Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Computer Engineering

?

7/25/2009 10:23:01 PM

? I think.

7/25/2009 10:26:24 PM

This is not Chit Chat.

7/25/2009 10:27:52 PM

this question sucks. none of them stand out to me as any better or worse than the others.

7/25/2009 10:36:43 PM

Ok.

Which of these has the most promising job market currently and going forward?

7/25/2009 10:40:56 PM

i suspect you can probably find a decent job in any of those fields. so really, i think you should go with something you actually enjoy

7/25/2009 10:44:23 PM

not Electrical Engineering?

7/25/2009 10:54:27 PM

just remember mechanical and electrical engineers make bombs, civils make targets.

but i would have to say mechanical just cause it is more all encompassing which can be annoying while looking for a certain job some companies put mechanical as a possible major even when the job requires no degree or is something obviously another specialty, like chem, civil or electrical. and that makes searches bring up useless jobs..


[Edited on July 25, 2009 at 11:06 PM. Reason : /]

7/25/2009 10:59:58 PM

How about you seek out a field that makes you happy instead of what's the most valuable. In the end if you hate your job it's not worth it.

On a side note I'd also have to say Mechanical because I'm Mechanical as well, lol.

[Edited on July 25, 2009 at 11:02 PM. Reason : -]

7/25/2009 11:02:06 PM

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/24/news/economy/highest_starting_salaries/index.htm?postversion=2009072404

7/25/2009 11:05:28 PM

Computer because they are often converted to programmers, anyway. nothing is in demand more than software.

7/25/2009 11:06:23 PM

^is that really true?

and do you think it will stay true for the next few years?

[Edited on July 25, 2009 at 11:09 PM. Reason : (the demand part)]

[Edited on July 25, 2009 at 11:09 PM. Reason : sdfg]

7/25/2009 11:09:01 PM

nothing is in more demand than software?! got to call BS on that one.

[Edited on July 25, 2009 at 11:11 PM. Reason : /]

7/25/2009 11:09:18 PM

^I've been very curious about this lately. A lot of top jobs lists say that's its in huge demand and government websites put it at huge growth for a decade... but I dunno. I'm worried still.

[Edited on July 25, 2009 at 11:15 PM. Reason : sadfsadf]

7/25/2009 11:15:17 PM

Quote :

"nothing is in more demand than software?! got to call BS on that one."

From a pure business perspective, Software has much higher margins than other areas in the "computer" sector (Hardware, Services, Financing, etc.). The term "in more demand" is a bit ambiguous without some links to back up, see below for 2006-2016 excerpt from Bureau of Labor Statistics.

http://www.bls.gov/emp/optd/
http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Future-Jobs-For-the-Next-Decade&id=2297966

Quote :

" * Excerpts from BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-09 * Registered Nurses - Expected to increase workforce by 587,000 * Post Secondary Teachers / Professors - 382,000 new positions in the next decade * Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants - 239,000 new workers * Accountants and Auditors - 226,000 positions created by 2016 * Computer Software Application Engineers - 226,000 jobs created"

Government positions are also supposed to be increasing, though the fields will vary.

Of the three degrees listed, pick the one you like, (though your profile says you are a graduate student???), coop or intern in it to make sure you actually like field work with it, and then enjoy.

7/26/2009 8:58:05 AM

It's a trick question.

None of them, we're all fucked.

7/26/2009 8:59:43 AM

AEROSPACE

7/27/2009 10:10:11 AM

Quote :

"In the end if you hate your job it's not worth it."

people say this all the time, but i think it's bullshit

if the money is right, i could do just about whatever

7/27/2009 10:15:33 AM

to the comment about cpe's getting converted to do software because of the demand, this is true, in my experience.

all the hardware stuff is usually handled by EE's and the CPEs resort to being code monkeys.

7/27/2009 10:16:13 AM

CPE/EE was brutal to go through, and it's totally not worth it when I look back at it. I should've stuck with CS. Or, gone to community college and get an ITIL or CISSP certification.

7/27/2009 10:23:00 AM

^ we had 422 together.

and i didn't find cpe/ee painful at all. for me CS was painful and ee would definitely be worth it if i could find a job that i was happy in

7/27/2009 10:48:18 AM

EE wasn't that difficult, and it's really paid off for me both financially and mentally. sounds like the problem is with you and not with the major.

7/27/2009 11:16:20 AM

I'd say mechanical. In the end, you need people who know how to do manual labor and understand the mechanics and principles of things. But also, seeing how electricity is now a "necessity" in this lifetime, EE wouldn't be a bad one to get a degree in.

Hell, any degree is better than none. Just get it over with and figure shit out later if needbe. Just don't get something completely useless without a masters degree like psychology.

^ Are you EE? I'm still in the EE program, but thinking of switching to business since I work in the financial world. I'm not well connected (well I am, but only in the financial world) with anyone in the electrical technician world.

[Edited on July 27, 2009 at 11:21 AM. Reason : .]

7/27/2009 11:19:47 AM

with an EE degree you wouldn't be an electrical tech at all.

finish in EE. You can still work in finance with an EE degree. In fact places like accenture almost exclusively hire people with engineering degrees.

if you finish in business you won't be able to get a job as an engineer should you later choose that is what you want.

7/27/2009 11:22:50 AM

But that means I'll have to take math courses like Diff. Eq. and other shit like that right? I haven't looked into the engineering curriculum in like 2.5 years. I realize that EE at NCSU isn't exactly the easiest program to get into... Or is it and I'm just kidding myself?

7/27/2009 11:26:28 AM

Quote :

"How about you seek out a field that makes you happy instead of what's the most valuable. In the end if you hate your job it's not worth it."

Realistically, it needs to be a compromise between financial security and happiness. Yeah you can go get a degree in film studies if that's your passion, but you will more than likely wind up working at a coffee shop afterwards. Similarly, you can go through absolute hell and become a neuro-surgeon and make tons of money, but you'll be working so much, you'll never get to spend it.

Find something that you don't hate that'll pay you enough to be satisfied with.

7/27/2009 11:54:51 AM

EE at ncsu is ridiculously easy.

7/27/2009 11:55:57 AM

Most undergrad degrees everywhere aren't exactly challenging.

7/27/2009 11:57:17 AM

Well fuck me for not getting that shit done for the last 2 years

And actually, I suppose ^ & ^^ are both right. I mean, I was able to slack and still get a C in Calc III. I actually did a freshman retake on that, studied like I should, and made an A+. I guess I have no motivation

IRSeriousCat, you may very well be the reason I stay in EE and get that damn degree Oh how I am going to hate having to study my ass off

[Edited on July 27, 2009 at 12:00 PM. Reason : .]

7/27/2009 11:58:10 AM

I wouldn't get out of NCSUs engineering programs to get into NCSUs business programs. They keep making strides but they aren't at any sort of an elite level yet. If EE is hard, switch to industrial and that would fit better with business acumen as there is always room for process engineering and analyzing a business.

7/27/2009 12:19:10 PM

Quote :

"CPE/EE was brutal to go through, and it's totally not worth it when I look back at it. I should've stuck with CS. Or, gone to community college and get an ITIL or CISSP certification."

a good friend of mine and 1999 EE grad from NCSU is making over $200 an hour as a consultant

7/27/2009 12:23:52 PM

go through monster.com or another large job posting

search for each of those degrees

see which jobs you would like to actually have and which major you need to get them.

complete degree

..

profit

7/27/2009 12:28:52 PM

How ironic. Wife just emailed this to me..

http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/107402/most-lucrative-college-degrees.html?mod=edu-collegeprep

7/27/2009 12:32:14 PM

communication

7/27/2009 12:45:58 PM

haha my job has nothing to do with my undergrad degree

(but it has a lot to do with my master's)

7/27/2009 1:01:18 PM

Computer Engineering is the answer. The coursework is more versatile and incorporates a wider variety of skillsets. Not to say that a civil/mechancial engineer cannot find work in this market, however a lot of cashflow associated to civil engineering jobs has been downsized due to the bad economy. Computer Engineering allows for more push and pull into other corporate cookie-cutter type positions, so it's the best choice out of the options given.

7/27/2009 2:43:22 PM

sports medicine

7/27/2009 3:51:51 PM

Depends on what you're trying to get into. I'll likely never see a computer engineer in any sort of process job in an industrial plant that I can think of...what are the 'cookie-cutter' corporate jobs you are referring to? Secretaries Office Managers? Accountants? Ass kissers?

[Edited on July 27, 2009 at 4:04 PM. Reason : disclaimer: All I figure CPE is about is surrounding hardware for a computer]

7/27/2009 4:03:59 PM

^^^ if by more versatile you mean more programming languages and concepts then yes.

but with mechanical is by far more versatile in all other meanings of the word.

[Edited on July 27, 2009 at 4:05 PM. Reason : hahaha ^ on the same page.]

7/27/2009 4:05:11 PM

Quote :

"'cookie-cutter'"

my guess is not actually developing any kind of marketed software but working for an IS/IT department that develops/maintains internal tools and what not...which the vast majority of big companies have even if they're not a software company.

7/27/2009 4:27:37 PM

If you do Computer go ahead and take the extra two classes so you can have Electrical as well. It's well worth it and looks really good.

7/27/2009 6:25:08 PM

I didn't read the whole thread, but my guess in the current economy would be civil engineering. States have a lot of stimulus money to spend and a lot of them are working on or building new roads, bridges, etc.

7/27/2009 7:47:50 PM

^^you're not going to make any more money by having both; if you want to work specifically with computers (or maybe controls or something) do CPE, else you should prolly stick with EE

[Edited on July 27, 2009 at 7:56 PM. Reason : ^]

7/27/2009 7:55:12 PM

Quote :

"i think you should go with something you actually enjoy"

7/27/2009 8:28:08 PM

i would kill for some 65 degrees right now

7/27/2009 8:46:48 PM

Quote :

"i think you should go with something you actually enjoy"

How is someone going to know which engineering they're going to "actually enjoy"? I would guess that the vast majority of engineering students have no background in engineering. I mean, you can sort of guess what career path you would prefer, but it's not at all a cut and dry scenario.

7/27/2009 10:53:49 PM

^ the first couple semesters of college are pretty common for all engineering disciplines, and i think you get a pretty decent feel for what you do or don't like. if you can't stand the electricity and magnetism portions of physics, then EE probably ain't for you.

but as people have said, do an internship or co-op in the field you're thinking about to see how it really works. if you don't like it, i think it's far easier to switch majors and spend an extra semester or two in school than to go ahead and graduate with a degree you know you can't stand.

7/27/2009 11:05:29 PM

^^ What ^ said.

7/28/2009 4:39:28 AM

Quote :

"Wraith All American 19952 Posts user info edit post AEROSPACE"

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with this. Aerospace is just too limited of a degree, IMO. AE is certainly nice and coveted in certain industries and locations, but the industries are very small. You can work for NASA or Lockheed or Boeing or the military or .... um....
As opposed to something like ME, where you can work for NASA or Lockheed or Boeing or the military or Caterpillar or GE or GM or Westinghouse or god knows how many other places.

I put AE on the same level as Nuclear. It's great if you know what you're getting into, where you want to live, for whom you want to work.
But as far as a general, valuable degree goes, degrees like ME or EE are always in demand everywhere you might want to live. I'm living in Charlotte right now and busting my ass trying to convince all the companies around here that my MS in AE is just as good as a BS in ME, because I haven't been able to more than one or two openings that are asking for AE, and can't find shit.

7/28/2009 7:49:38 AM

Agreed. I'd go for mechanical if I was doing it all over again, though.

[Edited on July 28, 2009 at 8:41 AM. Reason : asf]

7/28/2009 8:30:57 AM