Civil or Mechanical engineering??

[Pali_Mo]

Ive been thinking about my future lately and Im wondering what I want to do with myself.

As for career choices, Ive narrowed things down to definately one of these: Civil or Mechanical engineering.

For civil, I really like the idea of transportation systems and things like that. I have a extreme amount of interest in highways, and I love to see crazy junctions like the Spaghetti junction in Atlanta.


I also like airports ALOT, *not trying to sound like a terrorist lol*. Something about them has always sparked a feeling inside me. I love its vast size, the wonderful organization, and just the sheer beauty of the structure itself.


Which brings me to another segment of civil engineering, structural. I like to look at skysrapers and i love to explore buildings.




For mechanical engineering, I cant say I like the field itself as much as civil, but I would really really really like to work for an automotive company designing motors and helping build, and test new cars. I would prefer this over any of the other above fields.
But my problem is deciding which one. Im assuming that working for an automotive company, which is all i would want with the ME degree , has slim chances.



So can you guys give me your opinions, and if any civil or mechanical engineers could chime in, that would be greatly appreciated!!!


Also, I am planning on graduating high school a year early, as well as speeding through college with a few summer semesters. Would it be a good idea to double major since i will be saving so much time??

[zmanwit90accord]

As an up and coming engineer myself, I can only recommend mechanical engineering because I've wanted to be one ever since I discovered what they do. I too have had aspirations of working for car companies and that reason alone made me pursue the career. I'm going to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute next year to become a mechanical engineer only because of my love for cars and wanting a career surrounding them.

You seem to have 2 loves though, and in any situation, it's tough to decide. The work load for a double major like that is incredibly difficult from what I've heard, but you seem like a smart guy so you may be able to handle it.

I'll leave you with what a soldier told me at an engineering expo:

"Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets."

[Pali_Mo]

As an up and coming engineer myself, I can only recommend mechanical engineering because I've wanted to be one ever since I discovered what they do. I too have had aspirations of working for car companies and that reason alone made me pursue the career. I'm going to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute next year to become a mechanical engineer only because of my love for cars and wanting a career surrounding them.

You seem to have 2 loves though, and in any situation, it's tough to decide. The work load for a double major like that is incredibly difficult from what I've heard, but you seem like a smart guy so you may be able to handle it.

I'll leave you with what a soldier told me at an engineering expo:

"Mechanical engineers build weapons. Civil engineers build targets."

Thanks for the advice.
Yes, working with cars seems to be the dreams of many, huh?

And lol @ that quote

[GeoffM]

Think of it like this:
Damn, my motor just kicked my ass! <------- Mechanical Engineer
Damn, this traffic is kicking my ass! <--------- Civil Engineer

[Pali_Mo]

Think of it like this:
Damn, my motor just kicked my ass! <------- Mechanical Engineer
Damn, this traffic is kicking my ass! <--------- Civil Engineer

To be honest, i cringed a little when i seen that you posted in my serious thread!

But at least your post made me laugh.

[GeoffM]

To be honest, i cringed a little when i seen that you posted in my serious thread!

But at least your post made me laugh.

Serious answer.
If I get stuck in traffic, I'm blaming the civil engineer.
If my motor explodes, I'm blaming the mechanical engineer.

Which happens more often?

[Pali_Mo]

Serious answer.
If I get stuck in traffic, I'm blaming the civil engineer.
If my motor explodes, I'm blaming the mechanical engineer.

Which happens more often?

traffic

[Tnwagn]

Why do you want to graduate high school early? Is there real benefit you can put on this decision?

Do you have ideas about where you want to apply? Have you done any research about what schools have programs you are interested in and have you looked into visiting these schools to get a better idea about what they have to offer you as a possible student?

The reason I'm asking all of these questions is because they are going to make a huge difference in what you decide to do. Judging you decision based off what anyone complains about more is something that would best be left when figuring out what to eat at a dinner party, not about what career you want to go into.

Most people about to go into college have ideas that are very different than what happens in the real world. You mention possibly going into mechanical engineering because you are interested in helping design motors. This is a great goal, but graduating quickly with a BS in ME isn't going to get you a design job at any car manufacturer. The same goes for your Civil aspirations of designing highways or skyscrappers. If you graduated in 3 years with a BS in CE and got a job with a civil engineering firm you would probably spend a few years doing road inspections on projects under development.

If there is one thing you learn from my post it's this: Take 4, 5, hell even 6 years to get through college but MOST IMPORTANTLY get good, relevant work experience while in school. Co-ops and Internships are what separate the book worm from the kid who is actually going to go out and change the world. That's not to say that grades aren't important at all, they are the glue that binds everything together. However, in this day and age if you don't have a few work terms in your belt when you are graduating college you are at a huge disadvantage.

I can tell you this from first-hand experience. I have worked numerous work terms as and electrical engineering intern and I have been given offers from companies that people with higher grades in classes than me haven't been offered. I've talked to 5-10 recruiters at big companies like Nissan, Belden, etc. and they have all told me that they would take a graduated with a 3.25 and 3 work terms over a kid with a 3.8 and no work experience any day of the week. Putting in work in the classroom gets you the internships and those internships are what get you a real job when you graduate. Companies want to see you know how to get shit done in real life where things don't always work perfectly, as opposed to on a piece of paper and in a lab where the solution is pretty much given to you.

Finally, working while you are in school lets you figure out if you are really passionate about the field you are studying. I learned very quickly that there are major differences between the electrical classes I was taking in school and the job that I had in the field. Luckily, I found that I enjoyed both quite a bit, but I have had friends in engineering that have figured out after a work term that they really weren't that passionate about doing board level circuit design. Figuring this out in college makes changing major a small inconvenience, compared to the life change that would occur if he learned this after graduating college and getting a full time job. Making a change at that point costs you years of your life, not just a semester or two of courses.

I have more advice to give but I want to hear what you have to say about these points first.

[JohnD1079]

the people that go into mechanical engineering because they want to work for xxx car company to help design the next new motor really piss me off because chances are they are NOT going to do that, and it shows just how little about the world they know.

They are both very broad majors with very broad career possibilities. Personally I would chose civil. My major is Industrial Engineering.

[mndude07]

Mechanical Engineering has the broadest scope and is the most common of all the engineering disciplines. This correlates to more job opportunities, but also more competition. Just something to think about.

[gloryaccordy]

Mechanical for sure. I am sitting fat off of my ME degree

[deevergote]

the people that go into mechanical engineering because they want to work for xxx car company to help design the next new motor really piss me off because chances are they are NOT going to do that, and it shows just how little about the world they know.

They are both very broad majors with very broad career possibilities. Personally I would chose civil. My major is Industrial Engineering.

Exactly. That's like becoming a musician with plans on being the next rock star. It might happen, but it probably won't.


Bottom line, do what you're passionate about. Civil Engineering definitely sounds like the one you've given the most thought to. There are plenty of jobs available in that field, especially if you're good.
ME has plenty of opportunities as well, but it sounds like your interest there is extremely focused... so if you don't do exactly what you want, you may not like it.


The good thing is, you won't really have to decide until you're about halfway through college. Most of the classes you'll be taking in the first 2 years will be applicable to either.
Hell, I was a Business major until my final semester, when I decided to graduate with a Psychology degree.

[zmanwit90accord]

the people that go into mechanical engineering because they want to work for xxx car company to help design the next new motor really piss me off because chances are they are NOT going to do that, and it shows just how little about the world they know.

Why do you say that? That is the whole reason I got into mechanical engineering. I may not work for a car company but I'm fairly certain my career will revolve around cars in some way because that's all I want to do. If it wasn't for that reach, that dream to work for a big car company and design the next big thing, I would have never got into it.

Like deev said, musicians who only do it to become the next big star. Their motives may be wrong, they should do it because they love it, but if it weren't for those rock stars, then they might not be interested at all.

It may seem like I'm disagreeing with you but I just want to know why you think that because I really don't know much about the world yet.

[JohnD1079]

I mean, if you need a carrot and a stick to have to keep going, and pursue things in life, they by all means keep your dreams and chase them. You may infact get a job that has you involved in cars and motors and all that, but chances are that IF you do, its gonna be 20-30 years after you graduate IF you pursue it (it can also just fall in your lap, but Im not taking that into account). Go find a mechanical engineer and talk to them about their job. Mechanical Eningeer has nothing to do with Mechanic, and once I found that out, I got out as quickly as possible.

And like deev said, the first 2 years of engineering are the same anyway. All the Calcs, Diffy Q, Linear Algebra, AutoCAD, Physics, Chem and the bullshit mandatory Comps, Public Speaking, etc.. Statics and dynamics if your lucky.

[deevergote]

To continue with my musician parallel...

If you love playing music, but ONLY want to play one style... then your chances of success are going to be slim. It will rely as much on luck and timing as it will knowledge and skill. To make a successful career out of music, you may have to write jingles for Pepto Bismol, or play ominous tones as a soundtrack for some rarely-watched cable drama.

So if you want to design the next F22A, you may need a large amount of luck and good timing, plus the skill and knowledge necessary to land the job. Otherwise, you could end up designing machines that package sausages (of course, I've seen just that done by one of our members, and it looked cool as hell... ) If you don't have an interest in entering the Mechanical Engineering field with multiple options in mind, then you could very well end up chasing after a dream you'll never attain, while rotting away doing something you don't enjoy.

Civil engineering seems to have more of a draw for you. Highways, airports, buildings... quite a variety, and you seem to be fascinated by all of it.


Whatever path you decide to take, do some serious research into the most mundane entry-level stuff in each field. See what it is that you'll be doing, and how long you'll be stuck doing it before you can rise to a more interesting position. Before you're designing the next Spaghetti Junction or LAX, you're going to be timing stoplights in some podunk town. Before you're building the next LS1, you'll be tweaking a 70 year old carburetor design for the budget-line Briggs & Stratton lawnmower engine.
Let the cool jobs be your carrot on a stick... but remember that you're going to be doing the bitch work for a few years before you do anything terribly interesting!