Comp enginerring and Electrical engineering

[bassplayer142]

I am right now going for computer engineering. After I get that in a few years I plan to go into electrical engineering or some other closely related field. I figure that computer and electronics are so closely related that this is a good idea? Coming from real engineers, is it?

 

[asd1249jf]

There are a lot of similarities between Computer engineering and electrical engineering. The only difference practically is that computer engineering takes more computer science courses and electrical engineering doesn't. It may be a good idea to work both majors at the same time instead of working on them independently.

 

[mr_coffee]

You might have better job opportunity if you major in Computer Enigneering, and rather than going back for an EE degree as well, get a masters or PHD in Comp Eng.

 

[DefaultName]

You might have better job opportunity if you major in Computer Enigneering, and rather than going back for an EE degree as well, get a masters or PHD in Comp Eng.

Reliable/Factual Source?

Anyway - it depends on the programs. You will need to know the fundamentals of circuits, electronic devices, signals/systems, programming, basic physics, etc. Those are essential, no matter if you're computer engineer or electrical engineer. Once you delve into a masters program, you then begin to specialize in the topic you'd like (by perhaps doing research in these areas or take courses in them). Those courses you take, or the research project you are involved in, will rely on those fundamentals. You then build off of those fundamentals to attan/acquire the knowledge and later, the degree in EE.

 

[mr_coffee]

DefaultName,

I'm just going what the chair of Comp Sci/Comp Eng/EE told us as jr engineers.

Several students wanted to do a double major either in Comp Eng/Comp Sci, or Comp Eng/EE, and he recommend we don't go this route.

He told us company's would rather have someone in a more specific branch rather than spreading your major out, they are so similar to each other he could pick up the majority of EE courses in Grad school if we wanted to rather than getting 2 separate degree's.

You don't get paid more for 2 separate degree's in general but you do get paid more if you have a masters/PhD.

You also can't find a job designing any type of hardware say for Intel unless you have a masters/PhD in Comp Eng. (This was stated by one of the professors who does research for Intel and is in charge of helping students get hired with bigger company's like Intel).

I would call these reliable sources and if you think about it, it makes sense.The OP said,

"I plan to go into electrical engineering or some other closely related field."

He doesn't need a separate EE degree to specialize in an area of EE as a Comp Eng (thats what grad school is about), unless he's on the other side of the spectrum where Comp Eng doesn't touch, and if that's the case, then he shouldn't be in Comp Eng but rather EE.

 

[Maxwell]

EE is a stronger degree in general, I feel. I did my BS in EE and right now I'm working on my MS in EE and most of the stuff I work on would be considered computer engineering stuff.

In general, it's much easier for a EE to do CE stuff than the other way around.

You also can't find a job designing any type of hardware say for Intel unless you have a masters/PhD in Comp Eng. (This was stated by one of the professors who does research for Intel and is in charge of helping students get hired with bigger company's like Intel).

You need a masters/PhD in computer engineering OR electrical engineering. Either will get you hired at Intel.

 

[bassplayer142]

Would you guys say it is a good field to go into? Is it exciting? And also, I'm guessing the job opportunities are always growing with computers.

 

[mr_coffee]

It depends what your interested in if you find it exciting or not...

Why did you choose Comp Eng orginally?

What makes you want to go into EE? You shouldn't pick a major just because of what you think it will bring to you, you should find out what job you see yourself doing as an EE.

Once you do that, than you can research what kind of classes will help you get there, then look into the classes and see what type of work you'll be doing.

The EE courses I took didn't excite me but I hated low level anything, circuit analysis I & II bored me even though I got good grades in it, Computer Architecture I & II also I didn't enjoy.

But all the Software Design courses and programming I did enjoy, so I soon found out I should be a comp sci rather than a CE.

If you enjoy math, I heard EE is very math intensive and the courses I took it was, Signals and Transforms was definitely math intensive.

I'm guessing the job opportunities are always growing with computers.

Yes they are growing but a lot of company's are wanting a "global workforce" in other words, they want outsourcing if they already haven't outsourced. Its cheaper labor but has some down sides as well.

A company just doesn't outsource all their employee's they will keep the good ones and the guys who they really have no idea what their role in the company is or if they are outsourcing a certain product then all the guys working under that project loose their jobs.

It just happened a few days ago at IBM, a big chunk lost their jobs, virtually the whole department was outsourced to Russia. It wasn't because they weren't good at what they do but it was because some countries won't buy a product if you don't have a "lab" in their country. So they had to pick and choose what product to send over there, and there goes US jobs! wee Some of these people worked for IBM 15-25 years.So if your not good at what you do in the IT/Computer industry you should be worried. A degree doesn't mean you'll get a job in a flooded market.

 

[bassplayer142]

I love lots of math, physics, computers, and electronics. I guess I don't know exactly what most engineers do but I'm sure engineering is for me. Does anyone have a site that shows exactly what most engineers do. A site that has a bunch of different branches of jobs off that one degree. Thanks for the input.

 

[mr_coffee]

if you love computers and electronics, Comp Eng sounds like a good fit. EE's at my school don't have to take a lot of programming if any, and also they don't have to take Computer Architecture which I think is key.

I don't have a website like that but I'm sure there are people who do, also google something like Engineering job or something like Computer Engineer roles

 

[Iyafrady]

I like my EE courses and like the labs and building circuits, but i took computer science 101 and we had to program using java and i must say i didnt enjoy it at all, the labs or lecture.Could this be a problem in EE?its the only cs class i have to take so that's good!

 

[mr_coffee]

Iya,

Thats weird they made you use java.

You would think they would make you use ASM or C/C++, Java is as high level as your going to get, which I think would def. suck for an EE.

Also if that's the only programming course they make you do, how are you going to do micro controllers?

I also think its one of the easiest languages to learn.

 

[DefaultName]

I know IBM is big on laying off people. My neighbor got laid off after many years of work. I 'd intern for IBM, and possibly work for them to start off (as long as they pay for my graduate school), but as a long-term career? Heck no.

I'm aware that other companies outsource as well, but I haven't heard anything great out of IBM's choices.

Now, as far as you being a CE or EE... this is what I did. I wanted to be a CE when I first joined. I enjoyed programming (C/C++, but NOT Java). I also wanted to learn more about the hardware aspect. However, I switched to EE because I thought of it this way - when you get down to work at a job, you really won't be classified as an EE or CE, unless you are doing something very very specific. I chose EE and now that I have a free spot this semester, I chose to take a course required for CEs. So technically, as of right now, I am on the track of taking an EE degree, but also a CE course that I can gain knowledge in. I also wanted to take a few courses that a CE wouldn't be able to take at all (higher level courses, those that require other lower EE courses as prereqs), since I wanted to get into that area.

Basically, I'm an EE by degree, but also taking some CE courses on the side. Just because you're degree isn't "B.S. Computer Engineering" doesn't mean you don't know the topics that a CE would.

If you hate programming in Java (or let's say C, C++), you're going to be MISERABLE in your microprocessors course. I liked the theory and learning about it, but not programming it! I know... doesn't make sense, but I hated that class. To me, it seemed like to do something so small/minor, it'd take forever to do it in Assembly. I think it's because I was first learning it, and I was still learning, but I didnt enjoy learning it. I enjoyed learning C/C++. In short, if you're in pain over Java, then you haven't really met pain until you take this course.

 

[mr_coffee]

Yah assembly isn't fun at all. I can do it and I'm pretty good but its so ugly looking.

When I look at some code it sometimes looks like poetry (In Java mainly because some C++ programmers just code it like it was a new version of C) but when I look at ASM it burns my retina.

I love all other programming but ASM, yuck!