Why I Switched out of Biomedical Engineering

Рет қаралды 26,413

2 жыл бұрын

Biomedical engineering major is often talked about as the most promising; but is biomedical engineering worth it? Are biomedical engineering jobs actually looking for biomedical engineers? Will you have regrets as a biomedical engineering student?
Here I tell the story of why I switched out of biomedical engineering into electrical engineering, and why it was worth it.

Пікірлер: 106

@hapecampr5868 7 ай бұрын

My son is pursuing a PHD in Biomedical Engineering but the specific track is cell and tissue engineering. Originally thinking of going to med school he has now decided the PHD route in hopes of getting into cell and tissue research. That said he has been involved with a few medical device design projects in school and enjoyed that. They are devices that interact with tissues and do not require any electrical components but do require biological,chemical and material knowledge. I agree with the original post, it’s all about what you are interested in.

@joshuaxjoseph Жыл бұрын

I'm an astrophysics undergrad and learned so much from this video! I really appreciate you taking the time to make it, thank you so much :)

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

Woah astrophysics is super cool! Any specific reason you got into this field?

@malikazharabbas9416 2 ай бұрын

you just spoke my heart rn !

@chloelin7459 4 ай бұрын

I'm a high school senior who wants to major in EE but could get in a better uni (the top schools in my country) if I were to apply for BME. I think I might still go with EE. I learned a lot from this video, thank you so much!

@nami1540 2 ай бұрын

Don't go by rankings. Go by what interests you most. Look up the staff of your univerisity. Are they doing interesting research? What is there research focus and are they active?

@abrij1708 Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad I came across this video! Currently about to go back to uni to pursue engineering. However, I am passionate about musculoskeletal biomechanics. The University allows for a concentration in BME if you pursue Mechanical, Electrical, or Chemical engineering. Based on what was discussed within the video and the fact that I want to work with companies involved in prosthetics, 3D printing organs, companies like these would still prefer the Mechanical/Electrical right? The BME concentration would be the icing on the cake?

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

thats a good way to put it -- if you're passionate about biomechanics, have a strong mechanical foundation and take as many bio classes as you can

@vaishnavravulaparthi7612 6 ай бұрын

I really want to get into neuromorphic computing or brain computer interfaces. What major in engineering should I pick. I thought biomedical engineering may be the correct path but I am not so sure anymore becuase I can get into those fields by doing electrical or computer engineering as well.

@clueless_andy 11 ай бұрын

Hey, im a bachelor student in BME and im on the verge of applying outside iran. Main courses i took were related to EE, do you think i have a good shot at changing my major to EE or Electronics engineering? I feel like I've made a mistake coming to this BME field

@beet311 Ай бұрын

i guess my problem is not knowing which field I want to pursue yet. all I know is I like engineering and neurons/brains. so I figured choosing a major like bme or mechatronics (a broader field) could help me decide what I liked most in engineering, so I could advance myself in what I want. i know I should do more research especially because I have a few months left to decide but I'm just so torn between everything, and i cant find any good sources anyways

@IamZeus1100 3 ай бұрын

Awesome vid , very Informative! Im interested in biomedical engineering, well specifically working on prosthetics , but I don’t want to work on basic prosthetics . My goal is to one day invent /work on some really advanced robotic prosthetics. I know I love medicine because I was a corpsman in the military and worked in general surgery and also a shock trauma platoon . But I really want to help those who have lost limbs , but I don’t want to give them something that they will still be handicapped.. what if their new leg or arm could be like an upgrade instead of a crutch . What would be the best route to go? I’ve seen that Stanford offers a more specific biomechanical engineering program which seems more in line .. but that’s one of the only schools I’ve seen with a specific biomechanical engineering major and Stanfords probably not an option since it’s crazy hard to get into . Or would BME with a focus in prosthetics or just mechanical engineering be best ? I want to do stuff like Hugh Herr one day , his work is incredible . Any advice would be greatly appreciated !

@alithedazzling 3 ай бұрын

whichever one you get into and gives you best package, as well as feels right -- go by your intuition

@pyramo3170 Жыл бұрын

At the university I go to, BME is brutal and is basically electrical + mechanical courses but tailored to BME. Specializations exist and engineering minors are possible with elective slots, to take computer courses for example. It doesn’t combat all problems but is enough for me to stick with it. Plus, I definitely want to be in that form of industry.

@rc915 3 ай бұрын

Hi . Im currently looking for courses to apply to and was interested in BME . How much of it is like physics : human anatomy kinda ratio and are the post graduate careers actually worth it if you dont mind me asking?

@pyramo3170 3 ай бұрын

At the end of the day it’s still engineering. At my university, it was 90% physics and math, 10% biology/chem. The only real difference in the physics and math courses was the applications were tailored but I learned the same stuff. In my case that made me ask an obvious question: since I’ve taken the biology classes, why not switch to mechanical and broaden my horizons. Your mileage may vary.

@rc915 3 ай бұрын

@@pyramo3170 thank you for a quick reply even after a year I appreciate it greatly . In terms of things like internships , future employers or like the degree in actual terms of “usefulness” would you say it’s not as impossible to use the degree/get employed as some people on the internet say? Again thanks and sorry for the questions

@pyramo3170 3 ай бұрын

I think what happens is that you limit yourself to one industry but you’re not specialized within it. My understanding is you’re basically asking me if the degree is employable/useful. I’ll break this in two. Is the degree useful: Engineers have this funny way of getting jobs that aren’t engineering because people just assume you’re intelligent and BME is no exception. Clearly as a BME you like medicine and by association, helping people which looks good also. This isn’t a degree that gives you no value. Is it employable: Yes, but it may not be the jobs you expect. The jobs that are listed as BME are limited and highly competitive. But the thing to remember is there are many jobs you can apply to not under that title. When I was BME I was looking at clinical engineer. A lot of BMEs end up in the quality engineering space so I’d see if you’re comfortable with that kind of work. I will say that to get the “cooler” jobs people normally want to see a masters, but the people I’ve asked within senior management say that applies to most engineering professions. Basically you’ll be fine. I think people say what they do because as a MechE, I can also build prosthetics, work on medical machinery, and so forth. You’ll learn a few things I won’t so ideally there’s a spot for both of us, and I do work with a lot of BMEs at the moment as I’m at a pharma company.

@rc915 3 ай бұрын

@@pyramo3170 thanks this helps quite a lot . I really limited my choices as despite doing well in triple science gcse I didn’t chose chem or physics and even my current a level math teacher really wanted me to do further math but I didn’t do them as I didn’t realise their necessity in uni STEMs. When I researched stuff it genuinely seemed like u either have to be a doc/dentist to have a “worth” degree and maybe some engineering one that u have to be a genius for . Online BME kept getting labelled as “jack of all trades master of none” so it made me very hesitant and I’m very against redoing another year to do chem or physics so I feel quite lost

@sleptember2631 Жыл бұрын

So basically biomedical is like mechatronics jack of all trades master of none

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

depends on the school, but in my opinion yes.

@Norrmoon Жыл бұрын

I'm guessing the same applies to mechatronical engineering, right? I just started my master's degree in it, though I'm more intrested in EE and through specialization most of my subjects are common with electrical engineers, but still have to learn some mechanical skills. It's yet a question in my head if I can find jobs in EE areas with ME degree later on.. Hopefully yes :)

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

if you have good skills there will always be a job

@kebabhealth 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for the video. Is software engineering also a broader degree ? I’m currently studying BME (year 1) , but I recently figured out I want to work in the software engineering/ cyber security field 🥲 btw can you still enter one of these 2 fields with a BME degree?

@richak1868 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the informative video! But I wanted to ask would you say that majoring in BME would be a good idea if you're interested in diagnosing diseases or treating it?

@thelordofsimps6095 Жыл бұрын

then study biomedical science, if you want to CREATE DEVICES to diagnose diseases and trea them, then BME is for u

@theonlyalecazam2947 Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

You're welcome

@Aquaou Ай бұрын

I know this video is over a year old, but I am currently pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering (BME) with a focus on medical devices. I also plan to take summer classes to earn at least a minor, and hopefully a bachelor's, in machine learning. My goal is to integrate medical devices with machine learning. Do you think BME is a good option? I'm still a bit unsure, but I enjoy both programming and biology, so I'm considering a career in biomedical software engineering.

@swaggyd2790 Жыл бұрын

I’m interested in going into the biomedical engineering field and want a job right after undergrad. I was thinking of majoring in EE and minoring in BME while also doing co-ops/internships in college. Is this a good plan or should I major in something else?

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

thats a good plan if you are interested in the circuits/sensors part of BME

@joudalnasser3315 Жыл бұрын

Hey. I am an occupational therapy student . since I graduated from high school I was interested in biomedical engineering and Still interested . Now it’s my second year in occupational therapy but I still have the chance to switch my major to biomedical engineering, But still I don’t know if it’s worth it because it will cost me seven years at University . And I went to the doctors and biomedical engineers in my university and I ask them some questions,I found that occupational therapy have a strong relationship with biomedical engineering Because biomedical engineering they invest equipment and OTs Training the clients to use them , Which is really cool because either way they are in the same aspect of health , So I just wanna now your opinion about this , Weather should I switch my major or stay in occupational therapy which i like

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

thats a tough one to decide -- it comes down to whether you enjoy working directly with people and helping people and talking to people (OT) or if you enjoy more the physics and design process of making machinery and equipment (BME)

@estelasuarez1585 Жыл бұрын

I have heard that it is better to study another engineering like mechanical or electrical engineering and then doing a master in biomedical engineering. What should I do? Is it easy to find a job? Greetings from Spain

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

I am not sure about job market in spain, but id say if you are absolutely obsessed with biomedical engineering and love it, go for it, otherwise go for a more general degree if you wanna keep more options open

@gabeyang-ru8wu Жыл бұрын

I’m interested in designing and developing medical devices (ex dialysis machines) but I don’t really know what engineering degree is best for that. Is mechanical engineering better or electrical engineering better for this.

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

if that's really what you want to do, you can get into a really good biomedical engineering program -- otherwise if you're more interested in the devices side of things that's more electrical. Mechanical is more things like prosthetics

@nami1540 2 ай бұрын

Look up BBraun in Germany. They are hiring mechanical engineers for that. One of my friends gets his degree funded by them. You need to know that they are quite conservative and their website is terrible

@juliotitosagastegui9453 10 ай бұрын

yep, it is well known that mech eng take all biomed jobs (it's just a meme, not literal) the only reason (my biomed friend told me this) to major biomed eng is to go to med school, like some people do biology as premed then go to med school but in case they dont make it they end up with a (kinda useless alone) biology major, but if you dont make it at least you have a biomed eng major.

@siyannedaniel719 7 ай бұрын

hey, i think youre right. im a senior in highschool right now and im really stressing about what to do. i dont want to go in undecided but i was considering bme but like u mentioned its hard finding jobs, ive been researching. from my understanding if i go with me i can still go into other field like bme for instance? and if i go with bme im only limited to the medical field, is that correct? ive already been accepted into 2 colleges for bme but im really starting to question it. im also taking the work environment i'd be in out of college in consideration , like i dont want to be wearing a bag on my head and such, i find it underwhelming but thats just me,. in short, me is the better option because you cando more with it? i feel like im just jumping into things and its really stressful esp since im almost done with hs, thanks

@alithedazzling 7 ай бұрын

you can switch your major after one semester -- it is not fatal, especially if you live in US. Id say once you get there, talk to advisors, professors, students, and make it your main goal to figure out what to major in that first year. Good luck! you can join our discord and ask students from either major discord.gg/dZUbkpHDsB

@Lemurai 4 ай бұрын

Honestly your best bet to get into those pharma research & bio mechanical appliance manufacturing is through nursing, gaining clinical knowledge then earning a masters degree in bio medical engineering, pharmacology or biochemistry. You’ll def get a lot farther than most in biotech with clinical experience in your background, especially experience with geriatric patients which is where the bulk of prosthetic appliances & medications go towards. Speaking from experience, I’m an RN but I did my masters in Bio-engineering which is honestly chemical engineering with a strong biology/pharmacology concentration rather than being all over the place.

@gladelsaint6299 Жыл бұрын

You stated a Bachelor's in BME isn't concrete enough to find many job offers but what about a Master's??

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

same concept, only do it if you really like BME

@user-mf5yn9ui1z 2 ай бұрын

What about chemical engineering？ Is it also kinda too broad？

@starthatflies6888 Жыл бұрын

I am passionate about Computer Science, but in our country, we have to sit for a competitive exam and according to our ranks, we get the subjects in the best institution. So should I keep Mechanical ahead of BME in subject choice, if I want to switch to CSE job field later on? Or BME will be better as there is less pressure than Mecha?

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

no, mechanical is far away from CS, but in biomedical you can at least write code for biomedical applications

@starthatflies6888 Жыл бұрын

@@alithedazzling but as you said, taking a core degree will be better, so I kept ME ahead of BME 😥

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

@@starthatflies6888 rely on the programming aspects of ME then, and get really good at MATLAB. Doesn't matter what you choose, what matters is how you handle it and what you learn

@amirahmed651 3 ай бұрын

You can also study MSc in BME basically 2-3 yrs, after having a BSc in EE or mechanical engineering

@CanvaSpecialist 10 ай бұрын

💯 true even after 4 years you are not getting skilled in anything that can get you job right away.

@nickputkaradze1181 2 жыл бұрын

Did you apply to PhD straight out of bachelor's or did you do master's in between? I'm starting my fourth and a last year on EE bachelor's and I'm not sure what to do (do master's or straight PhD).

@alithedazzling 2 жыл бұрын

I applied straight out of the bachelors -- but I had a lot of experience (3 internships, undergrad research, etc.) so it made it easier to get into PhD programs. I'd say apply for PhD program anyway if you have specific professor/research topic you want to get into, otherwise you can apply for masters. I made a video about this a while ago (I talk about the idea of applying somewhere in there) check it out kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kJ2VlNOW25bDYHk.html

@e1m1heretic49 Жыл бұрын

@@alithedazzling have you noticed that NASA of the NAZI is only making t-shirts and logo hats instead of going to space beyond the moon or going billd a moon city or create an artificial gas station in space 🤔.

@IMKinano 4 ай бұрын

BME fresh graduate here, is there any way to pursue a master in EE or ME and work on that field? or am i screwed? I feel like my BME degree is not enough

@nandopando8362 Ай бұрын

You should check around for internships opportunities. I am also a fresh biomedical Eng undergraduate with about a year experience as a clinical engineer. I would tell you now that it is really difficult to get a job as a biomedical engineer without Atleast a masters where you can specialise in a particular field of BME. I am currently enrolling to do my masters of Electrical Engineering. As I noticed most of the leading healthcare tech companies require a masters of electrical engineering. This will allow me to expand to other industries. I wish I saw more videos like this when before I started! I was in electrical engineering and I switched to BME. But I finished and enjoyed the programme. Onto bigger things!

@IMKinano 17 күн бұрын

@@nandopando8362 Right now im pursuing for studiying 2.5 years more and getting a second bachelors into electrical engineer, then i think i would like to work into the electrical field and search for oportunnities for a master relationated with both of my bachelors. I think is the best move i can do.

@babysunoj8103 6 ай бұрын

Im a parent from India and i was looking for Masters in Biomedical Engineering in USA in another 2 years time. Can you suggest some affordable univ for middle class students to do this course?

@alithedazzling 6 ай бұрын

apply everywhere

@markushektor8505 Жыл бұрын

In my BME degree there is like 90% electrical engineering and the rest is medicine. So i see it more as an EE degree.

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

That's a good program then! Make sure to apply for EE jobs as well as BME and highlight that you coursework was mainly in EE

@markushektor8505 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the advice and the answer :)

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

@@markushektor8505 very welcome

@Reemaomar__99 Жыл бұрын

I’m studying software engineering and I want to switch to bme so do you recommend me?

@aram9167 Жыл бұрын

@@Reemaomar__99 don't do it, you will regret it

@sharukhan3697 Жыл бұрын

I'm interested in BME and BAE(aeronautical engineer) in this courses which is better for your choice

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

whichever you are more interested in

@sharukhan3697 Жыл бұрын

@@alithedazzling thankyou for your reply sir ♥️♥️

@mohdnihalcs 29 күн бұрын

Is biomedical engineering same as medical engineering…also will doing medical physics be a advantage for this ?

@erenjaeger5344 2 жыл бұрын

What was your age when you eventually graduated in EE?

@alithedazzling 2 жыл бұрын

I graduated when I was 21 -- started my PhD right away

@erenjaeger5344 2 жыл бұрын

@@alithedazzling oh that’s very young. How is that possible? In Germany you‘re at least 18-19 when you finish high school and can go to university. Bachelor takes 6 semester and Master 4 Semester. So you’re 23-24 when you are allowed to start a phd (And that’s very young). I know many people who are 24 y/o and do not have a bachelors degree.

@alithedazzling 2 жыл бұрын

@@erenjaeger5344 In the United States you graduate high school generally at 18. I was born in November so I graduated at 17. Then 4 years bachelors, I graduated at 21. I went into PhD program right away. Got my masters at 23, and will hopefully get my PhD at 26 (I am 25 right now) -- hope that clarifies!

@graveyardspliff Жыл бұрын

@@alithedazzling hey man I’m 24 now and just started to think about going back to college and take it seriously. Is it too late for me to learn something really hard? I’m currently a car mechanic and just looking for ways to improve my life

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

@@graveyardspliff not at all! If you are a car mechanical, maybe you would be interested in mechanical engineering? There's a fantastic mechanical engineering youtube cahnnel, a guy called Tamer Shaheen, you should check out his videos

@kavya9683 Ай бұрын

are you saying if i study biomedical engineering alone, it'll get me nowhere?

@shahzaibzaibi677 2 жыл бұрын

😍

@alithedazzling 2 жыл бұрын

Thank :-)

@franciscoadjei8143 Жыл бұрын

Even if you are designing a pacemaker you need to consider the biomaterial aspect

@00AV00 7 ай бұрын

I'm about to go to college and I really like Engineer. I don't know which branch of Engineering I would like to do because I like all of them. I would like to hear what you think about this. Which Engineering Major is a good fundamental place to start to branch out to different aspects of Engineering?

@alithedazzling 7 ай бұрын

mechanical and electrical

@dBakaj Ай бұрын

I won’t worry too much about being a jack of all trades master of none while you’re in school. If you’re not sure about which engineering discipline, then definitely don’t choose BME. However, if you know you want to be an engineer in the medical field, then go for it. Biomedical companies will hire biomedical graduates as the first choice before considering engineers from other disciplines. It’s anecdotal on my part, but it seems like BME graduates interviewing for a BME position always seems more excited because it is what they prepared for in school. While an electrical engineer or mechanical engineer interviewing for the same position is just applying because they just wanted a job but unsure of what they really want to do. I once asked a mechanical engineer graduate during an interview about how she felt about being around blood and exposed internal organs. She withdrew from the hiring process because she didn’t know it involved being in a surgery room with actual patients.

@tomseller2234 2 жыл бұрын

I know a guy that is finishing bio engineering had he not randomly met a women at a wedding that just happened to be in the field no way would he have had a job lined up

@alithedazzling 2 жыл бұрын

Haha I can totally see that. I guess the lesson is; attend more weddings!

@nsgnsg4108 Жыл бұрын

BME is a big field. Electrical engineering can't work in a lab or as a researcher

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

Yes you can! I worked in a lab as EE, and I am currently doing research. I at one point was working on brain machine interfaces, which is a BME topic. It's less rigid than you think

@nsgnsg4108 Жыл бұрын

@@alithedazzling I mean in a biology lad doing chemistry, tissue engineering etc....

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

@@nsgnsg4108 sure, but in this video i'm talking about the "electronic" track of BME -- sharing my personal experience, not saying this is the holy grail

@nsgnsg4108 Жыл бұрын

@@alithedazzling Have you got master in Electrical Engineering? Can I get to a medical school with biomedical engineering degree?

@alithedazzling Жыл бұрын

@@nsgnsg4108 yes actually biomedical engineering in my opinion is perfect major to prepare for medical school! And yes I do have a MS in EE, I am almost done with a PhD also

@OceanIgs 4 ай бұрын

This is similar to my situation haha. I was a pre-major in BME until I transition to EE. Why you ask? 1. I'm not interested in medical school. A majority of my classmates are under a pre-med track and there's barely any students like me who are interested in pursuing prosthetics and neural engineering. 2. It's a hard major. The BME program is super competitive that it requires me to have a 3.6 GPA or higher to be accepted into major status and I only had a 3.5 GPA. To improve my GPA, I was advised to retake multiple classes for an A. Not worth the time and money. 3. Like you said, there aren't a whole lot of jobs as a "Biomedical Engineer". Based on my local job market, you'll most likely work as a Quality Engineer which doesn't sound appealing to me. With all those in mind, I wanted to pursue into Engineering relating to Neural Engineering and guess what? Electrical Engineering has that too under the Robotics track. Through EE, I discover I also like Power and there's a lot more versatility in the job industry for EE unlike BME. I like the versatility in EE because I'm not 100% sure if Power or Neural Engineering is what I want to do for my life despite being interested in them. I do not regret my decision in transitioning to EE. It turned out to be the major I felt right into it and I'm gonna stick with it. I also would like to note that I can take courses in neural engineering that is an upper division in BME as an EE for elective credits. So that works out for me, too haha! Thanks for the video!