StudentsReview ™ :: What is Electrical and Computer Engineering Really?

-or-
Search for Colleges by Region
 

or within distance of city





  Who's got the Best (variable)?

Perceptual Rankings:
You Make 'Em.
We Post 'Em.
You Vote 'Em Up.
You Vote 'Em Down.
Aww yeah.


What is Electrical and Computer Engineering Really?

By Tim

In theory what is it?

Electrical and Computer Engineers design, plan, research, evaluate and test the operation and performance of electrical, electronic equipment, and computer equipment.

What is it used for?

For the advancement of technology and materials…

Examples of technologies implemented in these industries are:

Micro-electro/mechanical systems

Expert Systems

Optical communications

Wireless communications

Microprocessor controls

Robotics

Programmable controllers

High-definition television

What does the major actually entail - work-wise?

There's two different answers to this question, depending upon if you do your own work or not. A lot of engineers cheat off each other and use old tests from previous years. This can be one of the laziest majors out there. On the flipside, it can be the hardest major at your school. If you want to do a good job grade wise and actually learn the material instead of cheating, the curriculum is very challenging. Be prepared to spend a lot of days, nights, and weekends studying for a final or wiring up a final project.

What kind of jobs do you get with it?

Graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering prepares you for an extremely wide variety of careers in almost any industry worldwide. Examples of the type of industries you could work in:

Communications

Computers

Automotive

Electronics

Instrumentation

Integrated Circuits

Automation

Medical

Power

Aerospace

What are the fellow students like (personalitywise) in it?

Now, some of the stereotypical nerds are in this major. They do nothing else but sit in front of a computer and play those stupid LAN games and have no life outside of the lab whatsoever. There is another type of electrical engineering student though. The type that want to succeed in college and do something meaningful with their lives but are not nerds in the slightest. The guys that I talk to in the department are in numerous intramaural sports, go bar hopping a couple times a week and actually have girlfriends, yeeahhhh I know, hard to believe for a engineering major. As you know I am a student and I've been skydiving, been on trips with buddies to vegas and miami beach, captain intramaural basketball team and play a lot of texas hold em.

Common Misconceptions

Not everyone in the department is a completee nerd that has no personal communication skills. Engineering will make you a comfortable amount of money, but will not make you rich. Most of the time you salary will hover around the 78,000 range. Most engineering students have very little respect for majors outside the sciences. We pretty much laugh out loud when someone tells us they are having trouble with their economics class. Any class other than science is a cakewalk.
22

More from StudentsReview:

What is Computer Engineering Really?Computer engineering is the study and engineering of computer logic devices and the software that drives them. A computer logic device is an array of transistors put together to deliver…read→
+
What is Business Administration Really?By D. Lau"An X-year guide in how to run and operate a business." Most accredited universities and colleges seem to lump "business administration" as a big umbrella major with several concentrations ranging…read→
+

Schools that offer Bachelors for electrical and computer engineering

$12.8k
$25.5k
$23.7k
$13.1k
$10.4k
$26.4k
$8.1k
$18.3k
$18.7k
$10.5k

Computer Engineering Major unemployment rate

_Computer EngineeringAll Majors
Unemployed%7%9
Minimum Wage%4%4
All Others%90%86
More: Unemployment for all Majors *** not counting stay at home parents *** not counting those currently in grad school

Are things going well in Computer Engineering?

Going Well %78
Not Going Well %22
More: All Majors Satisfaction ??? This is a social "life satisfaction" question. Overall, would people who graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering say that their life is going well? It could be interpreted in terms of stress, salary, long hours, future prospects, etc. *** not counting those currently in grad school

Graduates who stayed in Computer Engineering

Still in Field %77
Got out %23
More: All Majors Still in field ??? A high "got out" percentage can be interpreted a couple of ways -- for instance, perhaps the major is a great stepping stone to becoming a totally different career -- like a doctor. Or perhaps the jobs one gets with the major just aren't that great. *** not counting those currently in grad school
I graduated from Purdue University Calumet in 1996I graduated from Purdue University Calumet in 1996 and was hired as an electronics engineer for the University of Illinois Psychology research Dept. during my last semester at Purdue. In August I will be startingRead reviewComputer EngineeringPurdue University Calumet Campus Reviews
+
I was actually surprised to read allI was actually surprised to read all the negative comments in regards to WIT. I'm a '98 CHC Grad. If your intent is too experience the pure college life style, Frats, sororities, Dorm parties, groupsRead reviewComputer EngineeringThe Wentworth Institute of Technology Reviews
6
Akron is a great schoolAkron is a great school to go to especially for engineering and sciences major. You will get to live in a beautiful campus nearby downtown Akron. Faculty is very caring and the university is veryRead reviewComputer EngineeringThe University of Akron Reviews
+
WPI's curriculum of Theory and Practice is stillWPI's curriculum of Theory and Practice is still unique in its field, and is the best aspect of the University. No where else can you gain a unique perspective on the impact of technology onRead reviewComputer EngineeringWorcester Polytechnic Institute Reviews
+
Overall, a positive experience.Overall, a positive experience. During my first year, I spent many nights in the dorms contemplating whether I had made the right choice in going to Kettering/GMI. I came from a highschool that prepared meRead reviewComputer EngineeringKettering University Reviews
+
STS and WUIT work to improve Danforth Campus Wi-Fi after reports of difficulties from studentsBy LifeSabrina Spence | Student Life A sign on the South 40 placed by STS shows a QR code linked to a survey about Wi-Fi on campus. After students reported slowWashington University in St Louis Reviewsread→
+
Video game streaming: Revitalizing the couch co-op experienceBy The Michigan DailyWith every new form of media comes a new panic about its legitimacy. Media history is chock full of new media platforms being met with anxiety from older generations untilThe University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Reviewsread→
+