Biomedical Engineering Combines Many Skills
By Sally Tolentino
Twenty years ago, any graduating college student with just about any major was able to
acquire basically any job they desired, as long as they fulfilled the qualifications. Now,
though, even with all the qualifications, graduating college students must enter a rigorous
process of interviews and intense competition-all for the possibility of a job. These days,
choosing the right major is an extremely important choice for anyone aspiring to be
successful-and the perfect way to achieve success is to acquire a major in biomedical
engineering.
Now, success is measured in innumerable ways. One is the financial stability that can be
gained from occupations involving that major. The median annual salary for a first year
biomedical engineer is roughly $48,000, which is only slightly less than that the roughly
$56,000 earned by first year electrical engineers (information acquired from salary.com).
However, given the heavily large amount of applicants who apply for electrical
engineering (EE) majors nationwide, the competition and rivalry among EE is
exceptionally higher and stronger than in biomedical engineering.
When applying for college in pursuit of an electrical engineering major, the risk of being
rejected is also higher, especially since biomedical engineering is still a relatively new
major, which has just recently begun to become more popular. Even if a student succeeds
in being accepted into a college for EE, he will then find himself plagued with multitude
of other students aspiring to achieve a degree in EE. This just continues into the job
application stage, where the thousands of hardworking EE degree holding bachelors will
be narrowed down until only a portion are accepted into actually high paying jobs, since
the supply of EE majors is much greater than the demand. The same applies for many
other popular majors. Biomedical engineering overcomes any of these challenges,
ensuring the degree-receiver a well paying job.
Another measure of success is by the amount of enjoyment or excitement one receives
from their job. Biomedical engineering combines the skills and techniques used in
chemical, electrical, mechanical, and optical engineering. Knowledge of all these
different subjects is necessary in order to be a proper biomedical engineer. For those
many students who know they wish to pursue a scientific career-but are not sure which
one-this is a perfect assortment of all scientific subjects into one major. A student taking
this major will take a variety of classes, and not be anchored down to a specific, detailed
analysis of one particular branch of science. Biomedical engineering combines all of
science into career.
In a world where more and more people are applying for college, the best way to have
fun and ensure a successful future is through biomedical engineering. With more people
working in this field, the technological advancement in medicine will also grow, and the
world will become a better place. After all, isn't that what America is all about?