Thinking about switching from mech eng to economics

College Majors
1

<p>Hey,</p>

<p>Originally I was very confident that I was going to be a mechanical engineer. I wanted to help the world and I thought I could do that through mechanical engineering by designing and working with renewable energy sources, like solar panels. Unfortunately, I now think that a degree in engineering would simply make me a slave to a corporation. Even if that corporation is based in something I support, like renewable energy, it is still a corporation nonetheless and I will be just a tool used by the corporation in order to make a profit. I would go to work every day hoping I can come up with something radically creative and new that will set me apart from my peers and hope that someday I'll get a promotion.</p>

<p>I don't think this is the type of life I want to live. I want to know that my actions are directly impacting the lives of others. I have developed quite a passion for politics, economics, and law over the past two years. Now I think becoming a lawyer (and quite likely ending up in politics, eventually) is what I want to do with my life. At this point I believe I will specialize in civil liberties. The reason I want to switch to economics for my undergraduate degree is that these realizations I've had have really killed any passion I had for engineering in the first place. Now I am passionate about defending the ideals that the United States was founded upon. I think an in depth knowledge of economics would facilitate this passion much more than an in depth knowledge of mechanical engineering.</p>

<p>I am worried about job prospects and potential salaries, though. If my law school plans end up not working out, I understand that a bachelor's in economics will likely land you a job with a significantly lower starting salary than a bachelor's in mechanical engineering. This is really what concerns me. Does anyone have any advice?</p>

<p>Thanks,
The Gracken</p>

2

<p>Well, Gracken, you seem to have pin pointed a classical trade-off situation many college students face. Do you trade doing something you actually really care about for an increase in money and job security? Frankly, I’d rather shoot myself in the face than sell out like that. There are plenty of people who would disagree with me though, some of them can be found on the business forum here. </p>

<p>If you don’t have much of a passion for mech engineering then don’t even consider pursuing it. If you are an outside the box, creative, entrepreneurial type then economics or engineering will both be good for you as they both teach very valuable skills that you can use to create value for others (and hence make money for yourself). However, if you’re a big picture type with plans to change the world then I would go with economics.</p>