Computer science addresses any computational problems, especially … Computer engineering graduates might want to get a master’s degree in the field of computer engineering’ to advance their career or get higher salaries. If your school has a mechatronics major you could do that too. I can only speak to CS from personal experience. But you need a high GPA and must be exceptionally strong in math as well as all your other subjects. Anyway, enough rambling, did you guys find programming to be easy stuff compared to your engineering classes? For me, MechE would be a lot harder than CS because I am not that great at the higher level math that you need to be comfortable with for MechE. I know this post is super rambling, I guess your OP struck a nerve because I've been hearing the "learn to code on the side" thing a lot lately and it just isn't remotely the same thing. Any school worth its salt is going to teach you methods and theories behind software development but also behind computing in general and it's going to provide you opportunities to take classes and do projects that allow you to branch out from just "learn C++ do good code monkey". But across the board I think IE was easier than my other two engineering / science degrees (computer science and civil engineering). You have to get exact answers in engineering classes. I am at the point where I now need to decide on a major. At advanced levels, majors may study artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithm development. Computer science education. I just wanted to get some insight or personal anecdotes from you guys regarding a dilemma I am currently facing. In CS, it is more about theory, and less about having exact answers. When I got into my Junior year after having done an internship at a major car manufacturer I realized that Mech wasn't for me. Computer science vs. engineering: Education requirements. Studying Mechanical Engineering. I was a mechanical engineer at fortune 50 automotive company, and there is none of the "getting your hand dirty" or "physical touching". Hello, I change my mind about every ten minutes, please help. The focus of a mechanical engineer's work is machines and mechanical … Someone said they know ME's working sales jobs, I know CS grads flipping burgers. But I'm in my jr year, coming to my senior year, and I think I would hate myself if I was a code monkey. ME courses are more challenging when compared to CS. Having both on a resume will look good to any company in that field. If you're good at abstract thinking, go with computer science.If you're better at true critical, out of the box thinking to solve real world scenarios, go with engineering. But if you're passionate about how computers work and the limits that we as humans can push them to, to progress our species and the scientific field of computing...then maybe becoming a computer scientist is for you. Since civil engineers and mechanical engineers need the same level of education and earn comparable salaries the key differences between these … I know all engineering fields are not equally difficult but take a ubiquitous discipline like mechanical engineering and compare it to CS. Pretty much came for the code, stayed for the theory. Some people find one more difficult than the other. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. ... “Women in the engineering field are having a harder time advancing compared to … I am currently a computer engineering major. I know some really smart people in each field that would probably find the other occupation hard. The reason I say this is because most fresh CS grads will end up as code monkeys, but they're competing with people from India who will work for 1/10th the pay. I initially left a community college and pursued MechE since my CC didn't have much CS. In my role I have to look at whole systems from flow rates, to material properties, to sensors and electrical noise, etc. I did a little programming a long time ago and liked it (not as a career---bad move there). Ignore the simpletons on here who say that engineering is harder than computer science! If engineering is anything harder than CS in terms of understanding, then maybe I will do business. Have you thought of both? Algorithms seems difficult, in particular. I guess some people make it that, and some of the people doing the hiring just care about having professional programmers. A critical part of the computer science vs. computer engineering discussion is what options are out there in case you want to pursue further higher education after your bachelor’s degree. So when people say something like "well I'm really good at coding so I don't need a comp sci degree" it makes me cringe a bit. I think I came to CS because of the thought of being a code monkey was nice, job stability and all. I actually feel good to answer this. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. A mechanical engineering degree will teach universal problem solving and thinking skills which is probably more valuable than programming knowledge. math: it makes me sleepy and/or makes my head hurt never liked it, much prefer literature. You Don’t Have to Major in Computer Science to Do It as a Career. On the other hand, CS is something that I can do well with because it's more about logic and algorithms than pure mathematics. I can't imagine an engineer's workspace being as disorganized. I like both Computer Science and Civil Engineering, I am 36 years old, just finished my first Year at Houston Community College in Associates of Science and will going in to my second year this coming semester, I want to transfer at the end of 2017 to University of Houston either Civil Engineering or Computer Science… If you’re considering an advanced degree to further your career, comparing programs can help you make your decision. Funny thing is, I came across this thread because I have been doing some research on a possible career change BACK to Computer Science. I am very interested by cars, motorcycles, spacecraft, and things like that. Computer workers as a whole seem instable for some reason. Alternatively, I am strongly considering studying computer science. Were you enthusiastic about MechE before your internship? Majoring in math, nuclear engineering, or even geology can lead to a well-paying software job. If you choose a similarly laid out IE sub-area it'll likely be the same level give or take. Chemical engineers concentrate on developing equipment or processing products using chemicals and other substances. Computer science is more hit-or-miss, but the top computer science programs at Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, etc., will challenge anyone. I have about a week to decide. Computer engineering is the sixth hardest engineering major. That is true. If you are in research, design or simulation, your job will be about sitting behind a computer and running numbers on them. Another thing is that, unless you're really good at applying math to real life situations, engineering will be difficult for you. Deciding that you want to work in computer technology is one thing, but deciding which computer technology degree is right for you is an even bigger challenge. The Difference Between Mechanical Engineers & Computer Programmers. Computer science majors learn about programming languages, software development, computer engineering, and theoretical computer science. Students will need to take introduction electrical, computer science and materials classes while still focusing on their major. A Professional Engineer (PE) license may be required for some positions. Engineering, I can assure you. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the computerscience community, Press J to jump to the feed. Figure out what you like more and pursue that. On the opposite side of the code, you have your computer engineers, electrical engineers, and, the hardest of all, seeming to be the rocket scientists, aka aerospace engineers. This major requires studying such subjects as computer science, math, physics. Working in CS isn't all glam either. It is like trying to explain to a blind man what the color red looks like. My roadblock currently is that I have no way of knowing whether or not I would enjoy MechE because I have no experience and would have no way of getting experience without being pretty deep into the degree program. The former … The theories and practices are way to interesting to learn an not do anything with. As a discipline, computer science spans a range of topics from theoretical studies of algorithms, computation and information to the practical issues of implementing computing systems in hardware and software. For part of the class, most of the concepts were pretty easy and the work was just learning the languages, processes, and technologies. It depends on the person really. But beyond their technical bent, the two can be quite different. At least it seems that way, haha. Really if all you care about is getting a job that pays well then yeah do mech E or something and learn to code on the side it will be helpful. These jobs are less likely to be filled by Indian code monkeys and run-of-the-mill CS graduates. Funny thing, at least to me. As a CompSci undergrad at GTech, I admit that our electrical engineering buddies have it harder. There's another part that takes a creative/analytical mind to excel at. You'll make more money as an engineer. A master’s degree isn’t required to work in this field, but with a limited number of highly skilled workers graduating with advanced computer science degrees every year, having a master’s … Now I am about to graduate and I plan on looking for a software engineer job. Which is harder? Id say you should double major. I don't know a whole lot about ME but from what i can tell from job postings, ME is favored a lot in fields like robotics over CS even though both degrees are right for the job. Basically, I am extremely torn right now between the two majors and would just like to hear some personal thoughts from any of you guys who may have been in a similar situation. That said, the content itself in computer science isn't necessarily easy. Cookies help us deliver our Services. I enjoy math and problem solving (also a plus for engineering) and I am currently auditing an online Intro to CS course to try to get a little taste of what the degree is like. For many people computer science … I know some schools where the Mechanical Engineering program is harder, I know schools where Computer Eng is harder, I know schools where both programs are super hard because it's a major engineering school, and I know schools where both programs are total cupcakes because … From my observation of my engineering friends (aerospace, mechanical), it seems that engineering is a whole lot more work, and probably conceptually harder as well. It wouldn't hurt to look into maybe getting a minor in Comp Sci pr take the first basic classes and self study from there. I did discover that typical mechanical engineers did not like to program and I got into some trouble on the few occasions when I solved problems using computer programs I wrote rather than the standard mechanical engineering way (i.e., hand calculations with assumptions and factors of safety that made the hard math go away). They have *no* clue on what they are talking about. They have harder math requirements, more physics based classes, a harder course load in general, and not as much leeway with answers to problems. Engineering courses rely a lot more on advanced math. And in engineering, you can't be as sloppy with your work. I guess I am letting these things get into my head. Computers and "computer science" in general has already started to shape many of the ways other fields do research. Another important factor to consider is the amount of education you’ll need to be eligible for these roles. Although I don't have a lot of computer experience, I am interested by computers and computation in general. CS is easy since the tools are are in place. Many of the amazing advancements in physics, chemistry, biology (e.g. But computer science, physics and engineering are overwhelmingly male. These programs often feature the theory of computation, analysis of algorithms, formal methods, concurrency theory, databases, computer graphics and systems analysis, among others. Engineering is 100% entirely calculus, all applied math, no proofs Maybe engineering has more math, but it's much easier math than computer science IMO (which is all personal, depending on which one you prefer) I will say computer science will give you a higher workload outside of class than engineering, can almost guarantee that. I guess it depends on the school. Many computer science and computer engineering jobs require a bachelor’s degree and pay well after graduation, but earning a master’s degree can help you earn $30,000 more per year. A Mechanical Engineering degree takes a lot of discipline. Just a side note, folks tend to think of comp sci as "learning to code" it is not that. Some universities teach computer science as a theoretical study of computation and algorithmic reasoning. You can also get a minor in CS and major in ME. Thanks for the reply! You are reporting this thread to the moderators for review and possible removal from the forum. Mechanical and industrial engineers utilize a deep understanding of mathematics, physics, and analysis to develop machines and systems. Reddit community students say this is quite popular specialization for those people that are interested in studying how the computers work. In CS, we mostly translate the formulas that the engineers used into code...not nearly as hard as correctly applying the formulas.--------------------------------------------- As an aside, I will say it depends on the engineering. If you have a knack for science and math, either mechanical engineering or computer programming could satisfy you on the job. I understand I will get biased responses, and I have also made the same post in r/mechanicalengineering for reference. I've heard from fellow undergrads that CivilEs and IE's (industrial engineers) have it the easiest. I always found this reality to limit how the class could operate, and thus I don't think CS classes are all that hard.From my observation of my engineering friends (aerospace, mechanical), it seems that engineering is a whole lot more work, and probably conceptually harder as well. However, I have read some horror stories about people hating working as engineers. For the other half the class, it seemed they would marginally understand and be able to work with the concepts even if they worked hard.There's a certain part of CS that is mechanical and anyone could do it (learn a language, perform basic commands). Depending on the program expect specialized courses to be in machine design, feedback and CAD. the human genome project), and all the field of engineering, are heavily aided by computers. Engineering is hard just about anywhere. I just graduated as a double major MechE/CS. Of course, if you choose to learn more about EE or CE within mechanical engineering, you will have to grapple with more abstract concepts too. The same cannot be said for the opposite. People want to understand their world and the best they can do is relate it to computer literacy or computer technology. For example, the computer science degree plan does not require multivariable calculus while it is a requirement for engineering majors. I don't really like CADing, and while I was doing product validation and analysis(a researcher) I realized that coding was way more enjoyable so I ended up pursuing both. And then, they turn in the work and think they've coded the right solution. But computer science is well....science. I started college in Computer Science and then switched to Mechanical Engineering in my Sophomore year. From what I understand, CS seems to have the reputation of being "easier" than engineering majors. It seems to be a field that you either get conceptually, or you don't. I know of a lot of MechE and Aeropsace, mostly Aerospace, that have gotten a degree in MechE and work on the software side of things, some with the aviation industry some without. Mechanical is more hands-on, more specific, or more focused. I think it’s an excellent point that a MechE can do both but a CS major can really only do CS. It's just as tough as ME if you have no idea how to apply yourself. I am now a Mechanical Engineer that has worked in the field for 12 years. Mechanical engineers must study mechanical engineering and earn a bachelor's degree to work in this field. What makes it particularly difficult is that sometimes, both careers have significant advantages. If you care about "easy", your choice of school will matter more than your choice of major. I am almost 25 and have been taking community college courses for roughly two years now. Therefore, it tends to be more concrete and less abstract than electrical or computer engineering. To land the really good jobs like at the NSa and the FBI and CIA, and our research agencies, like Nasa, you have to have a fairly high GPA. Now, when I started taking classes when I was 23, I was dead set on either mechanical or aerospace engineering. Same deal with the top engineering programs. I mean, at my school, engineering students typically take more credits in-major than computer science students. In general, mechanical engineering deals with concepts that can be visualized or created physically. If you are in production, you job is more management than engineering. The mechanical engineering field requires an understanding of core areas including mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, and electricity.In addition to these core principles, mechanical engineers use tools such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and product lifecycle management to design and … Mechanical engineers must have a basic working knowledge of many other areas of engineering, including structural, aerospace, computer and electrical engineering. Computer Science is a relatively new field and outside of most peoples realm of conception; there is no context in the real world to relate it to. In the end it comes down to personal preference. Code.org reports that there more than 475,000 open computing jobs nationwide (as of January 2019), and less than 50,000 computer science students graduated into the workforce last year. Don't be afraid to switch majors after your first year. If you are really stuck in the fence go with MechE you will have the opportunity to do both, if you are passionate about computers then do Computer Science, you will find absolutely no MechE work with the degree but will probably be better for finding a job post graduation. Working in computer science or engineering requires an in-depth understanding of technical concepts. I am becoming worried that just because I enjoy engineering topics, I won't actually enjoy working as an engineer. Here is a list of Allen's Qualifications: • BS Mechanical Engineering, 7 years manufacturing experience in process improvement, project engineering and quality related roles. I know people who get by with sloppy code but as long as it gets the right output, it doesn't matter. Half the time, a CS student who doesn't know what the hell they are doing will just keep moving braces and if/else statements around until the output matches what the test output should be. I think the first step here is for you to figure out your goals. Computer science is the study of algorithmic processes and computational machines.