http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materials_engineering


Well, I'm not a materials engineer, but one of my classes this sem is a materials engineering course. what im learning about is basically a lot about the structures of materials on different scales, and how properties are affected by different factors, such as rate of cooling and such. personally, not exactly my cup of tea, the materials part. reminded me a bit about chemistry minus the reactions.

I wouldn't exactly say that there's nothing. There are a couple of aerospace companies based in Malaysia (CTRM, Strand), so yes, there are still choices, but they aren't as many as certain other forms of engineering. Although, you aren't just confined to searching for only AeroEng related jobs as well; what you learn is rather multidisciplinary, and you can work in other fields of engineering as well.

A central part of engineering is knowing conceptually how things work, and knowing how to implement these concepts within certain limits. If you have a liking for understanding what causes something to work, you can still consider engineering. Be warned though, you'll need to not only know how to do math, but also have a certain amount of understanding how the mathematics work as well.

How about a physics major?

I believe Mechanical Engineering is possible, we do have quite a bit of similarities. But we specialise a lot more in aeronautics and astronautics (duh lol). But as long as you can grasp a lot of things on the conceptual level, you can apply it to a different branch. After all, in general, engineering trains you to be pretty versatile.

Alright, although I must warn you, a liking of aeronautics and aviation might not be enough to carry you through. You end up doing a lot of math in any form of engineering; mainly calculus. Just something to bear in mind if you by any chance hate math. A strong physics background will help as well.

Oh no, I meant to ask whether you've considered doing a physics degree. Although I don't know much about the job prospects for that. I use the terms degree and major rather interchangeably.

As for ChemE, I'm not too sure, but I have a couple of friends doing that. They seem to be mostly working for the oil and gas industry though, but that is a somewhat sizeable job market in Malaysia, I would say. Although, I would recommend you try talk to people working in that industry itself to get a better idea of how it's like.

Aero is a lot more specialized, and arguably (note: arguably. I haven't taken MechE, and can't say for certain. But based on perception and observation, it seems so. But that's just personal opinion) tougher. I'd advise you, if you don't have any interest at all in aviation or space, don't take it. Most of the time it's the interest that spurs you on. I have yet to meet an Aero engineer who's taking this course without any interest in this field to begin with. And more than likely in Malaysia, as there aren't that many aerospace related companies around, you'll end up working outside of the industry.

As an Aerospace Engineering undergrad, I take particular offence at your statements, to be honest. It's a bit too sweeping to say that our foundations are weak. All engineering students in my uni go through the same foundation courses, meaning we all have a similar foundation level. Our degree is a lot more specialised, meaning it's a lot more catered towards the aerospace sectors, but if you're a good engineer, what you learn in any branch of engineering can very easily be applied to another branch should you want to do so.

I don't think you give up anything, to be honest. You give yourself the option of working with aerospace companies, yet at the same time, you still can work in mechanical fields as well. Perhaps there is no visible advantage here, but at the same time, it's not a disadvantage to do aerospace. Granted, the aerospace field is a lot more limited in Malaysia; however, if it's your passion to do so, why not? It's not an easy degree though, I'll have to say.

Hahaha regarding the 1 mark add math, I have a fun story to share here.

In one of my engineering classes midterms one sem, the average was like a 20/100, and I scored like an 8. Haha first time that I've ever scored a single digit in an exam ever.

Hahaha, I find that a couple of years of engineering school makes you a lot more humble, when you're getting your butt kicked by subjects, and have to start working with people to survive.

I would say that SPM math is a pretty poor indicator of how good your math skills are, as it promotes rote memorization instead of understanding. Good unis will probably try to let you understand concepts. Like my first year in uni, it completely blew my mind on how mathematics really was.