Electrical v Computer Engineering

[SELFMADE]

I know its been talked a lot before and I have used the search feature, seems like most topics are pretty old, so here it is:

Which should I go with? Which would have best potential in the future? I keep hearing these two are practically the same, except for few classes. If I go with EE then I won't get many programming/networking classes and that could hinder employment opportunities, if I decided to go with that route, I assume. EE sounds cooler and respectable. When you say EE you get certain aura and mystery about you, but when you say Computer Engineering--just another nerd.

Ok, this is something I've been thinking about a lot lately: if a catastrophic outbreak occurs and 98% of the human population is wiped out, which would be more useful? EE or CE?

 

[story645]

CE is basically EE with a specialization in digital circuits, but you can take more classes in analog/power/control/communications/devices/etc. as they suit your interest, which is pretty much what you'd be doing with an EE degree anyway. On the flip, you can do EE and pick up a minor in CS. (Or just take algorithms and data structures, which are the two most important CS courses after intro.)

I don't know, I'm compE so when I see the EE guys I don't see special aura, I often see guys who couldn't wrap their heads around CS well enough to be CompE. (In my school, a good chunk of the CEs switch out to EE or CS 'cause they couldn't hack one or the other.)

if a catastrophic outbreak occurs and 98% of the human population is wiped out, which would be more useful? EE or CE?

Equally useful in somewhat different ways, though ChemE, Civil, MechE, and biomed are probably more beneficial. You learn enough as a CE to do some basic wiring, which is all you really need when the worlds on the brink of catastrophe.