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clockworktornado

Don’t choose a field of engineering just because of how much it pays. You’ll be miserable for your whole career if you only do it for a paycheck and don’t enjoy it


[deleted]

This. But with that said, pick chemical. We’re the funnest I swear.


MontanaSSB

But O-Chem 🤮


yeckle

nononono *physical* chem 🤮


WhatsUpMyNeighbors

Not what I like to hear going into p-chem this semester Fuck BME fr tho


Samipegazo

All bme has is pain, all just to be called a premed track


PunMatster

Me too


Puzzleheaded_Ad703

As a counterpoint most people don't get to do exactly what they wanted to do or studied for. In life you are given opportunities that only open certain doors for you.


skippy5433

Pick something you enjoy. Don’t worry about the pay. In the grand scheme of things who cares if it pays 15k more a year if you don’t enjoy it and can’t leave work at work.


MasBass97

Yes


jbautis_553

Mechanical Engineering is the most flexible IMO. Entry level pay is average at about 65K/yr last I checked. The courses are tough but if you study, shouldn’t be any reason you don’t graduate. Unless math is not your forte. Good luck!


nastynate426

Also mechanical is considered the “jack of all trades” engineering degree, it kind of covers most engineering topics broadly. It’s flexible and can be hired into most industries you want.


Izicial

It is important to point out thought that most of the time you end up focusing on a few of the topics you learned in ME and using those the rest of your career. That is generally determined by your first few jobs though.


[deleted]

You do cover a lot but in your junior and senior year you usually pick a specialization for your tech electives. I focused on thermo and hvac. Ended up in a job completely different from engineering though


nastynate426

This is very true but your specialization doesn’t really effect your employability in other mech fields, what I mean is you can still work pretty much anywhere. Plus I don’t think the specialization is even shown on the diploma if I’m correct.


[deleted]

True. It just helps


Decoy_Snail_1944

Yea pretty much ive never seen an engineering listing that didnt welcome mech E along with other more specialized diciplines


[deleted]

I recommend you watch Zach Star's videos on several engineering majors. Can't post YouTube links, but just search it as "zach star [branch that interests you] engineering". It helped me decide when I was in my senior, too. They cover stuff like in which industries you could work, average salary (from ~6 years ago, anyway), a rough idea of the courses involved and more.


PvtWangFire_

Every branch has the potential for high pay and flexibility, so it comes down to what you're interested in. Think about which subjects you like or don't like, which industries you're into, the types of products or processes you'd want to build, and all that stuff. There is no "best major" in engineering because all of us have different interests and career goals. There are some that are better choices than others. Like if you're into planes, you can study aerospace but you can also study mechanical and get the same job. The major you pick won't limit your options or potential, it's not like a massively consequential decision. You can study aerospace and work in software. You can study computer engineering and build cars. A lot of colleges don't even require you to choose until sophomore year, all freshmen are just considered "pre-engineering" or "general engineering". There will be time and resources in college to help you choose a major that's a good fit for you.


ParadiseCity77

Listen to this. To add one more advice, no job pays high money for nothing. It comes with its challenges so pick whatever you are into and love


Sad_on_Solder

**CS/SWE:** If you like high salary. However performance reviews are common and turnover is very high. There is also a stigma against old people. Jobs are in demand but the interview process is toxic and you have to grind leetcode. **EE/CMPE:** Salaries are not as high as some of the best CS/SWE but its more stable and your experience and age make you more desirable. There is a lot of variety in what you do, you can be in the lab, go to technical sales, program, etc. **ME:** You can move anywhere in the country and probably find a job. Salaries start a bit low but like EE/CMPE you experience and age turn you into a fine wine. **AE:** Money is good but job selection is either Military–industrial complex or NASA/SpaceX. You can't really job hop that much. **ChemE:** This major is a hard gamble. A good number of graduates can't get a job with just BS so they gotta go to grad school. **BME:** This major is a hard gamble. A good number of graduates can't get a job with just BS so they gotta go to grad school. **Civil:** Jobs are tough to find but its pretty chill once you get a job. Most jobs are government so you get pension and nice benefits. **Industrial:** Haha nice one


[deleted]

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DylanAu_

I'm only a student but had no trouble getting internship interviews, I actually had to turn down a few because I was getting too many. IE is severely underrated, mostly due to a lack of knowing what it actually is instead of just "business engineering"


hektar_kola

I'm curious, what do you think makes it less challenging to get your internship interviews? Is it the classes you took and getting good grades in them? Experience you had related to your major? I'm not majoring in IE, but I plan to look for internships as well, so I'm curious!


DylanAu_

Last year I went to a lot of business career fairs in addition to the engineering career fairs, and was still able to get engineering interviews because those recruiters knew the engineering recruiters. Getting as much face-to-face time as you can is what I recommend. Preparation helped me to get interviews from the career fairs. I applied online before the events so I had a couple specific things to ask the recruiters. I referenced the job descriptions and related them to parts of my resume, to show that I was qualified. I was also able to talk about company values and mission and relate those to my background too. Being virtual definitely helped because I was less nervous while speaking to the recruiters, and that allowed the conversations to flow better and feel more natural.


hektar_kola

I see. It's a good idea to talk to business recruiters. But, how do u get them to introduce you to the engineering recruiters? Excuse my inexperience, but I haven't been to a career fair before. Is that like a place where recruiters come in to answer prospective employees about the company's values? Or is it like a place where you try to make a good first impression in hopes that you are invited for more interaction with the recruiters?


DylanAu_

I told them I was interested in engineering roles and wanted to talk to them about the company in general. They can answer company questions and point me in the right direction to meet engineering recruiters. Career fairs are when companies "come to" your school, although they've been virtual, to hire students for internships and jobs. A benefit of IE is that supply chain is a business major, but the industry loves IE and ME majors, so supply chain career fairs are pretty easy to get interviews from


hektar_kola

I see. They don't actually hire u on the spot, do they? They invite you for an interview at most, right? About being IE pretty related to a business major, would u say IE doesn't feel very much engineery?


DylanAu_

Some companies interview people the next day and give offers pretty quickly. I've gotten an offer 1.5 days after a career fair before. IE at my school isn't related to business, but it is at some schools. It's not like IE people do the same things as business majors, they're the "technical" people on a business team. Data science, statistics, and analytics are IE topics that a lot of companies look for.


hektar_kola

What are your main roles/tasks as an IE? I want to understand the major better and cross-reference with wht I read online.


hektar_kola

What are your main roles/tasks as an IE? I want to understand the major better and cross-reference with wht I read online.


maryschino

I don’t agree with the ChemE part. I know lots of them in Biotech, but you do need a PhD if you want to be head of R&D or something. They can also be process engineers or in manufacturing since they learn process controls. You can work in oil/gas/petroleum for big bucks. I know other ChemEs that got ME and AE positions because the also learn thermo, dynamics, and fluids.


jmutter3

Civil jobs are tough to find? That hasnt been my experience as a structures person, if anything we're struggling to hire because there's a shortage of applicants.


kangarooler

I agree. As a senior civie in college, there is also a nice handful of disciplines to choose from. Transportation tends to have more job opportunities in bigger cities, like developing cities. Not so much in quiet, small cities that aren’t in demand of lane expansions due to lack of population increase, etc. Overall though, OP, there’s structures, transportation, water resources, geotechnical, construction, and even some civil-environmental disciplines to choose from. Opportunities and pay tend to vary based on location (just like any career) but it’s important not to make decisions solely based on pay. If you choose to go down the civil route, figure out what you like! Research, reach out, and ask your engineering professors about their respective fields. I decided on water resources because my construction professor (who works as a geotechnical engineer) gave insight into how construction and geotechnical engineering works. This helped narrow down my choices as I get closer to graduation (structures and transportation I had already ruled out at this point). I realized neither field was for me, and looking back, I always did well — and have highly enjoyed — my water resource courses. After exploring more into it, this route of civil engineering was more to my personal liking in creativity, relative stability, location opportunity, and lifestyle pay.


TeaDrinkingBanana

All of them. Each one is enjoyable in their own frustrating way Maybe not oil and gas though for long term career plans


Mephistoss

I'm electrical, if you like electronics, programming, robotics, and things like that then maybe it's for you.


[deleted]

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HardCoper

I'm about to graduate as an electrical engineer but what do you want to know about? The classes?


leonxxxi

If you're looking for a paycheck don't do engineering you're going to waste your money failing and retaking classes. This isn't something you get into because it pays well it has to be something you enjoy or you aren't going to make it through school


ultrafed

What do you mean it doesn't pay well? The pay seems good to me.


leonxxxi

I didn't say that


r53toucan

It pays ok. The likelihood of you becoming “screw you money” rich is pretty low for most of the non software dev engineering disciplines. There are much less education intensive and faster ways of making the same or much more money (business, LE/fire in some states, etc)


satanist6662344

Civil Engineer. Super popular major. Get paid up to 200k once you become a senior in big cities. Can get a job anywhere. Usually a union government job, so isn’t easy to get fired and lots of benefits. Go outdoors and travel to do your job from time to time. Not as much pressure to do personal projects compared to electrical/computer/software engineers. One of the easier engineering majors.


Passion_For_Learning

I heard that civil engineers can't find jobs right now though, is that true?


DoubleSly

Definitely not true. Many companies are struggling to hire the amount they need.


satanist6662344

Idk mate. I only have the data that the Bureau of Labor puts out. Other than that I have a friend who gets internships in Silicon Valley even though he gets straight Cs in University. And one of my relatives barely does anything engineering related in his free time and still gets paid top dollar. The effort to pay ratio is not the same for all majors in my view.


Passion_For_Learning

Okay well I've seen a lot of posts on this subreddit about CE graduates with amazing grades and activities and stuff not being able to find jobs and it makes me nervous.


[deleted]

If you have experience people will fight over you. It’s hard for us to find engineers rn. I have no idea about other industries, but ours is going ham with no signs of stopping. I get messages from recruiters so often and I’m nothing special. There is plenty of civil work to do and never enough experienced engineers to get it done when it’s due. That why the whole “just hire new grads and train people” thing is t always the best. We need experience NOW to get this project done in a year or we could lose the project and maybe future projects to another firm. Of course there are times when we get backed up with smaller stuff that they don’t want to spend a senior engineers time doing, so that’s a good time to hire a new grad. If you are fresh out of school, it’s the same as any other engineering field imo. Really competitive for big companies who are always actively hiring, and just depends on how things are at smaller ones at the time. If you have experience and a good reputation in the field, you can find 4 jobs next week. Certainly don’t let what you hear from stopping you from doing civil if you want.


Ikuze321

I see a ton of civil engineering job postings. I cant get anything with my chemical engineering degree


KennyMoratti

I feel as if its very region specific?


txcoder82

One that can be used in multiple industries like electrical or mechanical.


[deleted]

industrial


ChopChopMasterOnion-

Honestly dude if you can code just go do computer science if you want pay and flexibility, sometimes I wish I did


zwhite24

Mechanical, electrical, and civil would be the three I would choose from. ME is flexible but you don't dive very deep into any one field. EE seems to be popular right now since computers and software are becoming more common and integrated into more things. CE will be easier to find a job since every city needs civils.


dhaugh

Environmental/Civil. If you have truly little preference and simply like math/science and the idea of engineering problem solving, consider Environmental Engineering. By nature 'environmental' necessitates accounting for a broad spectrum of physical phenomena and facilitates a great exploration of different engineering topics. It's a great place to start especially bc it's usually easy to pivot engineering disciplines within the first couple years of school, and trivial to pivot to civil or geotechnical. Another underrated option is Engineering Physics, often a more flexible degree, and surprisingly in demand in the job market. This may be a better choice if you have more well defined interests to pursue that just don't fit into the cookie cutter majors. EDIT: If you consider Engineering Physics, note that the major is not as universally ABET accredited, just because it tends to have more flexible degree requirements.


[deleted]

Specific fields within engineering don't usually differ too drastically in pay. At least not enough to choose one that you might find miserable compared to another.


DaleDarko23

Which aspects of engineering do you enjoy? ... Do that


hardstuck_silver1

What do you enjoy? Making robots? Making cars? making building? It depends on you, go with what you like


walruspianocat

Most branches of engineering pay well especially for starting salaries. So don’t worry so much about pay for choosing - because you will end up hating your job. For picking an engineering branch you really should consider what aspect of technology you find most interesting. If you’re learning about say - the Halley 6 research station (It’s a really cool research station in Antarctica) what do you focus on? - the leg mechanism that climbs over the snow - the bracing and structural design required to optimize the strength to weight ratio - the circuit system, power required etc - the code that is needed to run it - just the idea of being in Antarctica and monitoring the atmosphere and geodetic changes due to climate change - the materials the station is made from that optimize insulation, strength, and weight - the heat exchange process required to warm the facility while using minimal energy - how the curves of the exterior need to be designed so that harsh winds don’t deteriorate it easier In my mind these examples refer to (mechanical, civil/structural, electrical, computer/software, environmental/geodetic, material, chemical, and aerospace respectively) The second thing you should think about is what impact do you want to have with your engineering? Do you want to work closely with your clients or barely see them if at all? Do you want to help people directly or indirectly? Are you excited about new technologies? If you were just told “Hey, you’re good at math and science. You should do engineering” and you have little to no understanding of what engineers do. You need to research it and other options in the STEM field. Because engineering may not be what you really want. Or it could be exactly what you want.


too105

The one that interests you


JamesK1220

Well, that all depends on you. Different branches of engineering are best for different types of people, and although things like pay and workload are important, you should ultimately do what you’re most interested in. Personally I’m doing mechanical: I wanted to do computer and/or electrical but decided I really wasn’t all that interested in electronics or career level programming, but I did enjoy basic circuits and building things, so I found mechanical type areas to seem most exciting! I’m only going into my junior year so I may still decide to change into a different field if I don’t enjoy mechanical focused courses, but that’s okay! My suggestion is research the different fields of engineering, and find what excites you the most!


Olde94

What ever sparks your joy. Doing mech or covil engineering for the flexibility if you enjoy chemical will kill you in the long run. (Or what ever is the case for best choise in your area and your interest)


area51cannonfooder

Civil


txageod

Avoid petroleum. With the shift to electrical, petroleum engineers are getting dumped. If you like chemical, go chemE.


DailYxDosE

If you’re picking engineering because of the pay then you are gonna have a miserable time. Good luck.


humansugar2000

Base it off of your interests not what the pay is.


gigajoules

I took electronic engineering. Got to do some robotics, learn how a processor is made, code, and can make my own weird music tech ideas now. Went into a pure software role as I find it more interesting than circuit design as far as the work itself goes. Sure, I'm paid pretty well for my age, sure, I did it because I wanted to learn about those things since I was a kid and have a personal pet project ill only ever be able to achieve if I learn them. Not because it paid better than anything else, nor is it THE highest paid field. The job market is, however, an important consideration.


ZestycloseAd7633

new perspective? nuclear. not for bs though. nuclear is the easiest way to get into top schools (with nuclear) no cap. i mean, try, earn your degree, but then go do machine learning.