4 answers
Thea
Student
Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
1
Question
Updated
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I'm stuck in choosing between Industrial Engineering or Civil Engineering.
I'm currently a Senior High School student taking STEM strand. My first choice is Civil Engineering but I am really weak on the subject Mathematics and I feel like I will not pass it on College. Then I stumbled on Industrial Engineering and I kinda liked what it is about. #Civil-Engineering #Industrial-Engineering #STEM-strand
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4 answers
Kelly Nascimento, PMP
Project Management
1
Answer
Weybridge, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Kelly’s Answer
Hi there!
Don’t be afraid of calculus! Like everyone said, there are tons of resources online and in college you’ll have colleagues, TAs and tons of other sources of support.
I majored in industrial engineering and I can say that the great thing about it is that you can work on pretty much anything you’d like after. Industrial engineering is all about processes, efficiency, productivity and those are applicable in any area.
Whatever you choose, it won’t be hard to change direction if you see that another engineering major suits you better. Just pick what will make you fulfilled :)
Don’t be afraid of calculus! Like everyone said, there are tons of resources online and in college you’ll have colleagues, TAs and tons of other sources of support.
I majored in industrial engineering and I can say that the great thing about it is that you can work on pretty much anything you’d like after. Industrial engineering is all about processes, efficiency, productivity and those are applicable in any area.
Whatever you choose, it won’t be hard to change direction if you see that another engineering major suits you better. Just pick what will make you fulfilled :)
Kate Fay
Manager Business Operations, Verizon
21
Answers
New Jersey, New Jersey
Updated
Kate’s Answer
Hello! Like Robert said you will have to take multiple math classes with any engineering major. Thankfully there are many resources and you can always ask your professor or classmates for help. Definitely spend the time understanding the initial classes since each class builds upon the next.
Civil Engineering will be a lot more technical focused where Industrial Engineering will be more business and process-focused so it depends on what you want to do when you graduate. I would spend some time researching career paths for both majors to see what interests you. If you are still torn I would suggest starting with Civil Engineering since it will be a lot easier to switch to Industrial Engineering after than doing Industrial Engineering and switching to Civil. You could also get a Civil Engineering degree and get a MBA after and still get into an Industrial Engineering career.
Don't stress out too much both are great options that will set you up well for the future. Also once you get an engineering degree you don't need to stick to that industry for the rest of your career. Think of engineering as a problem solving degree!
Civil Engineering will be a lot more technical focused where Industrial Engineering will be more business and process-focused so it depends on what you want to do when you graduate. I would spend some time researching career paths for both majors to see what interests you. If you are still torn I would suggest starting with Civil Engineering since it will be a lot easier to switch to Industrial Engineering after than doing Industrial Engineering and switching to Civil. You could also get a Civil Engineering degree and get a MBA after and still get into an Industrial Engineering career.
Don't stress out too much both are great options that will set you up well for the future. Also once you get an engineering degree you don't need to stick to that industry for the rest of your career. Think of engineering as a problem solving degree!
Robert Taylor
Technical Support Engineer
5
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Robert’s Answer
Hey! Glad to hear you're thinking about entering the engineering world. Unfortunately, any Engineering major is gonna require you to take at least up to Calculus. These classes can be challenging but there are tons of resources to help you online.
Your choice really comes up to what you're more interested in. I originally chose Software because I wanted to make video games. But as I started to study it, I found other areas of software development to be interesting as well. I would say try one as your major, and see where it goes. More than likely they'll have classes in common, so you don't have to worry about losing credits if you change majors.
As far as pay goes, you'll be well off with either of those as well.
Your choice really comes up to what you're more interested in. I originally chose Software because I wanted to make video games. But as I started to study it, I found other areas of software development to be interesting as well. I would say try one as your major, and see where it goes. More than likely they'll have classes in common, so you don't have to worry about losing credits if you change majors.
As far as pay goes, you'll be well off with either of those as well.
Mike Ongchua
Business Process Analyst
7
Answers
Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
Updated
Mike’s Answer
Why are you in the STEM strand if you claim that you're not strong in Mathematics?
Math is a staple for all Engineering courses regardless if it's Civil, Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, etc.
Both Industrial & Civil (if not all Engineering courses) will have the base subjects in some form for Algebra, Integral Calculus, Differential Calculus, and another advanced Math subject like Differential Equations. As you progress to later years and depending on the course you take, there will also be shared advanced math subjects such as Thermodynamics, Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Electronics, etc. And guess what? For Industrial there will be specific major courses on Accounting (more math!) such as Financial Management, Cost Accounting, etc. and also there's other subjects like Computer Programming.
Another subtopic you might want to consider also here is the PRC license requirements. There's no board exam for Industrial not like for Civil Eng'g.
I'd hate to see someone get into Engineering just because his/her high-school strand was in STEM and then shift to another course after a couple of years. If you haven't gotten into college yet, then please rethink your decision on getting into STEM courses, because these will almost always require you to have strong to excellent Math knowledge.
Math is a staple for all Engineering courses regardless if it's Civil, Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, etc.
Both Industrial & Civil (if not all Engineering courses) will have the base subjects in some form for Algebra, Integral Calculus, Differential Calculus, and another advanced Math subject like Differential Equations. As you progress to later years and depending on the course you take, there will also be shared advanced math subjects such as Thermodynamics, Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Electronics, etc. And guess what? For Industrial there will be specific major courses on Accounting (more math!) such as Financial Management, Cost Accounting, etc. and also there's other subjects like Computer Programming.
Another subtopic you might want to consider also here is the PRC license requirements. There's no board exam for Industrial not like for Civil Eng'g.
I'd hate to see someone get into Engineering just because his/her high-school strand was in STEM and then shift to another course after a couple of years. If you haven't gotten into college yet, then please rethink your decision on getting into STEM courses, because these will almost always require you to have strong to excellent Math knowledge.