Don't really want to be an Engineering major anymore...

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I know I can do it, its not that its too hard or too much work but I feel like its not really what I want to do, more or less it was just the nice, safe option that my parent where pushing for and since I like to make and design things/ideas I thought it was a win win. But, I don't really know if I'll be happy still doing this in X number of years.

I don't know what to do, I'm a sophomore and don't really have another Idea lined up and ready to go if I were to switch majors.

So lost.
 
I suggest a strong dose of perseverance.

Everyone I knew waffled at least once about their major. I'm still waffling years later.

Generally, that period can be rough: they cram down math and calc and statics and strengths and it can be mundane. Fun stuff will come. Maybe try and network with other students or professors and get exposed to another side of your department.

When in a rut, mix it up.
 
Four years (or less, presumably) is such a tiny fragment of your life that it would be stupid not to just tough it out. The reason those jobs have higher salaries is because the supply of properly trained professionals is low enough to commend it. In other words: if it didn't suck learning it, there'd be no point in pursuing it because it wouldn't pay dick. Absolute worst case scenario is that you can make a livable wage for only a couple years of shitty studying. Are you kidding me?

It can be tempting watching all the liberal arts majors run through the sprinklers while you sigh from inside a dusty library, but I promise you the payoff will be worth it.

Observe:

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I would suggest toughing it out too. Engineering is obviously a pretty niche focus, but at the same time its still appealing to a large variety of employers and grad programs.
 
i would suggest heroin

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so you can get your heroin from us
 
People are going to tell you to stick with it just because it makes a lot of money. However, if you really don't enjoy the root material or feel you won't enjoy going to work everyday, I would talk to your adviser and seek other options. I'm a biochemistry major and i love just about every class i go to. The material I learn just interests the fuck out of me. I had the math scores in high school to pursue an engineering degree, but I knew that wouldn't interest me, it's all so dry. I know I could make a lot more money, but your quality of life doesn't necessarily go up because you make more. I know some very miserable people making 6 figures. In the end, follow your heart, not the dollar signs.
 
Of course, this is assuming that your major dictates your career (it doesn't).

Kind of funny how college degrees work: "huh, guess my art career isn't working out. I guess I'll use my accounting degree to buy some groceries..."
 
These graphs have too many discontinuities for me./bad jokes

Keep at it? Or try chemistry? I like making things and such, and do a lot of problem solving and stuff like that. I'm a semester away from a bs in chemistry. I think everybody has the same feeling, but luckily you won't be stuck doing it forever. Engineering what, specifically? There's a lot I could do with a chem degree, I don't have to sit in a lab mixing stuff or whatever people think chemists do. Same probably goes for engineers.

 
I'm just about to finish up my undergrad in civil engineering. I used to be super stoked on being an engineer, now that I have worked several internships and been around the industry for awhile, I kind of wish I would have chosen something else. But I'm a little to far along to switch, but I'm glad I chose engineering as the one to stick with out of all the majors I switched too.

I know that I will make good money and honestly I even think I'll like being an engineer but I feel like after a year or two I will get fed up with it.

I'm currently tossing around the idea of going to grad school to get my MBA so I can minimize the amount of time I have to spend as an "actual engineer" before I can move on to a management position.

I would stick with it unless you have a definite idea of what you want to do.

 
As someone who was an mechanical engineering major, it never felt right to me so I switched my major and that was one of the best decisions I've ever made, just don't switch to something stupid and if you do switch don't just switch cause "it's too hard".
 
this, was leaning towards mech engineering (i'll start my freshman year in the fall) but i'm having doubts
 
So, I was an ME major. I was doing fine, maintaining a 3.8 GPA and really loving some classes. Then I got a job doing video work, which I have always done as a hobby and, long story short, I switched majors to digital media and broadcasting. My average graduating salary dropped by something like fifty grand and on the surface it probably looks like I did the wrong thing. I did keep ME as a minor so that all my credits were not wasted. I think that your situation is different though. You don't love it and your not sure about it, but everyone has those moments about any major and college in general, it's part of growing up. Unless you believe you have found your calling and it is not engineering it is not worth it to quit. We are all lost at some point in college, that's part of the game, part of the challenge. You have invested two years of your life in engineering, is it worth it walk away now? Don't leave the path you are on just to wander, if you find your right path then by all means ditch engineering and hop on it, until then invest yourself fully in the path you are in. Also, if you do change majors consider keeping engineering as a minor, I know for me I have only eleven credits left to get my minor after I switched halfway through my sophomore year.

TL;DR

Don't leave your major to wander, leave it if you find your calling. If you do change majors consider getting a minor in engineering.
 
GIS Planning, pretty much cartography and spacial stuff. I love it and there is a pretty good market for it too. Granted my choice isn't for everyone but for me it fit directly into my interest, and honestly 90% of the classes I've taken I've enjoyed or found worthwhile.

What I'm saying is there are so many different options out there. Many people do engineering strictly for the money or like me didn't have any other real options, I thought engineering would've been for me but It never was my cup of tea besides doing CAD work which doing full time for a long time in my opinion would drive me to the funny farm. I'm not dissing on engineering I know quite a few engineering students, but I know quite a bit more who like me were in the program and ended up dropping out, or switching majors to become really far behind somewhere else because engineering was talked so highly of when in reality it isn't for everyone.
 
If it's freshman year, you can take classes that can apply to a wider range of studies. I don't mean just start killing electives or breadth requirements or something. If you know you're going to study something with math, start doing math classes. It's not like if you were trying to switch second semester of junior year, and that really major specific class is now worthless cause you completely changed fields. Like, that's great that you know fluid dynamics, but this is business 101 and laminar flow don't mean shit...

If anything, do some sampling and see if you find something you like a lot.
 
What you learn in college about engineering is just the basic knowledge you need to take part in meaningful design later. It sucks, but if you want to move to the more enjoyable stuff you have to learn the basics.
 
I went into college as a graphic design major, after my first year I switched to natural resources management. A year later I switched to sports medicine. Now I'm working at a hospital and about to apply to med school.

Your priorities change a lot in college. Its not too late to make a switch. If you don't like your engineering classes then don't take them. Finish up all your gened requirements and talk to the career counselors at your school. They're there to help you figure everything out.
 
as if someone was going to graduate with a liberal arts degree. That's comparing a negative and a positive extreme. There's a whole middle area to observe.

OP do whatever youre passionate about, because "quality of life" is dependent on you being happy about what you do everyday for 12 hours a day for the rest of your life.
 
safe option that my parent where pushing for and since I like to make and design things/ideas...

maybe try studying english??
 
I hated physics. Probably because my class was 7am and i had a night shift job and typically got 3-4 hours of sleep.

Never again
 
doesn't liberal arts include things like mathematics, geography, architecture, etc?

Math and geography majors often do well for themselves I know. Also, aren't the natural sciences "liberal arts" as well?

I know that most fine arts majors don't usually get good jobs, but putting a blanket over the entire term "liberal arts" seems a bit strange to me.

Like it would be like saying science majors don't usually get good jobs. Like an ecology or astronomy major is not going have the same job opportunities as a geophysics major.
 
I don't understand the butt hurt. In terms of utilitarian professionals in a job market, engineers simply are better than most people in that they have the balls to study something difficult in order to build shit for society. And I say this as a non-STEM major...
 
Engineering and liberal arts are not dichotomized extremes - Art History and Medicine are.

Also, you falsely assume that one's major dictates their career.
 
OP tough it out. STEM graduates can get any job that they want for the most part over lib arts and other non math majors. Just shows that you have the smarts, and work ethic to succeed in something hard. Engineers make the switch over the finance all the time becuase of the math proficiency.

Even if you watn to do ad sales or marketing or work in a museum or whatever, dont make this mistake. Minor in something that you enjoy. School isn't there to "enjoy", its there to get a degree, keep your grades up, and get that piece of paper that will allow you to get a decent job. Trust me, you dont want to graduate and make 30k living with your parents.
 
Engineering will open up many pathways in your career to chose from. The main thing about engineering is that it teaches you to think and approach/solve problems in a different way than any other college major. That is the main tool that you get from an engineering degree that makes you marketable to many different areas of work. You can also apply to different graduate programs easily with an engineering degree. If you want to get into a business/manager role, MBA school is always an option too.

 
I was in a liberal Arts Major and I would take pictures of skinny people on rocks and trees, however I’m changing my major to petrol engineering.
 
well, my main point is 1. do something you love 2. your life isn't going to suck if you get a non-engineering degree, it may be hard at first but eventually you'll find a niche.
 
Every older person I talk to tells me the same thing: "It's not about the money. If you don't wake up and enjoy going to work everyday then what's the point?" Idk but that definitely says something from a person with real life experience. Money doesn't equal happiness. I think at the end of the day you need to be happy with what you're doing.
 
You mean the reality? Someone's an arts major. Engineering gives you the most opportunity out of any major by far, deal with it.

I'm not an engineer but I can still accept my major sucks balls compared to theirs.
 
people who are insecure/small wangs will use any excuse to feel superior to others.

what get me are the engineering students who get all high and mighty....wtf you're not even employed???
 
^ LOL seriously. Money is everything when you eventually have a mortgage, car payments, bills, ungrateful children, college tuition.....
 
"Poor" is a state of mind. I'd argue that only those who truly believe money does not equal wealth are capable of wealth. Still, you have to find some realistic middle ground. Integrity has its cost. In other words, you have to be rationally idealistic and functionally cynical simultaneously.
 
Wrong.

What gives you the most opportunity out of any major is having the drive and ability to use your education beyond its suggested realm. Too many engineers that I know and have lived with are book students, meaning they can recite information they read, but when it comes to actually applying it, they struggle. You see this a lot with bio/chem/pre-med students as well. Proponents of liberal arts majors will argue that their type of education will yield a more "rounded" set of skills and that graduate school will help narrow the field. Dont believe me? Look at the successful alumni of Williams, Amherst, Bates, Colorado College, Pomona, Occidental, etc

One of the most memorable stories I have heard from a pre-med student came from a question on their final exam. The professor asked a question that recited information from the book, then asked why it was wrong, using information they had learned that year. Apparently 1 person in the entire class of 100 students was able to answer it correctly.

If you look at ANY successful person, they all have one intangible attribute in common, they can look outside the box. You do not need to be an engineer nor do you need to be a liberal arts major to do such a thing. What you need is to be able to have the drive and ability to utilize your education beyond its suggest realm. If you can do both of those, there is the possibility to succeed.

 
I feel, maybe cause I'm in the earth sciences department, that many of the fields in earth sciences(this includes geography which is what I'm basically in and has a huge array of different parts) always will have a market. There is always going to be a need for someone to be there to understand the planet we live on as well as the human component, now in terms of salary we might not get paid as much as some, but overall the people that I have met in my field are very passionate and for me is an enjoyable line of work.

Not to try to call people out or anything, but some of the engineering students in this thread, what are you plans for after college? I'm curious about the kind of jobs because engineering is so broad.
 
I chose chemical engineering partly for the money and partly for my own enjoyment. The only other thing I was interested in was music, and I've seen driven, talented musicians go 15 years and not land a steady gig. They play everyday, but it doesn't make them happy.

With engineering I can get a good job early, and afford the things that do make me happy, like instruments and ski trips. Consider what you want to do, but keep in mind that work is work. Bearable work with good money might be better than a job you love that causes constant stress because you can't afford to do anything else fun.
 
I said that as an ME major. Just to many douchebags in my classes that think they are better than everyone in every other program even though they are not doing well in the ME classes.
 
Ah yes. 90% of first year engineers at my uni. My previous comment applied more to those with actual degrees
 
ya?

tell that to the 3rd world country 8 year old who just bathed in the same pond he used as a toilet this morning. ask him if his poorness is "just a state of mind". explain to him that he has everything he could ever need.

the other 99.9999999999% of the world realizes that wealth = possessions, which = money.
 
Your call man. I'm working towards an econometrics master and god knows i hate economy, i've done physics and maths my whole life. but i know that this will open so many doors cause no one is doing it and it pays big. I know i'll be getting those ski days in and i can work in just about any industry, but i find what i do extremely boring, just sheer math and micro economy.

I know it's not what people always tell you, like "follow your dreams" but living well is really my dream and unless i go pro soon i don't think any job will ever really peak my interest.
 
Exactly this and my mindset right now. If you really have that passion do it on the side and something could still come of it WHILE you're living at a decent standard. Otherwise you could waste 10 years of your life.
 
Some engineers take it to far, i will agree.

However, everything you have ever used was created/ dremt up by an engineer so deal with it.
 
Wealth

noun



1.

an abundance of valuable possessions or money.

..maybe money doesn't equal happiness, but I'm pretty sure it equals wealth

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