/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.4450784]

I'm in EE right now, and it's just not working out how I expected, I don't really care for engineering. I'm thinking of transferring into math or physics (or both). I have a great passion for both subjects, but I feel I should only choose one. Which would be more employable at the BS level? MS? PhD?

It would be "easier" to transition into the math degree, as I already have quite a bit of math courses taken. Whereas, taking the physics route would lead me to take an extra semester. I have a great love for both subjects, so I don't think either would be a bad choice. What do you recommend?

[Anonymous No.4450813]

Math is better if you want a business job. In California, a math/physics degree will land you a code monkey job or an engineering technician job.

[Anonymous No.4450814]

>>4450813
What do you mean business job? Sales? I want a job where I can apply my skills, but not engineering.

[Anonymous No.4450817]

engineering would have let you enjoy the best of both

[Anonymous No.4450822]

>>4450817
I feel unsatisfied with my knowledge of math and physics in engineering. I just finished my last required math course, diff eqs, and haven't taken physics since last year. While my EE courses do involve some degree of math and physics, it's rather simple and the focus is more on using MATLAB to get the right answer, or on taking physical laws for granted and applying them to other things. I have no doubt that this is very useful for industry, but I feel as if I have the passion (and the capability) to go further in these subjects and pursue a more academic end. I want to go to grad school and learn more; unlike most of my engineering peers I really enjoy math and physics for their own sake, not merely as a means to an end.

[Anonymous No.4450833]

>>4450822
I want to say that all engineers are fucking retards with poor work ethic, but I know one guy who is quite brilliant and legitimately enjoys learning new shit.

Personally, one of the reasons I transferred to mathematics is because I hated my fellow engineering students.

[Anonymous No.4450876]

>>4450833
Unfortunately I agree for the most part. I keep hearing such good things about EE programs from older generations (but not those in academia), yet my program is mostly full of fucking morons. I'm about through with it, the only ones that are any good are the asians because they go through everything like it's a mechanical process.

[Anonymous No.4450884]

>>4450876
Mine is full of guys who smoke cigarettes and are fans of pornstars on facebook. I don't belong there. Technically, I'm BioE, but BioE is a terrible undergrad major.

[Anonymous No.4450887]

>I really enjoy math and physics for their own sake

Well then just pick the one you like the most.

[Anonymous No.4450912]

>>4450876
Can't be worse then being in a class filled with Pre-Meds, trust me.

[Anonymous No.4450925]

I hate my colleagues too. But i like to hate them.

And choose what you would like to do the most.

[Anonymous No.4450934]

>>4450925
Math has long been my favorite subject, Physics being a close second. I've never done much proof-based math, though. I could schedule either intro to proofs for next quarter, or just try to get into the honors (proof based) course on complex analysis (I have a couple friends in that class). I think if I took a light load I could do well in that class. However, I don't think it's common to take complex analysis before real analysis...

[Anonymous No.4450952]

>>4450876
>>4450833

Unless you want to post a screencap of a 3.8+ GPA in EE then fuck off with this elitist bullshit. Autists with Aspergers complaining about other people, shock and horror.

[Anonymous No.4450966]

>>4450952
fuck you, the only class I've gotten less than an A- in was gen chem because i didn't care to memorize everything; I got a B.

[Anonymous No.4451010]

>>4450952
>3.8+ GPA in EE
>"elite"

[Anonymous No.4451043]

>>4450966

If you were memorizing, then you were doing it wrong. Most natural laws are differential equations which you can readily derive if you know how to compartmentalize knowledge appropriately. They don't teach those methods in school, though. It's kinda sad, really.

[Anonymous No.4451045]

>>4451010

He said that the behavior was elitist, not that 3.8 GPA in EE would be elite.

[Anonymous No.4451048]

>>4451043
"Why memorize these properties of elements when you can derive them all from a 20th degree polynomial?"

[Anonymous No.4451076]

>>4450784
hey op, i was like you last year. I was planning to switch to physics and math but now i'm in my 3rd year and i finally started to take interest in EE when we got to electronics and semiconductors.

[Anonymous No.4451086]

I wouldn't worry about just one extra semester.

Always do what feels right.

[Anonymous No.4451088]

>>4451043
We had to memorize things like solubility of compounds and valence electrons. I know there are rules behind them, but I had other things to study for at the time and couldn't be bothered to find them. Also, my lab grade was mediocre because I never was very prepared, I just showed up and made it work. In either case, I don't have much of an interest in chemistry.

>>4451076
Interesting, to what degree do you use mathematics or physics? My biggest concern is that I'd be yearning for more answers to "why" things work than just "how" they work/are used in industry. Plus, I just don't think I'm that good at designing things, I make a lot of little devices for things around my house, but they mostly suck and are very crude. I don't think I'd be very good at designing something larger/working in an engineering environment.

[Anonymous No.4451111]

>>4451088
Yup, you're just like me. I was looking for the why as well.

I'd say the thing that sparked my interest was looking at the pn junction. We looked at the physics associated with that and learned why diodes have that sort of I/V response. We also used the exponential model for diodes rather than simply the common drop model.

[Anonymous No.4451120]

>>4451088
And as for designing, I'm sure it will come with practice. Like for example, we have to design an A/C adapter. I'm basically done, however I just need to get my voltage limiting portion down.

[Anonymous No.4451566]

>>4450966

>No module list

Give me grades for the following EE modules:

Circuit Theory
Solid State Physics
EM

Show me three A's.

[Anonymous No.4451578]

major in physics and grab a minor in math.

hard mode: dual major

[Anonymous No.4451627]

>Which would be more employable at the BS level?
Engineering

>MS? PhD?
Engineering or something else like an MBA

What good is it to major in something you love and don't get a job afterwards or even if you do get a job, it's one with terrible work and payment conditions?

Even if you get a job as a mathematician or a physicist, don't be expecting much financially or sometimes even intellectually challenging (especially in this current economy), it'll either be in teaching high school, teaching-research in undergrad/grad or if you're very good and lucky (get to know the right people) full time research, and the pay grades are around 32k - 65k a year.

The best jobs for mathematicians/physicists are very hard to get because there aren't many and there's a lot of people more qualified and with better connections than you also trying and there's also engineers/computer scientists/etc trying them.

I'd say if you're a person who could live happily ever after with less than 60k/year then go for it.

[Anonymous No.4451735]

>>4451627
There seems to be two types of people giving me advice. Those who say "study what you love", "get a job in a field which interests you". Then there are the more jaded types like you who make me feel like getting a degree in anything besides engineering is total waste. I have much more respect for the guys in math/physics than those in engieering, how is that the job market is so much worse for those degrees? They can't really be as bad as they're made out to be...right?

[Anonymous No.4451756]

>>4451735
Do what you love. If what you love is men then become an engineer. If what you love is not profitable then you probably aren't a scientist and you should find another board.

[Anonymous No.4451765]

>>4451627

>PhD in math
>300k starting
>any job i want
mfw

[Anonymous No.4451772]

>>4451756
What is love is Math and Physics, yet my parents and my practical side tells me that I should pursue EE instead, even though I have no real passion for the field.

Say I switch into mathematics, graduate, go to grad school and get an MS in math. What sort of career could I have with that?

[Anonymous No.4451781]

>>4451772

[Anonymous No.4451789]

i don't understand how people can be surprised that their engineering colleagues are retarded. engineering is a major which has the highest pay with just a bachelors degree. this will obviously make money hungry retards swarm to it like flies to shit.

lastly, be happy that you didn't pick civil. civil has by far the most idiots. the averages in statics are 40-50% while the class is just a review of physics 1. the only rewarding thing about civil is that they have the most women out of all the engineering majors and they are actually pretty hot, too.

[Anonymous No.4451806]

>>4451789

They can't be that much of a idiot if they are able to pass the physics, chem, and math pre-requirements.

[Anonymous No.4451813]

>>4451806
Oh really, a guy in Biochem (when asked what he would do if he could pass one law) Said that he we would pass a law forbidding the _EMISSION_ of carbon dioxide within 5 years.

[Anonymous No.4451818]

>>4451806
statics only require physics 1 and calc 1 if i remember correctly.

if you go to a large and non-engineering/science oriented university then those classes will have a good bit of humanities majors bringing the average down and hence making it easier to pass the classes.

[Anonymous No.4451825]

Do business OP, you will like it I promise.

[Anonymous No.4451832]

Pure math/physics you'll be getting nothing but worthless jobs like being a math teacher at a high school. You have to be a super genius from a very young age to even be considered for the real jobs. You can always go into a heavy math/physics major like Accounting.

[Anonymous No.4451835]

>>4451818

How's UCLA when it comes to that?

[Anonymous No.4451851]

>>4451835
Full of fucking preppy-ass Asians who whine about being too busy studying all the time (yet they somehow have enough time/money to go out to eat 5 times a day and spam the fuck out of Facebook with the pics).

[Anonymous No.4451858]

>>4451832
>heavy physics
>Accounting

[Anonymous No.4452000]

>>4451832