OT: Some advice for a future Wolverine engineer (or CS guy)?
April 28th, 2018 at 12:54 PM ^
The Lions just drafted a guy who is curious about this too.
Take ENG 101 as early as you can and stretch to take EECS 280 as early as possible. From there, barrel the fuck through EECS 281 and the world is your oyster. The real value in the degree IS 281, but you can explore your specific interests in the CS world after 281.
It sucks, but start early on every project, find some friends to bounce stuff off of, you'll be fine.
My daughter (EE) made over $100k last year, her first year on the job after graduating. Yeah, she'll get her MBA soon too, but she'll live comfortably between now and then.
Michigan engineering + MBA = $$$
April 29th, 2018 at 10:16 PM ^
You can start and cap out doing quite well even without an MBA. Yeah, the rest was spot on. "Ridiculous" was a bit harsh on my part...
April 29th, 2018 at 10:17 PM ^
You can start and cap out doing quite well even without an MBA. Yeah, the rest was spot on. "Ridiculous" was a bit harsh on my part...
If you're looking to do consulting, think about IOE. I remember there was a trope going around North Campus when I was there (2002-2007) that IOE stood for In and Out Easy. Engineering Light. But I have a friend who graduated with a bachelor's in IOE and an MBA and she is doing extremely well for herself. It's a wildly lucrative path for people who can bridge the gap between engineering and business.
CoE is only harder if you consider the Calc-Physics requirement... that's literally the only difference unless things have changed. And if you're in CS, you're probably going to take Calc-Physics whether you're in CoE or not.
I was CS-LSA.... and I got a Math major to go along with my CS major.
If you have the option and it's not too great of a burden financially, I would recommend (assuming you pass Calc BC) repeating at least Calc 2 at U of M, regardless of your AP status. I aced AP Calc AB my senior year, got a 4, and came into Michigan and started at Calc 2 and I was wholely unprepared for the starting point of Calc 2. It's different in college, things move quicker, you're expected to learn a lot independently, and it didn't seem to me like Calc 2 picked up right where my AP Calc class left off.
If it ends up being easy for you, great, you get a free A in a core curriculum class that buoys your GPA. That's the worst case scenario.
Again, this is assuming it wouldn't be a burden on you financially.
At 18, your brain is still developing and able to absorb new ideas at an incredible rate. Don't waste that on candy like LSA classes. A few after meals are fine, but if you start considering a liberal arts degree because it's fun and you really enjoy your spare time socializing, you will probably regret it later.
Meeehhhhh.... this is one-sided advice. Liberal arts and an engineering focus don't have to be mutually exclusive. Like I mentioned above, I was CS-LSA. Also got my math major. Filled my LSA reqs with film classes that I LOVED and enjoyed going to every day. Turned out I ended up using those classes in my job, in addition to all the math and CS I do.
I haven't yet, at 33, had a job that was harder than engineering school at U of M.
Seriously.
Won't all of this become moot once our AI overlords take over? I'm assuming they'll be able to engineer and program anything far better than we meat-sacks.
Engineers will probably be the last workers automated. Engineers solve highly complex problems that require creative and non-linear thinking. It won't be impossible to replace engineering via automation, but it will be an engineer who finally writes that last code that allows a machine to design and build new machines.
I know a bunch of people who took Calc-III and Calc-IV at community colleges/summer classes at other Universities over the Summer and transferred the credits because they can be a buzzsaw at UoM.
And, for the counter argument: don't spend too much time developing your social skills. I graduated with around a 2.6 (for a variety of reasons that I won't get into here), and while it hasn't really hindered my career (only your first job out of college cares about your GPA), it's made applying to grad school in my 30s a challenge.
Make sure you get at least a 3.0. But also find yourself.
Did you eventually get into Grad School? I know someone who graduated with a 2.9 and he's thinking about starting grad school soon.
Use pictures and crayons if designing for an OSU grad...if you ask for a SOW from them and get a pig then run
April 28th, 2018 at 11:04 PM ^
April 28th, 2018 at 10:38 PM ^
April 29th, 2018 at 11:44 PM ^
April 29th, 2018 at 11:44 PM ^