Chemical and Mechanical Engineering help?

Long question: should I major in Finance or Chemical Engineering? Please help?

• I'm starting college all over again at 22. Thanks to my dad, I have a Canadian Immigrant Visa. I start classes in Canada in September. I'm good at management. I like debating and communication, my presentation skills are excellent, and I can enjoy math. I like to read and learn, and management subjects are easy to me. So, I thought maybe Finance would be a good major. The problem is, more people than ever seem to be going to business school, and Finance is pretty popular. Although, we're not in the best economy for it anymore. I'm confident that, with this motivation, I can score perfectly in all my coursework, try to graduate first in my class, take advantage of every internship and co-op I can possibly find, and do very well on my GMAT later. I'm willing to work like hell these 3/4 years. The school I'm going to is pretty good (one of Canada's top 13) but it's not a tier-1 school like Harvard or Cambridge. A tier-1 degree is what really distinguishes a businessperson. So, I'm very worried about finding a job, with good money. I thought maybe I should study Chemical Engineering instead. It would be very hard for me. I did terribly in the hard sciences in high school. They're really not my thing, but then I never studied either. The thing is a degree in Chemical Engineering would only take as much time as a Finance one, only it would guarantee a job and a $60,000 starting salary. My brother is studying to be an engineer. Some people in Finance make huge amounts of money, especially trading in securities, and that's my dream. But few people get to do that. It's true that I can graduate in Chemical Engineering, then get an MBA with a concentration on Finance -- maybe even from a tier-1 school if I work and save. But, I don't think that would give me the same proficient background in Finance as an honors bachelor's would. So what should I choose? Finance or Chemical Engineering?

• Answer:

  You say that the time will be the same for either degree... wrong! The average ChE student takes about 6 years to graduate, and could have graduated in finance in 3. There are no guarantees that you will get a job with a degree in ChE. I graduated in a year they were in very high demand, but there were a couple of classmates who didn't have a job - no personality or hands-on knowledge of how to use tools. However, the average Finance major from an average school starts out at maybe $20k/year, and the average ChE from the average school starts out at $61,500/year. The average finance guy after 25 years is making maybe $85,000 and happy to make it. The average ChE is making $100k or more (www.payscale,com). If you go on to get an MBA after a BS CHE, to make the big bucks, you no longer do engineering. If that's cool with you, know yourself out!