should I switch majors? (now with possible health issues)

[Tactical Nuke]

I've yet to have this discussion with my teachers but I thought I'd ask you guys because I'd like to have this figured out as soon as possible.

Right now, I'm doing a double major in mechanical engineering and music composition, but I'm not so certain on the mechanical engineering anymore. My grades are absolute stuff and it doesn't seem like they're going to get better. On top of that, it's not fun and I don't seem to be learning much from the whole thing. It's generally agreed upon that this semester is the hardest for mechanical engineers, but even last semester was pretty bland.

Right now, my classes consist of thermodynamics, lab practice (write a bunch of lab reports), some electrical engineering, and the most god-awful chemistry course I've ever taken. I've been waiting for them to talk about something interesting, but the only interesting thing they've talked about is fabrication and I'm kind of losing patience. I'm starting to wonder when they're going to get to things that I'm interested in, and they're kinda doing that in my electrical engineering course.

I'm interested in sound, audio, etc. How it works, stuff like that. Not only that, but I've been getting more and more invested in art and music. As a result, I've been searching around the web for future potential jobs. The closest position I found that I think I'd be happy to work as would be one in acoustical engineering, but I can't see how that's connected to mechanical engineering. It seems it's more related to physics, so I'm keeping a switch to a physics major in the back of my head. I plan to go over that with some of the physics professors that I know best. Come to think of it, I always liked physics, in high school and in college, though that might just be the great teachers I had.

There's also the question of salary, which it seems like mechanical engineering won't pay out as much as I thought it would. Searching the median salary of mechanical engineers on Google, I came across one report that cited that it was about $60k annually with a range going into the millions, and another that cited it was around 80k with a range only going up to about 150k. In short, I don't know what it pays. I looked up an acoustic engineer's median salary and it's only a $6k difference from the second source. Even an animator for Cartoon Network, which is something I might want to explore in the future, pays as much, if I can trust Google.

I don't know. I have a lot of questions that need answering.

/discuss

[Ad Bot]

[Woof]

If you don't feel comfortable or having fun in your major, I'd say switch immediately.

[bloody jumper]

The thing is, in college you're supposed to be switching majors and trying out a lot of new things, if you're not enjoying what you're doing, always be open to experiencing something new.

[Woof]

Yeah and remember, it's never too late to major in something new.

[phflack]

The thing is, in college you're supposed to be switching majors and trying out a lot of new things, if you're not enjoying what you're doing, always be open to experiencing something new.

I know somebody who kept switching majors, due to being early to video game majors
he just graduated, after like 10-12 years of college

unlike what others said, if you switch majors you better be ready for a few more years of college (if not closely related to what you were already studying or you were already a few years in)
I'd go for a degree somewhat related to what you're doing and teach yourself the rest, if you can
I've found that colleges don't actually teach much, they're there to certify and give degrees

[SlayerZ99]

Yeah and remember, it's never too late to major in something new.

It is if you're tryna graduate in 4 years

[Foxscotch]

he just graduated, after like 10-12 years of college

wtf

[RedGajin]

it's getting a lot less common for people to finish college in just 4 years. switch majors if you can afford the costs of extra schooling, complete waste of money to study something you aren't satisfied with

[SlayerZ99]

or do 4 years like me then go to grad school for 2 years doing something you love but making $35k outta 6 years of schooling :)))))))))

[Tactical Nuke]

if I were to switch from mechanical engineering to physics, I wouldn't consider that a big jump

regardless I'll keep that in mind

[Tactical Nuke]

extra note I think we only get to switch until the end of sophomore year

at that point we declare majors

[RedGajin]

policies are different for different schools, but if  you declare a major, you can still switch it. i dont know of any colleges that make you stay with your major through graduation once you declare it. some require that you finish either a semester or a year before you can switch. at my school, declaring a major for my field is just when you choose 'focus' of study (networking, coding, ect.), and doesnt lock anything in for you.

just talk to an advisor or professor, theyll know the policy and can give you insight on related fields you could be interested in. my college also has a course that helps students undecided on their majors find a field of study they like, and its actually really helpful. if youre really stuck, try that. real talk tho, dont let your grades fail and get behind on courses being in a field youre not interested in, stuff can get you down when you run two semesters barely getting past academic probation

[TristanLuigi]

The thing is, in college you're supposed to be switching majors and trying out a lot of new things, if you're not enjoying what you're doing, always be open to experiencing something new.

the forget kinda college did you go to? college is expensive as hell, if you switch majors you are taking on a lot more debt

(unless you live in a civilized, first-world country where education is subsidized)

[alien cunt]

you should probaby see what fits you the most, when you find the right thing that you find fun or understandable, you should take it

[SeventhSandwich]

The great thing about ME is that you're fine career-wise if you manage to graduate and go into industry. Many employers won't ask for your GPA, and after you work for somewhere for awhile, you'll never need to provide it again. If you want to pursue a PhD, then that's a different story, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're planning to do.

There's also the question of salary, which it seems like mechanical engineering won't pay out as much as I thought it would. Searching the median salary of mechanical engineers on Google, I came across one report that cited that it was about $60k annually with a range going into the millions, and another that cited it was around 80k with a range only going up to about 150k.

The second report is definitely false because MEs can make stuffloads if working in senior positions for big engineering firms. Your best bet is to look for your specific school's statistics on median income per degree. Where you get your degree from can determine how much money you'll be making, so the most accurate estimates are going to come from data that your own college collects.