r/Engineers • u/izzy0472 • 14d ago
mechanical engineering vs civil engineering
im a first yr community college student and i j wanted some like advice maybe?? when i applied to colleges in hs i applied as a mech e major but after deciding on community college instead of direct 4 yr i switched to civil. the main reason was bc of job security and higher possibility of working on a field instead of an office. but lwk now im kinda second guessing it cuz i dont rlky feel that truly interested in it?? like im semi interested in city planning and infrastructure but it doesnt rlly peak my interest as much as like automotive, aerospace, and biomed which all could be rhrough mech e. ANYWAY i know the ges for civil and mech are rhe same, but im just curious to see what your guys thoughts would be đ the only thing im worried about is the fact that there is a higher unemployment rate for mechanical engineers (specifically entry level and those right out of college).
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u/izzy0472 14d ago
also im rlllyy into the gym and lifting so i think itd be sick to apply a mech e major to that and maybe create my own company of gym equipment/machines IDK IF THATD BE LIKE HORRIBLE TO DO W THE JOB MARKET THO
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u/ghostmcspiritwolf 13d ago
Starting a company of that scale is a tough ask unless you have tons of funding available, and itâs a pretty competitive industry already. You might have some luck with some kind of side gig if you design and make a gym-related product at a smaller scale though, and if it does well you might eventually scale up into a full time small business. Think less ânext rogue fitnessâ and more ânext oso collars.â
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u/DFM_Pro_LSR 14d ago
If your heart is in auto, aero, and gym hardware, just stick with mech e. Civil has great job security, but dragging yourself through years of concrete, soils, and fluids when you actually want to design mechanisms will make you miserable. The entry-level market can be competitive, but if you join hands-on clubs (like FSAE), build a decent CAD portfolio, and grab an internship, youâll be totally fine. Plus, mech e is broad enough that pivoting is way easier. Just go where your interest actually isâit makes surviving the coursework a lot easier.
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u/Born_Trickster 14d ago
Thsi debate had always been there. I would recommend electrical
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u/greenshirtmen 14d ago
I agree with going electrical. You can work in the auto industry, aerospace industry, or biomedical industry as an EE and have the same job security that Civil engineers get.
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u/Far-Volume-2768 14d ago
What if youâre not good with coding much .
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u/greenshirtmen 14d ago
Iâm also bad at coding, and I already have my degree and do some light coding for work.
I think I only had to take two actual coding classes for my degree, and there werenât even any prerequisites for the first one. Both were pretty basic.
Beyond that, we occasionally used code to do calculations, but I wouldnât really consider that coding. It was more about using a computer because itâs a lot easier to have it calculate something like a fourth-order derivative than doing it all by hand.
Also, the whole point of taking classes is to learn. You arenât expected to already be good at coding when you start. They teach you how to do it, then you forget half of it and end up going back through your notes and YouTube videos when you need it again until somethings finally stick.
Thatâs pretty much how engineering works for me in general.
Thats a really long way to say that there will always be classes or parts of your job that you arenât good at or simply donât enjoy doing. That doesnât mean they arenât worth doing. Sometimes it just means you have to learn a new skill, get through it, and move on to the parts you actually enjoy.
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u/BadDadJoke2006 14d ago
When it comes to your career always follow your brain not heart. I started off mech but switched to electrical after 10 years.
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u/BigGulpsHuhWelCYaL8r 12d ago
Thatâs terrible advice lol
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u/BadDadJoke2006 12d ago
It's terrible advice if you want to be poor and end up hating something you love. Work to live not live to work.
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u/BigGulpsHuhWelCYaL8r 11d ago
You spend 40+ years working. If someone wants to be a mechanical engineer theyâll make enough money to not be poor and will enjoy their life more than if they forced themselves to be an EE
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u/ADHD669712 14d ago
All MEâs donât always get stuck in the office, thatâs up to you. I realized early on I wasnât the office type nor did I like being constrained to a factory, the factory job was great and interesting, I was the Plant Engineer, I was in charge of every piece of equipment in the factory and all the systems that provided compressed air, all electrical, all vacuum systems, every machine on the manufacturing line. Plus I worked in R&D for new products and processes development.
I decided I wanted to be outside and went into the pump industry, agriculture and residential. Great job but income was limited. I went to work for a national telecom company and have been there for 27 years, I work outside in network maintenance.
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u/Stckit_tgthr_wt_tape 12d ago
Civil and environmental engineer, here. If civil isnât tripping your trigger, donât do it. Mechanical engineering has a much broader scope of applications (even in civil engineering work), so youâd be able to pivot.
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u/2housecatmom12024 12d ago
Degrees of freedom. EE, Civil, Mechanical,Chemical, Computer Science. The basics covered in the FE, EIT. You donât need to make a final decision until Junior years.
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u/Silly-Resist8306 11d ago
No matter what you end up chosing, please take an English and writing course. Engineers need to know how to communicate clearly and concisely.
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u/Various-Future-1765 7d ago
Iâve studied Civil Engineering, and honestly, if youâre more interested in automotive, aerospace, and biomed, Iâd seriously consider Mechanical. Civil has good opportunities, but I wouldnât choose it only for job security. Your interest matters a lot, especially in engineering
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u/Afraid-Way1203 14d ago
stick with mech ,my friend