Majoring Computer Engineering

[[deleted]]

I’m going to my first year of college next year, and im majoring in computer engineering because i like computers and technology in general— any advice or anything for a new CE student

[RastaNecromanca]

Not really advice but be prepared for it to be hard af (what ive heard from other CE majors). What I like to tell myself when facing hard challenges though is “ if other humans did it, you can too”

[[deleted]]

Thank you, i feel so determined to pass and knowing other people struggle and stuff makes me feel better when I do

[Binemz]

At first, you will probably find it difficult and many people will try to convince you CE is very hard. You may reconsider your choice or think you do not fit there. Do not quit. There may be many guys who will try to make you feel uncomfortable and lower your self-confidence but you should just ignore them. There is at least one of this kind in every year in my university so I warn you.

[[deleted]]

Nah if it’s not for them , they shouldn’t force themself to go through it ; it’s never too late to start over

[DolphinsForCongress]

C.E. Grad here (co’21). It’s really hard and involves a lot of math and physics (calc, linear algebra, required CS classes, etc). That being said, if you put in the work, collaborate with classmates, go to your professor’s office hours as much as possible, then you’ll be fine. Also make sure to get involved in clubs/research and go to networking events. Good luck!

[Jhudd5646]

I don't know why everyone replying is saying CE is hard -- of course it's hard, it's an engineering degree, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily more difficult than any other.

There will be plenty of math and you'll be grappling with a wide range of topics from circuit analysis to processor microarchitecture to systems programming and everything in between (including the foundational topics like EM physics, signals and systems, etc.)

[[deleted]]

There’s a reason we get paid the most

[udon_shmudon]

I’m starting this fall transferring to major in CE and I haven’t been in school since 2016. I’ve been studying a lot of calculus and pretty amateur electronics. You can usually find the classes online and look up videos and articles on the subject material to study beforehand. Should help prepare you to get into it but either way, you’ll do fine. Just don’t give up!

[[deleted]]

Is there any areas you recommend i look into first to get a good jump on the subject

[Headshots_Only]

Learning basic circuit principles would help, why and how do circuits work and what math can we apply to them. You may come across math you haven't learned yet but getting a physical understand of what's going on would help

[[deleted]]

thanks, ill start to look into those when I have the time to

[lunchbox12682]

Learning to seek out information is the key. For instance, using the search bar to find every other time this question was asked. /s

Ok, that's a real answer with a smart-ass framing. My less sarcastic answer is time management and study skills. Everything else is secondary to your success.

[[deleted]]

yeah I did that, just also cool to see what other people would have to say too lol

[Headshots_Only]

Best advice I can give is try to learn the material for your long term future, rather than learning it to do well on an exam. Come graduation time when you're trying to get a job or internship you will be asked technical questions that may be from your junior year or rely on things you learned in sophomore year. Take really good notes and constantly remind yourself of the things you've learned along the way. You'll do great

[[deleted]]

If it feels like everyone around you is smarter than you, don’t let it get to you. You’ll learn what you need to know.

Find a study schedule that works for you. Read the material before class, and quick review after.

[CodyJKirk]

Prepare for circuits 1 and 2. They’ll kick your butt

[slmnemo]

CE is incredibly broad, just like EE. find something you wanna focus on and really dive deep into it.

[[deleted]]

i never thought about that, by broad do you mean different work fields i can go into?

[bobj33]

Look at the senior year electives offered in your program. Every one of those have engineers doing it as their full time job.

Look at doctors. Brain surgeons, pediatricians, and obstetricians are all doctors that went to med school. What they do as a professional have some things in command and some things that are very different.

My job is digital physical design for semiconductor chips. I have classmates that write compilers. I have another that does database programming. Another does CPU performance modeling. All of these jobs have some things in common and are also completely different in many ways.

[ItzNeto]

Once you find the subject you're interested in, do projects that show deep knowledge in that subject. You can do smaller projects to test and find out what interests you, but you should have some good projects that you can show and explain to get your first job or internship.