs have been created.</p>
<p>BME isn’t a “real” discipline. Stick with a more standard discipline and switch into BME in grad school. You’ll have a more solid foundation.</p>
<p>Don’t rush recklessly into a CS program. Times can change over the course of 4-5 years and change the entire industry. Politics, bubbles, a change in tastes and even new scientific breakthroughs could easily reverse the current trend. You could be stuck with something which has diminishing practical value and something you’re not especially fond of. Note the current market trends and future possibilities, and know that they are likely to change and go on a path that nobody predicted.</p>
<p>If the BLS predicts growth, they could be right or they could be doing some reckless extrapolation. You won’t know for a while. </p>
<p>We aren’t especially good at economics, whether out of willful ignorance or just because it’s so damn hard to understand human behavior.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be a computer scientist or an electrical engineer or a _____ to invent something, you just have to be one to design it. Something to think about.</p>
<p>Really interesting insight on the Dot-com bust. Thank you! Also, from looking at the degree plans of a BioMedE major, it does seem that there isn’t that much engineering involved, at least when compared to the courses taken in MechE and EE.</p>
<p>And certainly, I won’t be rushing into any major solely based on promise of job growth or the economics of the situation. I’m choosing based on interest, as I know it to be true that things can certainly change in the next 4-5 years.</p>
<p>That was GREAT post KamelAkbar! You make a great point, really. I’ve been thinking about that lately since I’ve read it, and it helps actually. Haha. That’s definitely something I’ll keep in mind.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: <em>I’m not an engineering student</em> but I’ll still go from what I’ve seen at the UC and CSU campuses I’ve attended when I was interested in engineering.</p>
<p>Electrical engineering is often stereotyped as the most difficult type of engineering, but from what I’ve seen at my school its worth it. They seem to have their finger in every other engineering profession’s pie, so to speak. </p>
<p>Student race car project? Mechanical and electrical engineers.
Student R/C airplane project? Aerospace and electrical engineers.
Functioning artificial limb with synthetic nerves? Biomedical and electrical engineers, but mostly just EE (this is a literal example from SDSU).</p>
<p>As a programmer I can say with some expertise that EE will be better for robotics than Mech. The mechanical side of robotics is way more conventional/generic than the EE/CE/CS side and pretty much any type of engineer can do it. All of the really experimental research is being done on artificial intelligence and processor power, which is EE/CE/CS.</p>
<p>EEs also seem to have an easier time transitioning into CS and CIS jobs, which are more abundant than any other.</p>
<p>^^you didn’t really give us enough info of what you want to do with it. In general, if you want to do ME, I would really recommend more like EE or CE for a minor. More marketable.</p>
<p>If you like the electrical engineering aspect and mechanical engineering aspect, you might want to consider majoring in ME or EE and minoring in the other. Remember though, mechanical engineering is the boardest discipline. ME students take some EE classes and I’m not sure but I think they might take some CS classes. </p>
<p>As far as moving into management at a later date. You could pursue a MBA, MS Engineering Management, or MS Systems Engineering.</p>