Engineering Degree

[isucyfan]

I know there are a lot of engineers here, so I have a question for you.

My son is going to be a freshman at Texas Tech this fall, and is very unsure of what he wants to major in. His strengths are definitely in the math/sciences. At Texas Tech (and maybe most universities) the first year or year and a half of Engineering classes are essentially the same for everyone. So, he has just declared the major of Foundational Engineering, and our plan is that along the way, he will find the right fit for the kind of engineering he ultimately wants to pursue. Is this a good strategy, or should he be finding other ways of exploring his options and deciding sooner rather than later on his discipline?

I'm a little out of my element as a social sciences grad. I have never really been sure of what engineers do, except for the ones that drive trains.

 

[clonefreek]

I know there are a lot of engineers here, so I have a question for you.

My son is going to be a freshman at Texas Tech this fall, and is very unsure of what he wants to major in. His strengths are definitely in the math/sciences. At Texas Tech (and maybe most universities) the first year or year and a half of Engineering classes are essentially the same for everyone. So, he has just declared the major of Foundational Engineering, and our plan is that along the way, he will find the right fit for the kind of engineering he ultimately wants to pursue. Is this a good strategy, or should he be finding other ways of exploring his options and deciding sooner rather than later on his discipline?

I'm a little out of my element as a social sciences grad. I have never really been sure of what engineers do, except for the ones that drive trains.

Our plan? I get it he is your son but he is going to have to figure it out on his own what he wants to do. Are you paying for things? If so maybe send him to a tech school first to figure out what he wants to do so he can save you several thousands of dollars.

 

[JP4CY]

Honestly have him try and meet with some advisors from a few of the engineering depts and maybe see if something interests him.
Does he want to stay in TX after graduating? That area is pretty busy in refineries and probably hires a lot of grads with that type of degree.

 

[isucyfan]

Our plan? I get it he is your son but he is going to have to figure it out on his own what he wants to do. Are you paying for things? If so maybe send him to a tech school first to figure out what he wants to do so he can save you several thousands of dollars.

I get what you are saying here. He is definitely making the decisions, but does need some parental guidance, as he is "stuck" as to what he wants to do. The good news is that he is getting the full cost of attendance and a stipend at TTU, so at least we don't have to worry about wasting money.

 

[SCNCY]

Isn't your son getting a full ride at Tech, or a lot of money to attend? I thought I saw that in another thread.

However, regarding what degree to get, that is something your Son is going to have to do. It would be a waste to get a degree and find out he hates it after graduating. I would recommend trying to take some high school electives that are somewhat engineering that are available. I would also see if he could shadow some potential jobs he would be interested in to make sure he would like it.

 

[isucyfan]

Honestly have him try and meet with some advisors from a few of the engineering depts and maybe see if something interests him.
Does he want to stay in TX after graduating? That area is pretty busy in refineries and probably hires a lot of grads with that type of degree.

Yes, he did meet with professors during a visit and will be meeting with advisors at orientation. Hopefully they can push him in the right direction.

Good point on the oil/gas connection there in TX. It remains to be seen if he will want to stay there or not, but there may be opportunities there.

 

[gocy444]

Make sure he does a ton of internships. Classes only teach you so much, you find out pretty quickly if you actually like the job by doing it.

 

[isucyfan]

Isn't your son getting a full ride at Tech, or a lot of money to attend? I thought I saw that in another thread.

However, regarding what degree to get, that is something your Son is going to have to do. It would be a waste to get a degree and find out he hates it after graduating. I would recommend trying to take some high school electives that are somewhat engineering that are available. I would also see if he could shadow some potential jobs he would be interested in to make sure he would like it.

He's in his last few months of HS, so he has taken all that he can that would be engineering-related. The job-shadowing is a good idea.

 

[CycloneErik]

I know there are a lot of engineers here, so I have a question for you.

My son is going to be a freshman at Texas Tech this fall, and is very unsure of what he wants to major in. His strengths are definitely in the math/sciences. At Texas Tech (and maybe most universities) the first year or year and a half of Engineering classes are essentially the same for everyone. So, he has just declared the major of Foundational Engineering, and our plan is that along the way, he will find the right fit for the kind of engineering he ultimately wants to pursue. Is this a good strategy, or should he be finding other ways of exploring his options and deciding sooner rather than later on his discipline?

I'm a little out of my element as a social sciences grad. I have never really been sure of what engineers do, except for the ones that drive trains.

There are other kinds? This is a lot to choo choo on.

 

[Yellow Snow]

I know there are a lot of engineers here, so I have a question for you.

My son is going to be a freshman at Texas Tech this fall, and is very unsure of what he wants to major in. His strengths are definitely in the math/sciences. At Texas Tech (and maybe most universities) the first year or year and a half of Engineering classes are essentially the same for everyone. So, he has just declared the major of Foundational Engineering, and our plan is that along the way, he will find the right fit for the kind of engineering he ultimately wants to pursue. Is this a good strategy, or should he be finding other ways of exploring his options and deciding sooner rather than later on his discipline?

I'm a little out of my element as a social sciences grad. I have never really been sure of what engineers do, except for the ones that drive trains.

Gods honest truth.

I picked Chem E. as my engineering discipline right off the bat. At orientation for the "sciences" majors they handed out a pamphlet of the median salaries that recent engineering graduates made. Chemical Engineering was the highest so I picked that and went for it.

 

[CascadeClone]

Yes that is very reasonable and not unusual. Esp as a freshman, it's gonna be calc, physics, english 101, etc. I think unless you are doing something really specific (e.g. Aero, Nuke, Chem) then there's not much difference class wise starting out.

As far as deciding what flavor he does like... I would suggest going to some functions from the different departments and just seeing which ones are more interesting or "feel" right. Maybe drop in on an upper level class or two.

My son went to ISU and wasn't sure what flavor exactly he wanted, though he had narrowed to electronics/computers so it was narrowed to CmptrE, EE, or maybe CompSci. First year he went "generic" and settled on EE pretty well after that. In and out in 4 years, no problem.

 

[isucyfan]

Make sure he does a ton of internships. Classes only teach you so much, you find out pretty quickly if you actually like the job by doing it.

I think I have read that internships are crucial in getting an engineering job. But that might be further down the path, right?

 

[isucyfan]

Gods honest truth.

I picked Chem E. as my engineering discipline right off the bat. At orientation for the "sciences" majors they handed out a pamphlet of the median salaries that recent engineering graduates made. Chemical Engineering was the highest so I picket that and went for it.

That is hilarious. He is financially motivated as well.

 

[CascadeClone]

Gods honest truth.

I picked Chem E. as my engineering discipline right off the bat. At orientation for the "sciences" majors they handed out a pamphlet of the median salaries that recent engineering graduates made. Chemical Engineering was the highest so I picket that and went for it.

I went Aero because rocket science AND salary.
Never used any of it... other than general problem solving skills.

 

[Heilsqauvador]

I started out undecided engineering at ISU. Wasn't a bad choice as the 101 course gives a tour of the different disciplines of engineering. Each department basically gave a sales pitch of why you should switch to their major.

You should pick a specific one after the first or second semester though.

Not sure how TTU would compare though.

 

[isucyfan]

Yes that is very reasonable and not unusual. Esp as a freshman, it's gonna be calc, physics, english 101, etc. I think unless you are doing something really specific (e.g. Aero, Nuke, Chem) then there's not much difference class wise starting out.

As far as deciding what flavor he does like... I would suggest going to some functions from the different departments and just seeing which ones are more interesting or "feel" right. Maybe drop in on an upper level class or two.

My son went to ISU and wasn't sure what flavor exactly he wanted, though he had narrowed to electronics/computers so it was narrowed to CmptrE, EE, or maybe CompSci. First year he went "generic" and settled on EE pretty well after that. In and out in 4 years, no problem.

This is very reassuring. I think it kind of sucks that we ask 17-year olds what they want to do for the rest of their lives, but that's the reality of it. I figure if he decides that engineering isn't for him, it's easier to go "down" to a math/science discipline rather than starting with that and trying to go "up" to engineering.

 

[JBone84]

I know there are a lot of engineers here, so I have a question for you.

My son is going to be a freshman at Texas Tech this fall, and is very unsure of what he wants to major in. His strengths are definitely in the math/sciences. At Texas Tech (and maybe most universities) the first year or year and a half of Engineering classes are essentially the same for everyone. So, he has just declared the major of Foundational Engineering, and our plan is that along the way, he will find the right fit for the kind of engineering he ultimately wants to pursue. Is this a good strategy, or should he be finding other ways of exploring his options and deciding sooner rather than later on his discipline?

I'm a little out of my element as a social sciences grad. I have never really been sure of what engineers do, except for the ones that drive trains.

That's a good strategy. No rush to specialize. Plenty of time for that later on.

BSME 2007 here.

 

[JBone84]

I think I have read that internships are crucial in getting an engineering job. But that might be further down the path, right?

Typically yes, further down the path. Earliest likely after freshman or sophomore year.

 

[ISUser]

I started out undecided engineering at ISU. Wasn't a bad choice as the 101 course gives a tour of the different disciplines of engineering. Each department basically gave a sales pitch of why you should switch to their major.

You should pick a specific one after the first or second semester though.

Not sure how TTU would compare though.

I was also undecided engineering and found the 101 course to be very helpful. I eventually settled on Electrical Engineering with a focus in power and it wasn't something I would have even remotely considered coming out of high school.

 

[CascadeClone]

I think I have read that internships are crucial in getting an engineering job. But that might be further down the path, right?

"Crucial"? Not in my experience. Handy yes, and often if you get one you get paid decent and 90% get a follow up offer on (or before) graduation.

But anyone with an engineering degree and a pulse will have no problems getting a job in short order. I mean, maybe face tattoos or showing up to the interview in your juggalo outfit could slow things down...