Calling all ENGINEERS - Help!

[cyclonenum1]

A little background...I started at ISU in engineering and stuck with it for 2 years (4 semesters) before changing majors to business.

My son is a freshman and to this point has gotten all A's in his classes with the exception of Chemistry. He has put himself on the track to become an electrical engineer.

At any rate, he has informed us that he now wants to switch to business because he "doesn't really like his classes that much" and that he is concerned that his classes are going to be "too hard" going forward. He also cannot visualize what kind of career he might be engaged in as an EE and is concerned that he might get "stuck in a cubicle in the office all the time".

We know he can do the work. We have encouraged him to get a more 'technical' undergraduate degree like engineering and then go on to get an MBA after that. We think that would really give him a lot of opportunities.

At any rate, I would greatly appreciate it if any of you that are engineering graduates (especially EEs) could give me some idea of the kinds of careers you have had or currently have and the kinds of work you are doing.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[azn4cy]

A little background...I started at ISU in engineering and stuck with it for 2 years (4 semesters) before changing majors to business.

My son is a freshman and to this point has gotten all A's in his classes with the exception of Chemistry. He has put himself on the track to become an electrical engineer.

At any rate, he has informed us that he now wants to switch to business because he "doesn't really like his classes that much" and that he is concerned that his classes are going to be "too hard" going forward. He also cannot visualize what kind of career he might be engaged in as an EE and is concerned that he might get "stuck in a cubicle in the office all the time".

We know he can do the work. We have encouraged him to get a more 'technical' undergraduate degree like engineering and then go on to get an MBA after that. We think that would really give him a lot of opportunities.

At any rate, I would greatly appreciate it if any of you that are engineering graduates (especially EEs) could give me some idea of the kinds of careers you have had or currently have and the kinds of work you are doing.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Are you happy with your switch to business? Would you do it differently if you could go back?

[RyCy04]

He wants to switch to business because he thinks engineering will get him stuck in a cubicle?

[Frak]

I'm not an engineer, but I'd have him look into the ME program that offers a technical MBA combination.

[MNCyGuy]

I don't have kids, so forgive if I'm being out of line here, but why do parents insist on forcing kids to stick with majors they have no enthusiasm for in the name of "being succesful"? I got my ME degree at ISU, but thankfully I feel like that was my choice, not my parents. On the other hand I have an unemployed chem E buddy who I would wager is having trouble finding a job because his parents guilted him into sticking with a major he hated and it affected his performance in school.

I also have co-worker who has twice had me talk to his kid about going to ISU for engineering. I absolutely hate it, not because I don't like talking up ISU, but because while daddy goes on and on about how much his kid wants to be an EE, it is obvious within 5 secs. of talking with this kid that he is not at all sold on the idea and is just doing what his parents tell him to do.

Let me ask you, why did you switch out of engineering? Were your reasons that different from your sons? Do you really think you'd be happier with your career if you'd stayed in it, or would you just have more money?

[Cybadboy]

He would better off finishing in engineering and getting a MBA after. He would be very valuable to any company with that combination.

[ianoconnor]

He wants to switch to business because he thinks engineering will get him stuck in a cubicle?

lol, touche.

[Dopey]

He wants to switch to business because he thinks engineering will get him stuck in a cubicle?

Yeah....

Work as an ME for a small company that produces a product and you'll be up, running around all day getting your hands dirty.

[KingClone]

Two years in and interested in Business...suggest he looks at Industrial Engineering.

He can get on the simultaneous MBA path with an extra semester or two.

[RhoadsRage]

Dice.com

[pyrocyz]

I am an engineer by trade. Got a BS in Mechanical and a MS in ME and Biorenewable Resources and Technologies.

I recently graduated and started my own company. There are a lot of positions out there for people to not work behind a desk all of the time. If he is afraid of that, then he should switch to something like ME where there are many more directions that he can go after graduation.

As an engineer, I personally think that business would get to be boring in college.

PM me if you have any other questions about engineering and going through college as an engineer.

[isucy1234]

Tell him to look into Industrial Engineering. It's arguably the easiest engineering degree, and also focuses on the business side of engineering.

[cycloneworld]

Is the reason he wants to switch because he thinks his classes will be too hard or that he really doesn't like engineering? At least in the civil program, I thought classes actually got easier than the general chemistry/calculus/physics/etc. They weren't easy but usually the subject material interested me enough that it made it much more "enjoyable" (I found it impossible to enjoy classes) that the core crap.

But if he doesn't think he will enjoy engineering, then he should swich.

[saf]

I am an ME that went right to business from college (did an engineering co-op, engineering clubs, etc. during). Despite this, I don't regret my choice at all. Engineering is just problem solving and that applies to everything. Tell him to challenge himself and stick w/ it.

[CycoCyclone]

I made the switch from Computer E to MIS and never looked back