EE or ChemE? Research vs. Courses

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A first-semester Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) student is contemplating a switch to Chemical Engineering (ChemE) due to a growing interest in research areas such as renewable energy, polymers, and biotechnology. Initially drawn to ECE, the student is now questioning their choice after exploring research opportunities in both fields. They express concerns about their programming skills and whether this should influence their decision to stay in ECE. The student is also considering physics as an alternative path and is seeking advice on whether to prioritize research interests or course enjoyment in their decision-making process. The discussion emphasizes the importance of choosing a curriculum that aligns with personal interests rather than focusing solely on future employment prospects.
GNRtau
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This should probably be in the academic guidance forum, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask here. Please don't attack me. :)


I am a first semester(well, second now I guess) ECE who is now considering a switch to ChemE. I chose EE originally because I looked up the ChemE curriculum and it didn't seem all that exciting to me(transport phenomena,thermodynamics, etc). I also heard that most ChemE jobs were process jobs in plants and more alike MechE than chemistry. This was before I was set on grad school and research. Now, granted, I haven't taken the courses, so I might like them if I took them-has anyone found this to be the case?

Recently I wonder if I haven't been having a change of heart. I am hoping to go to grad school eventually, regardless of what I do, and have been looking at research possibilities I looked at research at the ChemE and ECE departments at my school and other schools as well. I noticed that there was a lot of research going on that interested me. Renewable energy, polymers, biotech... etc.

As for ECE, there are some research topics that really interest me, but fewer than ChemE. Nanotechnology, mainly, as well as plasma and quantum stuff in general. Artificial intelligence is also cool, but that isn't in EE at my school. I am also worried about the fact that I am not particularly good at or interested in progamming. Does that me that I should forget about EE? However, the rest of the EE curriculum really interests me-or a good amount of it does anyway. Needless to say, I'm a little lost.

Anyone have some advice? Should I not be focusing on what research interests me yet? And is it weird when a departments research interests me but the courses don't-or is that a sign that I truly don't know what I am talking about? I am also considering physics, so clearly I have a lot of soul searching to do. Maybe I just need to pick something and go with it.

Happy New Year, BTW.
2011 sucked, but 2012 will go great for me! I hope...
 
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My best advice is to choose the curriculum that most interests you. Forget about employment after graduation. Your preferences are likely to change before graduation.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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