norwich

Can someone explain to me the way that engineering majors are distinguished within the profession? An engineering friend recently made a disparaging comment about civil engineers not being "real" engineers, and that the really smart students majored in electrical engineering or chemical engineering. Is there a hierarchy? If so, can some of you state it here?

GLOBALTRAVELER

I heard that there is an apricot-flavored ice cream coming out in January 2012.

:-)

Marisashana

That friend's comment is silly. Don't get caught up in some bizarre hierarchy; engineering's awesome no matter what flavor it comes in.

MaineLonghorn

That sounds good, GLOBALTRAVELER! Where does it fall in the hierarchy with chocolate chip cookie dough, though?

uclacee

funny, as civil engineering is the oldest discipline. there used to be a time when when you said "engineering" it couldn't mean anything other than civil engineering. Every other engineering discipline borrowed the term "engineering."

uclacee

But that being said, as a civil engineering major, I concede that EE and CS are harder. I won't grant you chemE, though.

ClassicRockerDad

I can deduce that your friend must be a chemical engineer, because no self-respecting electrical engineer would recognize ANY of the other disciplines as "real" engineers. Just ask any of us. Heh, Heh.

Hence chemical engineers, being inferior, would have to include us EEs if they tried to claim themselves as "real" engineers.

chaoswithinthed

I think it's mainly do do what people think of. People think engineering is fancy. Electrical Engineers work on circuit boards and stuff, fancy. Chemical Engineers work on chemicals, fancy. Mechanical Engineers work on machines, fancy. Civil engineers work on roads, not fancy.

Civil engineering isn't just roads but most people I don't think know that.

ken285

With any field, there are "fancy" projects and there are mundane projects. And of course, perceptions of what's "fancy" and what isn't differs from person to person. Somebody can think of circuits as boring, chemicals as boring, and machines as boring.

chaoswithinthed, whereabouts are you from? I went to school in an urban area and most people associated civil engineering with skyscrapers and bridges (cool in my book, of course, haha). Roads were probably the last thing people thought of.

MaineLonghorn

Yes, I think "skyscrapers" when I think of civil engineers!

chaoswithinthed

I'm in College Station. I know when I think of civil, I think of skyscrapers as well! Being a Structural Engineer that's what I want to do. My explanation about roads and civil not being fancy isn't my view, but it's just what I've heard from other people. I hear it all the time from my friends about how my major is easier. Some of it I think it joking and some of it is serious. I just shrug it off and don't worry about it. I was in the exact same classes as these people in lower level and did better than them in them too.

MaineLonghorn

How's this for "boring?" London Aquatics Centre, 2012 Olympics, Olympic Aquatics Centre, Zaha Hadid

Scroll down for photos of the hyperbolic roof.

uclacee

When I think of civil, I think of sewage, which (by my book) is awesome beyond belief! I love sewage!

angryelf

Imaginary engineers > any other type.

FutureVpFinance

Is there a hierarchy for ice cream? I hope someone can help me out. My original thought was:

Chemical Rocky Road
Electrical Cookie Dough
Mechanical Mint
Petroleum Peaches and Cream
Industrial Cookies and Cream
Nuclear Vanilla
Aerospace Chocolate

Please correct me if I'm wrong