<p>I'm not saying I'm going to go into it, I'm just curios what you guys think. I'm either going to become a Mechanical or Aerospace engineer they both interest me a lot. Are those good jobs for the future? I'm going to be a senior in high school next year. I am also interested in Computer Science. Is that a good career? I heard you need at least a Masters to get a good job in it. I was planning on getting a masters in the field I go into anyway. So, what will be the best engineering in the future (10-15 years), is Aerospace and Mechanical engineering good, and is computer science good?</p>
<p>They’re all good. You don’t need a Master’s degree in any of them to get a good, upper-middle-class-with-suburban-family lifestyle. A Master’s degree can’t hurt in any of these highly technical fields.</p>
<p>CS employment is probably >> than Aero + MechE employment (consult the BLS OOH).</p>
<p>davidthefat is right.
Human/social engineering. Cloudsourcing. The manpowers. Right there. Everyone is doing a little and worth maybe a couple tens of thousands of dollars to the market.</p>
<p>What looks the best right now may not be in four years.</p>
<p>For example, consider civil engineering in 2005. Job prospects looked hot then, but were poor for those who went in as freshmen in 2005 but graduated in 2009.</p>
<p>On the other hand, computer science was shunned (relatively) then because of recent tech bubble crash memories. But computer science graduates were among the most successful 2009 graduates in finding jobs.</p>
<p>You’re wrong pacalldway
Petroulium engineering is not the best .
The world is trying to get rid of petrol and start relying on other natural power sources .
As for which one is the best , I really have no idea , I’m not an expert .</p>
<p>Core disciplines like electrical and mechanical are pretty safe. Niche disciplines like petroleum and nuclear are risky - more lucrative at times, but with high risk of unemployment as political tides and resources shift. Computer Science is similar, as the low start-up costs make this a lucrative field, but it is also the single easiest “engineering” discipline to outsource.</p>
<p>I think UCB has it right. Everything goes in cycles. Right now Computer Science and Computer Engineering look like the best majors out there, but in 5 years no one will know. Similarly Civil right now looks awful because there’s no construction going on, but no one can say what it will be like in 5 years. And 5 years will just be (about) when you’re starting your career, then you have 40+ years to be in it.</p>
<p>I would be weary of Aerospace due to the small number of firms which hire Aerospace engineers. Say, if 1 shut down, it would have a very dramatic impact on hiring for Aerospace engineers. By contrast, there are thousands and thousands of firms which hire Mechanical engineers.</p>
<p>If I became an Aerospace, I would like to work for boeing. My grandpa knows a lot of senior managers there and they email my dad every week because they want him to come back. I think it would be pretty easy for me to get a job there.</p>
<p>From what I heard, we need more people to do modeling and simulation in aerospace, and defense industry. So if you like to do something with computer, it’s a good track.</p>
<p>First, branches of engineering that are based on limited natural resources do NOT have the brightest future. Yes, petroleum engineering pays a ton right now, but in 100 years how will it look when there is either no more petroleum or the world has moved off f a petroleum-based economy?</p>
<p>Second, as previously stated, the core engineering disciplines will be around forever and one could therefore argue that they have the brightest future since they are guaranteed to be around. Humanity will always need machines, buildings/infrastructure and seemingly computers and electrical systems. Those specialties will always be here.</p>
<p>Finally, what does it matter? In any of our lifetimes, there won’t likely be any major engineering field that suddenly dies. They are all going of be relatively safe majors to choose and yet people will still ask these kinds of questions.</p>
<p>Also as a side note to Meverest, Boeing doesn’t seem to be very big on nepotism. There is no such thing as a legacy. This isn’t the Ivy League. If you get a job at Boeing, it will be on your own merits, not because your father and grandfather were good engineers. I doubt HR even knows that.</p>
<p>They know people inside of boeing that do the hiring. They talk to them and put in some good things about me. They just got my mom a job there and she wasn’t that qualified…</p>
<p>My son just finished his first year as an aerospace engineering major. He does not anticipate having problems getting a job in three or four years from now. Yes, there are cutbacks happening at major aerospace corporations currently, as the budget at NASA is being cut…But these things tend to run in cycles and by the time he graduates, who knows? Also, there are a lot of small, private companies now in the aerospace field, like Space X, who will really be the leaders in aerospace for the future. I have a friend who has been an aerospace engineer for a long time. When he was in high school, his father tried to discourage him from going into the field, saying it was a dead field…Well, he has never been unemployed and has worked for years at Northrup Grumman. So, see, you never know.
I think you should pick whatever field of engineering interests you the most…you need to like what you are doing.</p>
<p>I agree with Rousse54. If you like what you’re doing and you’re good at it, you’ll do fine. I would still study structural engineering if I had it to do over again, even with the up-and-down nature of the constrution industry.</p>
<p>If you like aerospace, do ME undergrade + AE grad, so that you get the broad spectrum degree to fall back, and then the specialized masters to pinpoint exactly what you’re most interested in.</p>
<p>Petroleum is still the best. Assuming it takes about 6-8 years for someone to complete their education and become a petroleum engineer. The starting salary will be about $90,000 and can peak at $170,000. Yeah all the countries are trying not to depend on fossil fuels but it’ll take about 30+ years (much longer than the 6-8 years required for education) before we find a better fuel source. And sure like one poster said that all our sources will be depleted in 100 years but in 100 years we will also be dead… Petroleum and aerospace engineering are your best bets</p>