I am a 22 year old in university. I have an associate’s in drafting and design (a technical degree), I took a gap year to work and then transferred to a 4-year university. I am currently taking classes for an industrial eng. tech. bachelor’s degree, and recently found out that it is not ABET accredited. I got a bit worried because of this and asked the dean of the engineering department if there was a possibility of this major getting accreditation one day. There is no plans to apply for accreditation for this program any time soon but in about a year, applying to get accreditation for Product Dev. Eng. Tech. is in the works. I originally had picked this major and later switched to industrial because it would take me a shorter amount of time to finish this degree.
My reasoning behind me switching was because I have a scholarship that covers two years of tuition, and my family needs a main bread-winner (there is no father in our household and mom works too much too earn very little money and this upsets me).
I like both majors and can’t pick between the two because they are both related but unique in their own way. I am more of a creative type of person (hence why I have a drafting and design associate) and sometimes think that Product Dev. would be best for me in the end, but it would take me longer and do not know if I will be able to keep up with the stress of college and family life for another year or two.
I also don’t want to lose my scholarship, but if I do, I can always go back to community college while working with my technical degree and get back up on my feet again. I like industrial engineering, but for some reason I feel like the teachers at this school lack enthusiasm. Or is it just me because I have worries on my mind? I find myself changing my mind constantly between these two majors. Hearing from people in these fields or in similar situations might make me feel better and help me make up my mind…and hopefully I could restore my focus in school. Any suggestions? Any thoughts? Anything would be greatly appreciated.