Civil or Mechanical Engineering?

Hello everyone,

I'm currently a 2nd year chemical engineering student, and I've come to the realization that chemical engineering isn't for me; I find the chemistry courses interesting, but nothing else about chemical engineering really excites me. I'm also not too keen on the career possibilities that await me if I graduate with a chemical engineering degree. As such, I'm considering transferring into another discipline. However, the problem is that I can't make up my mind between civil and mechanical engineering, and I hope some of you would be able to offer your valuable insight.

Part of the reason why I'm not enjoying chemical engineering is that it all seems to be very theoretical, and until you graduate, you aren't really able to gain any hands-on experience that is somewhat related to the sort of work you'll be doing as a career. I'm not sure whether this is something specific to the program at my school, but I really wish that I am able to get more project-based, hands-on learning. Chemical engineering also seems very cut-and-dry to me--correct me if I'm wrong, but there isn't much room for creativity or design in this industry, as compared to other disciplines. I'd also like to have something more interesting than chemical plants to show for my work; as mentioned before, I'm not too excited about a career in chemical engineering.

Civil engineering, on the other hand, has always been of great interest to me. I've always had a fascination with architecture and structures, be they buildings, bridges, or dams. I'm also attracted to the civil engineering program at my school, which places a great amount of emphasis on project work, offering opportunities for design and hands-on work. If I go into civil engineering, I would likely do a masters in structural engineering, as that's the area of civil engineering that interests me the most.

Mechanical engineering is also of interest to me, mostly because it seems to be very broad-based and draws on fundamentals from other disciplines, namely electrical. The idea of a broad-based education is appealing to someone like me who isn't entirely sure of what I want to get out of a career; I may not stay in the engineering field for my entire career, and am currently leaning towards just using my engineering degree as a solid foundation in the business world, as many engineers I know have done with great success. Again, the mechanical engineering program at my school also offers a lot of design work--even students in second year get numerous design projects, where they are given a problem and have to design and build something from scratch that meets the problem specifications. In terms of interest, I would say that I am neutral towards mechanical systems, however I feel that I would find mechanical engineering to be a very interesting path for me to take as I am quite technically inclined, and I enjoy learning how things work--mechanical or otherwise.

There are some reservations that I feel are holding me back from simply enrolling in civil engineering. I am a firm believer in making a career out of something that suits my interests, but while I would like to say that pay isn't a huge factor in my decision-making, I can't help but be a bit turned off by the low starting pay as a civil engineer. It isn't a major concern to me, but it's significant enough for me to consider. I've also had previous experience working on construction sites, albeit as a labourer, but I know it's not a work environment that I enjoy; of course, working as a labourer and civil engineer are completely different things, but whether or not that would make a difference to me, I am not entirely sure.

My greater interest in civil engineering is currently holding me back from taking mechanical engineering. That is not to say that mechanical engineering doesn't interest me; I just feel that as of now, I think civil engineering is of more interest to me. I think I would be equally happy in either discipline, but I have a tendency to stick to things that I am more familiar with. This brings me to my next point, in that I am not entirely sure what sorts of careers I would have available to me as a mechanical engineer. I have a vague idea but am unsure about the specifics, so any insight from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

I seem to have typed up a mini-essay, which I guess is reflective of the fact that I've given this quite a bit of thought, and yet I am still unsure of what I should do. Hopefully you guys could help me out and offer your valuable insight on this matter.

Cheers,
Brandon