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You should choose a field that you would enjoy and are good at. Hopefully you can pick a field that will be lucrative AND enjoyable. I know engineers who could not get jobs in engineering, so be careful. 4 Years of school for an engineering degree will not be a picnic if you don't like the work, and if for some reason you can't find a job after you graduate, you will be very unhappy if you were just in it "for the money."
I would say Chemical engineers are still at the top of the earning list, so you can try that. A lot of engineering majors end up in management at technical companies or in the government, so as long as the government continues to have money (or be able to borrow money) you should be more secure with an engineering degree than an English degree, for instance.
Finally, you can make a good living and be successful no matter what field you choose. Some may be harder than others. Even as an artist, for instance. If you know how to get government and private contracts for artwork, write a contract and generate your own business through advertising you can definitely do well as even an artist. If you're lazy and unmotivated, you can fail in any field.
I feel sorry for all of the kids who studied "finance" because they saw dollar signs and now have very little hope of getting a job. For people who studied that field solely for financial gain, they're very unhappy right now. So, if you can find a field of engineering that you would like to do for a living, maybe you can find out what is involved in the curriculum and what jobs are available in the field as well as the projections for future employment. I believe the department of labor has such a list that they update regularly. I think it might be DLLR.gov but if you like engineering, you can figure out where to find the data. If you think you can do okay with the curriculum and you'll ENJOY the type of job available for that degree, then go for it.
While it is true that engineers use a significant amount of math compared to other fields, a person pursuing a degree does not need to be a mathematician. Trigonometry is the most utilized subject of math by engineers. The reason that programs require a knowledge of higher level math is mainly for competency. There are simply some problems that will require a working knowledge of Calculus or differential equations.
More important traits that a prospective engineer need to have are critical thinking skills, imagination, reasoning, and self-discipline. The main thing an engineer does is solve problems. The only reason why they are paid well to do this is the fact that their employer lacks the ability to solve the problem themselves.
One problem with engineering being math intensive is that people who are good at math assume they will make good engineers. This isn't entirely so. Many times being a human calculator isn't enough. If you are unable to find creative solutions to unique problems, its reasonable to expect your career to reflect that. On the other hand, if you are creative and good at math you can excel. This is simply because for many engineering students, the only thing they are good at is math.
If a person has the desire to pursue an engineering degree, but was only mediocre in high school math, they should at least try. It may take extra work on their part to understand the college level math, but it can be possible to with determination. If they find out they're just not up to it, they can easily switch majors early on. The only reason a person should avoid engineering, when it comes to math, is if they want to avoid the subject all together.
+1
I definitely agree here. There is myself and other students who excelled in calculus in high school and the first year in engineering but ran through difficulties understanding the basic concepts with the higher level engineering courses. Then there were those that suffered in calculus (high school, and 1st year college) but were able to pull through the 2nd-4th yr. engineering courses. For me, Computer Science was a better choice being math inclined, but not into the engineering aspect. However some schools have moved CS, into the Engineering schools, though majority of courses are different, and a small overlap of courses.
However, once a student graduates, its how one makes use of it. I know many with an engineering degree doing work in finance, strategy or implementation-software. The key is that employers generally value the engineering degree on the resume, as they figure if one can pass an engineering program (generally a tough one), one will be able to be competent in this line of work.
Engineering has so many branches that I'm confused. Is electrical engineering promising? Does Petroleum pay a lot in job market? Don't you think nuclear engineering will damage your health and leads to cancer? Will you be able to make a living when you are old if you pick up computer engineering which develops too fast to keep pace with?
Is there anyone interested in engineering major?or is there anyone who knows something about some fields in engineering?
any information or opinion are expected!Thanks
Picking a career path isn't easy. Sounds like at the moment you are fixated on engineering. You should know up front that being an engineer doesn't mean you will be a rich man. Starting salaries will probably range anywhere from low 40's to 70's depending on any number of factors. It's hard to say what branch of engineering has the best outlook for the future.
Pick what you would enjoy doing....if that's what you want to do.
I always had an interest in aviation and it made sense for me to choose Aerospace Engineering. It's not the easiest field to find/keep a job either. But I had a job waiting for me straight out of school.
As far as your concerns for safety on the job goes you need to study that and ask questions about the particular job that you will be doing. If you don't feel comfortable proceeding to work in the environment then you need to choose something different.
I have a relative on my wife's side of the family that works as a contractor at nuclear power plants. It's a 6 months on - 6 months off type of gig. I believe it has something to do with dispelling radiation from her body before she can return to work. They don't want her there all year long.
I hate it when that happens. The OP is usually long gone!
Who cares if it is an old thread? The OP is never the only one to benefit from a thread, otherwise nobody would maintain or participate in forums. I found this thread on a search engine and enjoyed reading it. It does not really harm the continuity of the thread to have it span years.
Since the original posts in this thread, I wonder how many people would have the same opinion about a career in engineering?
I am an electronics engineer by training and feel that is has been hit hard by becoming less novel over the years, but more importantly, all forms of creative and wealth producing activity in the US have been undermined by economic trends that have poured money and effort into non-productive areas such as banking, speculation, and unnecessary services. Having our best and brightest engineering and science talent and financial funding lured away to wall street to play games with money instead of productively creating wealth (wealth is what you buy with money) is a corrosive influence on our real economy.
As an individual, there is nothing to do for this except to do your part to be a person who creates wealth for your society instead of being a person who takes the food from others mouths to gorge themselves a thousand times over. Being an engineer is and always will be a good honest job that supports the economy and improves everyone's lives.
If you want to know if engineering is a good career path, I would suggest that you look around and see for yourself if the US is building anything. Do we have an electronics industry, what about construction or aviation, are those fields growing in the US? I have a degree in Engineering Physics, and I can tell you that many of the recent graduates are having a very tough time finding long term work. Most of the grads I know have been employed by the FEDs and that's in many cases if they have a military background. Look around and see what industry is actually hiring engineering grads and scientists before making a decision as to what you want to study. But be advised the even if one industry is hiring at the moment, no guarantee exists that the market will be the same or better when you graduate.
Bottom line, there is no safe haven when you are in the economic storm that we are experiencing. Engineering is a VERY demanding field of study, and you'll be competing against foreigners for jobs. But if you excel in the field, then you know that you've accomplished something, and that is worth something. It's up to you if its worth that much debt if you need to go the student loan route...
... but more importantly, all forms of creative and wealth producing activity in the US have been undermined by economic trends that have poured money and effort into non-productive areas such as banking, speculation, and unnecessary services. Having our best and brightest engineering and science talent and financial funding lured away to wall street to play games with money instead of productively creating wealth (wealth is what you buy with money) is a corrosive influence on our real economy.
Just five years ago there seemed to me to be millions of "highly trained mortgage specialists" whatever that meant. And giving $550k mortgages to janitors earning $50k clearly indicates their wealth of knowledge and business savvy and acumen.
Experts indeed. How could anyone have foreseen once the loan reset, once payments became more than the janitors gross income, that he might not be able to make payments? Mortgage specialists and experts indeed.
Meanwhile the experts were making obscene amounts of money doing the greatest damage to the republic since the civil war.
Today many of these experts don't have a job and really no skills. Their heyday, their high water mark, is now behind them and from now on it's all downhill.
Ross Perot tried to warn us nearly 20 years ago about the great sucking sound of jobs leaving once NAFTA was signed.
While it is true that engineers use a significant amount of math compared to other fields, a person pursuing a degree does not need to be a mathematician. Trigonometry is the most utilized subject of math by engineers. The reason that programs require a knowledge of higher level math is mainly for competency. There are simply some problems that will require a working knowledge of Calculus or differential equations.
More important traits that a prospective engineer need to have are critical thinking skills, imagination, reasoning, and self-discipline. The main thing an engineer does is solve problems. The only reason why they are paid well to do this is the fact that their employer lacks the ability to solve the problem themselves.
One problem with engineering being math intensive is that people who are good at math assume they will make good engineers. This isn't entirely so. Many times being a human calculator isn't enough. If you are unable to find creative solutions to unique problems, its reasonable to expect your career to reflect that. On the other hand, if you are creative and good at math you can excel. This is simply because for many engineering students, the only thing they are good at is math.
If a person has the desire to pursue an engineering degree, but was only mediocre in high school math, they should at least try. It may take extra work on their part to understand the college level math, but it can be possible to with determination. If they find out they're just not up to it, they can easily switch majors early on. The only reason a person should avoid engineering, when it comes to math, is if they want to avoid the subject all together.
I suck at math, but I stuck at the exam problems until the instructor told me to go home.
I'm in no way giving up on this field, but I'm beginning to suspect that it's all about being "the fastest on the draw" when it comes to critical thinking and math in general.
I've written about a few areas for engineering technicians are extremely good in terms of job availability and pay.
Pay in realm of $50 to $80k and more in metro areas such as New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania where a technician with 5 to 10 years experience can and do earn six figures. For jobs google NICET ACI JOBS.
It's a specialized niche field that few know even exists and fewer yet work. In case you think there can't be much to concrete check this out. The certifications holding the most value are the ACI Aggregate Technician Certification Program, ACI Inspector Certification Program and ACI Laboratory Technician Certification Program.
OK, so it isn't a four year degree but jobs are very plentiful, lucrative with good benefits.
Last edited by nicet4; 03-07-2011 at 01:21 PM..
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