Should I become a computer engineer or a surgeon?!?!?!?

flip a coin

A computer engineer is easier to do and takes less time, but if you can hack the course load and have the tuition money surgeon will pay far more Math requirements are limited in computers. If you did your geometry and trig in high school, college math 1 and 2 should suffice. If you did your chemistry, phyisics and biology in high scholl taht should also suffice. So the rest is English, History, College Math and lots of computers. To be a surgeon requires more math. Requires college level Organic Chemistry (Bezine rings galore), pharmacholoyg, anatomy, physiology, biology plus your English and History Then you to to Medical School for 4 more years pulling half shift in the hospital and half in the Chem and biology labs doing more organic chemistry, biophysics, anatomony, biology (on cadavers). After two years of this it becomes 75% hospital and 25% classroom and you'll do 48-72 hour straight shifts and they can even have you working Christmas, New Years, 4th of July and LAbor Day You are "on call" at least once a month The rest of your classes are with doctors and interns at the hospitals and clinics and you do the work of a nurse or tech Then you graduate and do 1 year emergency room intership which is basically what yo were already doing, except it's 100% of the time now You're required to get a certain amount of hours in each department under supervision. Then you take a test and if you pass it you become a licensed Doctor Then you go into REsidency for 3-5 years to learn surgery. To be board certified you need 4 years. You start off as an assistant surgeon to the 4th years. Then you are given the opportuinty to the some surgery that you've learned. In the 3 and 4 years you are lead surgeon under supervision. Then you take another test and if you pass that you become Board Certified. A computer person with a BA makes $25K a year and starts off at a Bank (typical entry level job) A computer person with an MA makes $50K a year and usually starts off a major company After 5-8 years experience you will be making $75 to $125K at a major company $200K is about tops A surgeon starts off at a Renta Surgeon center or on staff at a hospital at over $110K a year A surgeon with a private practise or who teaches and practices privately after 5-8 years is probably make $250K a year Surgeons generally charge flat fees, such as $10,000 to do a Hernia or appendctomy, but part of that money goes to insurance, receptionist, nurse, office space AND you don't see that money for about 4 months until the insurance company coughs it up Surgeons generally do 3-7 surgeries a day, 2-3 days a week So that an easy $100K to $200K gross a week, but a lot of that goes to expenses so after taxes maybe you keep 15 to 20K a week

I think you should do want you want to do, not what your parents want. Sure, it may take more years to become a surgeon, but once you do, it will be worth it to fulfill your dream. Also, once you get to college, it will become more clear what you want to do for the rest of your life. No one is making you decide right now.

Well, as a computer engineer, I can tell you this... Surgeons operate to tighten snatches... CE's snatch at tight operations.... All joking aside... Why would you be wasting 5 years of your life becoming a doctor? I would guess 80% of all college grads leave school unsure of what they want to be or do in life. The ones who stay in school and figure out if they're on the right path or not, graduate with MBA's or Doctorates and go on to do the amazing things in the world. I would say shoot for the surgeon thing and have a minor or double major in CE to fall back on if it doesn't work out. Besides...a lot of the medical industry is going high tech these days...you'd have a lot of choices that way.

While there are a lot of computer engineers, and still ability to make money at computer engineering, depending on what you specialize in, it might be too late when you get out, as computer engineering jobs are being outsourced overseas at an alarming rate (meaning big companies (and little) are using oversea specialists instead of specialists from the States. You might want to research nanotechnology -- and see if that interests you... there is already a lot going on in that area, Surgery is good, too, but it's a pretty demanding profession,. I wouldn't worry about losing time, or gaining "job time" I would go with your gut, what do you love, and what would you be happy doing? That's what it will come down to.

no, follow your dream and first choice and be a dr. if money is the parental concern, take loans

do both, have you looked into bio engineering? you can work with computters and engineering in the health industry. Look into The University of Pittsburgh's Engineering program, you can major in bio engineering and also do a computer engineering minor, if you choose to go to med school afterwards you can if not you can go right into industry. www.engr.pitt.edu

Enlist in the Navy. Learn there, then decide.