I change my mind
I wanted to do Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in UC Berkeley. Or so I thought.
Why did I want to do Electrical and Computer Engineering in the first place? Because I wanted to get into a high tech business. I didn’t give it much thought. I wanted to get a technical background first. And somehow I didn’t even question why ECE. Didn’t even think about it. To think of it now, it doesn’t really make sense spending 3-4 years studying ECE and not using what I studied later on, which would most likely be the case since I am more into business and management.
So lately I have been going through the ECE course list and I was wondering… Do I really like to study all these stuff or do something that I really liked? Question is, what is it that I really like? And I can imagine spending years memorizing and trying to understand ECE in Berkeley and then not using a single bit of the stuff that I studied in later years.
I was trying to plan out my courses for the 3-year duration for the past week. Somehow I was never able to drop the notion of doing Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR). I wanted to attempt doing a double major in ECE and IEOR in three years, but it would almost kill me I think. But something made me question, what was it that I really like? Do I really like Electrical Engineering or was I taking it just because it offers very broad opportunities? What can I study that would benefit my future intended career path? (which definitely is not electrical engineer or researcher)
I think I want to ditch ECE and take up Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR) as my sole major due to the above reasons. I think IEOR is more relevant to my intended ambition. Cost is also another factor. Electrical Engineering can be done as a minor subject instead. And perhaps I can finish all this in 2 years and move on to a graduate program, saving a lot of money.
What do you guys think?
Edit: What is Industrial Engineering and Operations Research?
Quoted from Berkeley website:
Industrial engineering and operations research are closely related fields that deal with the design, analysis, and control of complex systems which include people, machines, material, and information, and the interactions of such systems with their environment. Formal models, often computer-based, are extensively used in systems analysis, while systems design, as in other fields of engineering, requires well-developed integrative skills and creativity. The theoretical foundations of optimization, stochastic systems, reliability, and engineering economics often form the basis for operations research studies. Industrial engineering frequently uses knowledge of production, human/machine systems, incentives, organizational behavior, and automation in the design and improvement of goal-seeking systems. These methods may be applied to a great variety of human activities in both public and private sectors, including manufacturing, banking, health care, communications, waste management, transportation, and logistics.
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Hmmm well it’s really up to you Ernsheong. If you think you would have a brighter future with IEOR then by all means go ahead. But there’s one thing you should always keep in mind… it’s always good to pursue your dreams and ambition but at the same time we have to be aware that we can’t always do what we want to be. I’ve always wanted to go into aerospace or aeronautical but I’m really not sure it’ll work for me in the future as I do plan to return to Malaysia. ECE will almost guarantee you loads of job opportunity in the future. IEOR at the moment doesn’t seem to be as popular as ECE. But then again by the time you graduate it might be a different story. I do wish you all the best in making your decision. =)
@Vic: Hey thanks for your sharing your thoughts. Really having a hard time thinking about this. It’s been a pendulum so far, IEOR to ECE to IEOR etc etc. Will consider what you said =)