Electrical vs. mechanical (engineering)

[Zeroflux APX]

Hello,

I'm torn between which engineering major to choose at U of C. I always saw myself as a computer / high technology person, and electrical intrigues me a lot. I think out of pure interest, EE would be best for me. BUT, I'm very concerned about employment prospects for EE's, especially in Calgary. I've read that since the tech bubble burst there's barely any jobs for EE's especially fresh grads, and it's tough to find an internship. I would like to work either in O&G or in tech, how are prospects for EE's right now in Calgary?

On the other hand, Mechanical is the second most interesting to me. I like how fundamental and broad it is, and you can work in so many different industries like O&G, defence. etc. It's also fairly easy to find an internship in Mech from what I've heard/read.

What do you guys think? Thanks!

[Cos]

.

[samo147]

EE is also very broad. You can work in power systems, communication, oil and gas, defense as well.

If you have a genuine interest in the field, then finding a job will be easy.

I'd say choose your major based on your interests and not potential job prospects as those can always change by the time you graduate.

[Joe-G]

As an MET student, I've found there are tons of EE and EET jobs available. More so than in comparison to mechanical. This is what I've found as I've been applying like crazy for the past couple weeks.

If you have the will to work, I'm sure you wont have trouble finding a job.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by Zeroflux APX
I would like to work either in O&G or in tech, how are prospects for EE's right now in Calgary?

As far as I know EE has had the worst placement rate for internships for the last few years or so at the UofC. Frankly most people who graduate from EE tend to have a hard time finding work in their field or get relegated to doing some form of development/programming.

While the field is broad a lot of EE career paths are not viable if you stay in Calgary. There is pretty much no semi conductor work or PCB design work in Calgary. While there is power systems related work in Calgary it is rather hard to come by and you would be better off moving to other parts of Canada if you really want to work in this field.

Keep in mind if you want to work in the Oil and Gas industry that most EPC firms have 1 EE for every ~30Civil/Mechi/Chemi. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but keep in mind that EET jobs are not anywhere close to what most EE want to do when they graduate.

At the end though pick what you are interested in and relocate if needed. However definitely keep in mind that Comp Eng and Electrical Eng are probably the least in demand common degrees in Calgary. There is a reason that the least in demand faculties when applying to university all happen to be under the electrical engineering umbrella. The shutdown of a lot of our high tech sector business has left a lot of EE folk floating about in Calgary.

[diamondedge]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


As far as I know EE has had the worst placement rate for internships for the last few years or so at the UofC. Frankly most people who graduate from EE tend to have a hard time finding work in their field or get relegated to doing some form of development/programming.

While the field is broad a lot of EE career paths are not viable if you stay in Calgary. There is pretty much no semi conductor work or PCB design work in Calgary. While there is power systems related work in Calgary it is rather hard to come by and you would be better off moving to other parts of Canada if you really want to work in this field.

Keep in mind if you want to work in the Oil and Gas industry that most EPC firms have 1 EE for every ~30Civil/Mechi/Chemi. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade but keep in mind that EET jobs are not anywhere close to what most EE want to do when they graduate.

At the end though pick what you are interested in and relocate if needed. However definitely keep in mind that Comp Eng and Electrical Eng are probably the least in demand common degrees in Calgary. There is a reason that the least in demand faculties when applying to university all happen to be under the electrical engineering umbrella. The shutdown of a lot of our high tech sector business has left a lot of EE folk floating about in Calgary.

Almost all of my friends in my graduating year (2011) (EE and CE included) have either

a) Returned to their internship jobs
b) Landed a job w/ an O&G company, EPC, EPCM, or tech sector in Calgary
c) Landed jobs in the electrical distribution, transmission and even generation sectors

Not the least demand from what I can see...

[dirtsniffer]

Just do what makes you happy. Both have plenty of viable careers. I chose mech, on internship right now. Everyone I know who wanted one got one.

In b4 engg vs tech debate starts.

[Disoblige]

To OP:

You said yourself you like EE simply because of your pure interest. Seems like a no brainer to me. :D

I graduated in EE and had no problems finding a good job, and all my friends did not have a problem finding jobs as well. If they did, it's because they did not put in any effort to even get their resume ready (in which they don't deserve to get a job anyways).

As mentioned, EE is very broad. Listen to those who have already graduated in EE like diamondedge and I. The demand definitely is there.

[V6-BoI]

Originally posted by samo147
EE is also very broad. You can work in power systems, communication, oil and gas, defense as well.

If you have a genuine interest in the field, then finding a job will be easy.

I'd say choose your major based on your interests and not potential job prospects as those can always change by the time you graduate.

Agreed, EE is really broad.

And I also say go with what you are interested in. It'll make your university experience much more enjoyable (but you will still bash your head against a wall during second/third year EE at U of C regardless, haha).

Just wanted to give me 2 cents on the tech industry in Calgary. It is pretty small in Calgary, and hard to find a decent paying job. Tech companies want the absolute most out of their employees, but will pay pretty crappy. If you plan on staying in Calgary, you will probably find yourself either indirectly or directly working for O&G.

[phatrabbit]

As mentioned, EE is very very broad. Since you said EE intrigues you, I say go for it and take a few courses and figure out which specialization you want to get into. If you like power electronics, move to california :angel:. But if you were interested in jobs that are focused on Controls & instrumentation and/or Power Engineering, then You are in the best province in my opinion. Moving to a different part of the province could also be an outcome though but I moved to a city around 5 hours away from Calgary and I don't find it a problem.

I'm currently on an Internship and most people I know found internships this year as well, so the job market is in pretty decent shape.

Conclusion: EE aha :bigpimp:

[Zeroflux APX]

Thanks for the replies, it's much appreciated! There's a lot to think about here and a huge decision to make, but I'll give it some more though. If anyone else wants to chime in, feel free.

That being said, power is most likely the least interesting field in EE to me. I'd like work in tech, but I'd have to move to Ottawa or California for that. I just want to be safe and be able to find employment in Calgary, because after all, I like it here and have friends/family here. One more question. I'm not really clear on this; can EE graduates find employment within the O&G sector in Calgary consistently or is barely in demand as mazdavirgin said?

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by Zeroflux APX
I'm not really clear on this; can EE graduates find employment within the O&G sector in Calgary consistently or is barely in demand as mazdavirgin said?

You can find work in Calgary in the oil and gas industry as an EE just realize you will not be in as much demand as everyone else which means you tend to be the worst paid of all the engineers on staff. Second some of the work in the oil in gas industry is so boring you probably won't want to do it(Drafting, Heat tracing, Camp wiring)...

There is good work in the oil and gas industry in EE but it is highly sought after and tends to be fairly competitive. Now if you want to work in the field or up north people will be falling all over you trying to hire you. However I assume your cup of tea is likely not spending months up north or freezing outdoors in the winter?

So sure you can find work in Calgary but the caveat is one of the following. Our tech sector is mostly moving out of province due to a lot of high tech companies shutting down and the pay in the high tech sector is rather abysmal. Two most power engineering jobs are moving out of Calgary so you won't find too much work in this field unless you want to move to BC/Ontario or work in a plant in the middle of nowhere. Three EE is typically the least in demand engineering degree for the oil and gas industry. They can't get enough chemis, mechis, or civils but EE is a lot more niche.

PS: Don't just blindly believe me. Look through the career section of the newspaper and look through the job postings. What positions are in there day in day out? It's not EE jobs...

[IggyB]

Chemical would give you, IMHO, best all around experience to work in Oil and Gas. With that you can handle Process engineering or Control Systems/Instrumentation. It also gives you many choices when working for an operating company on site. As well as an excellent advancement into Project work if you want it later on.

This is based on 27 years at most of the EPC's in town and a few operating companies.

[dirtsniffer]

chem has the hotest girls also..

I wasn't smart enough to get in :cry:

[ercchry]

well with what i have seen...

mech:

- one friend i have graduated last spring. now he is doing about $120k/year (lots of hours with some work up north) and gets to play with explosives

elec:

-few years ago we had some guys that worked for tech support at smart technologies come in to see how their products were installed... all of them had ee degrees :rofl:

[Sugarphreak]

...

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by ercchry
elec:

-few years ago we had some guys that worked for tech support at smart technologies come in to see how their products were installed... all of them had ee degrees :rofl:

You should see what smart pays them... It is not pretty.

[WithTheLightsOn]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned , but OP, are you currently in 1st year engineering? I know I was exactly in your situation when I first started engineering, but while taking my circuits and c++ courses I realized I had no real interest in electrical. Of course, it might end up being the complete opposite for you.

Still, if by the end of the year you're completely unsure, I'd say go for mechanical, just because if you regret your choice it's much easier to switch from mech to ee than the other way around. Since the dot-com bubble burst, the electrical department has way more spots than the demand and as a result admits anyone at Schulich with a 2.0 gpa.

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by ercchry
well with what i have seen...

mech:

- one friend i have graduated last spring. now he is doing about $120k/year (lots of hours with some work up north) and gets to play with explosives

elec:

-few years ago we had some guys that worked for tech support at smart technologies come in to see how their products were installed... all of them had ee degrees :rofl:
Unfortunately, both of those examples are on far sides of each spectrum! lol..

But wow, tech support @ SMART. Fun........

[UndrgroundRider]

As far as jobs go, all of the EE's I work with tend to have had a much harder time finding a job than the ME's. Mechanical is obviously more hands on than electrical, but like everyone has said, there's a pretty broad set of career paths in both fields, so that's only the generalization, not the rule.

One thing about EE, I would definitely test the waters first and see if you like it. Be prepared with a backup plan if you don't. Lots of people simply don't like it, or can't really wrap their heads around it.