Engineering/Commerce worth it? Contemplating Single Eng..Advice Needed

[Tyleralp1]

Hey AN.

I just recently got my course transfer into Engineering/Commerce approved (was doing Eng/Sci), and now I'm having second thoughts regarding doing the double as opposed to the single engineering degree. The reason I picked the Commerce component is I figured that I'd be able to use any logical thinking skills and math capabilities in an accounting/finance roles as a means for broadening my outlook. However being accustom to Maths/Science subjects my whole life, I have no clue if this would really be for me or if I'd enjoy it having never done it before.

Though the main question is, what is everyone's thoughts on doing this particular double? Yes, it allows you to potentially go into two different streams, but ultimately wouldn't you just end up picking one over the other? I'm going to be doing Civil Engineering as my engineering major, so I'm not sure if it's better for me to do the four years straight, or if completing an accounting/finance major would be better in the long run when considering an opportunity cost. Would this combination of degrees make me more employable, or really it's something worth pursing if you have a solid interest area in both?

I'm really lost for what I should do. Hence, I really would appreciate all insights and advice.

Thank you!

[dankfrank420]

I'm doing the undergrad commerce at Melbourne with the breadth in engineering, so it's pretty much the same as the Eng/Comm double at Monash (I assume you're doing this one).

As for the course itself, I didn't do a single business subject in VCE (not even accounting/economics) but I really enjoyed the commerce side of the course and found it pretty easy to pick up so don't worry there. Often times I found it more enjoyable than the engineering portion tbh (although in saying that engineering is pretty much just math at melb uni for the first year). So I wouldn't be worried about being able to do it - the commerce side is far easier than the engineering (for me atleast).

It definitely makes you more employable. Banks/Businesses who would normally hire commerce degrees will look at you and go "hey if this kid can crack it in engineering math then he's probably pretty strong quantitatively." Lots of banks/businesses even hire engineering kids over commerce kids for this reason - their more rigorous mathematics/analysis background.

Likewise if you go into engineering your commerce knowledge will come in handy for project management etc, basically "increasing your potential" of how high up you want to climb the corporate chain.

Hit up the whirlpool education forums with questions like these, they're pretty helpful over there (if a bit cynical/pessimistic).