January 3, 2005
A: FROM MENTOR RACHEL HUTTER IN FL
Hi Jennifer. I am an electrical engineer, so take my response with the bias that may be built into it. :) Electrical Engineering can be divided into Controls and Power. Controls includes communications, digital electronics, motion control, automation and robotics. Computer Science obviously overlaps into most if not all of those areas. You might think of it as Electrical Engineering being the hardware and firmware and Computer Science being the software. Computer Engineering can be a mix of both depending on your elective classes.

You may have read in the media that many Computer Science jobs have been "off-shored" to Asia. That trend will probably continue as the pay differential can be huge. By some estimates, Computer Science majors including PhD's in Asia are paid less that 20% compared to their counterparts in the US. Obviously that is a cause for concern. On the other hand, Computer Engineering is a fast growing field which will continue to see demand far exceeding supply.

On a final note, consider compensation as well. According to the 2003 National Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean hourly rate for Electrical Engineers was $37/hr compared to $33.25/hr for Computer Scientists. Check out their website at www.bls.gov for more detailed information.

Best of luck,
Rachel Hutter