<p>I have a son who is looking at EE, but I am getting really nervous about the number of students who seem to start it and then hate it, or go on to work in the field and hate it. Yikes? What do you think???</p>
<p>What attracts your son to EE? In my experience, a lot of EE majors hate it during school because the classes are difficult, demand a lot of time and effort, and tend to give low grades. Others get weeded out during freshman or sophomore year and drop out of the major. I think those who enter the major without strong interest or ability in math and science (especially physics) tend to suffer more, e.g. those who were attracted to EE primarily by its high starting salaries.</p>
<p>I guess what attracts him is that he is a techy kid always tinkering with electronic stuff. He is strong in math and science, although he hasn't taken Physics yet (in the fall, AP). He has built several computers and is very knowledgeable about computer hardware. He built a water cooling system for his computer and is always ordering computer gadgets in the mail (I don't know what they are - his favorite store is called "Frozen CPU"). He is the Network Assistant at school, and gets paid to do that over the summer.</p>
<p>But, how do kids even know what EE is? I'm just a little worried because more and more people are pelting us with stories of kids who are miserable about EE.</p>
<p>There aren't a lot of ways for high school students to be exposed to EE before taking a college course, but there's a significant correlation between enjoying and performing well in AP Physics C and EE. If your son does well next year, that should be an encouraging sign, because Physics is known as one of the tough weeder courses taken by college freshmen.</p>
<p>i'm not 100% sure on EE myself...i mean, i'm fairly into tech, do OK in physics (i got an A in AP Phys C Mech, but didnt always get everything completely...if i tried harder this year, i'm sure i would have done better), and do great in calculus. but...after seeing some of the stuff engineers take, it doesn't seem nearly as interesting as i thought. </p>
<p>i absolutely love music, no doubt there, and the school i'm going to (USC) has a fairly strong engineering department, but it also has a Music Industry BS which i'm sure i'd like. i wont lie...i'm taking EE over that major because it probably has more lucrative career opportunities, including opportunities in the field i'm interested...but is it a good idea to get into EE solely as a means to an end, even if that means isn't as desireable as another available option?</p>
<p>As a current EE major, I agree with the courses being difficult and boring. However, the project as a final I had to do was a lot of fun, even with all the problems I had. Anyways, we had to get a robot to walk a straight path, and then later avoid an obstacle. For me, it's stuff like that that keep me in this major. Also since your son is interested in computers, why doesn't he also look into computer engineering?</p>
<p>Like I said earlier, the people who end up being miserable in their jobs tend to be those who had other interests but decided to get into EE as a means to an end.</p>
<p>Maybe you can start off with a double major, and then choose to pursue on of them for soph year. I think this should be safer than changing majors incase if he doesnt like EE</p>
<p>My son is an EE major and he likes it. He works his butt off and doesn't get as much sleep as his friends who have easier majors but he still feels that EE/Computer Engineering is what suits him best. Either EE education is getting better over time or Cornell does it better than Michigan, but my son's courses in EE (Cornell) seem infinitely more interesting than my courses at Michigan decades ago. (I suspect that it is more the nature of the different eras than the different schools.)</p>
<p>I think that what a lot of people mean when they say they "didn't like EE" was that they "really couldn't hack the workload or have the aptitude to grasp the concepts". </p>
<p>Weenie, based on your son's current interest level and apparent aptitude, if he wants to pursue EE, I wouldn't stand in his way. However, do recognize that EEs of today will be competing in a global market of EEs. Also recognize that when pursuing a career in engineering, especially something like EE, that he is signing up for a career of constant re-education. What he learns now will be obsolete 5 or 10 years from now, perhaps sooner. If the constant learning about new technology turns him on, then EE may be a good choice. However, if he wants to go to college, learn some facts and then be done with the learning experience he may be better off in a different major.</p>
<p>im EE and I am not looking forward to the difficult courses...what's keeping me going is the technology, the flexibility of the major and the career oppurtunities</p>
<p>"the flexibility of the major" - how is EE flexible? i thought it was one of the most focused field there is..</p>
<p>EE is an extremely broad field</p>
<p>Good advice fundingfather. Thanks. I think it is actually a good thing that it requires ongoing learning. Maybe that it will keep it interesting in the long run. And I wouldn't stand in his way - I just want him to understand that it's a tough road, but I don't want to scare him off either. When I say EE it could be Computer Engineering instead...that remains to be seen.</p>
<p>Your son sounds like the type that would really enjoy it. My oldest son "thought" he wanted to do EE but quit after the freshman year. I think he saw only potential dollar signs in his future and didn't realize the amount of math involved. He was going into EE for the wrong reasons, as stated above. Wish your son could build me a cooling system for MY computer :)</p>
<p>My son got a clever thing called a "Chill Pad" that is an additional cooling device for laptops that helps to vent away the heat. He said it works pretty well (just until weenie's son invents better hardware!)</p>
<p>I'm a ECE major and I can't see myself in any other engineering major.</p>
<p>lkf725, best wishes on the chill pad. Sounded great and two of my kids had them. Only problem? they quit within a year! Not exactly what I expected for 50 bucks.</p>
<p>anonamous: it's very flexible...even in the major you can choose to go into a variety of different fields...electronics, power, control systems, nanotechnology, signal processing, telecommunications. Career wise EE majors are hired in various other areas such as finance, analyst, consulting, trading...</p>
<p>Oh mominin, I'm sorry your chill pads didn't work so well. The one we got is still working after a year (knock-on-wood!), and I am told it does a pretty decent job of cooling the laptop during desktop use. Maybe there is a warranty? Or who knows, maybe there is a better device available this year :)</p>