<p>Can someone help me understand the different lifestyles involved in the different fields?</p>
<p>I have been looking to study biomedical engineering, but I am realizing that I chose this just because I love biology. The lifestyle doesn’t seem the best for me - I don’t see myself working in labs in large cities. So could someone give me some advice about where (big or small city, specific region of country or abroad, laboratory or in the field) and how much (40 or 70 hour workweeks, set schedule or your own timetable, constant work or breaks between projects ok if you are willing to have less money) people in different engineering specialties work? Thanks!</p>
<p>I think you can get every range with every field.</p>
<p>I don’t have any personal experience but from talking to engineers in several disciplines about this same subject I’ve come to the conclusion that, like reaver said, there are several variables that determine how many hours a week someone works. Their major is only one of them. Some engineers in management work longer hours than their non-managerial counterparts. A CivE in 2005 may have had more 50-60hr weeks than they do now, due to the economy. </p>
<p>Concerning location, you are kind of at the mercy of where industries chose to congregate into hotbed regions. For example, biopharma is most concentrated in places like north NJ, SF Bay Area, Boston, etc. So if you want to work in that field, you will have a better shot at landing a job if you move to one of those hotbeds. However, if you do some research, you’ll be surprised how many options you have available to you. Say, you might think you’ll have to move to Silicon Valley to work on semiconductors, when Intel has a big fab in Hillsboro, Oregon.</p>
<p>Well, since China is on the other side of the world, engineers who work there have to stand on their heads the whole time. In Australia, they ride to work in kangaroos. California engineers work thirty minutes a day, drive their Ferrari through a Starbucks window, and then go surfing until the weekend when they party with movie stars.</p>
<p>source: my preconceptions</p>