 Quote by JakeBrodskyPE
Disclaimer: I got my degree in Electrical Engineering and my PE is in Control Engineering. However, I work with many Civil and Structural Engineers.
First, if you choose Civil Engineering, it is probably worth your time and money to get the Masters degree.
Second, the difficulty of the degree is almost irrelevant. On the job, being good with applying and solving all sorts of weird differential equations (This is most of what makes the Electrical Engineering degree more difficult) doesn't usually help you very much. In fact, one of my mentors told me in no uncertain terms: if you're messing around with that kind of math, you're probably re-inventing the wheel. The probability of a major screw-up is much higher. Don't do this unless you have no other choice.
In my entire career so far of 25 years, I have used such mathematics in just a handful of places.
My point for bringing up this issue is this: While it is useful to understand the foundations of what makes your field of engineering practical, you should also seek the work of others and build upon it. Your design success rate, the time spent on a job, and your ultimate customer satisfaction will be much higher.
Another thing: If you choose Civil Engineering, please do the world a favor and take the full year of fluid statics and dynamics. I can't tell you how many times I have seen PE stamped drawings with virtually no attention paid to the fluid dynamics. I am employed by a water company. You'd think we, of all people, would know how to install a flow meter. But sadly, I still find newly constructed installations with Venturi meters bolted directly to valves or elbows, or junction boxes where somebody forgot to do a weir head calculation, or flumes that get backwatered...
Do the world a favor and take both semesters of fluids for the CE. You won't regret it.
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I agree with Jake on several points. First of all, the amount of knowledge and math you use from school are very small. The most complicated electrical engineering I have done has been maybe the usage of parallel and series circuits. The most complicated math I have used is multiplying 3 numbers together. Usually 1.73 X 480 X amps. The most tricky thing in power electrical is that a lot of the things you've learned don't work on motors. Resistive circuits yes, motors....ahhh nope. Almost everything you learn on the job....you learn on the job. Sure, your basics from school are in place, but you probably could have taken 1 year of school and been fine had that one semester been actually filled with the appropriate information. I can think of 3 years of wasted time in school....other than the fact that maybe it taught you how to think.
How many EE's have you seen come out of school that don't even know what a breaker panel is, what it looks like, or how it works? How many EE's or engineers come out of school and don't know what a crescent wrench is? BTW...that is often an interview question....what's a crescent wrench!!! Here's another great interview question often asked....why are manhole covers round? Simply google the questions for answers if you don't know....
As far as master's degree.....at my company for example...they could care less if you have a masters degree. Now a P.E...whole different ball game. They will lay out the red carpet for you to get that. Why is that? Simple, they can bill you out for more money as a P.E.....masters degree...not so much. As far as a masters for Civil....I have no idea...I'll take Jake's word for it.
Also, look at it like this. Would you enjoy wiring and designing a complete factory electrical layout.....or would you enjoy building roads and bridges....or more likely placing shrubbery, lighting, sidewalks, ponds etc... Liking your job is going to be the most important thing in the end.
Interestingly enough, there are roughly 30 EE's at my firm, 30 ME's, 15 structural engineers...and 5 civil engineers.
Not saying I am correct or even right on these topics....just sharing what I've seen from my experience....and sharing my opinion.
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