Choosing a field in engineering is like picking a flavor of ice cream – the choices are endless and there’s no wrong answer (except strawberry, but that’s just me). I begged people to tell me which discipline was right for me, but ultimately, this is a choice only I could make. Here’s how I landed on Computer Engineering and Computer Science (CECS), framed as a quirky, slightly structured inductive proof.
Base Case: I am (or should become) an engineer.
Let’s take as given that:
- I find literally anything interesting.
- I love working with my hands.
- I thrive around smart people.
- I want my projects to meaningfully improve people’s lives.
- I want to understand how things work.
- I often take things apart – I should probably learn how to put them back together too.
- Planes go ‘wirrr’, lights go ‘blink’, trains go ‘choo choo’ because of engineers.
Inductive Hypothesis: CECS Offers A Broad Range of Opportunities
Computer Engineering and Computer Science gives students access to a wide array of engineering activities, from industrial power distribution to full stack development. The two tracks are specifically designed to teach students how to build embedded or computing systems.
Inductive Step:
- (Base Case) I should be an engineer
- Since #5, #6 given, I should stay as broad as possible
- Majors best suited to solving common problems (accomplish #4) are
- CS (computer science)
- ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
- MECH E (Mechanical Engineering)
- BME (Biomedical Engineering)
- ISE (industrial Systems)
- By contradiction: I should not do ISE
- I didn’t really know what ISE is coming into college
- Other options accomplish #6 better
- Given: not doing BME
- Leaving proof as exercise for reader
- (Hint – I am terrible at biology)
- Proof by Counterexample: I should not do Mech E
- I started USC as a mechanical engineering major
- Loved it, and built great experience designing in CAD outside of class
- Worked as CURVE Fellow for the Advanced Carbon Design Team
- Worked as Mech E intern at a company I loved
- Felt limited by scope of projects and wanted to understand how to program the computer systems that manipulated the physical products of mechanical engineering
- Given: USC lets you combine CS and EE into CECS, because USC is cool like that.
- By the Inductive Hypothesis: I should study Computer Engineering and Computer Science because embedded systems are ubiquitous, allow me to work in almost any field, and draw from many different kinds of engineering.
Conclusion
Choosing an engineering field is about discovering, through trial and error, what you love to do. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to experience so many types of engineering through clubs and classes, and the flexibility to change my major and emphasis whenever I pleased. If at any point I thought I had everything figured out, I was certainly wrong. Maybe I still am. Keep exploring and don’t stop when you find just one thing you love, because engineering is all about an open mind!
