Having second thoughts about majoring in Computer Engineering

[stnguyen]

Hi, I am currently a freshman in college and my major is Computer Engineering. However I am having second thoughts about this major and wanted to ask you guys for some advice. I like working with computers and technology and was wondering if any other majors related to this. I have looked into computer science but it didn't seem really interesting. I know every person has their own opinion on what they like and don't like. Does anyone know the pros and cons of computer engineering? Thank you!

 

[rbj]

lessee, you like computers and technology, you aren't terribly excited about Computer Science. hmmm. do you like electronics? electrical engineering?

i know what EE is about and have a pretty good idea what Comp Sci is about. my understanding of Computer Engineering is that it is a subdiscipline of EE and is about designing computer hardware. i would think that the design of computer software is a CS sort of thing, but CE people should be aware of it.

what turns you on? if designing electronics and circuits and using chips and devices (or designing them) to do what computers do, if that turns you on, you should do it. if it doesn't turn you on, look around for something that does.

 

[AsianSensationK]

I've always thought of comp engineering as a hybrid of comp. sci and electrical engineering. I think there are some definite pros or cons depending on how you look at it. It might be quite easy to get a general IT job with a comp engineering skillset just because you're that much more technical than your normal info systems majors/mbas and even more so than your average comp sci major. It might also remain easy to get more interesting jobs with more of an engineering background at your disposal.

One job I've learned of, living so close to Detroit, is that there are a lot of embedded type software projects that I picture comp engineers fitting rather naturally in. Not necessarily designing computer hardware, and not really desktop applications, but more of something like programming all the little devices in cars that use chips and technology in some way. Stuff like when to turn off a passenger airbag because an infant is in the front seat is the kind of project I would picture a computer engineer working on (in fact, I think one of the papers my comp architecture prof wrote was about just this topic).