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Which Engineering field?

Hi all,
I am a year 12 student who is interested in studying Engineering at uni but I am unsure about which branch (eg Mechanical, E&E, Civil etc).
So do you have any advice on how to choose/ how you decided which branch??
Thank you!
Original post by User_2804122826
Hi all,
I am a year 12 student who is interested in studying Engineering at uni but I am unsure about which branch (eg Mechanical, E&E, Civil etc).
So do you have any advice on how to choose/ how you decided which branch??
Thank you!

I personally did a level 3 apprenticeship electronic manufacturing apprenticeship and then transitioned into a degree apprenticeship in software engineering.

As a software engineer apprentice, I'm definitely going to recommend software engineering but I know everyone is different.

A good way to think about which engineering field is to picture yourself doing it. Imagine in your head that you are an engineer, imaging yourself looking up to see what you are working on. Do you see a bridge, a plane, a rocket, a circuit board, a fast car, lines of code, a robot etc. I know it sounds stupid but I found it actually quite effective at knowing what you would like the most.

Other than that I can only really say to watch the "day in the life of" videos to see what one really interests you - and of course the one that matches your talent the most.
Thank you for your reply! you have some really good advice and I think I picture myself working with circuits so maybe I should do Electrical & Electronic engineering- and then I could sift to Software maybe if that interests me?
But it is a good idea for me to look into what my life would look like if i were to be a ______ as then I can choose a degree which will get me there.
Once again thank you :smile:
Original post by Hoc est Bellum
I personally did a level 3 apprenticeship electronic manufacturing apprenticeship and then transitioned into a degree apprenticeship in software engineering.

As a software engineer apprentice, I'm definitely going to recommend software engineering but I know everyone is different.

A good way to think about which engineering field is to picture yourself doing it. Imagine in your head that you are an engineer, imaging yourself looking up to see what you are working on. Do you see a bridge, a plane, a rocket, a circuit board, a fast car, lines of code, a robot etc. I know it sounds stupid but I found it actually quite effective at knowing what you would like the most.

Other than that I can only really say to watch the "day in the life of" videos to see what one really interests you - and of course the one that matches your talent the most.

Sorry, going to jump in here:

What happens if you want to picture yourself as an innovator/inventor? Something more interesting than an iphone, but not as grand as a rocket ship?

Unfortunately, when you google the job description for an inventor, you are more or less pointed to something to do with product design, which isn't what most people think of when people picture an inventor e.g. more like Nicholas Tesla and less like Steve Jobs.

When I watched some of the days in the life of videos, I found a number of them pretty depressing. Although I understand that the life of an engineer isn't exactly glamourous in most areas, the underlying knowledge and skills can potentially be groundbreaking (e.g. SpaceX has managed to more or less revolutionise the age old space industry that is/was very routine and mundane, just because they adopted a more innovative approach that was possible in engineering).

The sort of thing I am currently looking into are mechanical engineering, then electrical/electronic engineering to give me the best of both worlds. As you can appreciate, that's a lot to take in. I could also be wrong in this regard. What are your thoughts?
Original post by MindMax2000
Sorry, going to jump in here:

What happens if you want to picture yourself as an innovator/inventor? Something more interesting than an iphone, but not as grand as a rocket ship?

Unfortunately, when you google the job description for an inventor, you are more or less pointed to something to do with product design, which isn't what most people think of when people picture an inventor e.g. more like Nicholas Tesla and less like Steve Jobs.

When I watched some of the days in the life of videos, I found a number of them pretty depressing. Although I understand that the life of an engineer isn't exactly glamourous in most areas, the underlying knowledge and skills can potentially be groundbreaking (e.g. SpaceX has managed to more or less revolutionise the age old space industry that is/was very routine and mundane, just because they adopted a more innovative approach that was possible in engineering).

The sort of thing I am currently looking into are mechanical engineering, then electrical/electronic engineering to give me the best of both worlds. As you can appreciate, that's a lot to take in. I could also be wrong in this regard. What are your thoughts?

First inventing isn't a field of engineering, an electronic engineer can be an inventor, so can a mechanical engineer, an aerospace engineer, a marine engineer etc. If you want to be an inventor you don't necessarily choose product design, you chose the field of engineering that you feel is the best, become very good at it an invent something. Nikola Tesla was an electrical and mechanical engineer before he was an inventor.

If you watch the days in the life videos and don't like what you see, you should probably choose another role. When I was an apprentice to be a manufacturing engineer, I saw that the engineers were so detached from the actual engineering and kind of just fell into what I would characterise as manufacturing support rather than actually building anything. That's why I changed to software engineering where you actually get to do the building.

What you are looking to do is perfectly fine, generally, engineering (graduate) roles are very competitive, so if you were to specialise in uni as say an aerospace engineer, it may be harder to find a job outside aerospace than someone who studied electronic or mechanical engineering. If you're not sure what one to choose, do a general engineering degree and specialise in the second or third year (or even specialise in a masters).
Original post by User_2804122826
Hi all,
I am a year 12 student who is interested in studying Engineering at uni but I am unsure about which branch (eg Mechanical, E&E, Civil etc).
So do you have any advice on how to choose/ how you decided which branch??
Thank you!

Hi there @User_2804122826

My name is Anna and I study civil engineering at the University of Surrey, I am in my placement year (3rd year)

I wanted to go down a career that will provide a large impact around the world. I have always been fascinated by buildings and the way theyr look. I knew I wanted to be part of something big. The other branches of engineering didn't particularly interest me(I am not interested in coding, electricity, computer things:smile:) . In civil engineering your helping to design things that humans are dependent on such as housing, clean water, roads. The projects you can get to work on is endless and such a large variety: bridges, tunnels, highways, buildings, railway
Currently, in my placement I am working on a highway project in the UK so it feels great to be part of something that is going to give a lasting impact for future generations.

Hope this answers answers your question :smile:
Happy to answer any questions that you have

All the best
Anna Civil Eng :smile:
Original post by University of Surrey Student Rep
Hi there @User_2804122826

My name is Anna and I study civil engineering at the University of Surrey, I am in my placement year (3rd year)

I wanted to go down a career that will provide a large impact around the world. I have always been fascinated by buildings and the way theyr look. I knew I wanted to be part of something big. The other branches of engineering didn't particularly interest me(I am not interested in coding, electricity, computer things:smile:) . In civil engineering your helping to design things that humans are dependent on such as housing, clean water, roads. The projects you can get to work on is endless and such a large variety: bridges, tunnels, highways, buildings, railway
Currently, in my placement I am working on a highway project in the UK so it feels great to be part of something that is going to give a lasting impact for future generations.

Hope this answers answers your question :smile:
Happy to answer any questions that you have

All the best
Anna Civil Eng :smile:


Hi Anna,
Thank you so much for your reply! I really value hearing about your experience and how you came to your decision. I guess I haven't truly had an interest in computers either, I have just been told that its a good thing to get into as there are a lot of job prospects.
Best of luck with your placement year:smile:

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