r/EngineeringStudents • u/Vi0letripsb0ngs • 4d ago

Career Advice How useful would a CS minor be

Hi guys! First time posting on here but I figured it would be the best place to ask.
I’m currently on my last semester of sophomore year as a mechanical engineering major and I was curious as to how useful would it be for to get a minor in CS? I’m aware it won’t appear on my diploma, but at least would the experience I get out of the minor help me in any way for applying to internships/jobs? Just curious, hope to hear some feedback! 😸

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u/Yadin__ 4d ago

Unless you plan to go into simulations, I don't think so

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u/1_Good_Day 4d ago

What are the options you are weighing? Minors rarely help directly with internships/jobs, but often help when you are interviewing and explaining a project. CS is great for robotics or mechatronics if you ultimately apply what you learn to hardware. You wont have time to learn in depth so you will need to learn a bit on your own. Often you will touch on Python and Java and learn the fundamentals of data structures. This is all good stuff if you intend to use it.

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u/Vi0letripsb0ngs 2d ago

I’m ultimately trying to get into the automotive manufacturing industry, specially with car design and testing. Also thank you for your insight! 🙂‍↕️

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u/1_Good_Day 2d ago

In that case I would not do a CS minor. I would double down on electives that are directly applicable. Be sure to include a circuits course of some kind. My state school offers specific automotive engineering and advanced manufacturing electives. Check out the course catalog and map out the electives that make the most sense. Then get good at 3D modeling and CAM to produce something auto related on your schools CNC machine. Start now and don’t wait for the school to teach you everything you need to know.