Electrical Engineering vs Computer Engineering

[slimdog360]

An electronic engineer and an electrical engineer are two different things. Electronics are for pussies while electrical engineers get to play with the big stuff. lol just kidding, they are two different things but are very close to one another. Think of electronics engineering (and computer engineering) a subset of electrical engineering, they are all very similar.

What you should do is ask your self what type of job you want to be doing in the future and then talk to a few people in the business. Ring up or email your Uni and ask to talk to the head of the electrical engineering department. Im sure he (sorry ladies but its always a he in engineering) would be more then happy to help you.

The main thing is is that you have to set out some clear questions which will help you make up your mind. Im actually a 3rd year (of a four year degree) electrical engineer and I am already working in the business so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[macogw]

(sorry ladies but its always a he in engineering)

The head of my school's Computer Science Department (which is a part of the engineering school) is a woman. She got the Ada Lovelace Award 2 years ago.

[slimdog360]

The head of my school's Computer Science Department (which is a part of the engineering school) is a woman. She got the Ada Lovelace Award 2 years ago.

like I said, engineering

[luca_linux]

An electronic engineer and an electrical engineer are two different things. Electronics are for pussies while electrical engineers get to play with the big stuff. lol just kidding, they are two different things but are very close to one another. Think of electronics engineering (and computer engineering) a subset of electrical engineering, they are all very similar.

What you should do is ask your self what type of job you want to be doing in the future and then talk to a few people in the business. Ring up or email your Uni and ask to talk to the head of the electrical engineering department. Im sure he (sorry ladies but its always a he in engineering) would be more then happy to help you.

The main thing is is that you have to set out some clear questions which will help you make up your mind. Im actually a 3rd year (of a four year degree) electrical engineer and I am already working in the business so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics_engineering
That's why I used the "Electrical" term which seems to be more "international". In fact for example if you go on Intel's jobs web site (as well as other companies) they usually require electrical engineering degree, meaning electronics though.
Anyway I'd prefer electronics classes to the electrical ones...

Anyway, thanks for your help. I'll think of a couple of questions to ask you.

[dnzz]

Im studying electrical and electronics engineering (In the end you choose one of them as a profession.) Most of people thinks that computer engineering is learning "programming languages" but its not. You will also learn microprocessors, digital circuits, electrical circuits. In electronics you will learn mostly digital circuits, microprocessors, some electrical circuits, and some programming. In electrical engineering you will learn mostly electrical circuits, high voltage systems, power systems, some digital circuits etc.

As a result:
Computer Engineering: Mostly Software, Some Hardware.
Electronic Engineering: Mostly Hardware, Some Software.
Electrical Engineering: Electrical Devices and min knowledge of Software

But you can learn most of the programming languages from courses, pdf's but you can't learn Hardware by yourself and also studying comp. eng. is funnier than others.

Choice is yours.

[mips]

Both should allow you registration with a professional body as a Prof. Eng.

If I could choose I would do Computer Engineering. I did stuff in electronic eng like power electronics which was about stuff like motors, generators and some stuff I did not like. I would have prefered to stick more to the digital electronics side of things. There should be some leeway in your curriculum for odd changes here and there anyway.

Weird thing is I used very little of what i studied when i started working although my background gave me a big advange.

[luca_linux]

Any other opinion/suggestion?

[gusjones]

A while ago as an undergraduate I studied Electronic and Electrical engineering, after the third year I could have changed that to Electronic an Information engineering, anyway I think if you start on the electronics stream you should be able to move towards the computer science stuff later. Remember though your bias will tend to be writing computer programs as an Engineer and not as a computer scientist. I enjoy writing control systems software, stuff that moves robots around, although since the IT chap left our R&D office, I've been doing more IT stuff.

So, in my view, I would start out with the Electronic / electrical, if you are keen to have a strong electronics engineering edge to your programming & want to know what makes things work at a low level.

Another way of looking at it is: Do you see computer programming as an end in itself? (OR) do you see it as a tool to achieve some other job?

[luca_linux]

Remember though your bias will tend to be writing computer programs as an Engineer and not as a computer scientist.

So, what's the difference?

Another way of looking at it is: Do you see computer programming as an end in itself? (OR) do you see it as a tool to achieve some other job?

I see it as a tool to achieve some other job.
So what does that say about me?

[gusjones]

From your replies, I would see you more as doing the Electronic/Electrical option.

A computer scientist tends to be more of a high level programmer and in my experience they're more into the thrill of writing the code itself.

For me as an Engineer (who still has roots in Electronics), I prefer to see software as a tool to get jobs done, and I enjoy writing lower level code, (i.e. not front end stuff), to move physical things like motors around-- and as such I need to know about the physics of motors, etc. so my background is essential. It may be that for you some of the type of programming you see yourself doing in the future requires an essential knowledge of the 'hard' end of electronics.

Still, you'll only use 10% of what you learn
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I know that my view is a rather sweeping generalisation and many people will have a different slant on things.

Anyway my2pworth.