Programs Physics? Engineering? Buisness? Philosphy?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on a Canadian individual aspiring to become an inventor and entrepreneur, emphasizing their ambition and desire to learn. They express a strong interest in physics, engineering, philosophy, and entrepreneurship, while seeking advice on university programs that would best support their goals. The individual is considering double majoring in electrical engineering and physics, but is also open to learning coding and taking business courses. They value constructive criticism and are looking for universities that foster a positive environment and opportunities for collaboration with like-minded peers. Ultimately, they aim to maximize their university experience without extending it unnecessarily.
Alpha God
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Hello!

My dream is to be a Inventor and entrepreneur.

My biggest strengths are my ambition and desire to learn.

I rarely hang out w/ friends, go to parties etc.
Instead, in my spare time I like to read & watch informative content, do online programs, seek people I can learn from, attend seminars, etc.

I am willing to read and or work for 15hours a day.

Sometimes I get so caught up in what I'm doing I forget to eat and drink water.

I'm really interested in Physics, engineering, philosophy and entrepreneurship.

I love physics because it teaches the fundamentals and gives me a better understanding of why things happen.

Philosophy because of the creativity and critical thinking skills I gain.

Engineering because I believe it will allow me turn my thoughts and ideas into reality and create something tangible. (I like Electrical and mechanical)

Entrepreneurship because I like the lifestyle, doing things on my terms, leading, helping people and of course the rewards that come with being successful.

My problem is I haven't completely decided what problem I want to focus on and I still very much lack in skill.

I believe I need to improve my STEM skills as well as better learn the language of business (Economics, finance, accounting.) that way I'm prepared for when a opportunity arises and I decide what problem to focus on most.

Certain things can be easily self taught such as intangibles, sales, management, investing.

Engineering,on the other hand might be best I got to University for I don't know any engineers personally who are willing to teach me.

I'm Canadian
I want to go to University
I'm willing to do whatever it takes no matter the difficulty, double major I don't mind

What programs and courses should I take?

Electrical Engineering?
Engineering physics? - Is this a good program?

Double major Engineering and Commerce?

Or could I do some courses on commerce on the side Without double majoring?
Would this be enough?

I should also learn coding.

Physics and Engineering Double major?

Bachelor in physics masters in engineering?

Can I triple Major?

Is it worth taking philosophy can I take philosophy on the side?

My ego tells me that if I take philosophy and Physics I will become a genius, greatly increase my existential intelligence and will come out better understanding myself and the world around me. I thought maybe I'll be capable of deciding what problem in the world requires my focus. Is this true?

Also i value my time I don't want to spend 10 years in university.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!
 
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Alpha God said:
Hello!

My dream is to be a Inventor and entrepreneur.

My biggest strengths are my ambition and desire to learn.

I rarely hang out w/ friends, go to parties etc.
Instead, in my spare time I like to read & watch informative content, do online programs, seek people I can learn from, attend seminars, etc.

I am willing to read and or work for 15hours a day.

Sometimes I get so caught up in what I'm doing I forget to eat and drink water.

I'm really interested in Physics, engineering, philosophy and entrepreneurship.

I love physics because it teaches the fundamentals and gives me a better understanding of why things happen.

Philosophy because of the creativity and critical thinking skills I gain.

Engineering because I believe it will allow me turn my thoughts and ideas into reality and create something tangible. (I like Electrical and mechanical)

Entrepreneurship because I like the lifestyle, doing things on my terms, leading, helping people and of course the rewards that come with being successful.

My problem is I haven't completely decided what problem I want to focus on and I still very much lack in skill.

I believe I need to improve my STEM skills as well as better learn the language of business (Economics, finance, accounting.) that way I'm prepared for when a opportunity arises and I decide what problem to focus on most.

Certain things can be easily self taught such as intangibles, sales, management, investing.

Engineering,on the other hand might be best I got to University for I don't know any engineers personally who are willing to teach me.

I'm Canadian
I want to go to University
I'm willing to do whatever it takes no matter the difficulty, double major I don't mind

What programs and courses should I take?

Electrical Engineering?
Engineering physics? - Is this a good program?

Double major Engineering and Commerce?

Or could I do some courses on commerce on the side Without double majoring?
Would this be enough?

I should also learn coding.

Physics and Engineering Double major?

Bachelor in physics masters in engineering?

Can I triple Major?

Is it worth taking philosophy can I take philosophy on the side?

My ego tells me that if I take philosophy and Physics I will become a genius, greatly increase my existential intelligence and will come out better understanding myself and the world around me. I thought maybe I'll be capable of deciding what problem in the world requires my focus. Is this true?

Also i value my time I don't want to spend 10 years in university.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!
Welcome to the PF.

What universities have you applied to so far? It sounds like you are very motivated, and that is good.

Look at universities where you don't have to declare your major until you start your junior year. That way you can take Physics and Math and Engineering courses to help you figure out which path you enjoy the most. Philosophy is usually in a different area of the University, so that may be off the table if you decide to enroll at university in STEM.
 
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Philosophy is the odd-man out in your group of interests, and probably is not what you want to pursue. You seem to be interested in a subset of philosophy that can be pursued on the side without a major in it.
 
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Dr.D said:
Philosophy is the odd-man out in your group of interests, and probably is not what you want to pursue. You seem to be interested in a subset of philosophy that can be pursued on the side without a major in it.

Thank you very much I agree w/ you

I am now thinking engineering, computer science and physics are most beneficial.

I was thinking about double majoring in electrical engineering & physics and then picking up programming on the way.

What do you think?
 
What I think really does not matter; it is what you think.

I find it somewhat amusing that you have suggested a double major, and this seems to be quite a common idea among those who have yet to enter college. Most actual college students find it quite enough to complete a single major, but those with no experience often think in terms of double, or even triple, majors. Wow! to have that energy level again ...
 
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berkeman said:
Welcome to the PF.

What universities have you applied to so far? It sounds like you are very motivated, and that is good.

Look at universities where you don't have to declare your major until you start your junior year. That way you can take Physics and Math and Engineering courses to help you figure out which path you enjoy the most. Philosophy is usually in a different area of the University, so that may be off the table if you decide to enroll at university in STEM.

Thank you very much for your response!

I am thinking about double majoring in electrical engineering & physics.

I haven't applied anywhere but I'd go to the best university available in Canada.

I visited waterloo and it's a little baron & cold. It seems as though everyone I saw is dead & depressed but I'm sure there's a lot of happy people as well.

I'm extremely extroverted I feel high when I'm talking back in forth with like-minded individuals sharing ideas and asking questions it is very mentally stimulating for me.

I'm also very happy. I'm looking to surround myself with positive individuals who really like what they do.

A lot of people I've seen just go to university for a job, or to party.

Any suggestions for universities, groups to join or ways to find these sort of people.

Thanks again you responded very fast I really appreciate it!
 
Dr.D said:
What I think really does not matter; it is what you think.

I find it somewhat amusing that you have suggested a double major, and this seems to be quite a common idea among those who have yet to enter college. Most actual college students find it quite enough to complete a single major, but those with no experience often think in terms of double, or even triple, majors. Wow! to have that energy level again ...

You responded so quickly thank you so much!

Right I've found a lot of people tell me the following: "double majors are a waste." "who are you trying to impress?" "University is a time to branch out." "why?" "hard." "you won't have a social life."
 
I don't agree with these people.

I think I'm in University so why not get the most out of it. I don't understand how double majoring could be a bad thing. I love learning & socializing is great but I'm not into partying and drinking.

I also think your thoughts matter I believe good thought out constructive criticism is gold. what's your opinion on the matter?
 
Alpha God said:
I was thinking about double majoring in electrical engineering & physics and then picking up programming on the way.
Dr.D said:
I find it somewhat amusing that you have suggested a double major, and this seems to be quite a common idea among those who have yet to enter college. Most actual college students find it quite enough to complete a single major,
Yeah, when I started undergrad, I was planning on an EE/ME double major. I quickly discovered that I enjoyed EE and programming (and physics) much more than ME, and ended up declaring the single EE major for my junior year.
Alpha God said:
I visited waterloo and it's a little baron & cold. It seems as though everyone I saw is dead & depressed but I'm sure there's a lot of happy people as well.

I'm extremely extroverted I feel high when I'm talking back in forth with like-minded individuals sharing ideas and asking questions it is very mentally stimulating for me.

I'm also very happy. I'm looking to surround myself with positive individuals who really like what they do.

A lot of people I've seen just go to university for a job, or to party.

Any suggestions for universities, groups to join or ways to find these sort of people.
I'm of no help with colleges, but it is good that you are visiting some of the candidate universities and seeing what they and the students are like. It's also good to visit the departments in those universities that you are considering, to see what kinds of things are posted on the bulletin boards, and to see what the labs and other facilities are like.

As for fun and interesting groups to look for at university, look for academic clubs (physics club, IEEE student group, robotics club, etc.). Are you planning on staying in the dorms your first year, or will you find an apartment from the start? The dorms can be fun, especially if they have different theme dorms (some with more studious students and less partying).

Also, consider participating in intramural sports some -- they are a great way to meet lots of people, and to reduce stress through exercise. Have fun!
 
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Alpha God said:
I don't agree with these people.

I think I'm in University so why not get the most out of it. I don't understand how double majoring could be a bad thing. I love learning & socializing is great but I'm not into partying and drinking.

I also think your thoughts matter I believe good thought out constructive criticism is gold. what's your opinion on the matter?
Intent on double-major:
Do you expect to attend as a full-time student for 5 years or for 8 years?
 
  • #11
There are many universities that make entrepreneurship a key draw. Stanford is one of them. So is CMU and NYU, I think. Look at the schools and see which of them can give you entrepreneurship opportunities and training. Being an entrepreneur is as much about being business savvy as it is about having a great idea. And it is not something that comes naturally to most technical people.
 
  • #12
symbolipoint said:
Intent on double-major:
Do you expect to attend as a full-time student for 5 years or for 8 years?

Yeah should I double major in EE & math or EE & CS
 
  • #13
Scrumhalf said:
There are many universities that make entrepreneurship a key draw. Stanford is one of them. So is CMU and NYU, I think. Look at the schools and see which of them can give you entrepreneurship opportunities and training. Being an entrepreneur is as much about being business savvy as it is about having a great idea. And it is not something that comes naturally to most technical people.

Thank you for your response. What would be best to double major in EE & CS or EE & Math

I like the idea of doing math because I think If I get really good at math it will make it easier to learn other subjects. What do you think?
 
  • #14
Alpha God said:
Thank you for your response. What would be best to double major in EE & CS or EE & Math

I like the idea of doing math because I think If I get really good at math it will make it easier to learn other subjects. What do you think?
No.

EE and CS would be a good combo. You will learn all the math you need as you go along. For example, a EE major will cover Fourier and Laplace transforms, etc, and a CS degree will cover some amount of automata theory, discrete math, etc.

You can always supplement this with specific math courses as needed.
 
  • #15
Keep in mind at a lot of schools EE requires TONS of units because it is such a broad field. At my university we required 180 units to graduate and the EE major required something like 176 units (I don't exactly remember the specific number). When I went in I had planned on double majoring in EE and Music, and wasn't able to do that because it would have either had to stay an extra two years or stay an extra year AND take so many courses I would hurt my GPA.

I did know a couple of people who did double majors in closely allied fields. One did EE and Materials Science (and focused his EE degree on Materials, naturally) and the other did EE and CS. I think they only had to stay an extra quarter or two as the degrees had a lot of overlap. I should say that while upper division EE and Physics had a lot of *conceptual overlap* (e.g. quantum mechanics, E&M, etc) they didn't have a lot of overlap in terms of classes so double majoring would have been really, really hard.
 
  • #16
Since the OP is looking at Canadian universities (since he/she mentioned University of Waterloo), it is worth pointing out that many schools do not allow engineering schools to double major in programs outside of the engineering department, at least not without significant difficulty (Waterloo, for example, offers its students the ability to pursue "options" -- basically the equivalent of a minor -- in a number of select areas, including physics or math)

Even if double majoring was possible, most engineering programs at the undergraduate level that I'm aware of do not allow for students to take many electives outside of the core or key engineering prerequisite courses, and there is basically no overlap between engineering courses and other courses.
 
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