How many of you were/are Computer Engineering Majors?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

LocutusX

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,061
0
0
I don't think that's sufficient reward for getting slowly and royally screwed up the ... err, but that's just my opinion.
 

sciencewhiz

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2000
5,885
8
81
Depending on the college, you probably won't lose more than 1 or 2 courses if you decide to change you major between CE, EE, and CS. Pick the one that you feel the best about and apply using that as your prefered major and use the other ones as backups.

BTW I am a second year EE student at a community college. My two best friends there (we're in our third physics class together) are CS and CE majors respectively.
 

Piano Man

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2000
3,370
0
76
I was a CE for a year at Iowa State. I went in for the wrong reason, money. I did fine, but I hated the work. At night all I would do is practice some jazz on the piano or listen to jazz. Finally, after I got over the money issue, I decided to wake up and do what I was meant to do. I am now a Piano Major at the University of Northern Iowa.


As for sleepless nights and hard work, being a CE isn't that hard. If you do 2 hours of homework everyday there is no way in hell you won't do well. My only advise is to not get caught up in the money issue. I remember the first slide in orientation was about the amount of money the average engineering major made on his/her first year out. I was hooked. What a mistake!!
 

HigherGround

Golden Member
Jan 9, 2000
1,827
0
0
sciencewhiz - CS corriculum is usually significantly different compared to CE/EE (but it could be school dependent). CS people useually have to take significantly less math and physics ( the latter one usually ends with Physics II). Because of that after 4-5 semesters they basically have no chance of switching to CE, if they deisre to do so. On the other hand the opposite works like a charm and I have several friends who did just that - switched from CE to CS in latter stages of their college career ( never excplicitly told the me reasons, but i suspect they just couldn't handle the classes ). Anyway if you know that your career will involve computers start with CE, you can always switch to anything else.
 

CarpeDeo

Golden Member
Feb 10, 2000
1,778
0
0
I'm currently an EECS majors (Electrical Eng and Comp Sci) at Berkeley. If you wanna go into the field, Berkeley's the place to go. Berkeley is national rated #2 in eecs (behind MIT and tied w/ stanfurd (grr)). Known as eecs geeks . . . for good reason too. Trust me, it's no walk in the park. Like right now, I should be programming my next project. I have 9 days to do it, and it'll probably take me between 50-60 hours, so I figure 6-7 hours a day and I should have it done. But at the end, it's ALL worth it. You don't need to go to grad school and like 95% of us will land a job within the first 3 months of graduation. Average starting salaries are $55-60k. But you have to be HARDCORE. And you HAVE to enjoy programming. Not just be able to do it, but enjoy it.
 

hans007

Lifer
Feb 1, 2000
20,212
18
81
hmm technically i'm CSE (computer science and engineering) . I hadn't taken physics until college. The mechanical physics class was fun. The oscillation and electricity one i really didnt like, maybe since i took it accelerated in the summer. Well i know i dont wanna ever do hardware, and i really have no passion for that, so i'm going straight compsci. This quarter i'm taking a math class, english and chinese language. I was taking a CS class, but i was too lazy to go to that boring class so i dropped it. Not coincidentally i'm having a lot of fun this quarter. I hate the stupid system. I have to get a CS degree so that i can get a good job doing something i like which would be programming. But i have to go to boring ass classes (2 hour classes too, since apparently CS profs cant teach for less than 2 hours) for 4 years. I mean i love programming. I have no problems with the 35 hours with no sleep i put into a program last year. But why do i have to go to these professors. First they are boring, and some of them are dumb. Which brings me to my new theory. Engineers are generally not too exciting, and have pretty stale personalities. Engineering professors are even worse. Anyways, you'll probably find that if you go to CSE or EECS or EECE or whatever combo major you have at your school, that most people will switch to a straight CS or EE course, anyways thats what i've seen. Either that or they'll drop it entirely if they dont think its worth it.
Also UCLA sucks in the way they make you take all the same math and physics classes as the EEs even if you are just straight CS. the only difference between EECE and CS here is that instead of taking like 10 EE classes, you take 2 as a CS major, and like 3 more CS classes, and more GEs for the CS major. I am actually liking my GEs more since at least they aren't boring.
 

Wizkid

Platinum Member
Oct 11, 1999
2,728
0
0
The reason that I would rather go to U of T instead of Waterloo is that U of T offers a great MBA program (through another school). It takes 6 years to complete, but I graduate with a BASc (applied science = engineering) and an MBA (masters of business administration).

LocutusX: Why do you not like Waterloo?

Also, many big companies, such as Nortel work very closely with U of T for research, so that is an added bonus :)
 

SuperTool

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
14,000
2
0
1. Read my sig.
2. #1 is worth it. I am graduating this semester from Cornell with BSEE degree specializing in CE (digital logic and circuit design). I have very good offers to choose from. See Jobtrak for salary ranges in geographical areas.
3. Demand now is incredible. There is like a million EE jobs unfilled, and these companies will do anything to fill them. Enrollment in EE schools is not up, because people are either not prepared for it, or they got caught up in the internet craze and are doing CS and other things. Chips aren't getting any smaller, and someone has to design all those millions of transistors, and all the new widgets.
4. Know what you are getting into. I don't know about other schools, but 2-3 all nighters in a week is not all that uncommon for me, especially at the end of semester. It's hard work. I have taken classes in other schools, and they are a joke compared to any EE class.
5. Take it easy. You don't pick EE to get a 4.0 GPA. If grades are all you care about, or you want to go to med or business school, do something else. If you get 3.0+, you have done good and will have a good job. I am not going to suggest being a slacker, but sometimes you have to cut corners to save your sanity.

Bah, forgot to mention 6.
6. There are 0, count them: 0, girls in most of my classes out of 30+ guys. Unless you are incredibly outgoing and good looking person, you will lag seriously in terms of social life behind more "artsy" majors.
 

Freeze

Senior member
Oct 15, 1999
681
0
0
I am an EE with Computer Concentration and a minor in Comp. Sci. at Northeastern University. I love it. The course work is challenging. The best part of the whole deal is the Coop program. I am working for one of the largest tech companies in the US right now (EMC) as a Firmware Engineer. I have 2 years left for school. If you go to a school, I highly recommend one with a structured coop program. By the time I graduate, I will have a BSEE and 2+ years work experience. :)
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
hah hah hah, listen to SuperTool. He's not kidding when he says there are NO girls in EE. Yeah I'm an EE major also and I haven't met ANY chicks in the past year. You will have a minimalist social life as an EE/CE/CS major. This major is a pain in the ass, my 1 unit physics lab takes up the same hours per week as my 4 unit art class.
 

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
3
81
and even if you met one she will be taken... BADLY!

damn, now girls, goto EE if you wanna met guys! there are surplous of guys there so you don't need to fight for Mr. Right in those pesky english and art majors classes :)P jk, english class is actually a safe haven after all those head-grinding Math classes) and we make more money too :) (that is, if we grad)

are Orangeman:
you did you Master in ONE YEAR???
 

nd

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,690
0
0
Just live in the dorms.. you don't have to meet them in class.
 

The LIdless Eye

Senior member
Oct 11, 1999
389
0
0
I did that (they are officially BS Electrical Engineering and MS EE, but it was a Computer Option). Before going to school I was intending to go ComSci, I am VERY glad I didn't. The options open to you are numerous. I get to work on some of the most exciting technology out there.
 

LocutusX

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,061
0
0
Wizkid,

Be careful about those combo engineering degree + business degree programmes. I believe that engineering and business are both very different disciplines and I find it rare to find a technical engineer who is also capable of being a good businessman. For non-technical engineers (Systems Design here at UW) it's different, but I can't imagine any of the CompEng majors I know working in a sales or management position. You should first make sure your love for business is as strong as your enthusiasm for engineering. A U of T MBA is not a walk in the park (as it might be at other Canadian universities) considering it's probably Canada's best MBA programme.

That being said, I have my own reasons for disliking my university/programme. Most of it has to do with me getting too old, been here too long, getting sick of the place, and wanting to get out into the real world and start making real money already. ;) I guess if there are any other 3rd/4th years at a similiarly socially-deprived university (like CMU) they'd agree with me.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
heh, don't meet girls in the dorms either. I dormed at Cal for a year and there are no girls at Berkeley in general. Don't go to school there, it's a crappy place to go to school. Now I go to CSU Pomona, as a commuter so can't meet any girls that way either. I'm utterly convinced now that I won't meet any chicks through school.
 

LocutusX

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,061
0
0
OuterSquare,

I agree with you entirely. Figured that out at the beginning of second year. But isn't that what the Internet is for? LOL... err... maybe not...
 

Wizkid

Platinum Member
Oct 11, 1999
2,728
0
0
According to all the people in the IT field that I have talked too it's very valuable to have an MBA along with an Engineering degree. I just had a look at the Rotman school of business (U of T) and it does look quite challenging, but I am interested in business so I think it will be fun :)

What's with the cost though? It's a two year program and will cost $32800 for people entering in 2000 and $51250 for people entering the program in 2003 :(
 

SuperTool

Lifer
Jan 25, 2000
14,000
2
0
Start working and get your company to pay for MBA school.
I am taking entrepreneurship class now, and it's incredibly boring.
All they talk about is money. None of that inventor spirit. It's all in the balance sheet.
 

mAdD INDIAN

Diamond Member
Oct 11, 1999
7,804
1
0
The MBA program is $52K?? Are you serious?? That's a lot of dough!!

Well I'm planning to goto either Waterloo or UofT. In either CompSci or CompEng..i would prefer CompEng though. Also wats the difference between CompSci and Software Engineering? Both have to do with programming right?

BTW, look at this way...at least none of us are taking/or planning to take Engineering Science at UofT!!!! We would postively die!!
 

jmcoreymv

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
4,264
0
0
Im not sure what I want to go into, CompSci or CompEng, is there anything I could do to try and decide?
 

Tommy2000GT

Golden Member
Jun 19, 2000
1,832
3
81
Are there less options with a Computer Engineering degree over a Computer Science degree? It looks like most employers are looking for people who have a Computer Science degree.

When employers are looking for people with a Computer Science degree, will a Computer Engineering degree be ok?

I'm am trying to change from Computer Engineering to Computer Science and it is extremely hard to change to CS at my school because so many people want to be in it. I'm afraid if I don't get in CS I will be screwed. If I don't get into CS, do you think I should drop out of the university and go to a tech school?