why engineering ? ? ?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>since everyone who's here is into engineering,
can anyone help convince me why i should go into this field?
or even if i should at all??</p>

<p>a year ago, i was really into engineering.
but i've always wanted to combine it with environmental science,
and the only way that appeared possible within one degree (which doesn't have to be..but an engineer + environmental science major + the arts/business minors i MAY consider seem irrational)
..seems to be in environmental engineering.
and that, it turns out, is more like poop control than anything.
(feel free to disprove me at any point!)
sooo now i'm not so sure, </p>

<p>my pros cons list:</p>

<p>pros:
i like math & sciences
i'm up for problem solving, a constant challenge
engineering degree seperates you out from everyone else
i'm gonna admit it--there's the money factor, but its not too important</p>

<p>cons:
really structured curriculum that may not allow me to pursue those other interests
may have to work a bit too hard?
don't really wanna do just waste clean up and things
i'm not a math/science genius..may fall behind in the program</p>

<p>..and thats really it..
any input would be greatly appreciated :)</p>

2

<p>Well respected.</p>

<p>Great job opportunities.</p>

<p>Plenty of time after college to pursue those other interests.</p>

<p>Excellent salary.</p>

<p>Direct application of your skills to solving current problems can be satisfying.</p>

<p>You don’t need to be a genius at math to become a good engineer.
You just need to be determined and work hard.
Engineering isn’t nearly as tough as everyone says it is. As long as you are going into college with good habits and balance your time well you should be fine.</p>

<p>Engineering curriculum is very structured but personally I think it has helped me to stay focused on my main goal for college which is to do well and get an engineering degree.</p>

<p>yea if your not into the whole waste management thing than environmental engineering may not be for you.</p>

<p>What are your interested in doing anyway?</p>

<p>oh and…</p>

<p>Girls digg engineers!</p>

3

<p>Because I am not good enough for anything else.</p>

4

<p>That can’t be true. I am sure you are good enough for a lot of other things besides engineering.</p>

5

<p>The money factor may not seem like a big deal now, but it will when you graduate. When you graduate and are faced with all the expenses of the real world, money will seem a lot more real and you will consider it to be a lot more important.</p>

<p>I am sure there is more than just sewage control in environmental engineering. You could look at some companies you might be interested in working for to see what kind of job openings they may have.</p>

6

<p>In my honest opinion, I think the whole “let’s double major with 3 minors” ideology is goofy, and is a common trend amongst students who have little idea what they are interested in doing. If you are interested in something go pick up a textbook or google it and learn about it, you don’t need to take classes to accumulate a minor or extra major that no one will care about 10 years down the road (or sooner). Chances are you’ll forget the majority of what you learned in said minor/extra-major classes anyways.</p>

<p>/rant</p>

<p>My advice: do a little bit of research. Ask profs/counselors/upperclasmen, consult this website and others, and find out what environmental engineering is all about and if it really interests you.</p>

7

<p>A background in engineering is a practical way to APPLY your interest in environmental sciences. There are some good Environmental Science and Engineering (ESE) programs available, although they seem to be primarily grad/PhD level and would still require a strong background in engineering - but if you really want to pursue a career in the environmental sciences you may want to consider a master’s or PhD anyway - so why not think about combining both interests? See eg Caltech and UCLA’s sites on their ESE programs:</p>

<p>[Overview</a> [ESE @ CALTECH]](<a href=“http://www.ese.caltech.edu/overview/index.html]Overview”>http://www.ese.caltech.edu/overview/index.html)</p>

<p>[ESE</a> UCLA Environmental Science and Engineering Program](<a href=“http://www.ph.ucla.edu/ese/]ESE”>http://www.ph.ucla.edu/ese/)</p>

<p>Here are a few links to summaries of some of the top environmental studies/science/engineering programs which illustrates the variety of undergrad degree paths that can be taken in this interdisciplinary field:</p>

<p>[Top</a> 10 Environmental Science Colleges Ranked For 2009 - The Best Departments & Programs From Leading Universities](<a href=“GoDaddy Corporate Domains - Protected”>GoDaddy Corporate Domains - Protected)</p>

<p>[10</a> of the Best College Environmental Programs in the U.S. : TreeHugger](<a href=“http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/10-of-the-best-college-environmental-programs-in-the-us.php]10”>http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/10-of-the-best-college-environmental-programs-in-the-us.php)</p>

<p>If you do decide to consider environmental engineering, you might also want to check out the American Academy of Environmental Engineers site - here’s a link to a page where you can download a guide on environment engineering that includes a list of schools that offer undergrad environmental engineering programs:</p>

<p>[American</a> Academy of Environmental Engineers](<a href=“http://www.aaee.net/]American”>http://www.aaee.net/)</p>

<p>[Environmental</a> Engineering Selection & Career Guide: Electronic Edition](<a href=“http://www.aaee.net/Website/ElectronicSG.htm]Environmental”>http://www.aaee.net/Website/ElectronicSG.htm)</p>

8

<p>To the OP:</p>

<p>I think you really hit the nail on the head for most of your pros and cons.</p>

<p>First the pros:</p>

<p>

  • This is a very good reason to go into engineering, but not great by itself. There are plenty of majors that will involve math and sciences, or one or the other (physics, mathematics, biology and all its concentrations, etc).</p>

<p>

I think this reason, coupled with the above, is a great reason to go into engineering. The best thing to me about engineering is that it is applied math and science. Don’t get me wrong, I like math and science, but I would much rather take a class that has problems from real-life applications than learn just the theory behind the applications. Some schools (like mine) offer concentrations in Applied Mathematics that incorporate a lot of engineering classes. These type of majors can be great in order to get a wider variety of information about different fields at the undergraduate level.</p>

<p>

This is somewhat true. If you do well in engineering, you’re on the right path to have a good career in the future. An engineering degree also opens the door to a lot of other opportunities in various careers.</p>

<p>

Money is not the most important thing, but not feeling financially secure can cause a lot of stress and unhappiness. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be financially secure in the future. Then again, a person that makes $50k/year can be more secure than someone that makes $150k/year. It all depends on how you manage your money.</p>

<p>And the cons:</p>

<p>

This is a significant con in my book. Right now I am in Civil & Environmental Engineering, but soon going into a graduate program for Industrial & Operations Engineering. In the undergrad CEE program, there is only 9-12 credits of free electives. You are required to take 16 courses of humanities in addition to these. Let’s say you want to minor in mathematics. It is possible since you get the mathematical foundation as part of the program, but you need to know fairly on that is what you’re willing to do, or else you won’t be able to schedule it correctly. Basically, I feel it’s very hard to take technical electives outside of CEE.</p>

<p>

I don’t really think this is relevant. You’re going to have to work hard regardless of which major you choose. The hope is that you find something you’re interested in so you actually want to do the hard work, and gain some reward from it. Engineering is a tough major, but it’s also very rewarding.</p>

<p>

. I’m concentrating on EnviroE as well. From my experience, there really isn’t much room for specialization at the undergraduate level. If you want to become specialized in something besides water sanitation/waste management, you’ll probably want to attend graduate school anyway. At my school, there is a dual Masters program in Environmental Engineering and Natural Resources & Environment. Most of this work is focused on water management/ecological sustainability, but it is one example of many things you can do with Environmental Engineering. I would also like to point out that you can focus on environmental engineering aspects in pretty much any other engineering major.</p>

<p>

I am by no means a math/science genius either. I got a 24 on my Math ACT portion. I wouldn’t have stood a chance at getting into the engineering program at my current school as a freshman (I’m a transfer student, btw). However, with a hard work and dedication, I was in the top quartile of my mathematics and physics classes. I am truly in awe of some of the math majors that I come across. They are some smart cookies!</p>

<p>I hope that I addressed your concerns. Engineering is a very rewarding field and there is a lot that you can do with it in regards to sustainability. I am currently working as a research assistant for a water quality research project, for example. I believe I got the job over some of the Natural Resources & Environment people because I am an engineering major, and as such, have a decent background in mathematics and computer programming.</p>

9

<p>“In my honest opinion, I think the whole “let’s double major with 3 minors” ideology is goofy, and is a common trend amongst students who have little idea what they are interested in doing.”</p>

<p>People like to have some sort of validation. </p>

<p>I’m really just doing it for the money.</p>

10

<p>“pros:
i like math & sciences
i’m up for problem solving, a constant challenge…”</p>

<p>As people have mentioned, having an interest in the general math and sciences is a plus but it will only get you so far. Work ethic is king. I knew people who took all AP calcs their schools had to offer, got perfect or great scores on the AP exams, but still failed out of engineering before hitting their upper divs. </p>

<p>“cons:
really structured curriculum that may not allow me to pursue those other interests
may have to work a bit too hard?
don’t really wanna do just waste clean up and things
i’m not a math/science genius…may fall behind in the program”</p>

<p>The difficulty and structuring of the curriculum is more or less a personal viewpoint. For me, I’ve never had any issues with taking classes that interested me albeit I had to take more than 20 units per quarter to do so. If you want to excel in any field, you have to honestly put in the time. I.e. if studying for 12 hours straight is what you consider hard work…ex: don’t get on facebook for 10 of those 12 hours and pretend you studied for 12 (lots of people in the humanities, social sciences, etc. which I know do this).</p>

<p>Engineering is a very diverse field, and the degree will present you with many diverse opportunities. </p>

<p>As for not being a math and science genius, don’t sweat it. We all had to start from somewhere. Just put in the honest time.</p>

11

<p>For me, Im doing it because something in my gut is telling me to. I dont feel comfortable doing another major, even though I struggle with engineering. Hell ive even messed up numerous times in it, but I got back up and tried again at those classes. I was one of those people that just got A’s in high school without trying and college was a real wake up call. Ive always considered myself good at anything that someone teaches me and shows me the way to do it. I pick up things fast when I can connect the things together and make up my own scenarios. I like dealing with something that could actually save someone’s life or solve a problem that will save someone some time, energy, or their life later. I like to think about things and see why they work down to the nitty detail (if i have time or super interested in it). Most important reasons: the money and I cant see myself doing another major like liberal arts or math.</p>

<p>but since Im a late bloomer when it comes to college engineering, I like to take maybe a few science/engineering courses per semester and take some other classes to fill other requirements or my other major, which is Econ (still considering doing a double major)</p>

12

<p>*Girls digg engineers! *</p>

<p>Care to elaborate, alchemist? :)</p>

13

<p>similar thread , fyi</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/914696-how-did-you-decide-you-wanted-major-engineering-4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/914696-how-did-you-decide-you-wanted-major-engineering-4.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

14

<p>No…girls digg spring-semester college senior engineers once their now ex-football/basketball player boyfriend did not get drafted.</p>

<p>Sorry…flashback to being at Big-10 school with big sports programs</p>

15

<p>^ That makes more sense.</p>

16

<p>

</p>

<p>I noticed a similar phenomenon. The girls definitely got, for lack of a better way of putting it, less turned off by hearing someone was an engineer as time moved along. It is kind of funny.</p>

17

<p>"Well respected.</p>

<p>Great job opportunities.</p>

<p>Plenty of time after college to pursue those other interests.</p>

<p>Excellent salary.</p>

<p>Direct application of your skills to solving current problems can be satisfying."</p>

<hr>

<p>Engineering jobs are being outsourced left and right. I hope you did your research and did not choose engineering as a major because of an engineering “shortage.”</p>

18

<p>That’s why one needs to focus on engineering jobs that may not be easily outsourced. Of course, I can see the day when a US company imports foreign civil engineers to build a bridge in an American city. :(</p>

19

<p>Even if an engineering job cannot be outsourced, companies can bring in foreigners on H1B visas. And for a while, many people have said that engienering jobs related to defense are safe since it can’t be outsourced. Oops, not true either:</p>

<p>“The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Tata Industries Limited of India have agreed on a plan to form a joint-venture company that will initially include more than US$500 million of defense-related aerospace component work in India for export to Boeing and its international customers.”</p>

<p>[Boeing:</a> Boeing and Tata Industries Announce India Joint Venture](<a href=“http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2008/q1/080214a_nr.html]Boeing:”>http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2008/q1/080214a_nr.html)</p>

20

<p>What type of engineering job can’t be outsourced?</p>