Help a college student with 'major' choice

[mmbt0ne]

[ QUOTE ]
Never really got the lure to industrial engineering either...although starting salaries are suppose to be great in that one...

[/ QUOTE ]

It's like a business for engineers major. Lots of statistics, decent bit of economics and financial modeling, and a little management. Lots of people go into consulting or financial institutions since, at least around here, they seem to prefer to teach the business stuff to the math folks than teach the math stuff to the business folks.

But basically, it's a wide open degree that people do all kinds of things with. I flirted with the idea of law school, and grad school. Right now though, I think I'm going to graduate in December, work for a little bit while trying to help my dad with his new businesses and maybe go get an MBA in a couple years.

[theben]

I'm an ISE.


If you want to do engineering I'd strongly reccomend it above all other forms of engineering. its basically a business major for people who can do math. it is by far the most easy of all engineering majors. by many, it is called "imaginary engineering". at almost all schools (Gtech, NU would be examples of exceptions) ISEs are considered to be the joke of the engineers.

putting that aside, we get paid (starting pay) as much as the real engineers but we have to know less.

many portions of an ISEs cirriculumis BS/common sense. the OR, simulations, supply chain, statisics, QC, finance, programming, and math stuff we do is OK but the "industrial" stuff we do (facility design, ergonomics, etc) is common sense

[DMBFan23]

a great friend of mine's sister and her in-law were psychology majors undergrad, then went to engineering grad school and now are systems engineers. a sorority sister of my girlfriend's is an english major, and is now doing an engineering internship. I was math undergrad and am now in aerospace/systems engineering.

you're going to get a lot of "do what you are interested in/passionate about" responses for a reason. News flash, you probably won't end up using your specific classroom skills in your career field except in very narrow instances, in engineering it's really proving that you are a critical thinker and can apply logic and assumptions correctly. also, you do pick up some computer skills in engineering school that are useful in the working world. but if you're motivated, you'll learn those things anyways. major in what you are interested in, the money will come to you.

however, if you're not that motivated, just want to party for 4 years and then get a job, most non-agricultural non-mechanical engineering degrees are pretty marketable to any consulting/IT/engineering firm.

[sc24evr]

mechanical engineering, thats what I am doing at Georgia Tech. I had no idea which engineering i wanted to do either but its the easiest one and it helps you get your feet wet.

[T-God]

OP, you're going into your first year so do what all freshmen do: take a variety of classes then decide.

[Spellmen]

If you are going into engineering I don't think 80k/year is eventually out of the question for any of the fields. If possible I would get your feet wet in some intro classes for each type. Some mechanical eng classes branch into stuff like aerospace eng, automotive eng, etc. If you are more into natural stuff bio, chemical, or material science and engineering may be for you as alot is more on the micro level. Some other stuff may be to try some specialty stuff like industrial or civil and then take a look at mining eng, petroleum eng, etc.
You will never be happy if you don't pick something that works for you, especially in the engineering field. It's tough to put up with the huge crapload of work if you aren't interested in the major you are in, so make sure to check things out your freshmen year because switching later semesters can be a pain in the ass (ahhh, experience). If you find something you like try and see if you can get in helping with some research or projects with a professor. Getting experience should let you know right away if this is something you want to do as a career

[bigt2k4]

I flipped a coin and it came out tails so I went into business rather than science. I definitely decided on the wrong program to be tails.

[Nemesis]

Pharmacy Pharmacy Pharmacy. I graduated this may. I started out making 98,800. In 1 month I got a raise to 102,000. In another week I got promoted with a raise to 115,000. 6 years total pre-reqs to doctor of pharmacy.