Extremely lost and confused between Electrical Engineering and IT

[FXGalvatron]

Hey all. Couldn't sleep because this was keeping me awake.

I'll be finishing my college in a few weeks and I'm just so lost and confused in my life. I'm an electrical engineer fresh out of college and truth be told, I'm far from interested in this field. There are very few things about this that fascinate me and my real passion is to do with computers and writing. Anything with computers and I'll absolutely do it. I'm sure some of you may remember a post I made a while back where I was gonna drop out of EEE. I just chose this degree because people around me told me to. My parents too didn't know much about engineering since they have a commerce background, so I can't and don't want to blame them for pushing me into this field.

From 2020 to 2022, so my first year of college to my 3rd year, I was convinced that I'd get into the field of IT no matter what but since AI came into the picture, I thought I'll do electrical and focus on power systems. I even have a CEHv11 certificate cause I thought I'd get into Cybersecurity until then. I thought Electrical would be AI proof, especially in Power Systems so for the sake of a job, I thought I'll just focus on EEE.

I had a convo with my uncle who works in Cybersecurity as well and he told me to get into IT and not fear about AI. I was okay doing electrical (not happy about it, obviously) but it pays decent and has a good WLB. He told me to get into IT because even he knows I like computers a lot and I'm good at it. I can code decently too as well and I can understand computer science better than electrical.

After believing I'd be doing electrical engineering for the rest of my life, I'm lost now with what my uncle told.

What do I do? I know I'd be happy and satisfied with IT but not really when it comes to EE. I'd probably have a job 15 years down the line and the odds of having better job security with decent pay is something I think EEE would offer. I also have plans of moving out of India at some point and just explore different places (work there ofc) before coming back, which is something to consider, I think.

What would you guys do if you were in my position? By IT, I don't mean coding or anything like that but to do with networks, Cybersecurity and the likes. Clearly I'm a bit young and I don't fully understand a lot of things yet so I'm sorry in advance if I sound extremely stupid or dumb or arrogant.

Also, to add some more information, I'm planning to do a Masters in EE abroad at the moment just because my parents want me to.

Thanks all and have a lovely day. Brain feels fried at 3 in the morning so forgive me if the post isn't coherent or something.

 

[roadrash99]

Also, to add some more information, I'm planning to do a Masters in EE abroad at the moment just because my parents want me to.

Yeah go for the masters, that's the best route in my opinion and I regret not going for it. Everyone and their mom can get into IT, that door will always be open.

 

[desiibond]

Doing EE and then getting into IT will only take you to certain level. Your growth will be hampered as product companies hire from colleges and they don’t look at non-computer streams. If you end up in shitty service companies like Wipro and all, your rewards for work you pay is minimal or none. It’s like fish market. If you want to get into Software development, target startup’s and product companies. These are the only places you will learn/grow at rapid pace. Procrastination works in service but doesn’t work in product companies.

First decide what you want to become at 40 or so.

Leadership (VP or director or higher etc or form own company) : get into IIMs after BTech, btech stream does not matter.
SME in software development where job pays really well: switch stream to CSe or IT now, do masters in AI or high paying stream. If possible, do PhD.
SME in EE: high paid job in reputed companies require strong MTech and doing PhD gives strong resume that is hard to ignore. Most of high paying jobs here are overseas.

 

[dpandey]

I know I'd be happy and satisfied with IT but not really when it comes to EE.

For a young person, the only advice I can give is to follow the money. Unless you are a gifted one destined for immortality, the path of penury is not for you. In any case, if you were so certain about your calling, you wouldn't be asking for advice. Napoleon didn't go to a career counsellor.

At 20, these career paths look different. When you are 40+, the world is a different place. You become more awake to the real problems that need solving. The million programmers of Bengaluru have no water to flush their p**p. Whoever solves water scarcity problem is not only going to make big money but also probably be more satisfied with his work.

Stop believing nonsense like 'follow your passion' or 'do whatever makes you happy'. These are promoted by a cult which wants you to stay asleep so that it can wield power.

 

[TEUser2K1]

EEE is a degree from where you can branch out to any field of your interest and excel in that.
Try to get best scores in EEE, later you can decide which path to select forward.

 

[PunkX 75]

For a young person, the only advice I can give is to follow the money. Unless you are a gifted one destined for immortality, the path of penury is not for you. In any case, if you were so certain about your calling, you wouldn't be asking for advice. Napoleon didn't go to a career counsellor.

At 20, these career paths look different. When you are 40+, the world is a different place. You become more awake to the real problems that need solving. The million programmers of Bengaluru have no water to flush their p**p. Whoever solves water scarcity problem is not only going to make big money but also probably be more satisfied with his work.

Stop believing nonsense like 'follow your passion' or 'do whatever makes you happy'. These are promoted by a cult which wants you to stay asleep so that it can wield power.

I can attest to this, but to a degree.

Look for the money, but don't be in something that makes you completely miserable and takes a toll on your general well-being.

I'm an English graduate. I got into hotels initially (it sucked bad and hard). Now I'm an Online Business Manager working with entrepreneurs in various aspects of their business (great gig, pays well).

 

[soulweaver]

@FXGalvatron EEE would be a better choice. As someone who's been into career counselling, I would suggest the same. But then, answer to your instincts.

@PunkX 75 could you please send a PM of what you do? I have a friend who might be interested in your services. (Might)

 

[PunkX 75]

@PunkX 75 could you please send a PM of what you do? I have a friend who might be interested in your services. (Might)

I don't freelance, It's a company I work for that pairs me up with entrepreneurs. They only work with US/Canada-based clients.

 

[hellblazer33]

Follow what you have experience in I agree with @desiibond that you will end up in a fish market with electrical degree wanting a job in iT For sure you think you know about computers but its completely different what is taught in cs degrees You wont like it The grass is not greener on the other side so focus on what you have studied you will excell more there.

 

[FXGalvatron]

Doing EE and then getting into IT will only take you to certain level. Your growth will be hampered as product companies hire from colleges and they don’t look at non-computer streams. If you end up in shitty service companies like Wipro and all, your rewards for work you pay is minimal or none. It’s like fish market. If you want to get into Software development, target startup’s and product companies. These are the only places you will learn/grow at rapid pace. Procrastination works in service but doesn’t work in product companies.

First decide what you want to become at 40 or so.

Leadership (VP or director or higher etc or form own company) : get into IIMs after BTech, btech stream does not matter.
SME in software development where job pays really well: switch stream to CSe or IT now, do masters in AI or high paying stream. If possible, do PhD.
SME in EE: high paid job in reputed companies require strong MTech and doing PhD gives strong resume that is hard to ignore. Most of high paying jobs here are overseas.

This might sound crazy but yeah, parents want me to do an MS, then a few years down the line, an MBA. Plus, doing an MS abroad makes it easier to migrate to another country, I suppose. I really don't have the mental energy to do a PhD in Electrical anyway, so I'll probably call it a day after an MS in it.

Thanks a ton!

For a young person, the only advice I can give is to follow the money. Unless you are a gifted one destined for immortality, the path of penury is not for you. In any case, if you were so certain about your calling, you wouldn't be asking for advice. Napoleon didn't go to a career counsellor.

At 20, these career paths look different. When you are 40+, the world is a different place. You become more awake to the real problems that need solving. The million programmers of Bengaluru have no water to flush their p**p. Whoever solves water scarcity problem is not only going to make big money but also probably be more satisfied with his work.

Stop believing nonsense like 'follow your passion' or 'do whatever makes you happy'. These are promoted by a cult which wants you to stay asleep so that it can wield power.

Yeah no, I stopped believing in the follow your passion stuff and all a little while ago.

It's obvious that the money is in IT and will be. Unless I'm super duper talented in Electrical, I don't think I'll reach such a grand payscale as compared to IT.

Like I said, the major gripe is job security 15 years down the line. Of course it is impossible to predict how things may turn out but at the moment, it's clear that AI is here and could make some jobs redundant. I would follow the money but there are pros and cons to both.

EEE is a degree from where you can branch out to any field of your interest and excel in that.
Try to get best scores in EEE, later you can decide which path to select forward.

Just curious, what would you consider 'best scores?' I'm asking because I currently am in my final semester with a CGPA of 7.81/10, which is far, far impressive or best. Dealt with some personal crap in my life that my entire 3rd year was horrible academically. This also makes it hard to find a job at the moment, in case I get rejected from decent Unis, which I have been rejected from (University of Stuttgart and Hochschule Darmstadt).

 

[magesh85]

@FXGalvatron better take the MS route bro. Do a MS abroad and get into IT there. You will learn & earn a lot. If u can affords MS abroad, i suggest you take that.

 

[FXGalvatron]

I can attest to this, but to a degree.

Look for the money, but don't be in something that makes you completely miserable and takes a toll on your general well-being.

I'm an English graduate. I got into hotels initially (it sucked bad and hard). Now I'm an Online Business Manager working with entrepreneurs in various aspects of their business (great gig, pays well).

I'm not completely miserable (I'm miserable of course, but I have to do what I have to do I guess). I am more than happy to look for the money but again, like I mentioned, IT probably has it and job security is something I'm afraid of.

 

[desiibond]

The biggest mistake of my life is not doing MS. Do not make this mistake if you have time and energy.

 

[FXGalvatron]

@FXGalvatron EEE would be a better choice. As someone who's been into career counselling, I would suggest the same. But then, answer to your instincts.

@PunkX 75 could you please send a PM of what you do? I have a friend who might be interested in your services. (Might)

Oh good to know that there's a career counsellor amongst us. Logically, I'd be fine doing electrical for the sake of a job and sustaining a life. Thanks mate.

Follow what you have experience in I agree with @desiibond that you will end up in a fish market with electrical degree wanting a job in iT For sure you think you know about computers but its completely different what is taught in cs degrees You wont like it The grass is not greener on the other side so focus on what you have studied you will excell more there.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Being passionate about CS and knowing about CS are two completely different things, I agree. Might as well just focus on what I'm studying or I guess studied.

@FXGalvatron better take the MS route bro. Do a MS abroad and get into IT there. You will learn & earn a lot. If u can affords MS abroad, i suggest you take that.

I can sort of afford it at the moment, but I'm afraid I might get rejected. If not, I might as well go to a gulf country and look for some electrical jobs there. Idk, it's a stupid plan I guess. Maybe someone can clarify this?

The biggest mistake of my life is not doing MS. Do not make this mistake if you have time and energy.

Yeah that's what I've been told by a lot of people. Get as many qualifications as long as I'm young and have the time, which I do since I don't really have any other commitments at all.

 

[soulweaver]

If you can find some people who work in the field, you can also pursue a master's abroad at really great colleges that do not require you to mortgage your soul along with your neighbours'.

I was talking to someone else in another thread about going abroad. If you are interested, I will share the number(s) of some trustworthy guys who could give you advice on how to go about it.

I also have cousins who are abroad and I have some international qualifications too (UCam and Yale), that I managed with full scholarships, and I can vouch for the study practices there.

And also as someone who's written books for McGraw-Hill and trained students from over 16 counties, there's a large gap in terms of approaches to problem solving, and openness.

 

[nRiTeCh]

Just to add to the story...
I have my sis in law who is jobless in the US since a year now even after pursuing masters. She was able to do internship though for 6 months.
Same goes for a distant cousin who did masters in unknown field got no work and he returned back to India and landed a job here.

Current harsh truth- Situation in the west is quite F*d up lately and they prefer localities than overseas students who come there for higher studies. Or even if you manage to land a job there you will be paid peanuts as they will exploit you like anything!
Only Safe is IT as of now and a bit of automobile and mechanical as my two distant cousins grabbed great IT jobs after completing masters from Bostons last yr.

 

[TEUser2K1]

@FXGalvatron
I meant best scores you can gain, so that your application won't be reject from average to good colleges.
Your plan for working in Gulf countries will be difficult unless you have proper connections there, or lucky enough to get a good paying job initially.

I'll have to watch this thread keenly for personal reasons...

 

[FXGalvatron]

If you can find some people who work in the field, you can also pursue a master's abroad at really great colleges that do not require you to mortgage your soul along with your neighbours'.

I was talking to someone else in another thread about going abroad. If you are interested, I will share the number(s) of some trustworthy guys who could give you advice on how to go about it.

I also have cousins who are abroad and I have some international qualifications too (UCam and Yale), that I managed with full scholarships, and I can vouch for the study practices there.

And also as someone who's written books for McGraw-Hill and trained students from over 16 counties, there's a large gap in terms of approaches to problem solving, and openness.

I am trying to connect with people in the electrical field, on LinkedIn especially. I am also looking for colleges abroad, mostly in Europe as thta is somewhat reasonable and affordable at the moment.

I would really appreciate the numbers of those guys. Please feel free to reach out to me in DMs as well.

Full scholarship is th edream of course, but my grades and lack of a decent and competitive profile is what would hurt my chances severely.

I'd love to learn more about this gap and what are the possible ways to bridge it.

@FXGalvatron
I meant best scores you can gain, so that your application won't be reject from average to good colleges.
Your plan for working in Gulf countries will be difficult unless you have proper connections there, or lucky enough to get a good paying job initially.

I'll have to watch this thread keenly for personal reasons...

Ah okay, yeah, I'll try doing my best. I'll know my results by May I guess.
Yeah, I figured as much, that it would be difficult. Some of my relatives work there but it might be hard for them too.

Just to add to the story...
I have my sis in law who is jobless in the US since a year now even after pursuing masters. She was able to do internship though for 6 months.
Same goes for a distant cousin who did masters in unknown field got no work and he returned back to India and landed a job here.

Current harsh truth- Situation in the west is quite F*d up lately and they prefer localities than overseas students who come there for higher studies. Or even if you manage to land a job there you will be paid peanuts as they will exploit you like anything!
Only Safe is IT as of now and a bit of automobile and mechanical as my two distant cousins grabbed great IT jobs after completing masters from Bostons last yr.

Ah dang... that sucks to hear. Now again, I am a little unsure.

 

[soulweaver]

From my cousin's experience (echoed by a few of my friends), the biggest challenge in Europe is language. While I didn't study there, I travelled extensively (retraced the steps of Jason Bourne, after having read and been inspired by the Bourne Trilogy), I can say that it is only in Major cities and tourist spots that people speak English.

And not knowing the language will put a dent in your prospects of being hired. The same is true of being able to secure parttime jobs as well.

I could easily see the difference in experience that I had (can speak some French, and can read and understand fairly well), vs what my friends had, while in France. I enjoyed the trip, and had a much better time and spent a lot less, and managed to a lot more that they did.

 

[nRiTeCh]

Ah dang... that sucks to hear. Now again, I am a little unsure.

NO harm getting a degree right now as the current slag might end in a year or two and only few stream are affected right now.
This might also help you..

Is it worth it to go to education fairs etc if you're looking to study abroad?

From what I know, there is nothing useful that comes from these fairs etc. from companies like EdVoy, Upgrad, EdWise... Has anyone been to these and is the fair worth my time? As far as I know, they say representatives from unis are there but I have a had time believing unis send reps just for...

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