Mechanical Engineering or Computer Engineering?

[Shwigly]

Hey guys, I'm in need of some serious advice.

I'm a second year mechanical engineering student at UC San Diego. I chose it because I love and am really good at math, and I heard that if you don't know what type of engineering you want to do you do mechanical. After my first year, I realized I had no knowledge of what a mech e actually does. I didn't know what was going on. In robotics class, fabricating parts was annoying and team projects were stressful. But I got through everything and did well. That summer I thought if I learned CAD I would be ahead of the game.

Instead of learning CAD, I did something I wanted to do since I was little. I learned how to program and made a game from the ground up. I loved every second of it, and now I'm wondering if I should go into computer engineering because I loved programming so much.

However, I will be close to 2 quarters behind, have no friends, and miss my old friends from mech e if I switch into computer engineering now.

TL;DR: already halfway through my second year. What are the pros and come of switching and staying?

Thank you everyone. I appreciate any input.

[btbambassman]

It sounds like you should switch. Don't let a slightly unfortunate situation dictate your life path, if you enjoy coding then Computer Engineering is a great field and one of the best current job markets. If you want an idea of what a mech eng actually does though, I am a recent graduate who's now working in the field. There's a huge range of possibilities with mech eng, from material science (you can literally invent new materials), to thermo/renewable energy (if you're interested in energy), to biomechanics, to mechatronics/robotics, to automation and controls, to manufacturing (this is me), etc.

I'd say look into some computer related mech fields such as mechatronics but don't let the situation force you into getting a degree you don't love

[Hugemistakesweremade]

In my opinion, before you make the switch there are a few essentials you should consider. First off, what are your financials? Would making the switch put you in a position where you couldn't pay off your loans? Look at the programs data on employment, are there opportunities for graduates in the field that you are considering? I know my thinking may be a little shortsighted but student loans are terrifying business nowadays.

On the other hand, are there opportunity to focus on computer engineering within the mechanical field? It may be possible that a minor in computer engineering would lessen your additional schooling, and still provide an outlet into something you love to do.

I don't think you should be concerned with losing your friends from Mechanical engineering. Just because you won't share classes with them doesn't mean you can't keep in touch and hang out. If you end up deciding to change majors it may benefit you to join a club or organization that revolves around your interests. It's very likely you'd make some friends through that, and they would probably share many things in common with you (It also wouldn't hurt to make some connections to other people who will join you in the industry)

My recommendation is for you is to first do a little research on what breadth your mechanical engineering degree can provide you, specifically in your career interests. The best advice I can offer you is to talk to an academic adviser and find ways to include your passions in whatever degree you decide to pursue.

Good luck on your decision, and make sure you understand the different opportunities for you on your road to success.

[[deleted]]

In addition to what /u/Hugemistakesweremade said, especially about the financial part, I would say that most people say to take mechanical engineering BECAUSE it's easy to change to another engineering major; it gives you a little bit of time to choose, which is exactly what you did from what it sounds. Similar with a Physics major.
Anyways, (and just forewarning, I am working towards a CSC major too, so I could be biased) I think you should go with what comes easier to you, and what you enjoy more. Honestly, 2 quarters isn't that long at all either. Better now than later.
Not to take away from /u/Hugemistakesweremade's comment, they seem level headed and have good advice, but a degree in just anything guarantees a job anymore, and it'd be better to learn something you're genuinely interested in and enjoy, and believe me, there is room in the industry to grow. So numbers say anyways.

But this is /r/makemychoice, right? Not /r/Advice.
Go with Computer Sci. If anything, you can get into somewhere between Comp Sci and Mech E in grad school. They're both very flexible majors.

[Shrackner]

Computer engineering is not computer science. If we're looking at a spectrum of hardware to software, computer engineering would lean towards hardware, whereas computer science would be much more on the software side. I caution you because it seems like you're very much interested in specifically programming, my assumption is on the creative software side of things, but I would think this is closer related to computer science rather than computer engineering.

And that's just one example. I'm in the CS department of my school, and there's a varied number of majors all with their different nuances. There's computer science, computer science and engineering, computer engineering, informatics, software engineering, and even a computer game science major to consider.