What Major Should I Choose to Combine Engineering and Programming?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around choosing a college major that effectively combines interests in engineering, programming, and space. Participants explore various fields and their relevance to both programming and engineering skills.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a strong interest in aerospace engineering but notes that it may not involve much programming, raising questions about the integration of both fields.
  • Another participant suggests that programming skills are valuable across various engineering disciplines, implying that opportunities to program exist regardless of the specific engineering focus.
  • A suggestion is made to consider robotics or control systems as a potential major, highlighting that these areas require both engineering knowledge and programming skills, though they may involve a significant amount of mathematics.
  • A participant identifies their bias as a control systems engineer with an electrical engineering background, which may influence their recommendations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that programming is an important skill for engineers, but there is no consensus on which specific engineering major best combines both programming and engineering interests. Multiple viewpoints on the relevance of programming in various engineering fields remain present.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the specific relationship between engineering fields and programming opportunities, nor does it clarify the extent to which programming is integrated into different engineering disciplines.

Who May Find This Useful

High school students considering engineering or computer science majors, individuals interested in the intersection of engineering and programming, and those exploring career options in STEM fields.

Micard
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Happy Thanksgiving to you! I am a high-school student and I'm a senior. I'm very interested in engineering and programming, and also space. Could you please help me decide what profession or career to choose? I mean major in college. The first thing that comes to mind is Aerospace engineering, but it is different, there are different engineers in this field. Plus, it doesn't or almost doesn't involve programming. Before considering engineering I was completely sure I was going to become a computer programmer. I have skills in both programming and some engineering, I have done some projects with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and did stuff myself like Tesla Coils (just for fun). I want my job to involve a descent amount of time programming and also engineering. I like making stuff or thinking about how to make stuff, like how to make an engine (I have a project of a rocket controlled by raspberry pi with a diy engine, that can stabilize the rocket etc). And I also like space. Well, this is more optional. If you can give me some suggestions that don't include space - it's fine. Thank you in advance!
 
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A friend of mine recently came up with the theory: "If you are good with computers, no matter what field you do your degree in you will always end up programing". Sounds silly, but I did not have a counter-example at hand (in fact I actively try to get away from programming but always end up doing it). I am pretty sure that if you want to program you will find a lot of opportunities to do so in engineering.
 
Programming is a necessary skill for most engineers. They usually don't have to be exceptionally good or organized about it, but they do need to be competent. What separates engineers from programmers is that along with basic programming skills, they have to know about the things they're programming for.

If you like both knowing about the things you build and programming for them, I suggest a focus on robotics, or control systems. This field is fairly heavy on math, but it can also be very practical, hands-on, and generally such engineers earn decent salaries.

Fair warning: I am a control systems engineer. I have an electrical engineering degree. That's my bias.
 
Thank you for the replies! Much appreciate it!
 

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