elecical or mechanical?

**alexchannell** · 05-23-2002, 01:53 PM

I need to make a descision on my major, the problem is I like both of these subjects. I tend to like hands on things a lot and don't really want to work in from of the computer constantly. Any of you have thoughts??

**darkwingduck** · 05-23-2002, 02:53 PM

I can only give you my personal opinion on this issue.

I think that too many people are focused on electronics, and this fact will lead to lower wages, higher competition for the job in this area. We cant all be administrators, webdesigners etc.

I believe that mechanical is an area which is being overlooked. there will be an increased demand on mechanical automated processes.

Im not aware of what you have studied so far, and hence i dont know if you have a computer background or not.

if you mean a direct an only mechanical education, you should be able to a job at allmost any time, since mechanical items WILL break down. You should be able to do quite a bit of moonlighting (non taxed work, please notice that this is *illegal*

) .

If you get a purely electronic job things look abit different, at present you should be able to get a job, but the competition will increase. At present i believe that the wages are higher within this area, but im uncertain.

If you are not to fond of sitting in front of your computer all day, then aim for the mechanical area. Im a programmer and sitting inside staring at your screen all day isnt always funny, and really like my job, on the other hand you will have to accept getting a bit more dirty during your work hours.

If you have a computer background then these to things come a bit closer, but i would personally prefer the mechanical way if i was to decide my educational direction today.

Please notice that im located in denmark europe, and that there may be HUGE differences in demand pay levels etc.

One more thing to say: your major will most likely affect how your proffesional life will progress. you may end up studying something that you find funny as a hobby but not as a FULL TIME job.

Best of luck to You

**mp3z24** · 05-23-2002, 03:37 PM

a little more specifics on your question would help... like are u refering to mechanical or electrical ENGINEERING... or are you saying should you be an electrician or a car mechanic...

i mean you say you dont want to be in front of a computer all day... so if you are thinking about engineering then you are going to be a little ****ed off. im a mechanical engineer and guess what... i work on a computer all day.

sad to say this, but most "white collar" jobs are going to put you in front of a computer for a lot of the day. thats just how it works. you can get a lot more done on a computer than you can get done by doing work on paper. the long time savings for the company will be astounding by simply making you use a computer. so keep that in mind, most "blue-collar" jobs are pretty much the opposite, since you are doing mostly manual labor... construction, repair, etc....

on a humorous note... if you plan on applying for an "elecical" job, be sure to spell it right on the application!!

~mike

**alexchannell** · 05-23-2002, 03:58 PM

Thanks for the opionions. I am a college freshman, so the classes I have taken are credited towards both electrical engineering and mechanical engineering (sorry should have specified engineering).
I am fairly fluent with computers (trained in autocad, matlab, cadkey)
Right now the pay rate is higher for electrical engineers but not by much. The issue is really what I would rather do in life.
I know that any engineering will have a fair ammount or time behind a computer, just don't want that to be the only thing I do.
It seems like I just need to make a choice of what I enjoy doing more. My school (OSU) is rated better in mechanical than electrical, so I might switch to that.