should i change my major?

[Ally24k]

I am currently an engineering major going into my junior year in college. I have always been good at computer science and this semester I took a CS course that teaches me programming in JAVA, prolog, rex, and some assembly language. I am not so good at engineering, probably get average or below average grades. I am a lot better at CS but I will be entering my junior year in the fall and will be an incredibly behind CS major if i switch. Plus I know that CS is incredibly competitive. If I switch my major, I won't stay in college for the 5th year but I will still be very behind all the other CS majors. What should I do, I am pretty comfortable in engineering but I enjoy CS more (at least what I know of it know who knows how I will like the more upper division classes). Give some opinions please.

 

[Koing]

well I'd always do what I enjoyed more. It wouldn't bother me much if I was behind. Just stay the extra year and do it. Remember I say its not worth doing something that I didn't enjoy or I had a chance to do something I wanted to do more.

Doesn't matter about the competitiveness of it. I'd do it anyway. I know people are going to be better there ALWAYS is, but are they going to have your personality???

 

[bandXtrb]

See this thread http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=791370

 

[loup garou]

I basically did the same thing. I was a Biomedical Engineering major, grades were pretty bad, changed to Computer Info Systems my Junior year. I'm going to finish this summer after 5 years and this summer session. I could've gotten out in 4 & 1/2, but I picked up a minor and an Oracle certification as well as working more hours. The change was definitely right for me...my GPA has vastly improved, I enjoy my classes more, and the people in the classes are less competitive and more teamwork-oriented (my major gripe with BME students at Tulane...they were waaaay too competitive). CS is definitely a more rigorous curriculum than CIS, though, so that would be a factor. I don't know what to tell you, just that I'm happy with my decision (except that biotech is blowin up right now and IT is in the crapper, but it's not like I would've been able to get a good job with my grades had I stuck with BME). Just a little personal experience from someone in a similar situation. Good luck!

 

[Fulcrum]

If you really feel that you will happier in CS, then do it no matter what it sets you back. You could be working in your career field for the next 30 to 40 years of your life. Spending an extra year in school now is worth it if it will put you in a field you feel you will enjoy! It will be much, much harder to get retraining and switch careers later in your life when you will most likely have family and financial obligations you don't have now. You can't be your best in something if you're not happy. So, if that the case, forget all those other worries and go for it! Good luck in whatever you choose.

 

[manly]

Although the job market is pretty rough right now, CS is still a major with a lot of long-term upside potential. If you both like CS and do well in it, I wouldn't hesitate to at least try to switch to CS.

How many lower division CS classes have you taken; have you cleared the prerequisites to take upper division courses? If you're only becoming a junior this fall, a reasonable expectation is for you to have taken 3-4 lower division classes, and a bunch of other math/science and breadth requirements (obviously different universities will have different programs). I'm suggesting you may not be as far behind as you're afraid of. You can always get some tutoring to get up to speed.

If at all possible, try to get an idea of what upper division CS is like (perhaps by taking a course over the summer). IMO, it's quite different from lower division CS, esp. theoretical CS which relies heavily on higher math. Almost anybody can write a working program, and many people can become good programmers, but being a successful CS student is actually different.

Traditional (non-theoretical) Upper division courses:
Operating Systems
Compilers
User Interfaces
Software Engineering
Databases

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: Fulcrum
If you really feel that you will happier in CS, then do it no matter what it sets you back. You could be working in your career field for the next 30 to 40 years of your life. Spending an extra year in school now is worth it if it will put you in a field you feel you will enjoy! ... You can't be your best in something if you're not happy. So, if that the case, forget all those other worries and go for it! Good luck in whatever you choose.

Exactly, also in tech careers you need to keep learning for the rest of your work life to stay good at it, so if you're doing something you enjoy the ongoing reading and classes will be much easier.

 

[abc]

you gotta enjoy what you do, not all can be in such a position to claim that. stayint a while longer in college and or graduating 'later' isn't going to amount to any huge loss if it happens.. It's sooo insignificant when you stretch out your time line. And the economy aint too great so stay in, dont come out to the real world. And so what, anything worth doing is competitive.

 

[Maetryx]

I am a civil engineer that enjoys computers. Engineers are highly employable. And your computer skills can give you the edge you need to win in a job interview. I recommend sticking with engineering just for the job security. Computing can be your edge.

 

[LordJezo]

I did the same thing. Was CE but switched over to CS because I couldnt stand engineering. I am behind but I took a boat load of summer classes and extra other stuff and caught up.


I am much happier then I was before. Its not worth saying with engineering if you don't like it. . . It might be a hard switch to make, but well worth it in the long run.

 

[The Wildcard]

Hahaha, I did the exact opposite. I was a CS major, until I switched to engineering in my junior year, lol. In fact, I switched to mechanical engineering because I didn't want to have to do anything more with computers, lol. Luckily, I had enough CS classes to qualify for a CS minor, so I decided to take that and switch.

I am behind in engineering too, although alot of my physics and math courses did transfer over. I am glad I switched because I am doing a lot better in engineering than I did in CS, so i guess everybody is different.

Definately do what you want to do. If you want to switch, screw thinking about when you are going to graduate, because those remaining months you spend in your current engineering major will seem like years.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Hhhhmmmm.... I can't completely agree with the sentiment that you should always choose what you like the best. After all, it really would be nice to get a job after graduation. Also bear in mind that most college graduates do not spend the next 30-40 years working in their degreed field. These days people change fields 3 or 4 times in their working lives, so the degree you get isn't going to lock you into something (pleasent or unpleasent) for the rest of your life.

As I'm sure you already know, computers are the one and only tool for engineers these days. If you stay in engineering, you might gravitate toward a job that emphasized computers (such as programming engineering tools). You could also leverage your engineering background by pursuing a similar job if you do siwtch to computer science.

Good luck!