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nolongerinuse


Registered: 05/14/06
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Deciding on a Major......
#7516536 - 10/14/07 04:36 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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I cant decide what i want to major in.... I only have one and half semesters left before i must decide.
Im towards engineering. Either Civil or Computer. Anything that doesnt require much chemistry.
If i do computer i would get to make vediogames- which i like, but i dunno if i will still like vediogames 10 years from now.
Civil is nice because you get to go outside a lot- but i dunno if i want to have to use a bunch of difficult math for the rest of my life either. But ill probably have to regardless of what engineering major i choose...
Any advice? What do you people do for a living?
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Liquidkick
H2O
Registered: 05/03/02
Posts: 2,635
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you can make a lot more in computer vs civil right off the bat. Because of the certifications of civil engineering require xyz years of experience.
Choose wisely.
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mikeytro
Stranger


Registered: 01/28/07
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my dads a civil engineer. its a good job with good pay but its an extremely stressful job and he pretty much dislikes it now at the age of 53
-------------------- "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Einstein
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Brainiac
Rogue Scientist



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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: Liquidkick]
#7516568 - 10/14/07 04:44 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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The computer field is flooded with people...
You will change it ten times from now.
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Fair is Fair
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Tangerines




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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: mikeytro]
#7516571 - 10/14/07 04:45 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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I am in the same boat. I have 1 year of pre-engineering courses under my belt, but I do not know what kind I want to be. \
At first I thought Chemical because I love chemistry but it is honestly said to be one of the hardest degrees to get. period.
then I wanted to do Metalurgical engineering like study the properties of metals and create alloys for high stress enviroments like outer space, under water, very hot temps and such.
then I too wanted to do civil engineering but now I am totally clueless.
I need to talk to my counselor sometime soon
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nolongerinuse


Registered: 05/14/06
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: mikeytro]
#7516575 - 10/14/07 04:46 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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yeah, i think im gonna go to Computer. I mean computers are the future- and have been for like the past 40 years or more prolly. Getting a degree in the feild still wont be easy, then when i finnaly do get a job, i may be infront of a computer screen for 10 hours a day- which isnt too much fun, but atleast i'll be making some serious bank.
-EDIT_
In my experience the advisors and guidence dont help much. Its all about what classes you like, and what you would want your daily life to be like 10 years from now.
If i went towards Chemical, i would want to go all the way into the NASA program and try to get launched into outerspace. But thats a lot of work, and i've decided i'd rather work and get real paid and then buy my way on a spaceship- very tangable idea 10+ years from now
Edited by new2grow (10/14/07 04:49 PM)
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Brainiac
Rogue Scientist



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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: Tangerines]
#7516577 - 10/14/07 04:48 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Look into the Food sci, heath or bioteah fields.
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Fair is Fair
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Cepheus
Balance




Registered: 04/19/06
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I couldn't decide on the major / minor thing so I'm opting for a combined discipline; Chemical Physics .. I was initially going to major in chemistry and minor in maths.. but I changed my mind
-------------------- "I only ever hope to reach equilibrium, in Nature's matrix, in line with the meridian" ~ Jehst
"...and I know that I have to keep breathing, as tomorrow the sun will rise, who knows what the tide will bring?" Free Spore Ring Europe Send any spare spore prints you might have and help the distribution
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nolongerinuse


Registered: 05/14/06
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: Cepheus]
#7516606 - 10/14/07 04:55 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Originally i was leaning towards Nuclear Engineering, but now i dont see that being very reasonable, given the solar panels tech getting better by the day.
I still may just major in math or physics, and become part of a governmental think tank- which i think would really fit into my lifestyle....lol.
This sucks tho, ive narrowed it away from anything chemistry, towards the maths or physics. Im pretty sure im gonna go computer engineering
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meatcakeman
the search for bodhisattva



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i'd say computer my cousin has a comp degree and is working for Yahoo and he is making bank plus his benefits are almost unimaginable they have flexible work hours a free gym membership (and the gym is in their work building) a buffet and a relatively easy job
i'm jealous
-------------------- 大开眼界
 
Hasta siempre, comandante.
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TheCow
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Computer Engineering degrees are usually digital logic, VLSI. Meaning you will learn how to design processors, and integrated chips, interface with computers, design buses that kind of stuff. You will also learn programming and assembler, but it is not a CS degree which it sounds like you might be more interested in
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SymmetryGroup8
It's about theFLOW!



Registered: 02/25/07
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: TheCow]
#7516848 - 10/14/07 05:53 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Right. First, make sure it's something that you want to do; don't just do it for money reasons. You life may suck way down the line.
If you want to do compute programming related job, I would suggest doing a computer science degree.
You get out of what you put into it man.
Oh yeah and video games, I wouldn't recommend doing that, since it's a shit load of work and they treat you like crap. Sure you make a little bit more than the average computer programmer but your work week is hell. Only do it if that's something you enjoy. Burn out rate is high. Only go into game programming if it's really something you really want to do. I wouldn't recommend it.
-------------------- Be like water my friend!
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skydog
Coffee & Blunts



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Quote:
new2grow said: but i dunno if i want to have to use a bunch of difficult math for the rest of my life either. But ill probably have to regardless of what engineering major i choose...
If you major in any field of engineering you're going to be required to take three semesters of calculus, one semester of differential equations, and possibly another semester of advanced linear algebra/modern algebra.
Not to mention, after you get your degree, you'll still have to keep your math sharp. If you're not keen on math, you may as well forget engineering or physics.
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nolongerinuse


Registered: 05/14/06
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: skydog]
#7516947 - 10/14/07 06:23 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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yeah i know i know, im already in my third semester of calculus. And i mean keeping up with it wont be too hard, in most feilds of engineering they have pretty good computer programs out that help with the mathmatics behind stuff, so im not too worried with that.
I just want to get a job that i would like- which i have no clue what that is now.
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Colbadol
Reality Mechanic


Registered: 03/05/05
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did you even look at mechanical engineering?
it's the most general of all of the specific engr disciplines, and there's only one course of chem required. Plus, most mechanical engineering students hate chemistry, and the professors know that. Chem is used quite minimally until you start taking classes that deal with fuels and energy...wherein youre givin the chemistry data, and you just gotta use it. Theres no balancing equations or stoichiometric ratios or anything. Even my materials science class didnt get too chemical. We just dealt with crystal structures mostly.
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VisionsToReality
RIBBONS


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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: Colbadol]
#7517485 - 10/14/07 09:06 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Advice:
Pick a major that you enjoy and pick a career that you love.
For some people that isn't possible but that's the BEST way to live life in my opinion. Doing a job or studying something you don't enjoy is a waste of time, a waste of life.
-------------------- Life is one big road with lots of signs, So when you're ridin' through the ruts, Don't you complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy Don't bury your thoughts, Put your vision to reality, yeah!
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Cracka_X
Spiritual Dirt Worshipper




Registered: 01/25/03
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Loc: Swamp
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By like me and do Zoology. You'll feel great about taking all the courses doctors take and work at a zoo! 
Nah, but the zoology courses are interesting.
idk man, do whatever you feel you'd be happiest with. Don't choose a major based on monetary needs. This is something you're gonna do for a good bit of the rest of your life!
The way I set my shit up was to allow me some options upon graduating...
Either med school, grad school for biomechanics, or nursing. Zoology's courseload is more than enough, I enjoy the zoology courses and since it's in the Liberal Arts and Sciences College, I can take whatever humanities/electives that I think are interesting and have count towards my degree. When I graduate, I'll have minors in History and Anthropology... not that they'll do me any good but eh, maybe it'll strike up a conversation during an interview or whatever. Either way, make sure you don't set a path that's hit or miss.
-------------------- The best way to live is to be like water For water benefits all things and goes against none of them It provides for all people and even cleanses those places a man is loath to go In this way it is just like Tao ~Daodejing
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LucidDream
Hungry BlueFiend



Registered: 05/09/03
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Loc: Planet of the Stupid Peop...
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I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics.
-------------------- Sarcasm just one of my many talents.
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aDoS
freedom lover



Registered: 06/18/05
Posts: 7,590
Loc: land of the free
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if you do something with computers will you take computer science? are you good at math?
-------------------- "If we could sniff or swallow something that would, for five or six hours each day, abolish our solitude as individuals, atone us with our fellows in a glowing exaltation of affection and make life in all its aspects seem not only worth living, but divinely beautiful and significant, and if this heavenly, world-transfiguring drug were of such a kind that we could wake up next morning with a clear head and an undamaged constitution - then, it seems to me, all our problems (and not merely the one small problem of discovering a novel pleasure) would be wholly solved and earth would become paradise." - Aldous Huxley GIVE ME OPIATES OR GIVE ME DEATH
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TameMe
Stranger



Registered: 10/24/05
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Quote:
new2grow said: I cant decide what i want to major in.... I only have one and half semesters left before i must decide.
Im towards engineering. Either Civil or Computer. Anything that doesnt require much chemistry.
If i do computer i would get to make vediogames- which i like, but i dunno if i will still like vediogames 10 years from now.
Civil is nice because you get to go outside a lot- but i dunno if i want to have to use a bunch of difficult math for the rest of my life either. But ill probably have to regardless of what engineering major i choose...
Any advice? What do you people do for a living?
dude...computer engineering math is going to be a lot more difficult than civil. civil is sort of the easy engineering.
i'm doing electrical right now...and might fall back on mechanical if i can't cut it in electrical.
there are some pretty cool tests out there...that give suggestions on what you should do. there is a good one on Texas Tech University's Career Center website...I'm sure the same test is on other sites...but I forgot what the name of the test was.
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TameMe
Stranger



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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: Brainiac]
#7517595 - 10/14/07 09:38 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Brainiac said: The computer field is flooded with people...
You will change it ten times from now.
america needs electrical and computer engineers. and "the computer field"....computer engineers work for companies that have nothing to do with computers...but just use them as tools. one big one...being the medical field.
we are not even close to being flooded...and most of the rest of the developed world is pumping out engineers left and right..and we are outsourcing our jobs. probably because the nerds that are engineers aren't getting fucked enough to spread the genes.
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TameMe
Stranger



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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: LucidDream]
#7517618 - 10/14/07 09:46 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
LucidDream said: I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Plastics.
would that fall under petroleum engineering since plastic is made out of it?
petroleum engineers make the most of all the engineers.
Edited by TameMe (10/14/07 09:46 PM)
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Cracka_X
Spiritual Dirt Worshipper




Registered: 01/25/03
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Loc: Swamp
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: TameMe]
#7517621 - 10/14/07 09:46 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Speaking of fields that aren't flooded, you should be a journalism major!!!!
-------------------- The best way to live is to be like water For water benefits all things and goes against none of them It provides for all people and even cleanses those places a man is loath to go In this way it is just like Tao ~Daodejing
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TameMe
Stranger



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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: Cracka_X]
#7517625 - 10/14/07 09:47 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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i'm not sure what you're getting at there...but i'm guessing you weren't being nice.
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Tangerines




Registered: 04/17/05
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: TameMe]
#7517696 - 10/14/07 10:06 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Material Science interests me. I took an intro course and its was cool talkin about crystaline structures stress and all that. choices choices.....
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LucidDream
Hungry BlueFiend



Registered: 05/09/03
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: TameMe]
#7517722 - 10/14/07 10:15 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
TameMe said: i'm not sure what you're getting at there...but i'm guessing you weren't being nice.
Journalism majors are very thick on the ground. I know about ten of them right off hand. And most of them are fucking useless. (*said the art major, with no trace of irony*)
-------------------- Sarcasm just one of my many talents.
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Kamin



Registered: 02/04/07
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: TameMe]
#7517837 - 10/14/07 10:38 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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The way everything is going now, the demand for Computer Engineers isn't going to drop, but it also won't be skyrocketing. I'm in a CoE program right now, and although it can get difficult at times, it is all about how much time you put into it. As long as you keep up with the courses, the Calculus classes are cake. Not to mention that Linear Algebra is also pretty smooth. If you can't do physics or chem, then Computer is the way to go. All of the other engineering fields require a lot of Physics work. Although, as always, some more specific applications of CoE will require Physics anyway.
If you want to do video games, Computer Engineering is not the way to go; that would be Computer Science for the most part. I would make sure you research the differences before deciding upon Computer Eng.
Oh, and most Computer Engineering Programs require up to Calculus II. Civil engineers actually go through more mathematically rigorous courses than CoEs.
Edited by Kamin (10/14/07 10:41 PM)
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Cracka_X
Spiritual Dirt Worshipper




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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: TameMe]
#7517908 - 10/14/07 10:51 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
TameMe said: i'm not sure what you're getting at there...but i'm guessing you weren't being nice.
nah, i was just being sarcastic/joking around and meant to direct it to new2grow.
sorry bout that
-------------------- The best way to live is to be like water For water benefits all things and goes against none of them It provides for all people and even cleanses those places a man is loath to go In this way it is just like Tao ~Daodejing
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denots87
Shroomerite



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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: Kamin]
#7517971 - 10/14/07 11:07 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Mechanical engineering, tool designs/engineers, and special field engineers will become in a greater demand in the next 10-20 years. The job market has been flooded already by the rise of computer power during the 1980's up to the present day.
The computer field won't suffer any foreseeable loses, but the demand won't jump as that has already happened the past 30 years. The problem is the current working generation from the baby boomer era is coming close to retiring. Those baby boomers are the back bone of today's society of mechanics, machinists, tool makers, and welders (the people that maintain everything). They build the bridges/roads we drive on, the cars we drive, the guns we shoot, hell pretty much everything revolves around those 4 catagories (excluding design engineers/chemists/scientists).
People can design and think up all different types of crap, but until you actually build it you won't know if it works. Working for a sub company of Pitco making commercial food fryers (major food company) it was amazing how many times a CAD design was wrong and the actual piece being built had to be reworked to make it fit or work.
Material sciences and mechanical engineering are the way to go the way if your looking for a 4 year degree. Both will be in high demand coming years and America already is falling behind other countries in these fields.
I'm in the process of being a CAT construction equipment technician for the reasons I said above. Computers are great and all, but if the world ended whats better to know? How to fix something mechanical, or computers that probably won't work. But the most important part is pick something your happy with, if your not life has a much higher chance of sucking when you come home from work each day.
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Chubba
Vape hungry

Registered: 07/05/07
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: denots87]
#7518073 - 10/14/07 11:36 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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I'm a former B. Civil Engineering student, ended up dropping it when the maths got too intense.
Now I do a B. Applied Science (majoring Biochemistry, minor Organic Chemistry) and love every minute of it, interesting shit.
Eng is definetely where the money is at though.
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Brainiac
Rogue Scientist



Registered: 04/29/06
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: denots87]
#7518083 - 10/14/07 11:41 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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Food Safety Science and Technology
People have got to eat and with all the stuff coming from China.
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Fair is Fair
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SymmetryGroup8
It's about theFLOW!



Registered: 02/25/07
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Re: Deciding on a Major...... [Re: denots87]
#7518115 - 10/14/07 11:51 PM (16 years, 3 months ago) |
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I know a little bit about the research type of work that mechanical engineering departments do at the graduate level, well at least at my school(I was the retarded undergrad student assist).
We did a lot of work for NASA, doing computational fluid dynamics and computational solid mechanics.
We did a lot of hush hush work for D.O.D.
We also did a lot of work related to medical research.
Overall I think it's very interesting work.
You can always become a professor. They're always in demand.
The thing about professors is, you get to make graduate students into your bitch, which is a plus...
If you want to major in Mathematics then definitely go for your masters. Or double major in something else that requires heavy math, such as computer science. This way you can excel in any math heavy graduate school of your choosing.
-------------------- Be like water my friend!
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