In this post, we’ll be discovering the difference between mechanical engineering and information technology. Also, help you to choose between both branches.
Which is better mechanical engineering or information technology
According to BLS, the average salary of mechanical engineering is $95,000 per year while in IT industries there are a lot of occupations that have promising salaries. In general, information Technologists get paid higher, especially the managers or senior software developers who reach a median salary of $150,000 per year.
But mechanical engineering and information technology remain both good choices for people who are interested in having a comfortable financial life. In, information technology you have a lot of opportunities to find a job especially if you are thinking of working in software development.
Software engineering it’s only hiring more than 0.5 million a year of graduates around the United States. This number is 20 times more than the mechanical engineering industry hiring only 21,000 a year.
Mechanical engineering and information technology have almost the same salaries but the odds of finding a job in the IT industry are very high and less competitive than mechanical engineering.
But, money is not the only factor to determine which career you should choose. The most interesting factor to consider is your personal abilities and your interests.
If you are passionate and love to work your hand designing mechanical pieces and building machines then you are suitable for mechanical engineering, On the other hand, if you love to work in a virtual world dealing with computers and programming systems like websites, mobile, and desktop or Love to work in Engineering Systems sitting routers, servers or clouds informational technology is the best choice for you.
In the next paragraph, we’re going to talk about the personal qualities that a mechanical engineering and information technology careers require.
What is the difference between IT and Mechanical Engineering?
Mechanical engineering is made for people who love to design and craft things from scratch, for instance in mechanical engineering you will be designing mechanical products from water bottles to car vehicles. It’s a field that requires a space imagination and employs Science and Mathematics to create useful pieces of gadgets that we can use in our daily life.
Everything that we have around us is designed by mechanical engineering, for instance, if you take a mug you use to drink water or coffee, all the details and curves you would observe are imagined and designed by a mechanical engineer, the same thing for advanced and more complex systems like cars or big ships.
IT or information technology is an industry made for people who love computer systems, from programming to designing Network systems, like sitting routers, servers, or clouds. An IT engineer can also work in a computer science occupation like a software engineer or Hardware engine.
All Technology companies hire IT engineers who work in multiple specialties, Like:
- Building websites
- Managing databases
- Analyzing data
- Protecting servers against malware attacks
In other words, in any system that involves programming and computers, IT is contributing to some part of it.
Which is harder mechanical engineering or information technology
Mechanical engineering is more difficult and harder than an Information Technology major, it is heavier than mathematics and physics. Students in mechanical engineering have to complete More advanced physics and math courses than informational technology should.
In mechanical engineering students have to complete difficult math courses like calculus and some linear algebra. To clarify more, in mechanical engineering you have to complete all these mathematics courses:
- Calculus 1
- calculus 2
- calculus 3 for multivariable calculus
- differential equations
- college algebra
- linear algebra
In IT careers students have to complete the basics and easier High School mathematics, these courses are similar to what students study in algebra 2 High School. so they are required to complete:
- college algebra
- discrete math
- statistics
These math courses are easier to complete and not difficult as mechanical engineering topics such as calculus or differential equations.
On the other hand in mechanical engineering students are required to complete physics courses like:
- General Physics 1
- General Physics 2
- Thermodynamics 1
- Thermodynamics 2
- Fluid mechanics
- heat transfer
All these physics subjects require you to have completed the previous math courses that we mentioned, especially calculus and college algebra. These physics topics involve a lot of math especially thermodynamics courses a lot of students struggle with.
In IT or information, technology student doesn’t study any Physics course, So you don’t have to worry about physics if you hate it.
Which should I choose Mechanical engineering or it?
If you are passionate and love to design mechanical systems or objects, In addition, to Find Joy to work by hand using a screwdriver or hammer then mechanical engineering is suitable for you. On the other hand, if you like programming and dealing with computer systems like Networks systems such as servers, clouds, and databases IT would be the best choice for you.
But you have to consider that mechanical engineering requires being good at mathematics. You should be prepared to study the most difficult mathematics topics like calculus and differential equations, in addition to physics courses like thermodynamics and fluid Dynamics.
So math is the first prerequisite for students who are passionate about mechanical engineering, it is not an easy field that you can go into like information technology.
You don’t have to be a genius in mathematics, you just have to be interested in studying math and putting in a lot of effort than you would be doing in an Information Technology major.
Can I switch from the mechanical to the IT field?
Yes you can switch from mechanical engineering to its field, IT industry is easier than mechanical engineering, But to switch from mechanical engineering to it field you have 3 options :
- The first option is to drop from mechanical engineering if you are in your first semester or second semester. If you find mechanical design and Engineering not interesting for you. It is better to choose something you enjoy even if you sacrifice or lose one year of your career.
- The second option is, if you are in the middle of last year of course, junior or senior year, in this case, you have to be patient a little bit until you get your Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering then apply for computer science or IT master, it a good combo.
- The Third option is the riskiest one which is dropping a mechanical engineering major and taking private and accelerated IT programs. This option is made for students who are interested in software engineering. You Can find a job as a software engineer without needing to have any degree.