Howdy,
I've come looking for ideas or advice or suggestions. I'm finishing up my freshman year as a biology major, and I began intending to apply to medical school once I graduated. I've been doing things all through high school to gain experience and shadowing to learn about the medical field, so medicine is all I've ever really known.

After completing this first year, my GPA is at a 3.0, which would not be enough to even be considered for medical school. I realize I still have time to get it up, but I honestly don't believe that I am cut out for it, and I'd rather not waste another three years only to come up short.

I've always enjoyed building things and assembling things, which leads me to believe that I might also enjoy something like engineering or construction science. However, because I had always thought that I be a doctor, I never became familiar with other careers and what they consist of.

Basically I have come looking to see what the difference is between something like civil engineering vs construction science, what type of careers/jobs would be available, what type of experience I would need such as internships and extracurriculars, and anything else that you think would be helpful to make a decision.

I'm also aware that there's other professions in the medical field such as sales and stuff, but I still would like to keep an open mind to make a more informed decision.

This is obviously a pretty big deal and I have thought it over and slept on it for weeks, and all I ask for is other advice outside friends, family, and advisors.

Any and all help is appreciated.

Take a professional aptitude test administered through psychologists. It's not cheap but they will help you determine your interests/strengths/weaknesses.

Quote:

---

Basically I have come looking to see what the difference is between something like civil engineering vs construction science, what type of careers/jobs would be available, what type of experience I would need such as internships and extracurriculars, and anything else that you think would be helpful to make a decision.

---

My old man spent about 30 years working for Fluor as a General Superintendent. He got to travel the world and built a lot of things that are still there and will be for generations to come. In fact, Fluor still showcases some of his work on their web site.

Here's some of my dad's handiwork from Valdez, Alaska


What my dad did was basically "Construction Science". So by that, I mean - building stuff. Managing contractors, subcontractors, inspecting their work and holding them to the schedule and quality standards.

Lots of long hours at "The Job Site".

You don't have to do something like Fluor which was big projects that typically lasted 3-4 years and could be anywhere in the world. You could do something more locally like even home construction which will continue to be booming in Texas for the foreseeable future.

If you were to go Civil Engineering, that would probably be more design work. Roads, bridges, buildings, etc. That's pretty cool because there is always new technology being developed. Some of the super skyscrapers and extra long bridges that exist today were inconceivable just 30 years ago.

One cool thing about construction is as a college student, there are lots of jobs available so you can earn some money while figuring out if this is really what you want to do. I spent one summer working for the Texas Highway Department (now TXDOT) in Galveston County. I learned a lot. And when the economy was terrible after I graduated from A&M, I did have a skill that I could get a job with - doing highway construction.

Quote:

---

I'm also aware that there's other professions in the medical field such as sales and stuff, but I still would like to keep an open mind to make a more informed decision.

---

One of my fish buddies in the Aggie Band was the classic Animal Science major who wanted to be a Veterinarian kind of thing. His grades weren't so hot but... he managed to land a medical field sales job after graduation. The first few years, he was not making a lot of money but he did get a company car. A company car that he was putting 30,000-50,000 miles/year on. Anyway, over time, he worked his way up the food chain and now is building his dream house in his hometown. So... it's not glamorous and it does take a lot of hard work but medical sales could pay off.

Thanks for the response. From what I can tell, is construction science typically more of a management/business/overwatch role? As opposed to engineering being more of a hands on designing role?

I know the response above mentioned mechanical engineering, are most engineering degrees usually pretty flexible on career paths and options?

I'm more than likely going to pick up a minor in business, and I assume this would be beneficial regardless, but would majoring in either engineering and construction and minoring in the other be a better decisions?

I was like you and also wanted to be a doctor going into college. I started with biomedical engineering for some reason. I stayed in that a year and then switched to civil. Don't really know why I switched to civil it just seemed like the thing to do at the time and a few others in my cluster team were civil. I would probably do petroleum now if I had to do it over.

An engineering degree from A&M is always going to be a good option and allow you to do almost anything after you graduate. Just be ready for all of the math and science. A few others that graduated with me got minors in business but I don't think it really did anything for them in terms of getting a job. I could be wrong.

Civil and mechanical can both work in a ton of industries. They would be mainly doing the design of projects where con sci would be the pm or superintendent on construction projects. That a broad brush though.

I guess I'll be "that guy" here.

If bio isn't working out from a scholastic intensity standpoint, consider that when you select your next major. From what I understand, mechanical is tougher than civil is tougher than cosci. I don't know where bio falls in that continuum. I suspect it's somewhere in the middle but is also heavier in science/memorization compared to the more mathematics/physics-focused engineering degrees.

Keep in mind your strengths and weaknesses as you select a new major. The last thing you want to do is a find yourself right back in the same spot or worse next year. Hopefully that comes across the right way because my intent is to be helpful. I switched from a tough major to a much easier one myself and everything worked out quite well.