What type of engineering is for me?

<p>Hey Guys,</p>

<p>Alright so i am a high school junior and i was wondering what type of engineering major would be right for me (or other non-engineering majors).</p>

<ul>
<li><p>I like hands-on work</p></li>
<li><p>I want to ACTUALLY use advanced math regularly, i don't want to study all this math in college and then not use it it in my job (i really like math and problem solving)</p></li>
<li><p>I would like to work in a major city one day</p></li>
<li><p>I also want to make a good amount of money </p></li>
</ul>

<p>I have been considering: </p>

<ul>
<li><p>computer science</p></li>
<li><p>aerospace/aeronautical engineering </p></li>
<li><p>electrical engineering</p></li>
</ul>

<p>I would like to double-up with a ____________ major and a mathematics major. Is that possible/likely?</p>

<p>I was almost completely set on computer science because i am fascinated with computers and i would be able to work in a city for major companies (google, adobe, cisco, yahoo, etc.) but the more i read up on it i realized that computer scientists/software engineers don't actually use the math they earn in school in their jobs and computer science doesn't include much hands-on work like aerospace/mechanical/electrical engineering. I was also really considering aerospace engineering because i heard it is one of the most math extensive engineering types and includes a lot of hands-on work but i wont be able to work in a major city (at least i think). I have also heard that electrical engineering uses a lot of math. </p>

<p>I colleges that interest me are harvard, princeton, stanford, notre dame, vanderbilt, duke, University of Pennsylvania.</p>

<p>Assuming i get into all these schools, what college should i go to and what should i major in based on the information i gave you (sorry for being so long haha) Thanks in advance guys!</p>

<p>*Other suggestions on colleges with strong engineering programs, and/or majors are greatly appreciated</p>

<p>(i have also posted this thread in high school life)</p>

<p>Hands-on as in design, make and assemble your own devices? There aren’t many places like that anymore. My brother is CivE, spends time outdoors, but never gets to drive the bulldozer. Maybe someone has some ideas, but, typically, the hands-on guys are paid a lot less than engineering salaries.</p>

<p>You sound like a candidate for computational science. Engineers use math-intensive tools, but rarely study the mathematics to write the code. I use calculus all day but it is written into application software. It is more likely in research positions. </p>

<p>Computer science would be the most likely for jobs in major cities with large companies. Check this out:</p>

<p>[Revenge</a> of the Nerds: Tech Firms Scour College Campuses for Talent - Yahoo! Finance](<a href=“http://finance.yahoo.com/news/revenge-of-the-nerds--tech-firms-scour-college-campuses-for-talent.html]Revenge”>Revenge of the Nerds: Tech Firms Scour College Campuses for Talent)</p>

<p>By the way, good list, but add Carnegie Mellon.</p>

<p>If you’re hands on like me maybe consider electrical engineering, you definitely won’t be hands on with computer science. I understand that being hands on is a rarity in the industry but I’m still going with electrical engineering because I like creating circuits and I love electronics in general so even if it isn’t all hands on I’ll love it.</p>

<p>Thanks Megatron,</p>

<p>when i said “hands-on” i didn’t mean driving a bulldozer i meant like putting things together with my hands unlike just writing code all day. And i checked out Carnegie Mellon and sounds great if i choose to study computer science but otherwise ill probably choose to go somewhere else.</p>

<p>But thanks again</p>

<p>You missed some of the best parts about CMU. Ansys started there and is still headquartered nearby, probably the mathiest multi-disciplinary group around. They have manufacturing concentrations within the different areas, allowing for a more hands-on focus. They have one of the best small business incubators of any school - startups would have the type of idea-to-product excitement you seem to be seeking.</p>

<p>Isn’t Megatron the big Transformer? I’m way more old-school than that.</p>