if you are wondering about which branch you should choose civil or electricla engineering, and which is the best one. This is the right post for you.
which is a better civil or electrical engineering
According to BLS the average salary of civil engineers is $88,000 per year, while electrical engineers earn around $101,000. So both occupations electrical and civil engineering give a stable financial life, but the most interesting thing is both of these majors are growing.
Electrical engineering is expected to grow by 7% in the next 10 years, it offers 21,000 occupations every year, while civil engineering it’s evolving a little bit by 8% offering more than 25,000 new occupations every year. So both majors have potential future jobs, students should not worry about.
Electrical engineers earn $12,000 higher than civil engineers, which is $1000 every month, So it is not a big deal to change or choose between electrical or civil engineering based on the salary.
The other great thing is that both civil and electrical engineering are only requiring to have a bachelor before applying for jobs. It is not like a physics or economics degree that’s required to have a Ph.D. or at least a master’s.
The difference that we can notice between civil and electrical engineering is that civil engineers are mostly working Outdoors while electrical engineers don’t work a lot of times Outdoors except for some specialties like power engineering or transmission systems engineering.
which is harder: civil or electrical engineering
Civil and electrical engineering are both hard Majors they are require to complete a lot of math and physics topics. Electrical engineering could be a little bit more difficult than civil engineering in terms of some additional topics students have to take like programming.
For instance, in electrical engineering, you have to complete a course of linear algebra that civil engineers don’t take.
But in general civil and electrical engineers are required to complete the same math and physics topics including:
- Calculus 1
- calculus 2
- calculus 3
- differential equations
- Physics 1
- physics 2
- Thermodynamics
- Heat to transfer
If you are afraid of or bad at math, civil or electrical engineering is not a good choice to opt for. They both are heavy in math and require good preparation in high school, especially precalculus.
All the physics topics you’ll be studying in both majors are based on calculus. If you struggle in calculus you will struggle in all the major programs, including physics and other related engineering topics.
The different points between civil and electrical engineering are in civil engineering you will be studying structural and geological subjects like:
- Geotechnical Engineering I
- Construction Engineering
- Structural Analysis
- Hydraulics
- Environmental Engineering
- Transportation Engineering
- Civil Engineering Materials
While, in electrical engineering, you would be focusing more on electrical and electronic technology, embedded in computers and the machines we use in our daily life like smartphones, refrigerators, AC rooms, remote controls, and so on. You will be studying topics like:
- Signals and Systems
- Digital Electronics
- Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics
- Electric Power Engineering
- RF Systems Lab
- Electrical System Design Lab
- Electromagnetics for Wireless Communication
- Analog Electronics
- Random Signals and Systems
So if you are interested in Soil, water, buildings, roads, and geology, you will find electronics and programming hard and difficult to understand. On the other hand, if you love to build Electronics boards, program them, and fix your house’s electricity system, civil engineering might sound more difficult and challenging for you.
Which should you choose civil or electrical engineering
Electrical or civil engineering both offer a financially stable life so you will not have to worry about Finding a job. The main key you have to consider is your personal interests and strengths that indicate if electrical or civil engineering is meant for you.
1 – Signs that indicate electrical engineering for you
- If you love programming and dealing with computer boards, or have a hobby building electronics or robotics projects in Arduino or raspberry pi.
- love to solve technical problems, when a machine is broken in a house you’re the first one who hurries to fix it
- You are a fan of radio technologies, like wireless, Bluetooth
- You have a workshop in your backyard, where you build projects
- You’ll be off to work about your hand using a hammer, screwdriver, etc
2 – signs that indicate civil engineering is for you
- Love to work outdoors and go on travels
- love buildings and the architectural design
- love to design on a computer or sketch on the paper
- You are patient and love to work steadily
- You always ask how big facilities are made like bridges and stadiums
You likely already know what you are interested in. If you don’t, you just have to test and have an internship to find your right spot.
but the one thing that you should consider in civil engineering is not taking an architecture specialty because it is saturated and has a lot of problems like long-time programs that consist of having a Ph.D. in addition to the lower job opportunities in the industry.
Can an electrical engineer become a civil engineer
Yes, it is possible to become a civil engineer with a background in electrical engineering such as a bachelor’s. You can take a master’s in civil engineering specialty like transportation, Structures, geotechnics, and so on, or go back to school and have a civil engineering degree.
But the best thing that we recommend is to go back to school and study civil engineering because it would be very difficult to be accepted in civil engineering Master without studying civil engineering general topics. In most cases, you will find grad schools requiring you to complete some civil engineering courses.
In addition, you would not have good chances when you apply for jobs with these kinds of Masters. Because it gives a bad impression to your employer that you are not sure about what you should be doing in your future.
So the best thing is to contact an advisor of the University you are interested to enroll in and see what they can offer to you.
you would not be required to study a full program again because the first 2 years of electrical and civil engineering are almost the same. So you will not have to study any math or physics courses because you have already completed them in your major.
you maybe have 2 years or less of hard work to get your second degree in Civil engineering. In these 2 years, you would be taking the principal courses of civil engineering, So it is worth it if you are convinced and sure of your decision.