What field has a better job outlook?

Is the engineering field rewarding and is the job outlook good?

• I'm planning to be a biomedical engineer but not sure if the engineering field is what I want

• Answer:

  I am a biomedical engineer. I have focused primarily on electronic medical records. But I have also worked with medical devices and engineering projects for renewable energy. I am working more on the "software" side rather than hardware. My suggestion is to get a dual background in both hardware and software with additional training for FDA compliance regulations. In that regard, you could concentrate on medical imaging, digital signal processing, or mechanical control engineering. The courses are generally difficult. It requires about 3 years of calculus with rigorous programming in Matlab, C#/C++, and applied physics. Biomedical engineers also take courses in anatomy, physiology, and chemistry. Some also take organic chemistry and biochemistry. The program is very hard. Many students switch majors. But the jobs are in demand if you align yourself correctly. Perhaps you could start with an associate's degree in technology like radiology, computer science, autocad drafting, computer systems engineering, etc. and decide if you really like it. Then you can switch to the rigorous full-time program for a bachelor's of science in biomedical engineering. So it's a hard major, but jobs can be found if you find the right program. The suggestion to get an associate's degree first before you proceed would be a reasonable approach - a gradual escalation of difficulty. Also try a job search here. http://www.dice.com/ Type in the following search words for jobs. medical device FDA GMP part 820 HL7 SNOMED surgery cardiac pacemaker prosthetic biomechanics medical clinical analyst There are alternatives. If you are more on the clinical side, you could try physician assistant or allied health like PharmD. If you prefer the business aspect, you could look into the MBA with a healthcare focus or health economics. If you prefer pure software, then medical informatics would be good. For added job security, you can look into additional programs for regulatory affairs or engineering management. There are many options.