ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มี.ค. 2020
- This is the story of why I quit my major of biomedical engineering after only semester right after joining Boston University and immediately switched to Computer Engineering. In fact, what’s funny is that I the decision to switch out happened really quickly. I basically decided to switch out 4 months of starting college. Talk about giving a major a chance.
Originally, I wanted to be a biomedical engineer because I wanted to take some engineering that would take advantage of my generalist skills. I was good at math, computer science, and biology. Because of that, I felt like biomedical engineering would be cool, like hey, look at me, jack of all trades. However, I didn’t really have a real plan for what I would do with biomedical engineering. I just had the idea that if I went to college with a hard engineering degree then I could get any good paying job that I wanted.
I came in all excited for biology and took a molecular bio course for my first semester. Besides, this is the very first bio course of the whole major. How tough could it be?
Well, those were my famous last words. That course had weekly quizzes, and I literally could get like 40% on those quizzes. I had no idea how anyone was able to understand this material. The course ramped up from beginner level of learning what a gene was to really complicated proteins. I made friends with two buddies in the course, and they struggled just as much as we. We got together to study sometimes, and all we could talk about was how we had no clue what the heck was going on.
The worst was the bio labs. The lab would be like, go find this solution of liquid in the room, and then after that, mix it exactly in this amount with the pipette. Lord help you if you mix it improperly halfway through the lab, because once you improperly mix a compound, there’s no going back. You have to start all over. Anyways, my lab partner and I would frantically try to mix these solutions like a mad scientist, get weird data, and realized we mixed something wrong halfway through the experiment. Furthermore, the time you get in the lab is fixed, and you can’t reschedule labs. If you mess up halfway, there’s no redos. My lab partner and I managed to mess up our final product, so therefore it was a waste to start the next lab with our solution that didn’t make sense. I’m sure if we kept cooking more, we would have grown some otherworldly organism that is an abomination to humanity in our test tubes.
Anyways, that course gave me nightmares about biology, and it is what really made me realize that Bio was not right for me. I did not enjoy working in bio labs, and I realized that to enjoy biology, you have to really enjoy memorizing lots of biological facts. It’s not like math where you can derive from first principles. You have to actually memorize a lot of the work that people did before you.
During this time, I also was working on a research project with a professor working in machine learning and image recognition. He asked me what my major was, and he was shocked to find out that I was a biomedical engineer. He asked me why I was doing biomedical engineering, and that it didn’t align at all with my project. I just told him that that was what I picked. He told me that I should become a computer engineer.
I started looking at the job prospects for Biomedical engineering, what I would be working in when I graduate, and how much money I made. The data was not good. Basically, biomedical engineers were the lowest paying engineering to graduate from my university. Furthermore, upon further reading, it seemed like being a biomedical engineer pigeonholed you specifically into the biotech industry, whereas the other engineer’s covered a very big pie.
I had lunch with my parents one day and I told them all that i learned. I told them that my research professor told me that I should switch since it didn’t fit my goals. I told them about the salary and job prospects. My dad insisted that I was still just being lazy and giving up too early.
The thing that finally sealed the deal was when someone was overhearing our conversation from another table. This honestly must have been fate, and something that sounds made up, but it’s real. This girl was listening to our conversation and said, “Hey, I heard you were talking about biomedical engineering. Listen, I think you should drop out and switch majors. I graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering and literally couldn’t find any job in the field.
It’s rare that you have moments like this happen to you in life. But I felt like, everything lined up. The professor telling me to switch. This random girl telling me exactly what I was thinking. The data that I found online. Me hating the bio course. And in hindsight, I made exactly the right decision.
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Me, a high school senior looking at BME with Boston University as my top choice: *nervous laughter*
Damn even I have applied to BU for BME
@@atharvabapat5798 SAME lol
ME TOO!!! How’d it go?
@@bigbill5865 I changed my major to bio with a concentration in cell molecular genetics bc I hate coding and the engineering track felt restrictive lol
@@BlairKim2541 oh cool. You had to do coding?
Hi Joie! My name is Meri, I am a biomedical engineer (just graduated this past May). I came across your video a few days ago. I was really interested in listening to someone who has considered the major but decided to opt out. I am glad you found a major that was a better fit for you and your expectations. However, I decided to make a video reacting to this and giving my opinion as someone who went through and LOVED the degree. I understand your point of view and again, I’m happy that you found something you enjoyed! BUT, I completely disagree with calling BME a bad major 😅 Anyway, i will be leaving the link to the video in the comments, so people who might be thinking of doing OR quitting BME can listen to two different sides :) wish you the best in your future endeavors!
Hi Meri, congrats on graduating! I appreciate the thoughtful and respectful response and think it's a great idea for people to get your perspective as well. Deciding on a major is difficult, so more knowledge is always good. I watched your video, and have some agreements and disagreements, and will reply to some of these in my next video.
Biomedical engineering is a beautiful field with the vast areas that it is pushing (human augmentation with prosthetics, Bioinformatics and analysis with studying genomes, tissue and organ engineering, biomimicry, and other wonderful technologies). This video was more a lesson on how I found a major that isn't for me, how I came to that realization, and the kind of research I should have done in hindsight and what I did to reevaluate my major. This is a broad lesson and can apply to Computer Engineering as well, if you realize computers are not your calling and biology is what your passion is. However, I will also mention some other real practical issues specific to biomedical engineering itself (at least my perception of these issues). Thank you for this discussion!
Can i from BME degree work as a software engineer or this is hard?
@@mohamednasser4182 kind of a tough transition imo. You don't really get any technical work much with software engineering when you get a major in BME much. But like the video said, he did do a bit of Machine Learning and most likely coded a small teeny tiny hit in python, so it's not impossible. But then again, nothing is stopping you and, you don't need exactly a college degree to be a software engineer.
It'll be the start of my BME first semester on 28th of october...wish me luck as I'm excited and lil bit scared at the same time.
I did graduate BME and i have been unemployed for two years and i can tell you you are wrong. This major is hot garbage
I'm a sophomore in college studying BME and my experiences so far are very similar to yours. Thank you for the insightful information!
Joie, it is so rare that a person gets to see that they have made the wrong career choice early on and pivot to a much better option like it happened for you. Kudos for listening to your own gut feelings and your professor who told you to get out of bme.
Really needed this vid
Thank you!
*me switching from Computer engineering to BME after my first year in college* : H U H
Keep pushing dw
It's just different for different ppl 😊
Thanks for this i needed it
Glad it was helpful to you!
This video rambles a bit, but you make some important points. I finished the degree and quickly realized that Biomedical Engineering is not for engineers: it’s a good degree for those who want to do research or medical school. However, medical device companies want “traditional” engineers for R&D. Kudos for understanding your goals before graduating.
What engineering majors do you think are wanted , more likely to be needed in that filed? I am going to specialise in either electronics Nd networking or automation Nd mechanics.. couldn't exactly decide Nd I'm interested in this field so I wanted something to keep my doors open for it !
@@maknimariem3979
1. Mechanical Engineering
2. Electrical Engineering
3. Computer Science
4. Computer Engineering
These four majors make up the vast majority of medical device R&D. Obviously some companies are more mechanical (e.g. implants, screws, surgical tools) while others are more software-based (e.g. EHR).
There are certainly plenty of biomedical engineering, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry majors in medical devices, but these other majors usually end up in test, regulatory, project management, or sales instead of R&D.
@@Vim_Tim thank youu ❤️❤️
Do u think there are hight salary in biomedical engineerig????
@@mkhodadadi7714 you can get a decent salary with biomedical engineering, especially in a role like sales. However, computer science (in the USA) earns way more at every level.
I'm thinking of doing medical robotic for masters at Imperial College London and hopefully, I'll enjoy it
Me a biomedical engineering student doing a double major in computer science engineering: *Laughing in pain*
Why....🙄
Ngl it sounds like you don't deal with failure well and struggle applying the lessons learned by failing
great video Joie. I would like to add: money is important in life. It's the resource you'll need in to survive. However, in my opinion, it should not come before job fulfillment or career satisfaction or the feeling that you've made a difference in the world. Speaking from my personal experience. Wish you all the best to come!
Hi man, I am currently in med school and I really like creating stuff. I was also thinking of switching my field to bioengineering but I realised that I don't want to do a job in it, I want to open my own research startup and I don't need to have a degree for that, I can just be a doctor and do this in my free time. I am currently learning how to code.
thanks for this video!
But starting startup with being a doctor is much more diffucult
@@itsoktobelovesick6304 yeah . Nearly i m possible.
Aiswarya Das
Yeah I understand but it also depends on how much you work as a doctor!
Heyy, em doing this thing same for myself , can we talk more because you're same as my mentality 💖
I love learning about many different things from medicine, and other stuffs too
Excerpt in the description is good. xD (Its faster to read it than watch)
this condition is same in india but the harsh road bump added to indian students is that most of the top indian eng. colleges either dont allow to switch the department or the change would be a competition it self as all the lower branch ( as per the present mindset of students) or even core branch students in engineering just want to switch to CSE
I’m looking into bio engineering ..definitely am going to reach for a masters. Yet I have an emphasis on bio mechanical engineering... because I can’t do labs ahahah f pipettes 😂 it’s cool tho very complicated... half the time students don’t even reach the expectations of the end results
In biology you usually have to work towards a PhD to actually invent cool stuff. There's just too much to learn.
Either you act as a sad underling to a PhD - or you're just a mechanical or electrical engineer that works in healthcare.
Either way, unless you're getting your PhD I wouldn't recommend a bioengineering degree.
i hate biomedical engineering but I can't quit it because im half way into it and my parents won't allow me to quit it i don't know what to do 😭
The good thing bout engineering career is that you can always work in a totally different filed from your studies if you work enough on your skills. I'm sure u had some mechanic and programming courses. Work on that , find other stuff u enjoy and build more skills while finishing your studies..
@@maknimariem3979 thank you so much 😭 i will try my best
read my comment above..i was in same boat but it was only after freshman year...my parents did their own research and found my concerns about BME were true..
Hey did you change your mind now ?, do you think i should take this degree?
@@Rawan-jl6kw actually i completed biomedical engineering this year april and i got a job too but that is not related to the core of biomedical engineering. I got a job in the field of medical coding. But if you're really interested in this biomedical engineering you can study this
Eeh...had biomed as a prioty choice to start off by August...but jeez this scares me to continue with my decision...what do u guys think of mech eng....
What are the list of biomedical subjects?
Hi joie can we talk on any other online platform about BME I'm so much frustrated about my future. I just wanna clear all my doubts . Hope you will help me !.
oh god i was so sure i wanted to study BME aghhhhh time's running out :`(
Do it.
Hope you're doing want you desire
I'm starting my first semester this week and at orientation the lectures of BME couldn't even state 3! Jobs were I would the the tip pick with a BME degree I have an opportunity to switch and I was thinking of chemical engneering. What did u end up doing?
@@nicolenyamangodo6649 oh wow hi! i completely forgot how nervous i was about choosing my career. I ended up choosing Industrial & Systems Engineering, I'm about to start my junior year now. If job search is a priority of yours I do recommend Chemical (or Industrial) over BME. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help.
Good decision. There are way more jobs in the IT industry. Computer Engineering is way more marketable than Biomedical Engineering.
Amazing!
Bro thank you. This was really eye opening for me. I was deciding on if i wanted to major in ChemE, BioMedE, BioChem, or CSE. This just made my decision wayyy easier. because i crossed out BioMEDE.
Btw what do you think about those other 3 majors?
Dudr biomedical eng is way better than the other 3 if you want to help humans
You could also consider bioengineering/ biotechnology engineering
I have done my ChemE. Honestly, BioMedE, BioChem is not that great presently. CSE is the cherry on top and for next few years its still expected to be a lucrative program.
Personally, if you have great software/CS related proficiency i say you should go for it.
Dear Joie,
I'm Robin from India, I just finished school and I'm confused about my career can I please have a conversation with you on any online platform...or so..It would be a great help for me to discuss things with you...
I'm ABT to choose BME...I just don't know
I'm pretty much stressed...ABT this thing.... please reply something
Hi Robin! Our channel is all about BME :) you can check it out if you’d like!
Hi Robin, you are in a unique situation because you are from India. Feel free to email me at joiemoie2004@gmail.com so I can understand more. Please also learn from others as well from the BME, such as the person who replied below.
Great video, and great charisma
thank you i was really confused
you guys are only focusing on the JOBS, not on what you really Love or passionate about!
I want to take biomedical engineering. But i already have 2 courses.
Can anyone tell me if you can become an Biomedical Engineer with a degree in I.T or Information Technology?
No, IT is not engineering unless you study computer engineering.
@@admiralspyro9722 Lol thx but I changed career plans lmao thx anyways :)
@@lighthousedimlights6404 I feel like you can do it!
In the US do you have lab exams in highschool (Final)
Augusta Mwila yes
@@ParisaTeukwi so I guess he wasn't trained well in doing lab work🤷
... And he liked Biology?
Im doing a biomedical engineering undergrad right now because its my passion and was planning on applying to ivy leagues for masters. I have a pretty good chance of getting into a few so will I still have trouble finding a good paying job? I was thinking duke or Columbia for a masters in BME. Or should I do my masters in something else?
To get a good role in the Biomedical Engineering field usually requires a Ph.D. If you think a Masters from an Ivy is going to help you then you're being deluded.
Joe Yuan my undergrad has a 90% job placement within the first 6 months and I live in a research hub. I’m not deluded waiting a few months for a job isn’t that bad.
@@deeqam.9023 If you want to get into something like Tissue Engineering / Artificial Organs, then pursue a Master's in BME. If you would like to pursue robotics, genomic sequencing, or image processing, as well as have a backup major, pursue Computer Engineering / EE / Mech Engineering.
How bad is the pay? I feel like if I tell my dad this he is going to deny it and tell me it is "the future". Honestly, I didn't know what I wanted to be but once I heard Biomedical engineering I was interested. I want to travel in the future and I want to be wealthy. How bad is this decision?
I'm a incoming second semester Junior in BME and I have interned at a pharmaceutical manufacturing co. For BME here in Texas, you can either do research or work in the industry. BMEs may be paid little depending what state you are in and how advanced medicine is in that State. If you enjoy biology, technology, or just even the fact that you are saving a life, you could get far with bme. For BME, in order to get far, you need all the experience you could get in college. Many graduates struggle to find a job without any internships and without any research background.
@@bluehope4143 thank you so much for the help! But my university includes industry ready after graduation. Should I go for it?
@@hyderalramahi6822 as in a masters? I don't know how the program is at your school, but I know where I am at, there are separate tracks. If you are interested in industry, I highly recommend interning at an industry such asa manufacture or even in a clinical setting; this can help so you can determine whether or not industry is for you. Don't wait after graduation. Since BME courses can be rigorous, many students only focus on grades and not their career life. Just because you are an incoming freshman does not mean you can't start applying to internships. You could even be a TA for a lab to start building that resume. Finally, if you find out that BME isn't for you, that's okay, there are many other amazing majors. I decided to master in biotech instead of bme for example.
I read the BME subreddit for some time and many of the people who are posting in there are suggesting that instead of pursuing BME, you pursue Mechanical / Electrical Engineering with a minor / additional courses in Biology. They found that most engineers in Biotech companies Mech / Electrical engineers, and there are few actual Biomedical engineers (also partly because this is just a new and budding field). The benefit of these other majors is that if you change your mind about the biology part, you can easily transition to a different industry in engineering, which is very broad. And if you decide you want to stick with the biology part, you can take more electives in biology or a master's in Biomedical Engineering with a Bachelor's in Mech / Electrical Engineering.
Data on salaries for BME's vs other Engineering is specific to your college that you are going to. For Boston University, the data can be found here: www.bu.edu/eng/careers/job-seekers/undergraduate-outcomes/ Biomedical Engineers graduated with a salary of $59,000 while Computer with $82,000, Electrical with $72,000 and Mechanical with $66,000. However, that data is for people with jobs. The unemployment rate for each major, I don't know, although anecdotally, I heard that very few BME's are being hired right now. The places that are hiring BME's are looking for Data Analysts processing biological data, which is something that is necessary for all engineering Majors.
If your dad disagrees, I recommend you have a well-informed discussion with data on salaries, the specific jobs you can get, the difficulty of getting these jobs, and the long term pay ceiling. If you want to travel in the future and be wealthy, consider the time frame for when you want to be wealthy. Since biomedical engineering is a new field of study, it could take several years before it becomes mature enough pay strong salaries, and if it indeed is the future, you could eventually be very rich, but you may have to accept that right when you graduate, you might make much less than others and have to be betting on the chance you picked the right path someday. In my opinion, I prefer to go with the field with most opportunity at the current moment, and if BME is indeed the future, I could pivot back to it someday with a short Master's degree.
@@joieliba2408 thank you so much this was so helpful. I don't think I'm going to do biomedical engineering I think I might pursue computer engineering
@Joie Liba is your place haunted by any chance? (EVP @06:10) lol
Nightmare fuel
I’m considering to switch from computer science to biomedical o.o What’s the pay for biomedical like? Online, I see $88,550. Is this overestimated?
Make sure ur checking the pay in your country and location within your country. It varies around the world.
It's future BME
But the jobs available are quite few in comparison.
Sarah follow your heart. Know that there are way more jobs in the IT industry.
Did u switch?
Im hearing the word 'basically' many times. Just a regular comment
im thinking Biomed engineering or Biomed science, but i suck at math i need help.
I’m stuck choosing between those two as well :/
Then biomed is not for you👍👍👍
I decided to major pre-health sciences
@@nati8065 stfu
Definitely a niche career.
wait i thought BME is like one of the top paid out of all engineers
omar farooq it’s petroleum in electrical engineering
Hi Joie. You fret to much. LOL There are no bad STEM majors unless you’re solely focused on STEM. As an undergraduate your job is to learn how to learn. Specialization can come with graduate school or a professional apprenticeship. With a sound liberal arts education you can learn anything and develop the imagination to apply and innovate. It’s all up to you.
When you hit the real world so much of what you learned in college won’t apply but it will be a deep well for you to draw upon.
My father was a physician and my mother was a Tiger Mom. Because I had a natural talent in the life sciences it was always assumed I would follow my father’s footsteps. My mother was a harridan about education. It was always about getting A’s and social status. I was never motivated by either. In fact I could have cared less about either. I was more interested in applying what I learned.
Fortunately my Father got that but he still had that expectation that I was going to follow his footsteps into the Medical dodge. So I was under tremendous pressure to get into medical school. Which I did.
However I came to regret that decision as being a physician just wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to follow daddy’s footsteps. I wanted to develop my own professional identity. I didn’t want to be constrained to working in a clinic or an office or worst of all…being chained to a desk.
So before I started my second year of Medical School I withdrew from school and accepted a position with an environmental company.
Needless to say my parents freaked out. Their view of the environmental field was some hippie chained to a tree to save a spotted owl.
However it ended up working out well for me as I found my passion. I was able to travel all over the country and have all sorts of awesome experiences that I never would had tied to a desk or a clinic. I was working outside for the most part which was great and I was also learning some entrepreneurship too.
In retrospect my parents and siblings attitudes was hilarious. I instantly became the failed, black sheep, never do well son of the family. At the time it wasn’t funny at all and because of their hostility towards my decision and any mention of my career would bring up harsh criticism and disappointment in my career choice. So I just kept my mouth shut and let them think what they wanted. So over the years I heard so many insulting and condescending comments about my career choice from my father and older brother. My mother accepted my decision with the air of I had just came out as gay. My brother stopped making his disparaging comments when he made one in front of my newlywed wife and I offered to rearrange his face.
But dad persisted for years until one day I couldn’t take it anymore. He was telling me about a young physician he had met who had completed his residency and opened his practice in same professional office as my father.
My father was telling me the guy had earned almost $200kpy his first year (this was back in the early 2,000’s.). He then went on a diatribe about how that could have been me if I had stuck out medical school.
While Pops was ranting I let out a whistle and said “Dang Dad. That’s not to far off from what I’m earning.”.
Pops kept ranting until it finally sunk in what I had said. He stopped, gave me a bewildered look and asked me to repeat what I had said, which I did.
Of course he didn’t believe me. So I showed him my tax records and he was absolutely gobsmacked. He had no clue you could earn that kind of money from an Environmental career. To me though it was sad that it took something like money to earn his respect.
To Pops credit he had a heart to heart talk to me and sincerely apologized to me for all his harsh criticism and disrespect he had shown over the years and that he was grieving that he had not once told me how proud he was of me until I had embarrassed him. Then he said those magic words “Son I’m proud of you and I’ve always been proud of you.”. I was walking on air for weeks afterwards.
Anyway, sorry for the long story but I just wanted to illustrate that as long as you receive the benefits of a good education and you have talent, a vision, imagination an open mind and belief in yourself you will be successful in whatever major or career you choose.
Earning a college degree is not a destination. It’s just a beginning for the limitless opportunities out there for young bright people like you.
So don’t fret so much about your major. As long as you believe in yourself and listen to your heart and stick to your guns you will be successful no matter what you do.
I guess the moral of my story is that those who say you can’t are almost always wrong and those who say you can are almost always right.
I’m not going to wish you luck as I don’t think you need it. As long as you believe in yourself and your vision you can’t help but be successful.
😂😂😂Not all medical doctors see patients or work in clinics
😂real life overcooked. That must be an absolute mess
I wish I knew this 2 years ago 😭
Why?
@@greatladyp6632 I just completed my masters in biomedical with concentration in medical imaging. So I'm basically into AI . My friends in computer science all got a job so quickly. I am still applying for jobs . Having a gpa of 3.96/4 ,I thought I would land a job easily. Friends with 3.2 gpa in computer science have a job and I don't ,it's frustrating
@@absharma555 you will get one dont worry . We all are in our own time zones
@@absharma555 from where did you studied
@@absharma555 Hi my friend. why do you think it is difficult to find a job? are there few places available or is the competition high?
I have a bachelor's degree in mechatronics engineering and I was thinking about a master in your field.
Thank you for your comment. Wish you success
doge? :0