Alexander
What type of engineering degree do you recommend?
I am currently majoring in Civil Engineering but thinking of changing my major to Civil Engineering.
#engineering
4 answers
dong 关
dong’s Answer
Peter Sturtevant
Peter’s Answer
Your question does not make sense, as written. One of the first traits of a good engineer is that he/she carefully reviews and edits any calculations or written material to be sure that it is accurate and makes sense. I assume that your are majoring in Civil, but are tempted to try a different engineering discipline.
To answer your question, I have had a long career in Civil Engineering and heartily recommend that Discipline. Much of Civil Engineering involves designing and building vital infrastructure (water and sewer treatment plants, roads/highways, airports, etc.) that are the backbone of our modern society. Few careers offer that chance to do so much public good and get paid a good salary, to boot. But if you want to change majors, computer engineering is a very hot and high-demand discipline. The best students can land exciting first jobs that offer very good salaries.
Good luck, Pete Sturtevant, PE
G. Mark Stewart
G. Mark’s Answer
I suggest you take a personality assessment survey. RIASE is one example of this type of test, but you can contact your counselors at school to see which one they recommend. The reason I say this is that your first criterion should be which branch of engineering you would enjoy and therefore be most likely to excel in. A personality assessment test will see how well your answers match those of professionals who are successful in a wide range of fields. The answers may surprise you and give you some insight. The second thing I would say is that I, for example, tried taking classes in various branches of engineering to see what I had an aptitude for and enjoyed. It's also a good idea to have a wide background because of the amount of overlap engineering has in general. Now for general applicability, computer engineering is hard to beat, especially since it covers all engineering and just about every field today. If you decide later that you'd prefer another field, it's safe to say that none of what you study in computer engineering will likely go to waste.
