Water or Microelectronics: Which Specialization Should I Choose?

[NanjoeBot]

Hi, I am just now finishing my junior year in chemical engineering. In my senior year I can choose a specialization and I am having trouble deciding between water resources/treatment or microelectronics.

Im interested in water because I really enjoyed fluid dynamics and mass transfer, and I am also concerned about our growing water problems. Plus, working in water resources, I could potentially get a job involving out door field work which is appealing to me.

However I am also want to do the microelectronics option because I enjoyed the intro E&M class and the circuits class that I have taken. I also would love to learn more about plasma and nanotechnology which is covered in the curriculum. Also, I live in the northwest U.S., which is like microelectronic/ computer central, so there are a lot of jobs here. The weird thing is though, I am not really interested in working in computers. I don't want to make computers and chips for things like phones and ipads. I am however interested in aerospace and alternative materials.

So a few questions I have are; Is there much opportunity in microelectronics besides making computer chips? Would microelectronics give me a better ability to get into aerospace?

Thanks

 

[mal4mac]

Why not do both options, it could open opportunities for some really interesting research positions "in the field".

There are many opportunities to apply microelectronics to water/natural resources. In fact, it's what made James Lovelock famous:

"The electron capture detector was invented in 1956 and is still among the most sensitive of chemical analytical methods in existence. Its use led to the discovery of the ubiquitous distribution of pesticide residues in the natural environment and can be said, along with Rachel Carson's seminal book Silent Spring, to have started the environmental movement." http://www.jameslovelock.org/page3.html

 

[NanjoeBot]

That's an interesting idea. Ill look into it. Thank you