Re: Looking for a college major
 

Before you even step in the direction of a college, it may be wise to try out some of the fields you think you might be interested in. Even this late in the game in school, internships as well as part time jobs are available with major government contractors/ "high tech" companies. This will help you determine what fields really interest you. Who knows, maybe you'll find one that you didn't even know existed!

Another thing to consider is the Air Force/ Navy. I'm an ET NAV in the Navy, which specializes in all Non-Nuclear electronics, as well as Navigation and Tactical Computer Networking. My job school totals out to just under 2 years before I even get sent to my first Squadron. Depending on what college I take my Naval transcript to, I can get almost a year and a half's worth of courses waived, towards a degree in Electrical Engineering. Not a bad deal at all in any sense. Another huge bonus of this, is that if money is tight you don't need to worry about paying for any of it (MGIB/ P-9/11GIB) I already had 2 years of College competed when I enlisted, combined with my job school, I'll have under a Bachelors in under a year.

My LPO has a Masters in Physics that he's completed over the course of his first 2 enlistments, and my LCPO has a Doctorate in Applied Mathematics.

Just my .2

Re: Looking for a college major
 

it might be worth checking out controls engineering

i did an internship over the summer with a control engineer and we worked on programming the automated robots in manufacturing plants although you lose some of the focus on electrical I think you might enjoy it

Re: Looking for a college major
 

It is ok to go into college without being positive what you want your major to be. It is actually a good idea to have somewhat of an open mind once you are in school, taking classes to see if this is really the direction you want to go. You definitely seem to know what interests you and the area that you want to work in, so just explore some classes to get a better idea. Since you are completing 2 years at the community college this gives you time to figure it out and get your gen eds out of the way so you can be more focused once you decide where you will attend for your degree.

Re: Looking for a college major
 

Well, my mom has a mind set on "It has to be in NJ" while my dad says it can be anywhere, don't listen to her. So preferably something in NJ. I think the Mechatronics is exactly what I'm looking for.

Oh, and my GPA is meh, this why I'm going to the community school first.

Re: Looking for a college major
 

Reported.

Re: Looking for a college major
 

I'm looking for something similar. I think I'll double major in software engineering and electrical engineering. I have a bit more of a general interest in electronics, robots, and programming, so I think it'd work for me.

Re: Looking for a college major
 

If you're interested, MSOE has a great 4-5 year program for SE/EE (aka S-Triple-E), and since you're in the area, you should definitely consider us for your college of choice. For one thing, we are one of only 12 colleges in the country to be taking part in NEAT, a pilot program for what we hope will become a FIRST College-Level Robotics program by next year. Come check out our booth in St. Louis this year if you are able, as it will be operated by active MSOE students and members of our NEAT team, S.C.O.E. Robotics. If you aren't able to make it to that, send me a message and I can get you in contact with Dana Grennier or Laura Schumacher, two of our admissions officers, or I could try to get you in contact with one of our professors or students. Please let me know if you are interested in attending MSOE, as I feel it's the perfect place for FIRST alumni such as myself!

EDIT: One thing I've noticed from other posts is the emphasis on Computer/Software/Electronics/Mechatronics related degree programs. The thing is, though, a Computer Science degree from a technical academy or state college is NOT a Computer Science degree from MIT, Carnegie Mellon, or UC Berkeley. Or MSOE, for that matter! The two most important things that I've seen when deciding upon a college to attend were the following: (A) Find a college that offers YOU the things that YOU want to take away from it, and (B) Take progressive steps to make sure that YOU are getting the most that the college has to offer. I was disappointed last year that my school's FIRST Support Organization, formerly headed by the legendary mentor Kevin Kolodziej, had disbanded. So, this year, I started my own, with the help of some of the hundred or so FIRST Alumni that I have met throughout my time here so far. Maybe you can get involved too!

~ Nicholas A. Iannone
~ Sophomore, Software Engineering
~ Vice-President/Co-Founder, FIRST Collegiate Robotics Organization
~ Milwaukee School of Engineering
~ E-Mail: iannonen@msoe.edu