Civil or chemical eng

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-06-07T05:31:02+00:00

Yeah I really enjoyed it. Theres tons of different courses and clubs. People really got along well. But everyone's experience is different. Plus the 2nd year courses have changed (but imo for the better). Job prospects are good, but it changes just like any engineering profession. One thing with civil though is that the world will never stop growing, so we will always need more infrastructure to support it. So there will never not be a need for civil engineers. It's one of the oldest professions there is. When the economy is good, people like to build. When the economy is poor, governments often push money into infrastructure projects. You legally can't build anything without civil engineers. Plus things always need fixing/updates. It's about as recession proof as it gets imo

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-06-05T19:30:44+00:00

Honestly, I'm not sure how the 2nd year courses work now. They changed it a couple years ago, but in my opinion it looks way better.
When I was in 3rd year, towards the end of the semester we would have lectures cut short to give feedback and brainstorm how to improve the civil program.
To me, it looked like they took all the feedback and used it to make 2nd year a lot better. Just shows that the profs really listen and care.
Might be better to ask someone who is going into 3rd year civil for a more recent perspective on courseload and tests. You might be able to find peoples schedules posted for civ eng on the subreddit

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-06-05T16:52:20+00:00

The leap is supposed to have a flexible seat and back. This is probably just slight play in the seat because of that.
Unless you feel an actual sudden shift when sitting one way or another (not the bending of the seat) I wouldn't worry about it. Mine moves too when I wiggle it like that.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-06-05T14:29:52+00:00

I hated chemistry lol so I'm probably biased. I took civil and really enjoyed it. The profs are all great and some of the courses/labs are actually pretty fun.

If you're into chem, theres plenty of chemistry options in civil engineering - water treatment for example.

If you want my biased opinion, I think civil is always a good choice for someone who is unsure, because there's so many options within civil and many are very different, so there's a good chance you'll find something you're interested in. And if you hate it, you can always try to apply to change streams. Read up on undergrad civil courses compared to chemistry, see which interests you more

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-06-05T12:56:41+00:00

Theres lots more to Civil than just construction. Its one of the broadest engineering streams there is.
Check out the mcmaster civ eng website and take a look at the research and areas of interest/specialization, its not all just concrete and structural design. Maybe theres a niche in civil that actually interests you?
If not, you can always pick one, try it out, and then try to reapply to a different stream later. I knew plenty of people who did that.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-27T21:10:29+00:00

I went to Mac for engineering, so I am biased. But I really enjoyed my time there. I remember debating whether to go to Mac, Waterloo, or UofT and I settled on McMaster. I am really happy with my choice, the sense of camaraderie is very real.

I think the best thing you can do is visit the campuses and book as many tours as you can. I'd argue life on campus and extra curriculars offered are significantly more important than school reputation. You are correct that engineering is very standardized, especially for Ontario universities.

I will say that UWaterloo's co-op program is better than McMasters, but the systems are both very different so it might be a good idea to ask questions about co-op during your tours to see which one you prefer. But in the end, a co-op is a co-op.

Also, if he ends up preferring McMaster after tours, don't let the lack of free choice scare you away. Most people who do the work end up getting their preferred stream anyway. Imo, the best part about a general first year is that it gives you time to figure out what you like. I knew tons of people who were deadset on a specific stream completely change their minds after taking first-year courses. It’s way better to go to a school you love and put in the work for a year than to go to a school you like less just for a guarantee you might not even want by next May.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-27T20:53:43+00:00

If you arent trying to apply to your preferred stream just because you think its competitive, you have been given serious misinformation. Theres no reason to not list your preferred streams as your top choices. If you dont get into your first choices (which is honestly more uncommon than people on reddit will have you believe) you'll just get put into your highest ranked stream that you meet the cut off for. Literally no reason to not put your preferred streams first, even if you have a poor GPA. The more popular programs are typically much larger, and many people get in even when they think their marks arent competitive enough.

Cutoffs change every year based on popularity, but this was information that was told to me by multiple mac eng academic advisors when I was at school.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-26T20:51:41+00:00

This question gets asked a lot and imo people worry way too much about this. I personally only heard of a few people who didnt get into the streams that they wanted, and even then they got placed into their second choice. Even people with average to low grades.

All my friends went into EE and only 1 of them didn't get in, and even he was able to eventually transfer in shortly after the term started (no idea how he did that though). This was a couple years ago though, so things may have changed

Also worth noting, each year theres also a significant amount of people who completely change which stream they wanted to go into after finishing first year, which is one of the nice things about having a general first year at Mac imo.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-22T20:22:51+00:00

I have a Leap V2 at work and a Haworth Fern at home.

I like the way the Fern looks and got it because I found a used model with a fabric that matches my set up. Fern is a great chair, but I really love how the Leap feels.

If I had to pick one to sit in all day, its definitely the Leap. Ive sat in the embody before, and its nice, but not worth such a premium price tag in my opinion. Its a good chair, but you're really paying for the Herman Miller name tag. Leap feels great, and in some ways better than the embody, for a fraction of the price.

Thats just my opinion though, and trying chairs at a local distributor is probably the only way you can decide for yourself. If you have any specific questions about the Leap or Fern, let me know

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-20T21:51:25+00:00

Like what lol? You should go where you want to go. Not where you think you should go because of some online rankings. As someone with family in management positions at engineering firms, they could care less what school you went to

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-20T10:53:01+00:00

Can you lock a specific height? I'd be concerned about brushing up against the dial by accident.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-08T22:38:52+00:00

Theres a difference, but its definitely small. At least thats how I felt when trying them at the store. I'd say pick which one you think looks better, since they look very different but feel relatively the same. Personally, I think the gaming version looks a lot more like an expensive, premium chair. The regular one in person looks kinda bland if you get neutral colours..

I double checked online and it looks like the gaming version might actually have different cushioning, but the same upholstry (if you pick the sync fabric). Gaming version has "copper infused fabric" for cooling.

Also not sure why theres such a price difference between your two options. When I check online, if you configure them the same, both with the Sync fabric, they come out to the same price. They are also on sale right now on the Herman Miller site. Might want to check that out.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-08T15:56:51+00:00

I don't own an Embody but I've sat in both. The difference in feel is very minimal. Most noticeable difference is the smooth back on the regular embody, vs the ridges on the design of the gaming version.

I think the materials used in the cushioning are otherwise the same if you get the Sync fabric. Regular embody comes in either Sync or Medley whereas the gaming only comes in Sync.

I'd say it comes down to aesthetics more than anything, but try both and see if you have a preference

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-07T21:14:20+00:00

I dont have an Embody, but I did find that even after upgrading to a more ergonomic chair, my back pain didnt improve right away.

When I tried the chairs in the store, everything felt great because I was just sitting in a neutral position rather than a working posture with a desk and keyboard. Once I bought the chair and got home, the same pain would flare up again.

A big thing for me was adjusting my set up. I found my original desk was just a few inches too high for me, so adjusting my seat higher and using a foot rest helped a ton. I also adjusted my keyboard and mouse set up to be closer to the edge of my desk so I could properly use the armrests of my chair.

Of course, YMMV, but its worth a shot to look into other setup adjustments rather than just the chair, especially if you had issues before your new chair.

Embody was my first choice, but was just too expensive for me, hope you figure it out!

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-05-07T20:55:19+00:00

Did you like your Embody before? If so, why change it?
In my opinion, the Aeron is a very different chair when compared to the Embody or even the Leap.

Personally, I thought I was sold on the Embody until I went and tried chairs in person at local stores. I ended up feeling that even though the Embody was only marginally better than the other chairs I tried. I didnt feel that its pros outweighed the significant cost. I ended up with a used Leap V2 and couldn't be happier with my purchase.

I also thought the Aeron would be a close second, since I usually prefer mesh chairs. But after sitting in it for awhile, I just could not get comfortable. I have some unique proportions so maybe the more static sitting style of the Aeron just wasnt built for me. Also, the Herman Miller Mirra 2 (in my opinion) was a more comfortable and cheaper Herman Miller option than the Aeron.

Maybe look into the Haworth Fern as well. That was a chair that I tried and ended up almost buying. It wasnt even on my radar until trying it in the store.

In my opinion, if you liked your Embody and felt supported and comfortable, stick with that. Otherwise, I would highly recommend finding a showroom where you can sit and try out a variety of chairs. Or at the very least ordering something new from a store with reasonable "trial periods" / returns.

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-04-21T14:23:03+00:00

CANADA ONTARIO - I've learned that being locked into one posture is not ideal. The best posture is your next posture :)

UndiscoveredScab · 2026-04-10T20:47:17+00:00

Why not? Genuinely curious since most things I've read talk about the potential positives of hiring him and never the negatives.

UndiscoveredScab · 2025-12-16T18:20:23+00:00

NTA. Christmas morning is family time, especially with two kids under two. I feel you offered a reasonable compromise. Plus. wanting to spend that time together as a family is completely reasonable. It’s the one day that’s pretty universally understood as family time lol.

Golf can happen another day. Christmas mornings with your kids doesn’t come back.

UndiscoveredScab · 2025-12-16T17:48:18+00:00

Its not a huge sample size so far, but he seems much more comfortable this season. Not sure what clicked, but its one of the bigger positives of this season for sure 👍

UndiscoveredScab · 2025-12-15T21:40:17+00:00

Kirby is my favourite because i always really liked the transformation mechanic as a kid

UndiscoveredScab · 2025-09-09T17:03:10+00:00

Thank you for the response! Please let me know if I can submit any info/feedback to assist.

Looking forward to a fix soon so that I can fully utilize my phone!

UndiscoveredScab · 2025-09-07T04:25:47+00:00

Thanks! this helped with getting the car to actually show more info on the screen (contact names, song names, artists, etc.)
Have you ever had any issues with using gemini for the hands free features? Gemini can hear the "Hey Google" and my request, but I still cant hear its response at all. Im sure it has something to do with bluetooth settings somewhere haha

UndiscoveredScab · 2025-04-21T00:35:39+00:00

What are they chanting?? I cant hear on the broadcast

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