This is the essay I wrote to the Dean of Engineering on why I want to switch from EE to CS.
I am requesting a transfer from Electrical Engineering to Computer Science. I have come to this decision based on my increased desire to become a software engineer. Even though I have always had an interest in electronics I discovered that I enjoy it more as hobby than as a career. My interest in programming began after I started to tinker with Lego Mindstorms in 6th grade. I wanted to extend the capabilities of the kit so I looked into NQC (Not quite C) which is a C based programming language for the kit. From there a took a C++ class in high school and recently did quite a bit of scripting work for Caterpillar this summer in what was supposed to be an electrical engineering internship. I enjoyed it so I decided to switch to computer science. I succeeded more in the CS courses I took this fall than my previous EE courses. I have planned the rest of my course work for CS and I believe I can graduate in 3 to 4 semesters since much of my EE coursework transfers. Steve Herzog advised me on the decision and believes that I have demonstrated the ability to succeed as a CS student. Both departments are very prestigious thus making this a very hard decision but I believe this is the best decision for me in the long run. I feel that CS requires more creativity and interest in discrete mathematics than EE and EE requires more of an interest in continuous mathematics and physics. I wish I had known that difference back when I made the decision on which major to study.
Please leave comments if you had to make a similar decision. Thanks
January 22, 2009 at 3:01 pm |
Check this out
July 10, 2009 at 8:26 pm |
Hmm, not a good enough reason to switch. More creative and like discrete math? I also am interested in both EE and CS. The only reason I picked CS is because EE is harder for me and “yes” require more math and physics. But I guess we are on the same boat.
September 5, 2009 at 8:41 am |
I randomly stumbled upon your page, but your story resonated with me, so I’m commenting. I would like to add that software engineering typically has a much quicker design iteration cycle than circuit design, since your experiment phase is limited only by how quickly your compiler compiles your code, rather than how quickly you can build a new circuit.