Computer Engineering as a major

[aplipinski]

Hey all. I would really appreciate some input from some veteran computer engineers out there. I am a sophomore in college and I just decided to switch my major of secondary education into something computer related. The problem is, I don't know what is out there. I only just developed a passion for computers. I honestly have no experience in robotics clubs or whatever gets the geniuses started. I just built a PC and I loved teaching myself about all the hardware and would love to pursue that interest. Any word from some of you who have been around the block? What is it you all really do? How did you get started? Did you have years of highschool experience or did you pick it up in the college classes? I'm a history guy, not a math guy, but I am willing to hurt my head trying to think that way if I need to. Any help is good help. I'm really on the fence about what direction I want to go but choosing the wrong path can mean more college years which means more money.

 

[bliq]

This is tough to answer objectively because I don't want to dissuade you. You could be very successful as an engineer but I don't know you.

I'm an engineer. i've been one for almost 20 years, working for internet companies that you would recognize. I can tell you that there are many facets of computer engineering. Some are software developers, some are operations guys, some are architects, some are scientists/researchers, some are technical managers, some are project/program/product managers. They all require somewhat different skills, mindsets, and personalities. But one thing they all seem to share is the ability to think through problems logically and the desire to figure out and understand complicated things. In most of the successful engineers I've met, this is usually not a learned skill, it's a personality trait.

I'm a devops guy. DEVeloper/OPerationS. I generally don't write customer facing code- I tend to look at process and automate it. deploying software without service interruption, testing code, building and configuring servers, I find solutions to make that as error free and fast as possible. I also write tools to help developers write better code or test developer code. If I do my job right, I automate myself out of a job and move onto the next thing that needs automating (and there's always something, that's why I have a job). devops people tend not to learn that in school, they tend to be made on the job. but it helps to have a background in software development.

 

[basroil]

Hey all. I would really appreciate some input from some veteran computer engineers out there. I am a sophomore in college and I just decided to switch my major of secondary education into something computer related. The problem is, I don't know what is out there. I only just developed a passion for computers. I honestly have no experience in robotics clubs or whatever gets the geniuses started. I just built a PC and I loved teaching myself about all the hardware and would love to pursue that interest. Any word from some of you who have been around the block? What is it you all really do? How did you get started? Did you have years of highschool experience or did you pick it up in the college classes? I'm a history guy, not a math guy, but I am willing to hurt my head trying to think that way if I need to. Any help is good help. I'm really on the fence about what direction I want to go but choosing the wrong path can mean more college years which means more money.

For one, there's a difference between a true computer engineer (the guys working the electrical and software together) and a computer scientist, and there are plenty of things in between and all around. The one thing that they all have in common though is that you have to be a "math guy" at some level. Doesn't mean you need to know how to solve non-linear differentials (if you want to make CPUs and GPUs or deal with computer vision and simulations/game engines you will need to though), but you do need to understand mathematic principles like formal logic, order of operations, and some systems engineering principles like graphs (not the bar type)

Most importantly though, you need to know what you want to do in general if you want to graduate on time. Do you want to just be a web developer? UI side? Back end? Want to make the next intel chips? Answer that and you'll find it's pretty straightforward (though not easy)