Engineering Majors?

[bk201]

Pros/cons of obtaining an engineering degree?
What are the best or worst fields of engineering?
How much do you make?
Did work come to you or did you seek it?
I don't like math parsay but my current major(socialogy) doesn't look like it's gonna take me anywhere.
I live in socal if that matters.

 

[jhobson5]

I majored in Mechanical Engineering. Graduated 3 years ago
-Pros:Great major you can do a lot in this with with an engineering degree. Cons:Its not the easiest major in the world
-Worst field in my opinion is probably mining. Its a dangerous job and its not that fun to do. I have a few mining engineer friends and they hate their jobs
-How much do I make isnt appropriate to broad cast on the net but on average a Mechanical Engineer right out of college makes around 56K depending on the job and on average you get a 3% to 7% raise per year if you perform well
-Work came to me. I was at career fair and they sought me out
-You better love math thats 80% of what you do. Its pretty basic math after you get out of calc and diffy Q, but math is a lot of what engineering is.

Any other questions Ill gladly help you out

 

[name i koop]

Majored in Mechanical..
I should of did civil
made 40K out of college, was with an engineering frim doing purchasing (I learned a lot however)
There is a direct correlation to how well you do in school and the amount of money you make afterwards.
Many companies higher based on GPA.  I currently work in Mechanical sales....I should of got into real estate.

If Math isn't your strong suit, try another major

 

[bk201]

Originally Posted by jhobson5


I majored in Mechanical Engineering. Graduated 3 years ago
-Pros:Great major you can do a lot in this with with an engineering degree. Cons:Its not the easiest major in the world
-Worst field in my opinion is probably mining. Its a dangerous job and its not that fun to do. I have a few mining engineer friends and they hate their jobs
-How much do I make isnt appropriate to broad cast on the net but on average a Mechanical Engineer right out of college makes around 56K depending on the job and on average you get a 3% to 7% raise per year if you perform well
-Work came to me. I was at career fair and they sought me out
-You better love math thats 80% of what you do. Its pretty basic math after you get out of calc and diffy Q, but math is a lot of what engineering is.

Any other questions Ill gladly help you out

Thanks man I greatly appreciate the information.
What makes engineering hard, just the math or analyzing problems?
How's the average workday for you? Clock in, clock out or dang it's 5pm already?
Are you satisfied with obtaining that degree?
If you wanted to relocate do you think you would have much trouble?

 

[juve9ile18]

I have my masters in Chemical Engineering, undergrad in Chemistry.
I graduated last July.
I started out making over 70K.
Pros: Excellent major with a lot of options to choose and job security.
Cons: Hard major, a lot of work. Chemical, Petroleum and Aerospace Engineering are the hardest engineering disciplines.

As the two posters said above, no matter which engineering discipline you choose, you have to be good with math. You can get by if you're ok, but you will have to work hard. If you have any questions or in need of tips of how to be successful, shoot me a message.

 

[papageorgeo510]

I was going for Mechanical Engineer but instead I become a cnc machinist. I work with a lot of Mechanical Engineers but some of them don't know what they're doing when it comes to making stuff in terms of machining.

 

[illwill8710]

I graduated from Electrical Engineering Last Year
Pros: You can do almost anything you want with the degree. Its like the golden ticket of degrees esp if you have intern/co-op experience.
Cons: Its one of the hardest degrees to obtain. I still dont know how i got through. There was alot of brown nosing with professors my senior year.
The worst fields are generally the ones were your reviewing someone's work. You will get bored quickly but get paid well over 60k.
My salary started at a minimum of 45k but i probably made 55k by the end of my employment year.

 

[jhobson5]

BK201 wrote:

---

jhobson5 wrote:

---

I majored in Mechanical Engineering. Graduated 3 years ago
-Pros:Great major you can do a lot in this with with an engineering degree. Cons:Its not the easiest major in the world
-Worst field in my opinion is probably mining. Its a dangerous job and its not that fun to do. I have a few mining engineer friends and they hate their jobs
-How much do I make isnt appropriate to broad cast on the net but on average a Mechanical Engineer right out of college makes around 56K depending on the job and on average you get a 3% to 7% raise per year if you perform well
-Work came to me. I was at career fair and they sought me out
-You better love math thats 80% of what you do. Its pretty basic math after you get out of calc and diffy Q, but math is a lot of what engineering is.

Any other questions Ill gladly help you out


Thanks man I greatly appreciate the information.
What makes engineering hard, just the math or analyzing problems?
How's the average workday for you? Clock in, clock out or dang it's 5pm already?
Are you satisfied with obtaining that degree?
If you wanted to relocate do you think you would have much trouble?




-In the work world the hardest thing I run into is trying to be innovative which is hard because my lack of experience. It will come with time. But I work with guys that have been engineering for 30 plus years(I am 25 btw), and machinery that is 40 years old. So it gets tricky. In school the hardest part was not thing too complicated my professors made problems seems so complex to make us think outside of the box but in reality they were easy.
-My average work day right now is 8 to 5. At my last job it was 6 to 3. An average day is more of me contacting vendors and trying to establish reliable equipment. Meaning I over see crews and what not.
-I love my degree I mean I love to take things apart and put it back together. And I wont lie the salary is nice for a guy my age I get to buy my toys and enjoy life.
-Relocation is easy. I was born and raised in Denver, CO moved to Charleston, SC because I loved the area. Then moved to terrible Louisiana, now I am back in Charleston. I had job offers in NY, OH, CA, TX and AZ. Its easy to go where you want.
  

 

[jhobson5]

papageorgeo510 wrote:

---

I was going for Mechanical Engineer but instead I become a cnc machinist. I work with a lot of Mechanical Engineers but some of them don't know what they're doing when it comes to making stuff in terms of machining.

And you make a very good point. Not a lot of engineers that are young know about machining because it is a "lost art". I know about the equipment and what not. But I have been lucky enough to come across some great machinists.
  

 

[blade br0wn]

I majored in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Electrical and Computer Engineering... 2008 graduate...

Pros:

Most of the pros have been covered by the others...

Mostly, its a very broad field where you can work with anything ranging from low voltage equipment, semiconductor physics, computers, software, and programming all the up to the likes of high voltage equipment and power systems...

To keep it simple, everyone needs electricity. There's a bunch of companies looking for the best energy solutions. Plus, there's so much that runs on electricity. With that said, there's mostly always a market for someone with an EE degree...


Cons:

Not every university has a curriculum for the types of EE jobs that are out there. Maybe just a class or two if that.

I work as an Electrical Construction Engineer for the government. What I learned in school is WAY different than what I do know. I took one class on Power Systems Analysis prior to me being employed, so basically everything that I'm learning now, I learn 'on the fly' or as I go along...

But the nice thing about my job is I have the luxury of not being chained to an office everyday. My job requires a lot of field work on construction sites, inspections, measurements, etc. On one day, I could show up to work in my 'business attire', but the next day, I'll be hard-hat, jeans, vest, and battered boots ready to hit the field. Plus most of the meetings I get to attend are pretty nice!...

I went to a career fair the October before my graduation year, they called me in for a interview the February before I finished up, and gave me a job offer about a month before I graduated... Started off around 35K, my salary since then has doubles nearly (I make roughly 65K/year)...

Oh, and don't let your GPA deter you from obtaining your degree...

And if you decide to become an EE... stay away from any Microwaves course 

 

[maddog35]

still in school, graduate in december. majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in nuclear engineering.
From what I've heard and from engineering friends who have graduated, starting pay is around $55K

Math is pretty much everything in engineering, hard major but its worth it in the end

 

[omgitswes]

CPE major right here.
I started EE but didn't like the hardware stuff, and we don't have Software Engineering for undergrads only graduate level. So I'll just a MS in Software and a BA in CPE.

Honestly, the math isn't even the hard part. It is kinda rough, but I have more problems with my major courses. I can do the labs and projects. The lectures are just a pain

 

[its that dude]

Originally Posted by Name I Koop

Majored in Mechanical..
I should of did civil
made 40K out of college, was with an engineering frim doing purchasing (I learned a lot however)
There is a direct correlation to how well you do in school and the amount of money you make afterwards.
Many companies higher based on GPA.  I currently work in Mechanical sales....I should of got into real estate.

If Math isn't your strong suit, try another major

 

[best hands in the game]

You guys say getting an engineering degree is tough due to the math. or if you're not great at math it will take hard work. Currently in HS AP Cal, compared to what im doing now, what will i see in college if i choose to major in mechanical or electrical?

also , the jobs you can get are very "broad" but what exactly are you guys doing? like can you show me some of the daily work thats put in front of you?

also since these companys look at your college GPA, how much weight does your school/engineering program rep weigh when it comes to being hired?

 

[Sir San Diego]

Great thread. EE major here, but just starting out.

You EE majors/grads that have already posted, what are the better jobs out there for Electrical Engineers? How much math do you actually use on a daily basis? Thanks.

EDIT: What's a typical day like at your job?

 

[soldierdre]

I'm currently in my sophomore year of EE, I am enjoying it so far

I too what like to know what the typical work day of and EE or CE graduate would consist of.

 

[getyashinebox]

I graduated last year with a BSEE
-Pros: (Relatively) easier to get a good job and big opportunities for successful career path (changing fields, MS/MBA, starting tech. business)
-Cons: Takes dedication. The concepts get tough. In the professional field, sometimes you need to put in extra hours to meet deadlines. Accountability and improvement/innovation are stressed like no other.
For EE, Calc and Diff Eq are key to understanding major concepts.
-Best fields are prob #1 Chem/Petrol Eng #2 Elec Eng #3 Computer Eng (based on job market, pay/career paths, and difficulty)
-Job market was tough and my connections couldn't come through so I got my job on my own.
-My first job (power systems) pays $65k + 8% incentive.

 

[getyashinebox]

Originally Posted by best hands in the game

 Currently in HS AP Cal, compared to what im doing now, what will i see in college if i choose to major in mechanical or electrical?

For me, AP Calc in HS was equivalent to my "Calc 1" course in college (I was allowed to skip it)

After that, there's still a full year of Calc (Calc 2 & 3), then a full year of differential equations and linear algebra.

So there's a lot after the material in ap calc

 

[best hands in the game]

Originally Posted by GetYaShinebox

Originally Posted by best hands in the game

 Currently in HS AP Cal, compared to what im doing now, what will i see in college if i choose to major in mechanical or electrical?

For me, AP Calc in HS was equivalent to my "Calc 1" course in college (I was allowed to skip it)

After that, there's still a full year of Calc (Calc 2 & 3), then a full year of differential equations and linear algebra.

So there's a lot after the material in ap calc

did you get by just by studying? or tutor help and study groups? my current cal class is difficult as hell because the teacher sucks(hes has an engineering degree from TAMU) i dont even know how to get a derivative

i mean, im willling to dedicate myself to it, but will it be too much to catch up on?
what college year did you start cal?

 

[throwedindagame]

Originally Posted by BK201

Pros/cons of obtaining an engineering degree?
What are the best or worst fields of engineering?
How much do you make?
Did work come to you or did you seek it?
I don't like math parsay but my current major(socialogy) doesn't look like it's gonna take me anywhere.
I live in socal if that matters.

Pros: If you decide to get another job in a different field after school, everyone will assume you are highly analytical and quantitative. In short, people think you are a nerd.
Cons: If you decide to get another job in a different field after school, everyone will assume you have little to no social intelligence and can not perform any client/customer facing functions unless your client/customer is another engineer. In short, people think you are a nerd.
Also you will have little to no social life if you want to have a high GPA


Best Fields: Big Oil and Tech. There is a steep drop off in prestige and pay after that.
Let me answer your question via discipline as opposed to industry
Best: Mechanical Engineer and Electrical Engineering. Great pay, plenty of diverse job opporutinites
Worst: Biomedical Engieering. BME = you better go to med school because a EE can do a lot of the jobs you can do.
How much do you make: The starting salary range I've confirmed is $45,000-$110,000. good school so those numbers might be skewed towards the high end. [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]I do not have any engineering friends who make less than $60,000 a year starting. [/color]The average tends to be around 55-65k.

If you want to make upwards of $70,000 starting in engineering, your best bet is engineering consulting, big oil, high tech.

Exxon Mobil and Google are up there in terms of pay. Exxon starts at $90,000 !!! with prior internship experience. I believe Google is somewhere between $100,000-$105,000. Yes these jobs are attainable to get a good GPA and learn how to interview. Most engineering students are really not that ambitious. Smart yes, but wanting to take over the world.....no.

Did work come to you: Are you referring to full-time opporutnites and internships? It depends on your school's prestige. If your at a competitive engineering school, recruiters will come to your school to hold info sessoins and participate in career fairs. If not, you need to network. Regardless, companies like Google, Facebook,etc. are going to be competitive to get into even if you go to MIT.

You dont like math: Don't do engineering.

You live in southern California: Do you want to work in Silicon Valley?
Keep in mind Stanford, Berkley, and Caltech tend to get first dibs in California when it comes to engineering.........

Since sombody asked for the best jobs for EE/CompE:
I'd say it depends on your field.
You can't go wrong with Microsoft, Intel, Google, Texas Instruments, etc. Basically a F500 that has jobs for your area of interest.

 

[bk201]

Originally Posted by Its That Dude

Name I Koop wrote:

Is it really that necessary to fish for lulz in this type of thread?

I've read all the posts in this thread and damn you guys are really inspiring me to become an engineer.

I really have an interest in learning how computers, or general electronics work. I went into college not having a clue what I wanted to do until my friend who is an engineering major started talking about it. I was never good at math but that was primarily because I did not put in the effort to get good grades.

I'm a freshman right now attending a CSU. We are on a quarter system so in my first quarter I got a F, D, F.

This quarter I got a B+, A(maybe), C. These grades are only towards the general education program that I'm in but do you think my rocky start into college might affect how much I get paid after I graduate?
Due to my crappy start to college my gpa is like 1.2 cumulative excluding the A I expect to receive.

How time consuming was your undergraduate studies for your degree? Were you hitting the books 24/7 or where you doing chunks of work here and there on a consistent basis?

 

[usainboltisfast]

Engineering degrees are the hardest degrees you could probablly get in college. Im working on my IT degree and its a combination of IT, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Electrical engineering and the pre-reqs are somewhat challenging, so I can imagine how tough it would be for a real engineering major. Off top you are going to more than likely need to take Calc 1 & 2, Physics 1&2 or Chem 1&2 which are all VERY difficult courses for most students.

 

[luxurious24]

i graduated with my BS in mechanical, was far from the model student, skipped classes and what not, reason y my gpa wasnt up there, but i kno dudes that graduated with a 4.0, they stayed in their books,

 

[papageorgeo510]

Originally Posted by jhobson5

papageorgeo510 wrote:

---

I was going for Mechanical Engineer but instead I become a cnc machinist. I work with a lot of Mechanical Engineers but some of them don't know what they're doing when it comes to making stuff in terms of machining.

And you make a very good point. Not a lot of engineers that are young know about machining because it is a "lost art". I know about the equipment and what not. But I have been lucky enough to come across some great machinists.
  
A lot of so called "engineers" were in my cnc and manual machining classes were lost. I mean sure they have the degree and all but all you really need is Trig and Geometry as far has designing parts. Everything else you want to calculate such as speed, hardness, ductility, density etc.. can be determine with tools. The hardest part is machining and productivity. 

 

[name i koop]

Originally Posted by Its That Dude

Originally Posted by Name I Koop

Majored in Mechanical..
I should of did civil
made 40K out of college, was with an engineering frim doing purchasing (I learned a lot however)
There is a direct correlation to how well you do in school and the amount of money you make afterwards.
Many companies higher based on GPA.  I currently work in Mechanical sales....I should of got into real estate.

If Math isn't your strong suit, try another major

OMG, he replaced the word hire with the word higher at 8:21am...OMG OMG OMG, +!$!@**

Anyhow...like I said, no math skills, engineering isn't for you. You are probably more geared towards a career college where they deal more with the practical side of the "biz".

As for workload, I was a D1 football player and was still able to do the work, however, my grades did suffer somewhat....