<p>Just for fun, since you guys are in science / engineering, which engineering majors are most worthwhile? Which ones offer stimulating academics and good career opportunities? Which aren't so great (in your experience)? Why? What about math / science majors? How do you distinguish between "science" and "engineering" majors (ABET, "engineering" in the name, etc.) Do you guys have any strong feelings about this?</p>
<p>Bio Engineering</p>
<p>Science majors = lab rat
Science majors with PhD = Scientist/Nerd
Engineering major = underpaid intellegent work horse (like making Mr. Ed plow the farm)</p>
<p>I don't like to see science majors get engineering jobs. However, in some cases the scientist has a good head and ample work experience to qualify them as an engineer, at least by title. </p>
<p>Worthwhile engineering? Anything that can get you into R&D, probably need a PhD or at least a masters.</p>
<p>Not much research in Civil I guess. Though chances of owning your own firm, or working for yourself are better.</p>
<p>Research in civil engineering is pretty much limited to academia. I haven't heard of a private firm making money off of research in this field. Who would pay for it anyway? </p>
<p>The answers to the OP's questions will probably vary greatly from person to person. </p>
<p>Worthwhile engineering to me is working on interesting projects. R&D has never really interested me, but I'm not sure if that's because of my field of interest or because I don't like R&D.</p>
<p>Stimulating academics depend on the person. I'm interested in my field, but not really any others. There are good career opportunities in most engineering fields, though some are better than others, depending on what you're looking for.</p>
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I haven't heard of a private firm making money off of research in this field. Who would pay for it anyway?
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<p>We have a self-sponsored R&D department in Austin.</p>
<p>My old firm had an entire research/testing lab in Northbrook.</p>
<p>I've heard of lots of collaborative engineering research being done between design and forensics firms and university engineering departments. It's lucrative if you can come up with better ways and develop better tools to do cutting-edge things.</p>
<p>petroleum, by far...</p>
<p>Petroleum not for the job, it can be stressful. But for sign on bonus, paid relocation, paid gas expenses, tabs at restaurants and hotels, several weeks off(you also work several weeks at a time though, travel experiences in some good locations and some bad(all depends if you are up for the adventure). I wanted to do something dynamic. Something that was different day to day. I would probably shoot myself if I had to go to a plant every day for the rest of my life, but some people like that type of lifestyle. Every person is different. Science major is someone who really likes research or going for pre med concentration. Science PhD is someone who really loves the subject they are in. A PhD in engineering is someone I really don't understand at all. Considering the fact that a bachelors degree in most fields is the highest you need to obtain, and Engineering PhD's in industry are like watching a Solar Eclipse. You only see those guys every once and a while. I really don't understand why someone would major in engineering if they didn't want to work in an industry or work in a business type of setting. Usually, people become an engineer because they love a particular type of industry or product. I don't even see why you would do engineering if you didn't. Like aerospace engineers building fighter jets or computer engineers who are in love with their laptops. I know plenty of people in the sciences that are doing it be they just love chemistry, biology, or staring at rocks. Your not meeting too many peole these days that are doing it for the love of it. They just want a job that they can make a decent living on. Which that is a pitful excuse to do anything. That is like me wanting to be the chief programming architect for microsoft when I hate to program. I wish I had a dollar every time I met a computer engineer or CS who hated programming with a passion. I'm like you are seriously screwed up in the head.</p>
<p>That would be strange. A CS major who doesn't like programming? That's like a Math major who doesn't like solving equations, or an engineering major that doesn't like making stuff.</p>
<p>"That would be strange. A CS major who doesn't like programming?"</p>
<p>CS is about a lot of things. Programming, math, theory, hardware. I've run into lots of people who like to do the architecting and design end of engineering projects. You may have researcher that prefer the theory side.</p>
<p>I recall a project where there were a lot of the highly educated theory guys building something rather substantial. It eventually got canned after at least tens of millions (maybe even way more than that) in expenses as they kept missing their schedules and scaling back functionality.</p>
<p>Yeah, I've met countless people like that. One guy today in fact. I'm like "So, what is your major?" He is like "Oh, computer engineering." My reply was "well, I was never the programming type, I love geology and mechanics." "He is like, well I don't like programming either." I swallowed my tongue.</p>
<p>Well, BCEagle91, as a CS major myself I understand that there's a lot more to it than programming.</p>
<p>Still, CS seems like a waste if you can't appreciate programming to some degree. Programming is really a rush. Further, any good CS major should be able to program reasonably well. I know it's fashionable to say otherwise, but that's how I feel.</p>
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Yeah, I've met countless people like that. One guy today in fact. I'm like "So, what is your major?" He is like "Oh, computer engineering." My reply was "well, I was never the programming type, I love geology and mechanics." "He is like, well I don't like programming either." I swallowed my tongue.
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<p>Well CompE isn't all about programming. For every class that involves programming I have a class that involves EE. And the type of programming CompE's do is mostly low level programming which is different from enterprise programming. </p>
<p>After all, CompE is really a subset of EE. But a CompE that doesn't like programming must have had a long four years.</p>
<p>Yeah, it would be like me pursing an english degree. I would probably take death instead.</p>