Physics vs. Engineering - The Eternal Discussion

Hello everyone,

I'm relatively new to TSR so I'm not exactly sure how to do this so bear with me. I know there are a lot of threads out there already, but I guess I just need an own discussion since my career plans are also a little bit different.

I'm from Dusseldorf in Germany, 18 years old and just finished the IB. I'm taking a gap year to study Chinese (I'm ethical Chinese) and need to apply for university entry in fall 2016. I applied this year for Physics because a year ago, I was not much into practical hands on experience, I was more interested in the theory and abstract topics like Quantum Physics or Relativity. But now I'm also thinking about Engineering because I love tech and projects like electrical cars, smart cities, robotic suits and those plastic roads. So far I mainly thought about electrical and bioengineering. I think I would like both the intellectual challenge of understanding the complex topics in Physics, but also the...more logical (?) challenge of solving real-world problems in Engineering if that makes sense.

Now here comes the big twist, I actually want to go into management in the future and do a Master of Business Administration after my Bachelor either in Physics or Engineering. The reason I chose to read Physics before Business is that I wanted to set myself apart (too many Business Bachelores out there nowadays) and also, Physicists have great analytical and mathematical skills which make them very versatile. But now I looked more into Engineers and they have more problem-solving and communication skills due to lots of teamwork, which could be very beneficial for managers and especially entrepreneurs, which is what I want to become.

Sorry for rambling, but basically, I think I would be interested in both and would see a career coming out of both subjects. But if some of you have studied or are studying any of the above, could you maybe make some comments
1. your experience?
2. on which one you think would be better for my slightly career intentions?

Thanks for your time and have a great day!
Owen

My degree was physics.
My soon-to-start doctorate is an engineering doctorate.
This doctorate features several MBA modules to prepare us to be future leaders or to go into business.

I went for getting a wide range of skills Seems like something like this would suit you nicely.

Thanks for the reply
So you did a bachelor in Physics and then changed to engineering? How was the transition?

And was the physics study so theory based as people say or do you also do projects etc.

Hey, I did a sandwich Master's (MPhys), so it was a four-year first degree rather than a three year Bachelor's and one year Master's.

I have not yet started my EngD as it begins in September, but it is worth googling it if you want to know more. It's not true engineering, but engineering in a broader sense (problem solving and finding solutions). Physics and engineering aren't all that different though. I did some engineering modules as part of my undergrad degree and I never noticed a major difference, although I guess physicists tend to think along the lines of "can this work?" while engineers tend to ask "will this work?". Physicists seek invention, engineers seek solution.

As for the physics I learnt it was extremely diverse. Some of it was purely theoretical (quantum and relativity), some of it was just applied maths, some of it was computational, and some of it was experimental. The exact balance of these vary from course to course and university to university.

So I saw that in Engineering courses you do quite a lot of projects for example to design products or processes in a team. Do you also do something like that in a Physics Degree? Because the way I see practical experience in Physics is only in experiments...

Yeah you are more likely to find that on an engineering course, but not all engineering courses are like that. Likewise, not all physics courses just have experiments. You need to read into course details on uni websites as I can't help you any further here. Every course and every uni is unique.