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Our son has been in a program for 2 years for Mechanical Engineering...They have co-ops through out the program...he has just reached the level where he would begin co-oping this summer...and was in the process of being hired...He has had a light bulb moment so to speak...and by taking an electrical course has discovered how much he likes it...so now...he has decided to change direction...Wants to switch to a Electrical Engineer as his emphasis, with a second emphasis on Computer Engineering (has always been extremely intelligant in this area)...My question is....does this sound like a good choice?...What are the pros and cons compared to a mechanical engineer degree...I support what ever direction he goes....I am just wanting food for thought....Thank you.

2007-02-16 11:28:53 · 5 answers · asked by ticklemeblue 5 in Science & Mathematics Engineering

5 answers

If it gets him a job he's happy with, then I would say it's a good choice.

I graduated a few years ago with a BSME. I shared many of the first few years worth of courses with all types of engineers. Once co-op started, the courses became more specialized. Of course, curriculum is different between schools but it seems like a good time to switch. If you wait, the worst case would be a few credit hours down the drain but it's entirely possible those courses could count as some type of elective.

As for pros and cons... there is no bigger pro than being happy with your job. The only con I can think of is that ME is a little more broad and can lead to a wider job market. But, my guess is that ME and EE both are doing decently well now. I don't know anyone from my graduating class that didn't either go into a graduate program or find a job. I believe the job market is better now than it was a few years ago. So one could guess that finding a good job shouldn't be a problem either way.

2007-02-16 13:28:13 · answer #1 · answered by Chris M 2 · 1 0

He needs to like what he ends up doing for a living. Because he has only gone through two years of his major most of his classes should apply to any of those majors (math, physics, chemistry, English, and so on) so he isn't going to be backtracking much if he makes the change now. Also, he should talk with an advisor at the school. They may be able to help him determine what courses will let him explore his new interests in more depth before jumping ship on his old plans. An introduction to electrical engineering may be fun now but he may be less excited about all this when he has to take E-M fields and waves.

As for is this a good choice in comparison, both degrees are in demand by employer but he has to think about where he wants to live. Mechanical engineers can find work within about 50 miles of anywhere. Electrical engineering is more concentrate in large population centers unless you are working for a power plant. As an electrical engineer I sometimes think how much easier it is to outsource electrical engineering of a computer or something like that to India or China than it would be to outsource the mechanical engineering of a sky-scraper or a bridge. Of course there are mechanical engineering jobs that could end up getting out sourced too.

2007-02-16 11:42:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

I don't know your son but electrical or mechanical engineering are good fields. I think there are more job opportunities for mechanical engineers than there are for electrical engineers. I'm not familar with Computer Engineers I don't know what they do.

It makes me a little nervous that just as he is about to go to work he has this epiphany on electrical engineering. My friends son made so much money on his co-op jobs that he paid for his own education after he got in that program.

You might suggest he go ahead and take a co-op job for a summer before he makes his change.

2007-02-16 12:51:33 · answer #3 · answered by Roadkill 6 · 0 0

My degree is in Computer Engineering, and one of the drawbacks with that some people aren't as familiar with it as with ME or EE. If I recall, a CE student can get a double major in EE with less than a years worth of classes. ME is more divergent from these two. It seems like CE and EE are so similar he would get a more broad exposure with one of those and ME as a minor, or the other way around. Degreed engineers are in reasonable demand, and co-op should help get his foot in the door somewhere. Co-op should also get him well enough acquainted with one of those disciplines that he can decide how well he likes it.

2007-02-16 15:50:23 · answer #4 · answered by James B 3 · 0 0

Look here for those who are studying ME are practically good in electrical and electronic than the EE because I found out most of EE student are better in mechancal stuff like car than ME! You must understand what is the different between mechanic and electrician!

2007-02-17 00:59:24 · answer #5 · answered by ycling85 2 · 0 0

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