<p>Ok, I'm currently an accounting major at UCF. I'm a freshman (technically sophomore standing credit wise), and registration for classes next year are coming up real soon. I've been playing with the idea of either MechE or IE for a little while now, and its time to commit to either engineering or accounting and just stick to it. Both degrees appeal to me because they're both "bang for your buck" degrees. Both get you good employment without years and years of student debt and lack of income after undergrad. Both also have room for advancement. </p>
<p>Anyway, my dilemma is right now I'm only in college algebra. I could take pre calc over summer and then be ready for calc I next fall, but I still feel I'd be about a year behind since most engineering students will be in differential equations by then and be almost done with their pre reqs for the major. </p>
<p>I'd have to have a schedule similar to this for the next year:</p>
<p>Fall</p>
<p>Calc I
Physics for Engineers I
Chem Concepts for Engineers I
Intro to Engineering Profession
Intro to Programming with Computers</p>
<p>Spring</p>
<p>Calc II
Physics for Engineers II
Engineering Concepts and Methods
Probability and Statistics for Engineers
Engineering Analysis-Statics</p>
<p>Then over summer I'd take Calc III and maybe another core engineering class depending on if I could and Calc III isn't a pre req for it. That would put me close to being back on track with everyone else, but I feel like I'm playing intense catch up and will be for the majority of the rest of college if I switch at this point. I don't have a natural aptitude for high level math, but I'm a very hard worker and catch on relatively quickly compared to my peers (which would likely change if I move to engineering).</p>
<p>Plus if I stick with accounting, the majority of the classes have streaming online lectures. Meaning I can basically dictate my own schedule completely, which will allow for much more study, work and social time. I'm leaning towards sticking with accounting, but I just don't want to have a strong regret leaving college. Thanks guys.</p>
<p>I would carefully check the pre-reqs for the classes. You can probably continue to take more advanced engineering classes without having completed some of the math classes yet. If you can, you can probably work your schedule such that you don’t have to play such intense catchup.</p>
<p>Another option is to simply take an extra semester to graduate. That sounds like it would help you catch up as well as reduce the load in other semesters. You could probably stay closer to the minimum number of credits required for full time.</p>
<p>The summer thing isn’t a bad idea but you’re going to want to get some internships over the summer instead of just classes. Another consideration is a co-op program, which will delay your graduation but you will gain lots of work experience and make some money.</p>
<p>I would speak to a engineering professor in the area you are interested in. You could be playing a lot of catch up - not just in math judging from that course list for next year - that list looks like a typical engineering freshman course load. My major (engineering) required 2.5 years of math and not taking Differential Equations by my junior year would have made completing some of my nuclear assignments impossible. But I know that some engineering majors are not as tied to the math courses, hence, I suggest speaking to a professor. Another thing that may hamper your ability to do this is trying to transfer into engineering. Many schools fill their quotas their freshman year, and your stats may not make you competitive enough to transfer from your current department/college to the engineering college. They could very well look at you as a kind of transfer student.</p>
<p>I guess the only other thing I would say is that engineering calls you. It isn’t something you can reason an aptitude for, or find interesting because it has great job potential, etc. It’s a calling, I know plenty of people who thought they had that calling, and then left engineering to pursue something else once they were actually doing it in college.</p>
<p>Best of Luck to you.</p>
<p>Here is my suggestion: since you are in the accounting major already, why not just finish it? Accountants are professional and would have a really good salary range.</p>
<p>I would think that you should try and finish the accounting major first, work at a firm to see if you like it or not, then think of whether you want to switch career paths into engineering.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone. I’m 95% certain at this point I’m just going stay with accounting like BEngineer said. As I said before, its not like I’m choosing between passion and hate, its just two things that I think are great careers. I always toy with the idea of engineering but then by the end of the day, I come to the same rationale that FOR ME accounting makes more sense academically and financially. </p>
<p>Academically because I’m way ahead of my peers right now in Accounting due to numerous gen ed AP credits as well as a summer semester. Therefore, next year I only have 4 classes that I can/have to take for accounting and the other 4 will just be GPA boosters while some of my “competition” is doing harder gen eds. This will obviously give me an advantage in keeping my 4.0 for at least a little longer.</p>
<p>Financially because with my lighter course load I can work more, which is a plus for both work experience and paying for living expenses (luckily scholarships and fin aid cover my tuition and housing). </p>
<p>Thanks again for the help guys. Accounting looks like its the path for me. I certainly don’t love it or anything, but thats how I feel about all fields so as long as it is mildly interesting and challenges me (I’ve heard its akin to puzzles sometimes and that lots of logic is required), I’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Definitely finish accounting. You should go into engineering if you have a passion for it, not just for career prospects. Otehrwise, you’ll leave it for … accounting. Good luck!</p>