As a persian I was also forced to go for the medical route when coming out of high school. But since I hated biology and favored math more, I chose to major in Electrical Engineering. But until now, 5 years later, my parents still complain to me about not becoming a doctor. But the sad thing is that I'm not even sure if I like Electrical Engineering now...
Not to start a degree war (cuz I think a degree is really useless) but a lot of people who get Masters in Economics, Finance, or a MBA has an undergrad in Engineering. At least at UT, there was Bio-Medical Engineering, of which a good percentage of people applied for and get accepted into med-schools upon graduation. And there are plenty of lawyers (especially those involved in patent laws) with an engineering degree. I hated my time at UT getting my degree and I would not tell anyone (in fact I would discourage them) to get an engineering degree because it's painful and there might be some better alternatives depending on what you want to do afterward. But on the other hand, it is one of the more versatile degrees in terms what options are available upon graduation. Engineering does a fantastic job of honing your critical thinking and problem solving skills while at the same time instill some technical knowledge, which is why I think it's easier for someone to transition from Engineering to another field but not vice-versa. P.S. I also don't think having an engineering degree makes you smarter. It just means you're willing to put up with more crap. Also, since it's more number based, unlike a term paper that can be "BSed" on at the last minute, you either know how to do something or not. Which helps weed out a lot of people early on (There isn't a 33% survival rate for no reason).
Persian parents are all the same. shoot, my mom was pissed that i chose dental school and not medical school...took her a year to get over it.
Thank you, Thank you! Perhaps the smartest thing that I've read here in a long time. In my own opinion, getting a degree, specially an engineering degree is only a "right of passage" sort of, of going through crap in college, which should make you more ready for life.
im doin engineering right now and there is a whole lot of math/work/crap to do and it seems to me that a lot of the kids trying to do engineering are in it completely for the money and dont actually care about learning the stuff that is taught... and as you would guess, these are the kids who will never graduate with an engineering degree cause they cant get past a certain point. basically they get weeded out like someone was sayin
1. Do something that you like... 2. Do something can put food the table? 3. Do something that "YOU" like
I had something happen to me, but in hind sight I should have done medicine. At least you can help people instead of looking at circuits all day. Don't do EE.
It's too late for me. I already finished by undergrad in EE, and should start working for a aerospace company in a few months. I still don't like medicine or anything that has to do with biology and remembering stuff. But after finishing my major, I must say that I am not too crazy about it neither. I should've just followed what I was passionate about, meteorology, but I don't know how much money is in that field. So, it always comes down to going after something that you like or to do something that has good $ in it. I suggest for Mehdi do find a fine balance between the two.
[DERAIL THREAD] I see that there are a lot of Persians on this board, which I wasn't aware of before. Can anybody pass on a link about whatever happened to the King of Persia? Okay, so I really don't know anything about it at all - but I know something big happened. A guy that worked on my mom's house said he worked for the King for some time, to the point of being good friends with him. But then they had to flee the country with practically nothing and restart their life in Canada. I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about what he was talking about [/DERAIL THREAD]
Find what you really enjoy learning about and just learn it. Work on building skills. Accumulate knowledge. Understand people. Learn about the world. Research business, art, culture. Learn how to present and communicate. Learn to write well. Your undergrad degree isn't so important as much as what you acquire in skills and knowledge. Good luck.
It is important to HR departments and the people who will be hiring you. I agree that having a degree does not make you smarter but it does open doors --- and the longer you are in a field and entry level jobs are no longer o.k. the more important the degree becomes if you are chaning jobs.
I'd like to add my two cents on some things that have been stated here... Some have said that a degree is useless. A degree is very important for two reasons: 1) It might prepare you for your career. Notice I said "might" ? I believe a medical degree is absolutely crucial preparation for your career. But I don't feel the same way about a business degree. I feel that what is taught in a business degree is not nearly as crucial for success in the business world. So does that mean that a business degree isn't necessary? No because... (see next reason) 2) The lack of a degree WILL hinder your career options. Yes, even in IT. I'm not saying that one can't succeed without a degree. But I guarantee you that there are MANY companies that will throw your resumé in the trash without looking at it if you don't have a degree. Additionally, later in life, if you intend to work in upper management, it will be much more difficult to do so without a degree. Do yourself a huge favor and avoid those barriers by getting your degree.
