OT: Question to you engineering folks
- Thread starter NTDawg
- Start date
Where does he want to live? What industry?
Chemical, if he can cut it, probably ends up with a slightly higher career projection. Agree with C66 though, it's a good problem to have.
Chemical, if he can cut it, probably ends up with a slightly higher career projection. Agree with C66 though, it's a good problem to have.
Tell him to go Aerospace (biased response). It's more fun.
It really depends on his interests. Either is a great field. I would think that electrical would have a larger choice of jobs and locations, but that may not be the case.
It really depends on his interests. Either is a great field. I would think that electrical would have a larger choice of jobs and locations, but that may not be the case.
This is like someone asking if anyone is a doctor, and a dentist raises his hand. Yeah, technically, but... you know...
http://engineering.mit.edu/ask/so-many-engineering-fields-choose-how-do-i-pick-right-one
I am a Mechanical Engineer and both my dad and brother-in-law are EE's. See if your son can take an EE class (maybe an intro class) next semester, once he sees chemE and EE at the same time it should be a no brainer on what he feels more comfortable with. Thats how my dad and brother-in-law swapped engineering majors in college.
I am a Mechanical Engineer and both my dad and brother-in-law are EE's. See if your son can take an EE class (maybe an intro class) next semester, once he sees chemE and EE at the same time it should be a no brainer on what he feels more comfortable with. Thats how my dad and brother-in-law swapped engineering majors in college.
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Oh, I was picking on coach66 for being a software engineer rather than a hard-sciences engineer.
I think electrical is a good field to go into right now. All of the electrical engineers I know are doing really well, and enjoy themselves. I think chemical engineering can get a little abstract.
I think electrical is a good field to go into right now. All of the electrical engineers I know are doing really well, and enjoy themselves. I think chemical engineering can get a little abstract.
Well, truthfully it probably doesn't make a big difference which classes he's taking for the next year or so as long he's in one engineering degree. His core classes are probably rather transferable.
I'm an EE
Plenty of places to work in general & pretty diverse types of jobs (power, electronics, controls, etc.). Lots of co-op opportunities. I've only worked in Oak Ridge & Huntsville. Both are great places to live & have plenty of EE jobs. A lot of EE is like 2nd semester physics, so he may already have some exposure. I did more controls/linear systems at State & at UAH. Did electronics & optics at UT. I basically just do analysis now, but the pay is good & the work rewarding. Hard to beat the pay .vs. cost of living in Huntsville. Lots of Chemical Engineers in Oak Ridge. Not so many in Huntsville.
Plenty of places to work in general & pretty diverse types of jobs (power, electronics, controls, etc.). Lots of co-op opportunities. I've only worked in Oak Ridge & Huntsville. Both are great places to live & have plenty of EE jobs. A lot of EE is like 2nd semester physics, so he may already have some exposure. I did more controls/linear systems at State & at UAH. Did electronics & optics at UT. I basically just do analysis now, but the pay is good & the work rewarding. Hard to beat the pay .vs. cost of living in Huntsville. Lots of Chemical Engineers in Oak Ridge. Not so many in Huntsville.
Hey NTDawg! I'm actually an Electrical Engineering junior currently. I'd be able to answer any specific questions you have-- also, I am an ECE recruitment ambassador for the department and would love to give your son a tour of Simrall and the High Voltage lab if he'd like.
Additionally, if you want to get in touch with the academic advisor for the ECE department, shoot Mrs. Josie Guerry ([email protected]) an email
Additionally, if you want to get in touch with the academic advisor for the ECE department, shoot Mrs. Josie Guerry ([email protected]) an email
I don't think this statement is based in fact at all. Both Chemical and Electrical engineering are the highest paying bachelors degrees you can get, chemical being the slightly higher paid major (http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/majors-that-pay-you-back/bachelors). But there is a larger need for EEs (it's the fastest growing segment of engineering, along with CS), and there is a greater breadth of industries that EEs are involved in (Tech companies, aerospace, energy, automotive, medical, etc.) versus chemical engineers. The vast majority of Chem E jobs are in energy. Additionally all of the new, innovative technologies of the future are centered in computer hardware and software (self driving cars, better means of energy storage, drones, nano-tech, etc.). Our world is becoming more and more dependent on technology, and the need for smart people creating and designing technology continues to grow. Going to the job fairs at MSU, you will find that almost every company is looking for EEs. My friends in Chem E have a more limited amount of companies that are looking for Chem Es.
Your statement also infers that Chemical engineering is a more difficult major, and Mississippi State coincidentally considers Chemical Engineering and ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) to be the most rigorous Bachelors degrees at MSU. I am a junior in ECE right now and I can say with certainty that it is not a walk in the park. The ECE faculty at MSU is outstanding and while the curriculum is tough, the amount you learn from semester to semester is insane.
Bottom line:
Both Chem E and ECE are great majors (you cannot go wrong with either one)
ECE gives you more opportunity in a wider range of industries
I am proud of my major, and college is all about finding out what drives you
I work in the Electrical industry and the only downside is not much has
Changed since Ben's kite got struck. With that said electricity is essential to our way of life and
is a pretty stable industry with a bright future. Lot's of sales position opportunities with an engineering degree as well.
I might also add that I got two business degrees and ended up starting my career as a programmer and it has all worked out pretty well. It is just as important to select the right companies and right
opportunities as it is to choose the correct starting position.
Changed since Ben's kite got struck. With that said electricity is essential to our way of life and
is a pretty stable industry with a bright future. Lot's of sales position opportunities with an engineering degree as well.
I might also add that I got two business degrees and ended up starting my career as a programmer and it has all worked out pretty well. It is just as important to select the right companies and right
opportunities as it is to choose the correct starting position.
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Since we are talking programs at State...
My son is 15 and wants to do something computer hardware related. I was a History major, so I am clueless about the engineering programs. What would be a good path for that at State?
My son is 15 and wants to do something computer hardware related. I was a History major, so I am clueless about the engineering programs. What would be a good path for that at State?
That was how it was when I was in school also, although the $70k to $120k was more like $55k to $90k. I'm guessing your numbers are about to come back to earth some as a lot of chem e's were getting awesome jobs in the oil and gas field.
He'll be fine either way, but I think there is a projected to be a pretty large shortage of EE's as the current EE work force, which is heavily tilted toward boomers, beings to retire. EE's starting pay ahs lagged behind for long enough that I think EE enrollment hasn't kept up with the workforce needs.
That would be the Electronics and Computer Engineering field that most people are referencing in this thread. The Computer Science field has more to do with the software and programming side..
Chem E graduate here. Most people figure out if Chem E is right for them first semester of Sophomore year when they take Mass & Energy Balances and Fluid Flow. If he's already started in Chem E, I would recommend waiting until he starts taking these classes to see if Chem E is right for him. I had a lot of friends that transferred out of Chem E after first semester of Sophomore year and ended up still graduating after 4 years (without Co-op, 5 with).
As far as career path, most Chem E's end up doing process engineering and process design. Essentially scaling up small scale processes into large ones for major production. However I've had several friends that used their degree to go to medical school. I opted to go into the environmental and safety field. You're not really pigeon-holed into a career path with a Chem E degree.
Whatever your son decides to do, it sounds like he's got a good head on his shoulders and he'll be alright doing whatever he chooses to do.
As far as career path, most Chem E's end up doing process engineering and process design. Essentially scaling up small scale processes into large ones for major production. However I've had several friends that used their degree to go to medical school. I opted to go into the environmental and safety field. You're not really pigeon-holed into a career path with a Chem E degree.
Whatever your son decides to do, it sounds like he's got a good head on his shoulders and he'll be alright doing whatever he chooses to do.
Tell him to go search Indeed for different EE job titles and see what responsibilities interest him more. "Electrical Engineer" is a generic title, so things like Hardware engineer, Embedded software engineer, Firmware engineer, Controls engineer, systems engineer, test engineer, will yield better results. This will also give him an idea of where he'd never to live to focus his career in one of those specific areas.
Class of '85 ChemE weighing in here. My buddy, that graduated in my class, was not very studious and graduated in the bottom part of the class of 112 students. Today, he is the VP of operations for a large chemical company and has done very well for himself. Not many degrees afford a person with that kind of firepower. I think it also shows that grades are not always the best indicator of success in life.
Electrical engineers probably have a wider variety of opportunities along with overall better places to live. Most ChemE jobs are going to be located in the Gulf Coast area where all the refineries and petrochemical plants are located. There are no wrong choices here, just a matter of preference.
Electrical engineers probably have a wider variety of opportunities along with overall better places to live. Most ChemE jobs are going to be located in the Gulf Coast area where all the refineries and petrochemical plants are located. There are no wrong choices here, just a matter of preference.
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