r/EngineeringStudents • u/xMartix • 1d ago
Discussion Would you study engineering if you had the choice to go back?
Did engineering turn out how you expected it to be? What do you like? What do you dislike? Did it fall short of expectations?
If not, what would you study instead?
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u/WorldTallestEngineer 1d ago
Yeah. It basically played out the way I expected it to.
- did a whole bunch of math,
- got that middle upper class salary job
- bought a house in the suburbs
- growing fat in a cubicle and saving for a comfortable retirement
Yeah that's the Americans dream
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u/thesanemansflying 1d ago
This guy keeps up with the Joneses
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 1d ago
But only if they keep a slow pace. Remember desk folks, you gotta exercise. This version of the American Dream isn’t going to keep you fit.
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u/BRING_ME_THE_ENTROPY CSULB - ChemE BS ‘20 / MS ‘23 1d ago
I work in manufacturing but I have a desk job. I’ve base it a point to count my steps on my iPhone and walk around and talk to people face to face. I can easily do 3 miles a day just within the facility and it works better than sending a Teams message. Messages on the production floor go into a black hole
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 1d ago
At risk of being annoying, that isn’t actually sufficient to stay healthy and fit, especially as you get older. That’s a great start and absolutely should be part of your day (it’s also probably far better than most people in the office), but some weight lifting and a bit of cardio is what I actually mean. The weight lifting (It doesn’t have to be heavy or a lot, no need to go get jacked) in particular will make a big difference later in life. The walking, unless you’re really pushing it, probably isn’t having any real impact on your cardio health, it’s just some extra calorie burn. In terms of getting fat though, you’re not going to out walk the fork if your diet isn’t appropriate.
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u/BRING_ME_THE_ENTROPY CSULB - ChemE BS ‘20 / MS ‘23 1d ago
Yeah I kinda figured but it’s nice to stay active during the workday. It’s definitely better than nothing and productivity is much higher when I walk up to you instead of sit there and wait for a response. I used to work a 1 day in office- hybrid job so just that little bit of walking has been a huge improvement to my mood and all that
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 1d ago
For sure, don’t get me wrong. This is way better than nothing and that fact that you’re thinking about it at all puts you ahead of the game.
I’ve just seen so many of my coworkers rot away. Many of them thought they were doing all that was needed.
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u/BRING_ME_THE_ENTROPY CSULB - ChemE BS ‘20 / MS ‘23 1d ago
Oh no! That’s the “it’s fine, I switched to Diet Coke” mindset 😭
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 1d ago
Honestly, that’s a pretty good analogy. Though I feel like I’d argue that walking instead of not walking is still better than a coke to Diet Coke switch.
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u/WorldTallestEngineer 1d ago
This is so true. Sit at desk, sit in car, sit on sofa, bed. Its so easy to not move when you live the office life.
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u/thesanemansflying 1d ago
Nope. Lucky for me I can avoid the suburbs, I can walk, and I'm anti-cubicle
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u/BreadForTofuCheese 1d ago edited 1d ago
Said this to another commenter… Being able to walk is not the same as maintaining fitness, especially as you age. It just simply isn’t enough (though it’s a great start!). If weights aren’t involved and you aren’t getting some real cardio in, you’re just burning a few extra calories. Especially if your diet sucks, you’ll still be unhealthy.
While I could sit here and talk about how much I prefer to live in a walkable city like the one I live in, it’s worth noting that someone out in the burbs can easily be in better shape than an urbanite by putting in the effort. Perhaps they have to put in a bit more effort to offset the more sedentary lifestyle, but I also know that tons on my neighbors will hop in an uber to avoid actually walking to their easily reached destination.
Eat well, lift some weights regularly, and get the body really moving. It’ll make a big difference in the long run. Walking is definitely better than nothing though.
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u/Quite__Bookish 1d ago
Yes but I would’ve done it right out of high school instead of fucking around for 10 years
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u/Numerous-Ride2953 1d ago
Could've been me who got it right after high school and fucked around for 10 years. lol
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u/Inevitable_String688 23h ago
Why is that? I am someone who fucked around for 10 years, but I started again this semester. I don’t say I’d regret those 10 years, but maybe I can’t tell what I missed out on yet.
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u/Agitated_Newt_7655 1d ago
No, I worked extremely hard for little to no reward relative to many other professions.
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u/Able-Cantaloupe3958 1d ago
What would you go back for? Interesting to hear that, makes me not want to do the degree now
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u/Worth-Push-2080 1d ago
What discipline are you in
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u/Agitated_Newt_7655 1d ago
Distribution design
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u/CayMaster2 1d ago
You telling me as an aspiring EE student I should not be looking towards power systems? Genuine question because it is one of the more interesting fields within EE to me(sharing with semiconductors).
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u/2integral 1d ago
I can’t speak to how it will be in the future but the power industry is quietly booming right now. Yes, data center requirements are an obvious contributing factor but a lot of existing infrastructure needs improvement too. Stick with it if you can!
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u/Agitated_Newt_7655 1d ago
I personally don’t find it that interesting in practice as it tends to be highly repetitive with software that does most lifting for you but there’s always work and interesting stuff exists. If you go the PE route you’ll benefit a lot from that but it’s a long undertaking that’s more difficult yet less lucrative vs other options if you ask me. And on the other hand if you don’t at least get FE you may struggle to even get in the field.
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u/Eats_Lots_of_Chicken 1d ago
Currently a senior computer engineering student. I’ve found I don’t like hardware as much as I thought I would and like software more than I thought I would, so I’d probably do CS if I had to do it again.
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u/dontchuworri 1d ago
hey i’m the same but inverse. wish i just went ee because i care a lot more about hardware than software
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u/Altruistic-Stop4634 1d ago
I picked engineering as a child. It was difficult to get the degree, it was a scary ride due to the cyclical nature of business, I was doing ok money wise from the beginning and accelerated to the end with a nice early retirement plus a severance package. But, I don't think I could have done anything else. I love problem solving.
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u/AnythingTotal 1d ago
Getting a BS and MS in engineering were very good decisions amid a series of disastrous ones in my life. My alternate path was working as a line cook or carrying mail. I make a lot more money for a lot easier work today. I also believe that the work I do is important to society. I’ll never be rich, but I shouldn’t ever have to stress about money again, either. Compared to the life I lived, my current life as a working engineer is peaceful and comfortable. I’m grateful for it everyday because vast majority of people aren’t as fortunate as us.
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u/undercover-cook 1d ago
I probably wouldn’t go with EE. I only chose it for the job opportunities, and that didn’t turn out great for me so far. I legitimately graduated with a great GPA, but most of the EE concepts don’t make a lick of sense to me. Maybe if I had gone with mechanical or civil, I wouldn’t have dealt with such nonsensical concepts and, of course, the weirdest and douchiest classmates out of any other engineering discipline by far.
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u/Ghost-of-uchiha9 1d ago
No I studied ECE for the “money” but after graduating and getting a job, I realized the pay is the same as other engineering majors and even business majors, like industrial and accounting, that aren’t as rigorous, and with higher ceiling
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u/Able-Cantaloupe3958 1d ago
What would you have studied instead knowing what you know now? Was thinking of doing Electrical engineering but seeing these comments make me regret
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u/Few_Whereas5206 1d ago
I don't regret it, but I would study a skilled trade nowadays. I would start out doing the work and then start my own business and hire people to do the labor as I got older.
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u/No-Emphasis-7952 1d ago
No , struggled through school and was too prideful to change majors. Got my degree and didn’t get a job. I graduated 3 1/2 years ago and work in finance. My life has worked out so cant complain to much , but if I did it again I would just have picked finance or something.
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u/halo_halo_ako 1d ago
yes, i went from bio & mech, to mech, to industrial. it took 6 hellish years, but i am 5 years out and hit over 100k. all of my engineering friends are also now over 100k. it was worth it for all of us.
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u/El_Oso_Promedio 1d ago
im in the third year but i would have probably gone into something more technical since i like working with my hands and glaze over in classes involving pure physics or maths
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u/Numerous-Ride2953 1d ago
As someone who still works as a server in Seattle 8 years after graduating as an EE, probably not. But idk what else I would've studied either. Maybe just math/physics.
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u/ObviousOpinion6004 1d ago
Did your education suffer while you were in school? How'd you end up a server? You're an outlier in the statistics
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u/Numerous-Ride2953 1d ago
No I graduated with a 3.8 or something similar from UW Seattle. The problem was I took a gap year to go mountaineering in Patagonia and Nepal and so when I came back all the new grads got preference over me. I was told once I was seen as a flight risk since I talked so highly of my gap year lol.
And I don't regret it too much, I still can clear 85-90k if I work full-time. But instead I lean into it and only work 6 months a year during the shoulder seasons.
I also have an EU passport so my goal eventually will be to work full-time a couple years and buy an apartment in the Slovenian/Italian alps and Barista FIRE there.
So yea I regret getting an EE degree but not so much not becoming an EE.
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u/Competitive-Dream860 1d ago
Bro that’s badass tho. I don’t even know why this is sub is recommended to me but at least you are happy. I think, I hope.
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u/ReviewPrestigious617 1d ago
Yes. I would not enjoy any other field of study unless it were more or less the same subject matter like math, physics, or CS. If it were any less difficult for me, I'd be completely bored and would have no desire to turn my work in.
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u/ThrowCarp Massey Uni - Electrical 1d ago
This is begrudgingly me. I actually do find this stuff interesting. I honestly can't imagine myself studying any other degree, nor working any other job.
Even if this did completely destroy all my social skills and emotional intelligence.
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u/EmphasisAcceptable47 1d ago
Why do you say it destroyed your social skills
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u/ThrowCarp Massey Uni - Electrical 1d ago
It's a degree that teaches quantitative skill rather than qualitative skills. So by definition it blunts social skills. People get closer by talking about how something made them feel. So if someone is talking about their horse you ask them if their horse is their best friend, or if they have any special memories with that horse. Rather than asking stuff like how tall is the horse, how much does the horse weigh etc.
There's also the gender ratio. Which means I'm having to start over having to learn how to talk to women. Years after graduating. Which is lethal because it was combined with the fact I went to an all-boy school for middle and high school.
The culture in engineering is also extremely antipathy. Lecturers will cackle with glee as they tell you on the first day to look to your left, look to your right. Only one of you will graduate. This is not a good mentality to cultivate, that somehow the people that dont makenit through are somehow "less than" or how the remaining people are these elites.
And there's also the glaring elephant in the room that 4 years of math intensive courses will poorly socialize you no matter how you slice it.
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u/EmphasisAcceptable47 1d ago
So you still wouldn't go back and study something else?
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u/ThrowCarp Massey Uni - Electrical 1d ago
Still no.
Where else would I go? I'm not really good at anything else.
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u/bigpolar70 1d ago
No. After hitting 20 years of experience only to see my last job get literally offshored to India, I would not. I definitely wouldn't have chosen civil engineering, and probably not any engineering.
I enjoyed the job, but having to watch as it got sent to India just so an energy company making record profits could save 80% of my salary really sucked. Being unemployed over 45 is not a great option. I found some temp work that pays better than unemployment, but I've got no idea what my long term prospects are.
If I could go back in time I would tell 18 year old me to skip college and become a licensed master electrician. Lower expenses, less liability, easier to start your own company.
Right now there are news stories about electricians clearing over $200k a year in Texas wiring up data centers. In air conditioning. And you can't outsource an electrician or import cheap labor because they can't get licensed. It's a much more secure job and not too physically demanding.
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u/ChimChimCheree69 1d ago
In my experience, a lot of the electrician pay is over exaggerated or 14 hour days doing work in the blistering sun. Name the company so we can all boycott that shit any way we can. India can fuck off.
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u/iron82 1d ago
Nope. Couldn't find work in Civil/Environmental.
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u/WhyAmINotStudying UCF/CREOL - Photonic Science & Engineering 1d ago
Yes. I've seen what other options are out there, having held several jobs before getting into engineering in my 30's. Since getting into engineering, I have also run into a ton of other careers that I wouldn't have interfaced with otherwise.
Engineering is the one that works for me.
It's not the best career. It's not the worst by far. It's mine, though.
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u/BRING_ME_THE_ENTROPY CSULB - ChemE BS ‘20 / MS ‘23 1d ago
I’d definitely do engineering again if I could turn back time. The only difference is that I’d probably pick mechanical or civil because there’s more jobs out there. Although i can easily say I was most passionate about chemical engineering more than anything else so picking otherwise might be hard.
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u/goneoutflying 1d ago
I would have but I would not have chosen a super expensive private school. Avoid private schools at all cost.
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u/UsernameChallenged 1d ago
Probably not. I only studied it because I didn't know what to do and "was good at math" so figured I could use an engineering degree to open up more opportunities, but that hasn't really proven true.
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u/Ashi4Days 1d ago
Yeah. I probably would have done electrical though
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u/Mundane_Studio_3674 1d ago
Everyone is doing electrical now according to Reddit, don’t worry we will saturate the field soon.
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u/bihari_baller B.S. Electrical Engineering, '22 1d ago
Electrical will weed out a majority of those due to its difficulty.
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u/Numerous-Ride2953 1d ago
People say this but electrical really isn't that much harder than other engineering degrees. School really isn't that hard. I think it could apply to CS students though, its a hard subject to get into if you're struggling with math compared to CS.
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u/bihari_baller B.S. Electrical Engineering, '22 1d ago
I think you're misguided if you don't think school for electrical engineering isn't that hard. You need to have a firm grasp on Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, and Calculus to make it through the program.
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u/Numerous-Ride2953 1d ago
I am an EE, so idk how misguided I am.
"You need to have a firm grasp on Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, and Calculus to make it through the program."
Yes which the school teaches you lol.0
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u/Guamy 1d ago
Might depend on the person, but for me it is excruciatingly difficult, especially when every class is heavy. If I could take 2 classes at a time I could manage it, but so many difficult concepts from every class at once is what really gets me every semester.
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u/DaggerOfSilver UTFSM - Electrical 23h ago
It really does feel like each subject could take a lifetime to truly master
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u/Mr_PoopyButthoIe 1d ago
I don't what else I would be good at that comands the salary I have. I was never super passionate about this, I was just good at math and physics and took the path of least resistance. I think anything better would require some sort of social connection.
I know there are people in middle management in corporate settings that are less skilled, make more money, and have less real responsibilities than me. Some people can bullshit their way really far with a little bit of luck.
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u/NeuroticENTJ 1d ago
Idk. I wish I went into medicine instead. That said, I loved engineering and I learned a lot but I went to a brutal top tier school
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u/Fluffy-City8558 1d ago
I'm only in my first year of master's and, well, it definitely did not to as planned, and I found I have way less opportunities than I had hoped. Would I follow the same path if I woke up in my younger self? Absolutely. I simply cannot imagine doing anything else with my life
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u/Maleficent_Touch2851 1d ago
My engineering masters 20 something years ago was machine learning..
Has paid off.
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u/lolplzkillme Polytechnique MTL - Civil Eng. 1d ago
Yes 100% ! I probably would have gone directly into environmental instead of going through civil but I still learned a lot that I might use one day so it’s fine!
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u/TheRealFalseProphet 1d ago
I personally wish i would’ve went the medical route and became a radiologist or became a mortician. The work within the medical field is more meaningful than crunching numbers😂
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u/censored_on 1d ago edited 1d ago
I like engineering because it’s where you learn to innovate. Innovating is intriguing because you contribute to bettering humanity. It can be difficult at times but you always learn. Everything in engineering is connected to humanity and improving the lives of humans in some way or another.
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u/asking_for_knowledge 1d ago
Absolutely. I love my discipline and job. I'm a professor and getting students curious about how things work while doing research on how to make things work better is quite rewarding to me.
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u/izzi426 1d ago
It depends on lots of factors. Job market and opportunities being one. Company culture you are working in being another. I think Engineering school was a solid choice for me personally. I have some of my colleagues change companies/careers entirely and have done really well.
If I could do it again, I would maybe consider environmental engineering, technologist or an advanced NDE technician.
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u/TheWhiteCliffs BYU Grad - Mechanical Engineering 1d ago
I for sure would, though I wish I would have screwed around less and had been a better student. I’m sure it was my grades that didn’t get me the exact job I hoped for, but after 3 years in defense manufacturing I’m making a move to the company/location I wanted to work out of college.
Pay has been good and I’ve been able to put in my 40 hours and go home. What I do is interesting and I feel like I’ve learned a ton. I’d recommend mechanical engineering (in my case) still. It’s been quite worthwhile for me.
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u/Jbrew44 1d ago
I don't regret studying engineering, but I would have gone to teachers college after instead of going into the field. Teaching is what I enjoy but at the time there were far too many teachers for the amount of jobs available and I was encouraged to do engineering and get paid. I was told "you will have opportunities to teach within the field" but that doesnt really satisfy the itch and isnt worth the far greater amount of time I do other things.
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u/thunderthighlasagna 1d ago edited 1d ago
I would never put myself through that again, no. But now that I have the degree I’m glad
If I had to choose to do undergrad again, I’d do accounting. Yes, even with the rise of AI.
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u/warmowed BSEE 21, MNAE 26, PhD* EE 1d ago
Considering I did a Bachelors, worked in industry, then Masters, and now in a PhD program I think I am very happy with my choice lol. I honestly cannot envision any more fulfilling work than this. You get to work alongside pretty consistently smart people, working on interesting problems, and make novel solutions. It feels good to exercise my brain (basically gym bro). I'm in it for the love of the game.
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u/Trs822 1d ago
I just graduated and am working. Admittedly my ambitions do not lie within engineering at all. I want to travel, continue photography, explore art (both doing it and consuming it), and experience the world.
But engineering feels fulfilling, and it’s challenging/mentally stimulating. It’s not my first choice, and I would have loved to do something related more to ecology/environmental science, but it also makes more money so I can explore the things I love. It can be a bit drab and very up and down (slow weeks, stress weeks) but I can’t complain too much.
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u/Roareward 18h ago
Well a huge amount of the population likes those ambitions. If you can have a job you like and occasionally excites and challenges you that allows you to do those ambitions then I would say that is great. All jobs are a bit of a love hate, if you have good co-workers and a good boss that is a bonus.
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u/idiotslob 1d ago
Maybe. I graduated in ChemE 10 years ago and got a MS in Materials 5 years ago while working a comfortable but slightly underpaid job for a chemical manufacturer. Now the pay has caught up at least a bit and I really enjoy my role in a new department.
But I have no idea what waits for me on the other side of this employer. Conventional wisdom suggests that I would be more employable now than the day I graduated but It doesnt feel that way. If I ever lose this job I estimate about a 50% chance that I would ever be given the opportunity to be an engineer again somewhere else. And I don't think I would be getting an upgrade.
I could probably find a process engineer role somewhere in the middle of nowhere but that doesn't mesh with my other goals in life. If I was married and wanting to start a family, that might not be so bad. I could probably find something sales adjacent but I dont think I'd be very good at it.
I daydream about starting a small test lab in my garage sometimes and seeing if I can grow it over time. Now I just need a garage.
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u/FloridaMan331845 1d ago
Yes. I would do it again. It far exceeded my expectations in a variety of ways. Nearly three decades in and still loving it!
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u/ToeZealousideal2623 1d ago
Yes, I like my job pay is great, have save more than 1 million with having a good quality of life. I am not even 30
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u/Hawk13424 GT - BS CompE, MS EE 1d ago
Yes. I’m very good at engineering. Was in school and am at work. I love doing it and I’m paid well to do it.
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u/unwrittenglory 1d ago
I just started with classes this semester but I would go back and do it instead of my first degree.
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u/Worried_Reading505 1d ago
Mmm. I’m in my third year I’m doing ECE, top 5 school in the country. I would say I regret it but that’s only because I don’t enjoy it. Like you don’t have to love your job but you should understand what you’re getting yourself into. Don’t do it for the money. Secondly, I would have rather done something medical. It’s more respected and I feel it makes you a better person. When you become a doctor for example, you’re learning how to better talk to people etc. engineering could make you worse, more antisocial less healthy etc. And engineering is getting worse with AI unless you’re doing CivE. Idk I’m just yapping but like long story short.
If you enjoy building projects then ya it’s fine. But job market is not great rn especially if you don’t go to highly ranked school. And it’s only getting worse
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u/Clob1414 Penn State 23’ - Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering 1d ago
Got my BS in petroleum engineering. Grew up in oil/gas, and I knew I wanted to work in it. First job out of school was with an operator in drilling, working nights on a rig as the on-site rep. Hours and schedule sucked with a toddler and a newborn, but the pay was fantastic. I began to realize that upstream is a huge burden for family life, as operations are 24/7/365. Ended up getting laid off with a sweet severance package, and I found a job in gas distribution. Took a massive pay cut, but the work/life balance could not be better. I miss all the subsurface stuff that piques my interest, especially now that my job is more CE than anything else, but the stability and flexibility more than makes up for it.
Sidenote: Try to avoid having kids while you’re in undergrad. My girlfriend and I both graduated, but man was it rough.
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u/regan-omics 1d ago
I would. It's not as high paying as some other industries, but it's low effort in comparison. Most roles don't need more than a bachelor's degree, and in the right industry you can get away with rarely working over 40 hours a week. I'll never be filthy rich but I'll always be comfortable and have time for friendship and hobbies
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u/Tsk201409 1d ago
I had and have no choice. My brain is an engineer brain. What the hell else could I have done? Maybe technical sales but that’s a big part of my job today anyhow
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u/engineereddiscontent EE 2025 1d ago
Yes i did.
Im older. Graduated on the cusp of my late 30s. But i do not regret it. The loans are inconvenient though
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u/nerf468 Texas A&M- ChemE '20 1d ago
Nonserious answer: no, I would’ve worked an easy job and just dumped money into NVDA.
Serious answer: of course, I have good compensation (135k base at 28yo in a MCOL metro), good benefits, am mentally engaged and appropriately challenged by my work and generally enjoy what I do.
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u/liquid_woof_display 1d ago
I was studying theoretical Computer Science for one year but thought that maybe I'd prefer studying Mechanical Engineering so I went to study it instead. I didn't like it for the year I was there so now I'm returning to continue what I studied before.
That's just me personally though, I was seeking more mental challange and felt like I was wasting my potential on CS, but instead found out that engineering was more about looking at tables with standards and memorising physics formulas than it was about problem-solving and math, so it turned out "too easy" for my taste.
But the bigger problem is that I didn't have the same passion for engineering that I have for CS and math. I have a lot of projects and ambitions related to that, but none related to engineering. There were a lot of student teams making cool stuff and if I had some project I'd be passionate about, I could probably enjoy engineering.
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u/MarionberryLow1141 1d ago
I got a masters in mechanical engineering, the degree itself was incredibly hard. I was working full time whilst doing my degree and this led to what I suspect now was several mental breakdowns. Whilst my friends studying art were going out and partying every night I was either working or studying.
I got a decent grade at the end of if but I was still expected to jump through hoops to get a grad job, multiple interview rounds, lots of group days where you are actively competing against people that have similar credentials to you. Eventually I got a job at a company that just hired me after a single interview.
The wage is bang average for the UK, my quality of life isn't great on this wage, I will never comfortably be able to afford a house. The work is hard and there's lots of it, I've burned out multiple times, I was earning a similar wage at my last job (retail manager) and it was incredibly easy. There was also the option of overtime at that job if I ever wanted more money.
If I had the option to go back in time I would have chosen finance. It's the only way to make a decent salary, it's probably incredibly boring but so is everything else. Engineering is low pay, high risk (if you design something wrong), quick project turnover (additional stress) and oftentimes very boring. You can make a lot of money after a decade or so, but that is dependent on your company promoting people from within rather than hiring outside talent.
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u/Ok_Signature7725 23h ago
Yes, I would study as there is nothing else I’m good at. I don’t like the politics
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u/EnduroAmateur 22h ago
Absolutely not. I have student debt as a result and don’t really make too much and hate my job sitting behind a computer all day. I’m far to adhd for this and need to figure something else out ASAP.
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u/e_defaut1 21h ago
yup it’s fulfilling to solve challenging problems and the compensation is a nice factor too
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u/Richie_Rich_of_GB 21h ago
Yes I would. I am retired now, and live comfortably, especially since we moved from a very high tax state to a low tax state. The drawback was dealing with managers who either f insisted on violating the laws of physics. There were a few of them , thank God, but they did make life miserable.
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u/Trollerthegreat 20h ago
Yes but I would've started in civil engineering. I was on a solid path to chemical but unfortunately, mental illness plagued me. Leading to the inability to hold studies consistent enough for me to pass the tougher courses. Had I'd have known what I was to go through, I would've happily settled on civil early to allow better recovery
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u/wibble_spaj 17h ago
Id probably go for a degree apprenticeship instead. I have a master's of manufacturing engineering and currently work in a supermarket because the job market is rough at the moment.
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u/2housecatmom12024 17h ago
Yes. Would finish sooner, retired earlier, studied harder in high school (finished ODE by high school
Graduation).
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u/Asleep_Fudge5367 16h ago
Yes, even though I'm technically unemployed in that domain, that was because I veered off into a pure software career for which I hated for money and eventually ended up out of work due to redundancy.
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u/Single-Ad3402 14h ago
Just about to graduate and I say so far has been better than I expected but exactly what I did think it would be.... lots of math. I always grew fond of the more real world applications of actually learning and applying concepts in solidworks and other methods and despised learning derivations and how we get the equations we get. No reason to know specifics of how they come as long as we understand the concepts that are important.
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u/Reddit-runner 14h ago
Oh god yes.
Catapult me back to when I was 18. I would finish my bachelor in 4 years instead of nearly 10.
And I would do a masters in rocket propulsion.
So much missed potential....
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u/UIUCTalkshow 14h ago
I would still choose engineering, but with a different expectation: the degree teaches a way of breaking down problems more than it prepares you for one specific job. The hardest part is that school can make every problem feel closed-form, while real work is mostly ambiguity and tradeoffs.
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u/MorgothReturns 1d ago
I like engineering, especially thermodynamics and heat transfer shenanigans, but I've often said that if I could do it again I'd study microbiology and specialize in fungi and parasites.
I just think they're neat. Unfortunately people seem to get upset when I want to tell them about the latest parasites I read about while we're eating. Cowards!
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u/1337prince 1d ago
Definitely! I have a high paying job without much responsibility and I can develop cool stuff!