Which Engineering field?

[jakeypotato]

So there are so many engineering fields: Computer, Chemical, Biomedical, Mechanical, Electrical, etc.
I am applying for college currently, most likely a Liberal Arts for Bachelors then a large University for grad. I want to study Engineering and Economics.

My ultimate goal is to be an entrepreneur of some sort, create a product, and start my own business.

I am literally interested in all sciences. Sure, some may be harder than others, but I like the challenge. As of now, I don't prefer one over the other.

From your experiences and people you know, which engineering major seems to be the "best"? This is a really subjective question, but I would like to hear your opinions and thoughts. In my terms, "best" would mean happy wise, life wise, opportunity , etc.

Ideally, I would like to earn a lot of money and retire early. Which field provides that?

Thank you!

 

[austinite]

I think Computer Science is the best if you want to be entrepreneurial. In comparison to other types of products, it takes far less capital to start a software oriented company. At this point I think software people also have the best job prospects in general with the exception of Petroleum.

Not sure if "make enough money to retire early" is a good goal. You should probably look for something that you could potentially enjoy for a lifetime and then try to get rich doing that.

One thing to be careful of is considering where you want to live, as job prospects can be highly localized. EEs have a million options in the San Jose area, Petroleum guys in Houston, Software in NYC and SF, etc.

 

[mixProtocol]

If you're applying for undergrad now and looking to eventually get a Masters in Engineering or Economics, I'd aim for a school that offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts (BA), but not Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA). I'd also note that "Computer Science" is basically "Software Engineering" while "Computer Engineering" would likely lean toward a mix of hardware and software (operating systems).

 

[Khayembii Communique]

Computer science type stuff is great for startups, which require very low capital investment (because you're just coding your own app/site/whatever). The downside is that this market is fairly saturated as so many people are going into it. By the time you get out the market could just be completely saturated and you would have a difficult time developing your own thing.

Now, where do you see the economy going? What fields do you think are going to get big in the next couple of years? Where will our society go? That's what you need to answer. We could all give you our opinions but if you want to be entrepreneurial you need to do the research and answer that yourself. Have you started seriously thinking about this? Do you research it every single day?

My general recommendation, though, is to not waste your time while in school. Eat that **** up. Go to class and get straight A's. Get books out of the library that expand upon what you're learning so you're way past the curriculum by the time you've completed your final and got an A in the class. Tap into the school culture, try to figure out what everyone's thinking at your school. Get involved in EC's involving your field as well as business/entrepreneur/startup orgs. Start talking with people. That's the best way to figure out a direction.

Get rid of the "make money/retire early" goal. That's stupid and immature. Start realizing that you can change the world. You can make a Google or a Tesla if you try. All of us can.

Talk to people about how we can change the world for the better. Get their ideas and maybe even work with them on it. Bounce your ideas around with other people. Figure out how you can change the world, and then go and do it.

 

[jakeypotato]

Computer science type stuff is great for startups, which require very low capital investment (because you're just coding your own app/site/whatever). The downside is that this market is fairly saturated as so many people are going into it. By the time you get out the market could just be completely saturated and you would have a difficult time developing your own thing.

Now, where do you see the economy going? What fields do you think are going to get big in the next couple of years? Where will our society go? That's what you need to answer. We could all give you our opinions but if you want to be entrepreneurial you need to do the research and answer that yourself. Have you started seriously thinking about this? Do you research it every single day?

My general recommendation, though, is to not waste your time while in school. Eat that **** up. Go to class and get straight A's. Get books out of the library that expand upon what you're learning so you're way past the curriculum by the time you've completed your final and got an A in the class. Tap into the school culture, try to figure out what everyone's thinking at your school. Get involved in EC's involving your field as well as business/entrepreneur/startup orgs. Start talking with people. That's the best way to figure out a direction.

Get rid of the "make money/retire early" goal. That's stupid and immature. Start realizing that you can change the world. You can make a Google or a Tesla if you try. All of us can.

Talk to people about how we can change the world for the better. Get their ideas and maybe even work with them on it. Bounce your ideas around with other people. Figure out how you can change the world, and then go and do it.

Thanks for the advice. It really helps. Make money/retire early is stupid, totally agree. I definitely see myself wanting to give more than I get, so creating something that can truly make a positive impact on people's lives.

I've been researching a lot and I'm seeing a huge trend toward nanotechnology and materials. Especially as sustainability is becoming an increasing issue in the modern world.

So I am leaning toward materials science and engineering. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[square wave]

MatSE is a field with a lot of opportunities and the programs generally offer more specialization than what you get from a BME program that can leave you trying to put together the pieces for yourself at times - from my perspective at least. That being said, I know MechE's who are doing software engineering and most other combinations that exist.

I recommend you go into the strongest and most general program you can get in to at the university that you choose (think EE, CompE, MechE or MatSE if that's what you're feeling). Depending on what kind of credit your coming in with you'll be taking nearly exactly the same classes for all of them for the first year and a half anyways.

What's most important is to do well in all of your core courses and to get involved with groups, labs on campus or get internships that will let you do projects in the different fields. Actually doing a job is going to give you insight into what you really enjoy and what you're good at, removing any preconceived tendencies you might have towards one specialization or another.

For reference I'm doing a BME masters right now and I'm going to be going into industry in imaging. BME has given me the freedom to take CS, EE and plenty of MatSE.

Good luck!