If you were to choose a new career out of these choices, what would you choose and why?
None of the above. But if I had to choose, biomedical engineering because it sounds like it would be the most interesting to me.
Bioinformatics sounds like a pretentious name for biometry which is already a pretentious name for biostatistics ;). Plus, you know, it features statistics. Bah.
Pump curves? Writing code? Wiring diagrams? Triple bah.
But hell, you should be deciding this yourself, not asking for the opinions of a bunch of, cough, wannabe history majors. What interests you? Further what really interests you - i.e. throwing practicality of careers out the window? If you don’t know yet, don’t make a decision yet. Spend a couple of years trying out different coursework and see what grabs your attention - as much overlap as the above majors have that shouldn’t be difficult to do without wasting much time. A few extra electives will add depth to any education anyhow.
What turns you on? I basically do 2 and 3(first 3) - I have a PhD in Computer Science, specializing in architecture, but I mostly do digital design stuff, writing or managing the writing of software for chip design.
There was a lot less computer science when I went to school then there is now.
If you really enjoy biology, 4 and 5 would be good choices, as more and more chip design and software is going to India now. But basically, it is all a gamble, so major in something you love, learn as much about as many things as you can, and be flexible.
wiring diagrams? Your knowledge of EE is, ahem, a bit out of date. Plus, some of us love writing code. It is one of the best parts of my job, especially because no one tells me what to write. I look around for a problem of inefficiency, zap out some code, and turn 10,000 files worth of data into information. I’m one of those people who haven’t actually worked in years - it is too much fun to call work, and they pay me for it too.
No doubt, but it is the first thing that came to mind while I was trying to be flippant :D. But hey, it must still crop up - our EE’s were fussing a bit over wiring diagrams when they were recently installing our massive new backup generators.
So does my step-brother :). It’s just not my thing.
Which is really the point. I can understand the OP’s hesitation - education analysis paralysis is a pretty common condition. But ultimately all the input here shouldn’t be much of a factor in making a decision like this.
Speaking as a biomedical engineering major, I’ll give you this warning:
You’ll have to get a master’s. So there’s another 1-2 years of school, plus more money out of your pocket if you can’t get funding. And if you’re looking to go into industry and not academia, and you don’t want to do a master’s thesis, it is nigh impossible to get funding, since professors and departments only want to give money to students who can do research for them.
How about what you all do in your jobs? The problem for me is that I like all of these professions from the theoretical stand point. I am taking a computer class that I enjoy, but if I take the plunge to back to school I really want to make the most informed decision I can.