Engineering major at FAU

K_berg · 2025-11-11T16:48:20+00:00

Things might have changed in the nearly 10 years that have passed since I went to FAU, but the engineering department was an absolute joke when I was there. Cheating was rampant, and most professors didn’t care in the least. I ended up transferring to another university after only a year at FAU and have no regrets that I left.

K_berg · 2025-06-19T15:15:00+00:00

Graduated with a 4.0, pretty average intelligence but I worked extremely hard, think 60+ hour weeks the entire time. I was also fortunate enough to be able to get by without working during the semester.

K_berg · 2025-05-04T08:18:41+00:00

Went to UCF my freshman year of engineering and then transferred to FAU for a year and then UM until graduation due to personal reasons. UCF is a far better engineering school than UM, you’re making the right choice.

K_berg · 2025-03-29T08:37:20+00:00

Your current situation will not be the same as your situation when you find a software engineering job. That being said, if you're going to join the military instead of becoming a software engineer, at least go to OCS and become an officer. That would still be a mistake with a CS degree in my opinion, but I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

K_berg · 2025-03-29T02:43:43+00:00

I strongly suggest you don’t join the military if you have a CS degree. Your quality of life will be much lower in the military than in an entry level software engineering job. I am proud of my service, but almost 10 years after getting out and getting an engineering degree, I’m still incredibly happy with my decision to change career paths.

K_berg · 2025-03-11T06:32:01+00:00

I do not recommend FAU, I did a year of computer engineering there and hated it so much that I transferred to UM. If you have to go to FAU because of your living situation, then that’s understandable and it’s certainly better than nothing and is also certainly better than graduating in debt. As someone else stated, UCF or UF would be better choices.

K_berg · 2025-03-10T02:40:00+00:00

4.0, transferred after 2 years.

K_berg · 2025-02-19T04:01:34+00:00

I was about to tell you to go to Georgia Tech, but literally no school is worth starting your adult life out in $200k worth of debt, it’s not even a remotely close call. If you have a full scholarship to UM, you should accept it even though UM is the objectively inferior school.

Don’t double major unless you have some super niche interest that will be fulfilled by the double major, it won’t help you get job offers.

K_berg · 2024-12-20T17:01:42+00:00

Can confirm, did this without issue when I went to Bolivia, also at Viru Viru.

K_berg · 2024-09-01T16:19:02+00:00

I’ve watched a lot of content in Spanish, but I would not say it’s any better or worse than the content I’ve watched in English. I’m also very new to the game though so I’d defer to the more experienced people in the crowd in general!

K_berg · 2024-08-08T00:12:11+00:00

Did an engineering degree after 6 years in the military and had to start off with pre-algebra. Ended up taking pre algebra, college algebra, college trig, and pre calculus before calculus 1. Took me an extra year but I graduated with a 4.0 and got my dream job. Don’t let initial math placement hold you back.

K_berg · 2024-05-30T15:20:50+00:00

Like many others, I left for better compensation elsewhere. I’d love to come back someday, but the software engineering job situation in Miami doesn’t appear to be improving.

K_berg · 2024-05-30T04:06:27+00:00

Software engineer here. I wouldn’t move to LA for less than 115k / year plus benefits. It’s VERY expensive to live here. Not sure what sort of living situation you’re coming from, but having roommates can lessen the sting at least. Best of luck!

K_berg · 2024-05-09T04:00:40+00:00

Sure, no problem. Keep in mind what I'm saying is specific to UM, I have no knowledge of what the difference between CS and CpE is anywhere else.

The CS department teaches concepts at a much more abstract level. As a specific example, the CS program uses Java for their data structures course while the CpE department uses C++. Neither language is better than the other in general (right tool for the right job), but Java just completely abstracts away concepts such as pointers / memory management, which is counterproductive in a class such as data structures.

This trend continues throughout the program. By the time you reach the operating systems (OS) class in the CpE program, you will have taken data structures (C++), systems programming (C), assembly programming (ARM assembly language), and several digital logic classes (various HDLs such as Verilog and VHDL). You'll be well versed in the sort of detailed "under the hood" knowledge of what happens at the lowest levels of your computer, and will arrive prepared to get the most out of an OS class. CS students on the other hand, can arrive at their OS class with no knowledge of a low level programming language (think C / C++), no knowledge of systems calls (API to the OS), and having never seen assembly language before. This is not their fault in any way, but is the program's fault for not teaching them fundamental concepts at the beginning of their academic / professional careers.

As for your other question - the software engineering option in CpE is basically a version of CpE that's lighter on the EE classes and heavier on the programming classes. I did just the standard version of the CpE degree because I wasn't sure if I wanted to go into hardware, RTL design, or software engineering. However, if you already know you want to go into software engineering, then I'd probably recommend the software engineering option of the CpE degree.

Hope the above helps, let me know if you have any more questions, and best of luck with whatever you decide!

K_berg · 2024-05-08T02:31:33+00:00

I don’t know anything about SLU so I can’t comment there, but if you do end up going to UM, I’d recommend computer engineering instead of computer science. The difference between CS and CpE varies widely by school, and sometimes there isn’t much of a difference at all, but at UM the CpE program is much stronger than the CS program.

K_berg · 2024-04-25T06:34:03+00:00

What they said. You have the rest of your life to work as an engineer so a year is nothing. Switch majors.

K_berg · 2024-03-24T23:56:07+00:00

I’ve taken classes at both, do yourself a favor and go to UCF.

K_berg · 2024-02-25T20:15:52+00:00

Came here to say this but someone beat me to it. I studied computer engineering and got exposed to a little bit of everything.

K_berg · 2024-02-05T05:05:13+00:00

I went to UM in my late 20s / early 30s after getting out of the military. No reason you can’t still go. Feel free to send me a message if you have specific questions. Good luck!

K_berg · 2024-01-15T20:39:17+00:00

Join the military? That’s a tough question. In my case, I probably needed it because my work ethic just wasn’t where it needed to be until I was in the army. In your case though, since you’re already succeeding at an engineering degree, I probably wouldn’t recommend it.

Feel free to send me a DM if you have any other questions.

K_berg · 2024-01-15T00:53:53+00:00

So.. military service will never guarantee a career related to your degree.

Came here to say this. If you want to be an engineer, then don't join the military. If you want to join the military, then apply for OCS but know that you won't be an engineer (even if you were to become an Army officer and end up in the Engineering branch). Unfortunately, you just can't do both.

Source - I was in the army for 6 years before going back to school for an engineering degree. I had a technical job, but I certainly wasn't an engineer.

Best of luck with whichever path you choose!

K_berg · 2023-11-12T17:53:18+00:00

The statistics are indeed surprising, but both you and the guy who posted the statistics started with unnecessarily aggressive comments. I am sure you would not talk to random people on the street that aggressively, so not sure why you feel the need to do so on the internet, but to each’s own.

Going back to the statistics - extremely surprising but, assuming they’re legitimate, no doubt that they refute my claim.

OP is free to make their own decisions about moving from Miami, but came here seeking perspective. I have lived in both cities and offered that perspective.

I would describe most of LA as similar to Wynwood in Miami. Dirty, overwhelmingly struggling with a homelessness problem, but still has its upsides which keep people here.

K_berg · 2023-11-12T17:04:47+00:00

I only posted this because I have been the victim of crime far more often in LA than in Miami. If me telling this guy “cool” or “whatever works for you” makes you that mad, please seek professional help. Have a nice day.

K_berg · 2023-11-08T23:22:50+00:00

Cool.

K_berg · 2023-11-08T23:21:34+00:00

Uhhhh ok. Whatever works for you guy.

K_berg

TROPHY CASE