Our first post for our segment of "What's your major?" features 23-year old Olivia Brandel who is currently studying electrical engineering. Olivia, a fifth-year right now, outlines her journey to discovering her interests and goals below. Keep on reading for a super informational, entertaining, and relatable outlook into choosing a major.
"Picking my major was a very difficult decision! I applied to UF under Chemical Engineering. However, that was because I liked Chemistry--not because I knew what Chemical Engineering was. I think at Preview, the advisor person suggested that I switch it to Exploratory since I wasn't sure. I have since learned why they do this. It's because it's much easier to switch from Exploratory than to switch from a specific major. I believe the departments have to accept Exploratory students into the major. However, they don't have to accept students from other majors if they don't have space (or don't like something about your academic record). I think this was a good move in retrospect.
I took Intro to Engineering and learned that Chemical Engineering was NOT for me. From that experience, Materials Science and Engineering looked like the application of chemistry that I wanted. Fun Fact: The Electrical and Computer Engineering rotation of Intro to Engineering was my least favorite. So, take that class with a grain of salt! The presenter can make or break your impression of the whole major! After that, I took Chemistry 2 (required for Materials) to start going down that path. I can't remember if I ever formally switched majors or if I just switched in my head. I was drawn to the semiconductor and electronics side of Materials. Eventually, I got weary of the job prospects. I realized that if I couldn't get a job in that semiconductor area, the alternatives would be other Materials fields (like metals or polymers) that didn't interest me. I realized that I would rather explore other computer-related things. One big problem: I had a TERRIBLE experience with programming in high school. I got a 1 on AP Computer Science and thought for sure that it wasn't for me. The more I felt drawn to the tech side of things, I decided to just go for it and take Programming Fundamentals 1 and give programming another try. I had a great professor who helped me actually understand programming; then, I was sold! I still preferred the materials/chemistry side of computers, but at least I knew I could handle the programming. I switched from Computer Engineering to Electrical Engineering since I didn't want to do as much programming.
So, in summary, before choosing a major, I would say: look beyond Intro to Engineering and ask people about the different majors. See what industries are common for certain degrees and make sure that aligns with your future goals. I am glad I opted for the better job prospect choice. At my Electrical-focused internships, I was able to meet Materials Engineers. I got to ask them about their jobs and see what they do. I got offered the opportunity to apply for a different, more materials-focused role the next year. So, you can always pivot once you get into the industry! You just need to land that first job. When I first started exploring engineering options, I wish I knew how broad Electrical and Computer Engineering was. I thought the options were power plants, programming, or Physics 2. Once I got more information, I realized that you could dig into a lot of detailed areas. I took a class on how microchips are manufactured! I never knew that would be a thing! Electrical Engineering seems to intimidate a lot of prospective students at UF. Which, honestly, is fair! Some of the core classes were really hard. For me, Mechanical Engineering seems like just as much of a "black box" as electricity does to others. I don't think I could handle DML! So, I think the ones that sound intimidating vary person-to-person. Go with your gut! Try classes out! I have no regrets about taking 5 years to complete my degree. I wish I spaced my classes out even more (I definitely had the time!). There is definitely time to explore and change your major a few times! It will be worth the investment later!"
