A parent's question re: ChemE & CompSci 9

[ACtrafficengr]

If this is the wrong spot for this question, just say so and I'll move it.

I asked my 16-year old yesterday about what he would like to study in college, and he said chemistry or comp sci. I asked if he had a preference between chemistry as a science or chemical engineering. He apparently hadn't thought that far, and they're too far out of my field for me to say much.

I think it's safe to say all of the three will still be around for a while, unlike say, field surveying which will probably be done with drones and satellites sooner than we think. But would you advise a teen to consider those fields? If he becomes one of the nearly 1/2 of grads that end up regretting their degree, can the skills be cross-applied to something else?

Thanks!

My glass has a v/c ratio of 0.5

Maybe the tyranny of Murphy is the penalty for hubris. -

http://xkcd.com/319/

 

[JohnRBaker]

Back when I started college (1965) there was no first-year general engineering curriculum, you had declare a major immediately. I started-out in electrical but that summer, between my freshman and sophomore year, I worked as a mechanical draftsman which allowed me to see the sort of work that the electrical engineers in our company were doing, compared to the mechanical guys, and after my first term back, I switched to mechanical. I never regretted my decision although it did mean that it took me five years to get my degree. I had a four-year, full tuition scholarship but had to pay for my last year, which was tough as my parents weren't able to help, so I got a job working for the university and borrowed the rest.

Note that I ended-up working 14-years as a machine designer and then another 35+ years in the software industry, selling to and supporting customers using mechanical CAD/CAE/CAM systems.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without