Does engineering pay off? Apart from the money

[Timb0Slice]

I have become completely indecisive on what exact major/career I want to go in to. Originally it was all programming and Computer Science. After a whole course of C++ coding, I fell out of love with it. Then I wanted to work on the physical components of a computer, designing processors and motherboards, etc. IC design, and processor design sound like amazingly fun jobs to me. Those are still things I want to do, however I don't want to sacrifice too much for it.

COLLEGE: It sounds like I will be giving up almost any free time. I'll be spending most of my nights studying, working on projects through the night, and just being completely dedicated to the studies. I'm reasonably smart, I love math, and I love figuring things out. However, I do not want to give up the best part of my life if I'm going to regret it.

CAREER: I have heard mixed responses. Some people saying being an actual engineer is extremely time consuming and hard work for well over 40 hours a week, and borderline misery. Others say it's very casual, you work in groups to figure things out, you make your own time schedule, and work from home when you please.

I want to have a career that utilizes my entire potential, I don't want to settle for a "business major" or a "psychology major" like I feel most people do. But if I'm going to be spending my college weekends suffering through linear algebra and discrete mathematics, or not being able to stop and enjoy life while working an engineering job, I'm willing to consider another field.

 

[axmls]

I can't speak on the career, but I can speak on the college. If you have good time-management skills, good study skills, and a reasonable talent in math and problem solving, then I guarantee you won't be some kind of cave dweller devoid of human contact. You may have busy semesters, but you do make some good friends, as you all have common enemies (projects, lab reports, exams). In my experience, even the most stressed out and busy people I know tend to have a remarkable ability to find time to relax. Humans like relaxing, after all, and we'll find a way to do it one way or another eventually.

I'm sure your career question is highly dependent on which industry you want to go into.