Exploring the Difficulty and Job Markets of Science and Technology Fields

[Line]

I want to know how hard is each of these forms of Science&Technology.

I studied Electronics ENgineering for 2 semesters and that stuff was hard! I didn't know electronics could be so hard. So witht hat I decding to go into another field. I want to know the difficulty level of each of the fields below. Or some reason I think Physics comes easiet
.
Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Civil Engineering

Nuclear Engineering

Materials Science

Industrial Engineering

Petroleum Engineering

Software Engineering

Electronics Engineering

Chemistry

Biology

Physics.

Also which have the best job markets. If I live in anywhere in the US my homestate Texas,California,,Seattle,and Florida are my picks. Which fields are in those job markets?

Of course I'd really like to travel ovrseas Germany<japan,England,and AUstralia are my spots.

 

[Pengwuino]

Physics is the hardest :)

Biology is a looooooot of memorization

 

[J77]

imo, hardest first...

Physics
---------------
Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, (Avionics) <--- E&E pretty much come together
Aerospace Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Materials Science
Software Engineering
Nuclear Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Petroleum Engineering <--- bit Mickey Mouse but probably harder thgan Civil
Civil Engineering
--------------
Chemistry
Biology

You need to stick Maths in there - properly just below Physics to learn but they blend together in the long run...

 

[Pengwuino]

I'd put software engineering lower... and chemistry higher

 

[Lisa!]

imo, hardest first...

Physics
---------------
Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, (Avionics) <--- E&E pretty much come together
Aerospace Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Materials Science
Software Engineering
Nuclear Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Petroleum Engineering <--- bit Mickey Mouse but probably harder thgan Civil
Civil Engineering
--------------
Chemistry
Biology

You need to stick Maths in there - properly just below Physics to learn but they blend together in the long run...

hmmm... I heard that Industrial enigineering is the most Mickey Mouse 1 amongs all engineerings!:tongue2:

 

[J77]

hmmm... I heard that Industrial enigineering is the most Mickey Mouse 1 amongs all engineerings!:tongue2:

I couldn't even guess as to what it involves...

 

[Pengwuino]

I couldn't even guess as to what it involves...

Engineering industry, duh

 

[J77]

Actually, I think I was a bit hard on Chemistry and Biology there...

It's just that you can't really compare them to Physics, Maths and Engineering (at a student level).

Though bio-maths is always banded around as the `hot thing'... for the past 7 years :tongue:

And bio-maths talks are funny - sticking up systems with 100s of variables with massively different time-scales - doesn't always go down too well with the mathmos <--- Interesting tho'

 

[Lisa!]

I couldn't even guess as to what it involves...

I meant Industrial engineering is the easiest one. So why are you ?

 

[J77]

I meant Industrial engineering is the easiest one. So why are you ?

- about what it involves...

and - cos it's a cool smilie

 

[jtbell]

Physics is the hardest :)

Biology is a looooooot of memorization

For me, physics is easier than either biology or chemistry because I don't have to memorize as much stuff.

 

[leright]

For me, physics is easier than either biology or chemistry because I don't have to memorize as much stuff.

physics is easier for people that can think but cannot memorize. Biology is easier for people that can't think but CAN memorize. :p (before someone gets offended, this was a light-hearted joke! I know biology is just as much of an analytical science as physics.)

It is too hard to rank these subject by difficulty. Everybody is different. However, I wouldn't put ME at the top of that list and physics at the bottom. I'd say EE should be higher than ME and physics should be closer to the top.

I don't know if that list is arranged according to your opinion on the difficulty, but you just said electronics engineering is very hard, yet you put it toward the bottom.

And also, electronics engineering is really a part of electrical engineering, even though they are sometimes offered as separate degree titles. Same goes for chemical engineering and petroleum engineering. Also, where is computer engineering (NOT the same thing as software engineering at most universities)...computer engineering is more hardware oriented than software engineering. However there is some software engineering stuff in computer engineering...it is really a half and half mixture of the two)?

 

[mathwonk]

how can anyone dislike linear algebra? it is the easiest, most useful, most omnipresent subject in all of math.


?

 

[ranger]

how can anyone dislike linear algebra? it is the easiest, most useful, most omnipresent subject in all of math.


?

I'll be taking an intro to linear algebra course next semester. Sadly to say I didnt look up on what the course actually is about. Easiest, (most) useful, (most) omnipresent...can those three words be used in one sentence to describe a math course. :)

 

[berkeman]

I think you're asking the wrong question, Line. The posts above sum up some of the difficulty levels (physics hardest, etc.), but ALL of these areas of study are hard. Trying to find the easiest engineering degree is not going to serve you well, especially if you want the most valuable degrees (like EE, IMO).

The question you should ask youself instead is "Which of these areas of study are the most interesting and fun and rewarding for me?" They are all hard enough that if you are studying something that doesn't really turn you on, you are going to be pretty miserable, both in school and afterwards working in the real world.

I went off to college initially planning on an ME/EE double major. After a few intro engineering classes, I found that I really enjoyed EE hardware and software classes, and the ME stuff really didn't interest me much. I also found that I totally loved physics, and had a good aptitude for it. My EE and Physics classes were very, very hard. But I enjoyed them and that helped me to work really hard and do well in them. I can't imagine working that hard on something that you don't really enjoy -- that would be pure torture, IMO.

Check out some of the textbooks for each of the disciplines that you listed, and talk to some of the seniors in each of them. If your school has an open house day (like UC Davis has Picnic Day this Saturday, and UC Berkeley has Cal Day this Saturday as well), spend a lot of time checking out the departments and talking to the students. Take a broad range of classes in your lower division years (typically the first 2 years), and use those experiences to guide your decision on your major.

If you don't get goosebumps reading ahead a few chapters in a brand new textbook for an upcoming upper division class in your major, you probably aren't in the right major.

 

[0rthodontist]

Software engineering is by far the most difficult engineering. No other engineering deals with systems that are even on the same order of magnitude of complexity as large software systems. Other engineering disciplines may require more training but that does not make them harder.

 

[Integral]

Trying to find the easiest engineering degree is not going to serve you well, especially if you want the most valuable degrees (like EE, IMO).

I think most who start looking for the easiest engineering degree discover that it is called ...Business.

 

[Astronuc]

I want to know the difficulty level of each of the fields below.
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
Civil Engineering
Nuclear Engineering
Materials Science
Industrial Engineering
Petroleum Engineering
Software Engineering
Electronics Engineering
Chemistry
Biology
Physics.

The question is - how good a scientist or engineer do you want to be? The best are those who work the hardest, who go well beyond basic knowledge, and who push the state of knowledge further into new territory.

The attrition rate is probably highest in physics and nuclear engineering. Aerospace is pretty close to physics and NE, and the other engineering disciplines are probably not far behind.

On the other hand, anybody could be a mediocre to poor scientist or engineer, if minimal effort is given.

I hope that any PF member, who is studying mathematics, science or engineering, aspires to be good if not very good, if not great in his or her field.

 

[leright]

The question is - how good a scientist or engineer do you want to be? The best are those who work the hardest, who go well beyond basic knowledge, and who push the state of knowledge further into new territory.

The attrition rate is probably highest in physics and nuclear engineering. Aerospace is pretty close to physics and NE, and the other engineering disciplines are probably not far behind.

On the other hand, anybody could be a mediocre to poor scientist or engineer, if minimal effort is given.

I hope that any PF member, who is studying mathematics, science or engineering, aspires to be good if not very good, if not great in his or her field.

Electrical engineering is the hardest engineering discipline, imo, but I may be a bit biased. :tongue:

 

[CrusaderSean]

I think most engineering and science majors can be difficult depending on how far you actually go. Often you'll need to be proficient in other areas as well. Ultimately you just need to choose something you enjoy (or something you think you'll be able to complete).

 

[JSBeckton]

You will find that many engineering degrees start out identically, giving you a taste of each so you can see what interests you. Then you can make a well balanced decision and not loose a lot of credit. I think the "easiest" will be the one that interests you the most, you will find it easier to learn things that you like.

 

[Line]

Physics can't be harder than Electronics ENgineering. THat is the hardest crap I ever loaded on my mind. Electrical Engineering is related but a lot easier.

Electronics had too many damned formulas. they weren't hard but there were loads of them. Besides you also had to learn digital programming which is like Software. And no way Chemistry is the easiest. I ay it's harder than Physics.

 

[what]

At a certain level any field of study becomes challenging, the trick is to find what you like and what you're good at. However, how in the world am I to relate to you how hard certain majors are compared to each other? This is highly subjective...people think in different ways, and, therefore, might find certain subjects easier or harder. Likewise, not all classes are taught the same(even if the same material is covered), each university is different. What I think you're looking for is an easy major just so you can get a degree. In my opinion this is a bad mindset, the piece of paper that's called a degree might get you an interview for a job, but the knowledge you gain will make it possible for you to keep that job and have a career. That knowledge, especially in scientific fields, will not come by easily, thus, I think one should find a field they wish to work in and try to take the most challenging curriculum for better preparation, no matter how easy or hard the major is supposed to be. So, in answering your question I say that if you enjoy electronics then you should stick with it...if you don't like it then don't stick with it, but don't look for your next major in terms of easiness, IMO this will only be a disservice to you later in life.

 

[leright]

Physics can't be harder than Electronics ENgineering. THat is the hardest crap I ever loaded on my mind. Electrical Engineering is related but a lot easier.

Electronics had too many damned formulas. they weren't hard but there were loads of them. Besides you also had to learn digital programming which is like Software. And no way Chemistry is the easiest. I ay it's harder than Physics.

Electronics engineering is actually considered to be a facet of electrical engineering at most universities.

And I know what you are saying when you say "electrical engineering is related but a lot easier", and if they were two separate fields (which they are not) I would disagree.

And if you say "electronics had too may damned formulas" you are indicating that you are most likely 'memorizing' most formulas and are not making the necessary connections between the formulas. If you try and understand the structure of the concepts and the big picture then things are much less daunting.

And most of the underlying structure of chemistry was laid out by physicists. Most of the subjects in chemistry that are conceptually difficult were first developed by physicists. However, chemistry can be hard because there is a lot of stuff to memorize.

 

[SpaceTiger]

What's hard depends on what you're good at. One reason I'm in astrophysics is that it gives a minimal number of opportunities for me to break things. I would be a very poor chemist.

 

[nrqed]

I think that asking "what is hard" is really asking the wrong question.

For two reasons. First, what is hard for one person may be much easier for someone else, so it is really difficult to quantify.

But more importantly, something being "hard" is not necessarily a bad thing! Sometimes it is a *good* thing! When I learned special relativity first, I found it harder than mechanics (it is not really hard but it is counterintuitive and if the teacher does not present things in a crystal clear manner, it is easy to get confused). But I had much more fun learning SR than mechanics! And later I learned general relativity and found it harder than SR but even more fun! And when I learned quantum field theory, I found it harder than quantum mechanics but even more thrilling. And in my spare time I am trying to understand string theory and I am having a blast.

So you should chosse something that *excites you*. Even if it is "harder" than something else, you may end up enjoying yourself more and being more successful at it.


Patrick

 

[Astronuc]

When I took Nuclear Engineering, I took Physics classes and I had an easy time along with the Physics Majors. Students from other science majors had a hard time with some of the topics in Quantum Mechanics. NE's also took the Introductory and Intermediate courses in EE, ME, CivE and Materials. Generally, the NE's were in the top level in EE, ME, CivE and Materials classes. Of course, we also had a high attrition rate - by the end of sophomore year, many students had transferred to other engineering disciplines.

As I mentioned, how hard it is depends on how much of challenge a student wants.

 

[szarkowj]

This is a question for me. I'm interested in becoming a civil engineer. I'm not in it for the money, but I genuinely think some aspects of it are interesting. I don't necessarily want "easy," I want "doable." I'm not the most self-confident person in terms of believing I'll be able to grasp new material well. If I can get it, generally I'm interested in it. I thought I could really only do a business math course when I started college, but it turns out that I can keep up with the fast track for calculus. I really think I've made some progress in my ability to understand mathematical processes. This has somewhat brought back my childhood dream of being a CE.

Does it take a genius to complete a CE course and be relatively good in the field? Ultimately, I think I'd end up entering the field, as I don't think I'm cut out for academia. I see some people on here who seem to be absolute geniuses, I don't think I'm of that caliber. I'm going to be shadowing some CEs this summer, but any and all advice from the forum is welcome. Thanks.

 

[JSBeckton]

There are only a few geniuses in every school, the rest work hard for their grades. If you are not a genius, are you a hard worker? If not, forget it. You can do whatever you want as long as you are willing to put in the time.

 

[Line]

Which has more forumlas Physics or Electronics Engineering?

 

[JSBeckton]

I think that in physics, you are deriving your own formulas more, so you only have to remember the basic formulas (and how they are related). I would guess that EE would use more formulas that aren't derived every time so you can choose to remember them, or remember how they are derived.

 

[szarkowj]

That brings up another general question. Is derivation a lot like proving a mathematical theorem? I'm rather weak in that area, and better at carrying out operations or applying a given formula. Then again, I haven't had a lot of experience with it.

 

[JSBeckton]

That brings up another general question. Is derivation a lot like proving a mathematical theorem? I'm rather weak in that area, and better at carrying out operations or applying a given formula. Then again, I haven't had a lot of experience with it.

Then you definatly want to steer clear of physics! In engineering, we usually derive formulas and then use them, but If you are a plug and chug kind of person, neither is going to be good for you. You have to understand where the formulas came from in engineering as well as physics.

 

[JohnSimpson]

Civil Engineering is easy, I mean you know the answer allready before you start, Fnet has to equal 0!

 

[szarkowj]

Well, I won't know until I try, but that isn't reassuring. Thanks.