Mechanical Or Electrical???

[martin417]

I have several degrees, an AS in EE, a BS in ME and an MS in ME. I originally planned to be an electrical engineer (hence the AS in EE) After I got to the 4 year program and started taking courses, I seemed to like the ME courses better (in early engineering you have have to take both) it may have been the personality of the professors (the EE people tended to be abrasive). At any rate, I got my undergrad degree in ME and have enjoyed working as an ME for many years. I would probably do the same if I had to start over.


My 2 cents.

[EricVanWyk]

Keep your options open for now. Don't go into a program that forces you to pigeon hole yourself into a specific slot right away. My alma mater (Olin) won't let students declare a major until their sophomore year, and I strongly agree with that philosophy.

I strongly disagree with hallk, though I may be biased as an ECE myself. The amount of "cross pollination" you receive is not a function of your major, but rather a function of your own interests/drive and the quality of the program you are enrolled in.

You might want to consider Systems Engineering, as it sorta kinda not really straddles the two.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by EricVanWyk

You might want to consider Systems Engineering, as it sorta kinda not really straddles the two.

It's also a whole different ball game. The systems folks tell the MEs and EEs what the requirements/constraints are for their system.

And don't limit yourself, either. There are a lot of other engineering majors out there, like Civil, Mining, Materials, Chemical...the list goes on.

[Devibeast]

Honestly i do you not exactly what to do because i have never actually done anything that is directly involved with mechanical, but i have not done anything major in electrical either. My college is something i hope to decide based on my major, so i can go towards what is best for my major.

Thanks for your inputs and i will keep them in mind when it comes time to decide.

[Rickertsen2]

There is a 3rd option. Mechatronics engineering, which is a combination of both. I was faced with your same delimna. I was torn between electrical and mechanical. My first year i declared myself as a mechanical, but started to miss the electrical side of things. When i found out my school was offering a Mechatronics degree, i jumped on it and so far have been happy. Its a personal decision and you should go with what you feel. Look at the kind of careers each offers when you graduate. Remember, alot of the basic classes overlap between EE and ME. You can easily take core classes for a while until you make up your mind.

[Andy L]

I'm almost to the point where I need to make this decision also. Can anyone go deeper into what an EE does and what you learn about?

[Andy A.]

An EE degree, like an ME, doesn't lock you into much at all. It's a huge field and you could end up doing all sorts of things. I have a few EE friends. One is working on wind mills in New England developing weather logging equipment and another is working for a company that makes aircraft lighting products. Both use the same basic skills but have very different responsibilities.

I can tell you that your education will probably start with basic technical math and DC/AC circuits. From there you'll get into logic, microcontrolers, signals and programming. All the while you'll be taking more advanced math courses. By the time you graduate you'll have created a senior project that incorporates what you've learned, sometimes as a group. EE senior projects are often robotic in nature.

If you really are unsure of which one, a lot of technical schools offer a bachelors degree program in electro-mechanical engineering, or something similar. It's basically 2 associates degree programs, one in EE and ME, welded together to form a bachelors. Holders of one of these degrees are likely to end up in a very hands on position, perhaps in a supervisory role over a small team. Emphasis is on skills, experience and flexibility, and less so on high level theory. They have excellent placement rates and young people with this kind of degree are aggressively recruited. If you want a technical job right away with the opportunity to move up, this is a good option. In any case, it's a good opportunity for you to get a side by side comparison of the two fields.

[SteveJanesch]

Both fields are so broad, it's hard to limit what an EE does or an ME does - either one can do just about anything. The good news for those folks on the fence is that there is a lot of overlap in the math and theory when dealing with things like energy, power, and system stability, so you can pick a program or make your own mix from EE and ME for the first two years and then decide. The college I attended my freshman year (Cooper Union) had no difference between ME and EE programs in the first year - calc, physics, chem, thermodynamics, english, programming, whatever.

Every college has "suggested" courses to take at suggested times, but they all assume a single major and a four year stay. You don't have to do that - this isn't high school, and there's no time limit. You can try one thing and if it's not a good fit, try something else. You can change concentrations, majors, schools, or advisors at any time. You can try to get a co-op position for a semester to get a better idea of what's available. If it takes a semester or two longer to earn your degree, that's absolutely not a problem.

My advice is, first, second, and third: don't worry. It is a big decision, but it doesn't have to be made all at once, and certainly not all right now. Try one, explore it as much as you can, and don't be afraid to change your mind later. The worst thing that'll happen is that it'll take a little longer than you originally thought (and five years after graduation, you'll only be glad). One advantage is that you'll have a broader background than many of your peers. You should be free enough to tailor your course selection with your out-of-major electives to keep yourself interested. Relax.

Steve

P.S. I'm an EE, doing mostly circuit design since graduating in '85

[Gene F]

Just adding a little to what a lot off other smart people have said, don't get too settled or worried about not be settled yet. Get started in a good engineering school and look for opportunities to Coop. Coop programs let students "try out" different careers. It also lets employers try you out. Its one of those rare win-win situations. It looks great on a resume when its time to get the real job as well.

Good luck!

[Molten]

I suggest doing a job shadow or two. Perhaps one of an ME and one of an EE. This will give you a little more of a visual of where you could be in the future. Granted, the odds of you having the exact same job as the person you job-shadow is very low. This is just meant to give you a little more data to consider when making your decision. I did something similar between an ME and an MET and found that I definitely wanted the ME degree.

[Mark Pendergast]

I had a similar problem (about 30 years ago) and I picked EE, but took many of my electives in the ME department. My focus was control systems - EE had the therory and ME had the hands on. It worked for me.

For the most part the math and throught process are the same - same problem, different objects. (I have probably done as much informal ME as I have done EE in my career. Now I am in IT - Yikes!)

You might talk to the professors in each school and find one who 'inspires' you.

[dtengineering]

You can't go wrong with either EE or ME, especially if you go to a school that offers lots of options, and doesn't require you to choose until second year.

When I graduated from high school and went to the University of B.C., I had no doubt that I was going in to electrical engineering. None. That is what I was going to do.

After first year, however, it seemed like mining engineering was far more interesting, offered more opportunities to travel and get out from behind the desk, and was more "hands on". (Note to EE's... I'm not saying that it IS, just that it really seemed like it at the time.)

So I went into Mining, but after a year of that didn't really like it, so tried some civil and finally settled on Metals and Materials engineering. Meanwhile I got involved with a number of other activities, including chairing the Canadian Engineering Competition, working in the gas plants of northern Alberta, on the pipelines in Saskatchewan and ended up becoming president of the entire UBC student society. That was lots of fun.

Eventually I realized that for a variety of reasons I would probably rather teach tech studies than work as an engineer... so for the past eleven years I have been a high school teacher. Something that I never, EVER wanted to do when I graduated from high school, but it has been a pretty good career for the most part and is now opening doors into other interesting opportunities.

Likewise my wife, who earned her Ph.D in biotech and considered a career in research science has since discovered an entirely different opportunity to exercise her knowledge by writing patents for a major law firm.

My brother started out studying EE, then went into plastics then got his journeyman ticket as a plumber and now works on industrial and commercial heating and hot water control systems.

A good friend, who is taking a couple of FTC teams to Atlanta this year, started out as an electrician, then was an air traffic controller and is now a teacher.

Another, who started out in science and then got his law degree, discovered that he didn't want to work in a big law office, so co-founded a software company that now employs dozens of people.

In fact I know very few of my friends who are doing what they thought they were going to do when they graduated from high school. So my advice is that whichever option you choose you can't go wrong so long as you work hard and are honest and open enough with yourself to ask "do I still like doing this" and have the courage to take opportunities as they come along.

Make your choice wisely, and honestly, and never regret it... but remember that it will not define your life nearly as much as people might like you to think that it will.

Jason

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Mark Pendergast

You might talk to the professors in each school and find one who 'inspires' you.

Good advice, Mark.

Sri, college level study (in any field) is only as worthwhile as your personal drive to make it so. Facts and principles can be found in books or websites, but your own curiosity and perseverance are required to dig them out. An inspirational professor's guidance and encouragement can make the difference between becoming a true student, or just passing tests.

Originally Posted by EricVanWyck

Keep your options open for now. Don't go into a program that forces you to pigeon hole yourself into a specific slot right away. My alma mater (Olin) won't let students declare a major until their sophomore year, and I strongly agree with that philosophy.

Eric is right, the real decision point is a couple of years into the engineering program.

Like Mark, I made the choice about thirty years ago. For me it was Electrical Engineering, and my inspirational professor was (the late) Bill Sayle at Georgia Tech. He inspired many engineers before and after me.