EE

[filthylopez]

I have been looking at some Engineering courses, and I think that EE is a good fit for me. I did consider cs and ce, but am put off by all the programming. In general, which Eng degree is the hardest? And which is the better discipline to be in?

 

[radioouman]

Hardest is chemical from what I understand.
EE is pretty difficult too.

 

[bigrash]

I went from CE to CS. CE was easy, but I HATED CS because of the programming classes. If you don't like programming don't go into CS.

 

[legoman666]

I'm a second year EE. I chose EE to get away from the programming. I started as a CE but switched to EE beginning of sophomore year.

define "better." Better pay? More rewarding? It all comes down to what you like personally.

 

[Atheus]

If you don't find programming interesting you're not going to like EE either - it doesn't have a lot of high level programming in C++/Java etc but it is chock full of boolean logic, VHDL, etc.

 

[mesthead21]

Dang, i didnt realize there were so many engineering majors at AT. Thats awesome

 

[bignateyk]

What do you plan on doing after your undergraduate degree?

Job (industry? government?)? Masters? Ph.D? MBA?

Chem E is the hardest engineering major, followed by EE. I did my undergrad in EE, then part of a masters in EE before I switched to IE (Imaginary Engineering).

Do you have more of an interest in heaviliy technical stuff and math? Or do you like engineering from the systems perspective?

You made a good choice not to go CS for sure. I've had 3 different jobs now that have been mostly programming, but I have gotten promoted to managerial roles as a result of having an EE background. Generally those hiring believe that engineers have a better understanding of the overal picture and goal than those of CS, math, and other science disciplines.

It really all depends on what you plan on doing after you graduate, and what type of role you want. Do you want to be the technical guy your whole life, or do you want to get into management as quickly as possible?

If you think you might go on to a Ph.D, you should do EE for sure since it will give you the most math out of all of them, and prepare you better.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: Atheus
If you don't find programming interesting you're not going to like EE either - it doesn't have a lot of high level programming in C++/Java etc but it is chock full of boolean logic, VHDL, etc.

depends on the school. I programmed in MATLAB and a little in VHDL, but not too much.

OP, I really enjoyed EE but I think I would enjoy any engineering job, I am just a problem solver by nature. EE ended up being the best area due to demand and compensation.

 

[Gibson486]

You can definately branch off into more fields with an EE degree, but to think there is no programming involved is a common mistake, especially if you want to stay with in electronics. If you go into Analog, you will likely hit Matlab (c for dummies) and maybe VHDL or assembly. If you go the digital route...there will be programming in VHDL, assembly, or something else (it is gonna be there). Being an engineer that hates programming? Good luck. An engineer that does not want to code is rather unattractive to most employers. You will have very limited options if you choose not to program. It's just how the industry has turned.

 

[JohnCU]

i started in CpE but i got to a course called advanced algorithms and data structures and switched to EE after that. still had to take C++, and did some C and assembly and matlab. i am glad to get all that experience though because any programming stuff that comes up at work i can handle it easily.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
You can definately branch off into more fields with an EE degree, but to think there is no programming involved is a common mistake, especially if you want to stay with in electronics. If you go into Analog, you will likely hit Matlab (c for dummies) and maybe VHDL or assembly. If you go the digital route...there will be programming in VHDL, assembly, or something else (it is gonna be there). Being an engineer that hates programming? Good luck. An engineer that does not want to code is rather unattractive to most employers. You will have very limited options if you choose not to program. It's just how the industry has turned.

that is very true.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: bignateyk


Chem E is the hardest engineering major, followed by EE.

Unless you have completed programs in both, I don't know how you can state this with certainty

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: radioouman
Hardest is chemical from what I understand.
EE is pretty difficult too.

Ceramic engineering requires work in both of those fields. You can find ceramic engineers employed as chemical engineers and ceramic engineers employed as electrical engineers. I'd still think that straight chemical engineering would be harder though.

 

[Analog]

I personally think EE is the hardest, especially the math - based on the student's I've seen. And it really depends on what you specialize in. For instance, RF and Antenna specialties require MUCH more math than VHDL and Assembly Language jockeys. That's at least from my perspective, since I teach EE.

 

[JohnCU]

i think EE is harder because of the abstract...ness...

 

[Mr Pickles]

Are you basing what you want to do with the rest of your life on the difficulty or the level of interest? Or.. are difficult things not interesting to you?