@tomyka81, i think you dot see more than the horizon! Mechanical Engineers are hot cake in Building Services than Electrical Engineers. Electtrical Engineers only have more opportunities in telecoms. but come to Oil and gas,Building services, Fabrication and Erection, Road construction, Automobiles etc. so how can u phase out mechanical, may be your desire or you are still in school.

@tomyka81, i think you dot see more than the horizon! Mechanical Engineers are hot cake in Building Services than Electrical Engineers. Electrical Engineers only have more opportunities in telecoms. but come to Oil and gas,Building services, Fabrication and Erection, Road construction, Automobiles etc. so how can u phase out mechanical, may be your desire or you are still in school.

favoured247:
i wonder why in the world u will compare mathematics to engineering. mathematics is under engineering. wat kind of jobs can u apply for with a degree in mathematics?

With degree in Mathematics and a good grade, you can work anywhere. You may not be a able to do the work of an Engineer but you can work in an Engineering dept of any company either as researcher, analyst or modelling abstract situation into real life problems. You may not be able to do the work of a medical doctor but you are needed in the health sector.

uracocksucker:


lies simple as especially the if you travel out part. with mathematics you have variety... finance & banking, computing and engineering firms (just to mention a few) will always recruit Mathematics graduates. However with engineering, the niche you specialize is all the option you have.

so if you talking job opportunities ur variety, variable option, lies with Mathematics on this shore and ABROAD

Another opinion not based on facts. Can you name where a maths grad will be recruited an engineering grad won't be here aND abroad? My advise to the op is he should read that he's capable of. I read electronic engineering. Mechanical engineering is the broadest of all the engineering and the toughest. It's made up of 7 branches with little relations-machine design,thermodynamics,material science,fluid mechanics, elect/elect,machine drawing and management. To be an engineer is to build things. Do you like to build things following any of the laws of the discipline listed above. I didn't when I studied electronic engineering. The moment I resumed I knew engineering wasn't meant for me. Economics/accounting, physics or chemical engineering(has little to do with chemistry) will have been apt for me than electronic despite been a hot course. I continued because I knew that it didn't limit me from working in consulting or finance ,my original plan. I wasn't also struggling with it. My maths and physics background was excellent. I just got classmates to always fix my practical assignments. Self awareness is the key to success. So I NEVER sought work as an engineer. Why? I would've have been a mediocre one. I knew my chosen route well. Acca/aca,cfa or mba and you're good to go. The question really is what do you want to be?what's your strength? While everything in electronic/electrical is related not same for mech-too wide. Stop spewing the rubbish that jobs are hard to find. It will surprise you to know that there is actually a shortage of electrical/electronic engineers in nigeria-i mean good or average ones. The ones not employed how good are they? Also Nigerian grads don't know the importance of soft skills. They as important as your degree. Reading widely and ability to find and use information very important. Good interpersonal skills.The writing skills of so many grads is appalling. Tell him/her to write an essay on anything and you'll be shocked. Poor English speaking skill. You'll see grads going for aptitude tests unprepared or preparing amiss(not finding out the kind of test to be administered or style or kind of interview and preparing accordingly). When he flunks he blames it on everything but himself. Majority of Nigerian grads believe 'connection' is the way to get a job or promotion,thereby killing their ambition to to prepare for opportunities. Know your self,be informed then act wisely.

TeeOw:
Mechanical engineering looks more prestigious...

aside frm that, there has been modifications nw in most of the higher institutions,,,e,g, in my skul, there's dis course we call EED...entrepreneurship in engineering...in it, there's wat we call techno-preneurship, i.e, hw to combine technology and entrepreneurship inother to be self employed...op, in mechanical, we have welding and fabrication, @HND level we do designing instead of fabrication, we have automobile engineering...we have foundry engineering where we heat metals to allloy...to mention bt a few on wat we do in mechanical,,,frm wat i mmentioned above, u'd see that there are so many areas where we can be self employed in mechanical...and we have modern workshops...we carry out practicals on our own...imediately d lecturer tells us wat to do and demonstrates it by practical, we take it frm there...so, i tink mechanical is more self employable..plus oil companies wey go dey queue for u

None.....Having a skill is the only quarantee..

calculator123:
the above.courses am comfortable with,presently am in maths dept in one of the federal uni around,going to 200lvl next year,pls classify them under prospects,chances of being self employed e.t.c by the way i will be 18 next year

Funjosh:
Cc Esanemmanuel funkystanl

I really dont like making comments on controversial issues like this, cos all courses have their respective prospects and benefits in the society. However, since my chairman is involving me...I will start by repeating what I already said. Mathematics, Stat or Mech eng are all nice and fantastic courses. I think some guys have said some insightful stuffs already but to chip in....

I am a graduate of statistics! So I may not be able to say much about mech eng. However all these courses (like stat, comp sc, and engineering), although specialised have their foundation in Mathematics, and from your post you are in a maths dept already.

What is most important here is study sth you are cool with...and do not just study for the sake of passing. Study like you wanna be a master of it...study like you wanna pass the knowledge on...study any course and everything possibly related to the course, you should be versatile in your field as well as others in some way.

If you can do so, you wont be bothered about prospects. I understand the naija labour market factor is there...but if you know what you are doing with luck and God's grace you will have a scale thru.

Like I said initially, I studied statistics and from I can boldly say since my 3rd year in school until 9 months after youth service I made (independently) over 30 times my aggregate school fees just by practicing what i studied (statistics). At that point I was self reliant financially and stopped making demands from home. It was pretty easy for me cos I understood what i studied. Currently I do not do that anymore cos one need to forge ahead and take on better jobs where one can learn and grow...and off course make more money since the country isnt really helping situations... I am not saying statistics is better...but whatever you find yourself doing...do your best and do it well...it is the only way you can find the world waiting for you...and to find the world waiting for you is having good prospects....

SO bottom line is none is better than the other, study whatever you are cool in and be a master of it...the prospects are there...naija may be a limiting factor but people have success stories with these courses.

firstking01:
aside frm that, there has been modifications nw in most of the higher institutions,,,e,g, in my skul, there's dis course we call EED...entrepreneurship in engineering...in it, there's wat we call techno-preneurship, i.e, hw to combine technology and entrepreneurship inother to be self employed...op, in mechanical, we have welding and fabrication, @HND level we do designing instead of fabrication, we have automobile engineering...we have foundry engineering where we heat metals to allloy...to mention bt a few on wat we do in mechanical,,,frm wat i mmentioned above, u'd see that there are so many areas where we can be self employed in mechanical...and we have modern workshops...we carry out practicals on our own...imediately d lecturer tells us wat to do and demonstrates it by practical, we take it frm there...so, i tink mechanical is more self employable..plus oil companies wey go dey queue for u

oil company queue from mech graduate ?

U no serious

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elume2020:
Op first it is I'm and not am.... If you are studying mathematics and can major in Statistics please go ahead. No field is exclusively independent.
I hold a B. Eng in Mechanical Engineering, but from my experience most models engineer develop are equation driven but future model will be data driven. I had a master in Chemical Engineering and from my field work and research I can tell you before a company will invest in new equipment for process optimizations, they push the existing process to the limit which is most often done by data logging and data visualisation. How do you predict future demand for a product, how do you forecast system behaviour based on historical data, how to you take care of uncertainty in process economic... If not through data analysis mostly expertise of data scientists who are statisticians. Based on informed decision from the data scientists correlated with Engineering laws, engineers can juxtapose process conditions to maximise system yield within the equipment operating limit.
I am presently taking courses on data analysis for my phd with research focus on energy. I can tell you I am not finding it funny or easy. Trying to understand distribution, probabilistic analysis, markov chain, time series data analysis just to mention a few. Though I understand the Engineering aspect of my work but that statistical aspects of it has been the challenge. If you were in my shoes the reverse would have been the case but you can catch up quickly on Engineering aspect much faster than the statistical aspect of it.
So I encourage you to stick to what you are already studying beside if you want to be self employed in core mechanical engineering then you will need some good capital and you imagination skills has to be very high. But the beautiful side of Engineering is you can easily cross between various Engineering fields with great success and still try your hands on the sciences.
I have only created a scenario of statistics to Engineering but what about business data analysis, big data analysis, health data, even your shopping habit for example at a mall can be predicted from your visit and you bank details per swipe you do. So overtime you discover that that particular product you buy is always on the shelf. People might not appreciate mathematicians especially statistician in Nigeria because Nigeria lack good data collection system.
Best wishes in your future endeavour.

You're in research. In research basic sciences are king since they provide the tools engineers use. But thats research. In the real world not so. In all that you're quoting,in business mbas and consultants run the show. So I think your suggestion not appropriate. An engineer will always be needed if he's good. A mathematician or statistician is mostly research based. Another thing being overlooked here is that the smartest people in sciences will most probably do an engineering course than basic science.proof?look at silicon valley or top schools in the western world. Are mathematicians more than engineers? Smartest chaps will always follow the money.

PrinceMario:
How on earth will someone be comparing Mechanical engineering to Mathematics? it's an abuse on the freedom of speech. How many job vacancy have you come across that ask for BSC mathematics. An engineering graduate will adequately function wherever a math graduate is required, be it in the tax/Audit/finance firm and even banks. but same can't be said of a math graduate performing the responsibility of an engineer. Don't be deceived by the gullible who said maths is more prestigious abroad than engineering, or you'd turn a engineer abroad with a degree in mathematics,its a big lie from the pit of hell...who does that? Engineering is so broad that they can function anywhere and compete with maths graduate for there space but a mathematics graduate can compete with an engineering major in an engineering firm.
I'll advice you switch, if you can.

My two cents.

LOL. Guy you're harsh!

I miss the good old days when one could come on Nairaland and get quality advice to important career questions. The kind of nonsense I've read in some comments on this thread will most undoubtedly leave me in shock for the rest of today.

OP, my advice to you is to get Jarus's email address and send a mail to him. He has actual professionals from a lot of fields including Engineering fields. Google Jarushub Career Blog and check it out. That's one of the reasons I respect Jarus. We see less of this type of avenue for Ignorance in the name of thread on Nairaland.

And Mathematics graduates, we understand that a lot of you are successful in spite of Societal stigma and constant belittling by Engineers. Will giving the young chap unbiased advice be too much to ask? Oga Durentt, yes, I am talking to you in particular.

As for my own advice, I won't tell you which course of study has more prospects, in my opinion. I will only tell you to do what you love doing. Follow your passion. Even if it's studying Yoruba, it will take you places. There are opportunities everywhere if you are one of the best.

Mathematics

emwye:
Uhm, I'm not here to take sides on either major but to correct this claim so others might not get get the wrong idea. The box you speak of really does not exist for engineers per se. They usually want to do other "not-so-cool" things like working with start-ups, automotive, space and energy (alternative or otherwise). Wall street actually likes engineers and i know many that eventually get bored and want to make more money by working for wall street. The skill set that wall street desires is present in both majors. You're opinion is a tad bit biased.

As someone actually in the IB field, I haven't seen this. Engineers are usually hired to do jobs that a person from any other major could do.

What a ridiculous comparison.

Durentt:
oil company queue from mech graduate ?

U no serious

it's no longer news na...asif u no knw...go to companies like shell, agip, haliburton, total, schlumberger, chevron, mobil, to mention bt a few...infact go to any reputable oil coy and ask d field dey recruit most every year,,,go to any of these coys and mk verification for urslf, if dey can allow u get access to the HR and ask him by urslf, God, u surprised me huh, hw dare u ask such a question?,,,u knw wetin be mechanical engineering so?...they dnt joke with us in ph here bro...mayb it's cosof ur location sha dats y ur asking such question...dnt u dare compare ordinary pure maths, nt eve applied or industrial maths sef to any engineering course,,,d diff is much brother...i 've got frnds who deffer their admission cos dey gave dem maths/stats...e depends on wat u want...maths/stats is a very lucrative course, we knw, bt nt to match it wit mech d bedrock and mother of all engineering field...its a slap on our face

calculator123:
that ur thread,i really enjoyed it.no wonder schrodinger said if he knew more maths he would had undergone more researches.

U can actually study math on ur own without going to college, if u r a math savvy. I studied Engineering bt I hv nt come across a young math graduate who can challenge me in discrete math

PrinceMario:
How on earth will someone be comparing Mechanical engineering to Mathematics? it's an abuse on the freedom of speech. How many job vacancy have you come across that ask for BSC mathematics. An engineering graduate will adequately function wherever a math graduate is required, be it in the tax/Audit/finance firm and even banks. but same can't be said of a math graduate performing the responsibility of an engineer. Don't be deceived by the gullible who said maths is more prestigious abroad than engineering, or you'd turn a engineer abroad with a degree in mathematics,its a big lie from the pit of hell...who does that? Engineering is so broad that they can function anywhere and compete with maths graduate for there space but a mathematics graduate can compete with an engineering major in an engineering firm.
I'll advice you switch, if you can.
My two cents.

BS.
How many M.engineers work as Quants in Investment Banks? Engineers are limited in math skills. Engineers rarely go beyond ODEs in mathematics.
Can an M.engineer work as a data scientist? Here's a Google job ad for a data scientist: https://www.google.com/about/careers/search#!t=jo&jid=21965002&

The Job falls under their engineering category and the qualifications are: MS or PhD in Statistics or related (e.g.Mathematics, Physics, Ops Research).

MyFlair:

U can actually study math on ur own without going to college, if u r a math savvy. I studied Engineering bt I hv nt come across a young math graduate who can challenge me in discrete math

You do realize that discrete math is sophomore(2nd year) level math? I dare you to challenge any advanced math undergraduate in functional analysis, topology, grad-level PDEs. You M.engineers have a very shallow view of what Mathematics is! There is more to Mathematics than Calculus and Ordinary Differential equations.

gunpoint:

Engineers actually outnumber any single discipline in banking.
Banks hardly employ "economists", and you will find lots of high level bankers have an engineering background negating your assertion that engineers work on the periphery of banking.
My GM was an engineer, current MD UBA engineer. Lots and lots of examples. How ever, you hardly find maths grads

engineers outnumber any single discipline in Banks? ehn?So wrong a vindication basically due to the fact the opposite appears to be the case Even a banker would giggle hysterically at this statement.

tomyka81:
Neither. Mathematics limits you in that you don't qualify for engineering jobs. Mechanical engineering is being slowly phased out. Go for electrical engineering. You will have more opportunities.

the fact that their is the discipline of electronic engineering didn't mean electrical engineering was phased out.As far as all major forms of energy generation be it nuclear,gas and steam even the hydro plants depends on the turbine,mech engine would be relevant.
I rather think mechatronics(mechanical electronics) engineering is an extension and not a replacement of both.

croSStodds:
engineers outnumber any single discipline in Banks? ehn?So wrong a vindication basically due to the fact the opposite appears to be the case Even a banker would giggle hysterically at this statement.

Reason is actually very simple, engineers excel at the tests banks conduct. But i will drop the line with you. If you don't know don't argue. I mentioned the UBA MD, did you check? The current Zenith bank MD, engineer too.
Lots more like that, but you would rather argue

Durentt:
how do we expect nigeria to move forward when we giv banking jobs to engineers?

Tis sad but thats the reality.
While i was in the industry, i was in a 28man dept, 13 engineers. 3 mechanical engineers(i was one of em), 1 production engr, 1 agric engr, 4 electrical engineers, 1 civil engr, you get the drift?
And only one economist and 4 accountants in the group.
It was not an anomaly, it was a norm in banking. And it went all the way up to the extent my group head a GM was an electrical engr too.
It puzzled me too, but it helped me settle in.
I have left now sha
And oh! Only one maths graduate

gunpoint:

Reason is actually very simple, engineers excel at the tests banks conduct. But i will drop the line with you. If you don't know don't argue. I mentioned the UBA MD, did you check? The current Zenith bank MD, engineer too.
Lots more like that, but you would rather argue

please can you post their respective names for the sake of easy Scrutiny and to reduce frustration in course of making my findings

Maths/stat vs MEE??..hahhahahhhahahahhha..very funny..well to me ..both courses equip you to be good in problem solving skills..u get to solve lots of problems during ur undergrad years..but while maths is purely calculative coupled with few practicals and is not diverse ,MEE as fondly called in UNIBEN is broad,with areas like fluid and solid mechanics,Strength of materials,Thermodynamics,Metallurgy,materials(corrosion management),design of machine elements and engineering mathematics which de also do in maths dept but when it comes to eng. maths..its like a triple advance of the o level further maths..Please note this list is not exhaustive and only includes some of the most common MEE courses...u get to solve problems in all these areas..i forgot to add Engineering management which is also "Accounting+Mgt incorporated into engineering" and when it comes to job prospects..The Engineers have it no doubt..the truth about both of them is that they expose u to problem solving skills as a tool which will help ur brain to think fast and solve real life practical and challenging problems more easily..weda its maths or Eng..just be good at what u do and u will excel..make sure u enjoy solving plenty of maths before u can enter both courses.Good luck..companies now recruit people that can solve problems for them and make profit..result oriented employees if i may add and not pipl that read professional courses and cant either defend it or don't posses sound initiative..

gunpoint:

Tis sad but thats the reality.
While i was in the industry, i was in a 28man dept, 13 engineers. 3 mechanical engineers(i was one of em), 1 production engr, 1 agric engr, 4 electrical engineers, 1 civil engr, you get the drift?
And only one economist and 4 accountants in the group.
It was not an anomaly, it was a norm in banking. And it went all the way up to the extent my group head a GM was an electrical engr too.
It puzzled me too, but it helped me settle in.
I have left now sha
And oh! Only one maths graduate

Seriously? Na wah oo Not my problem though.

mcpat:

You cannot work as an Engineer!!
If you can switch and you think you can cope , please do.
You can work anywhere with a Mechanical Engineering degree, Even in a hospital.
Cheers!

to repair hospital generators.

croSStodds:
please can you post their respective names for the sake of easy Scrutiny and to reduce frustration in course of making my findings

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/zenith-bank-announces-peter-amangbo-gmd-ceo-designate/175075/
MD Zenith bank

https://www.ubagroup.com/mc/bio?id=20120904032833dky9zr9pp7
MD UBA

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/rasheed-olaoluwa-i-was-nervous-when-appointed-as-boi-boss/212515/
MD Bank of industry

Just 3 i know personally

http://www.unitybankng.com/index.php/media-news/press-releases/72-cbn-approves-henry-semenitari-as-md-ceo-of-unity-bank-plc

Frankly its not even a bloody debate.
And you need to see engrs rising through the ranks in all these banks
Its a trend that can only continue

My friend, don't let anybody deceive you, Mechanical engineering has more prospects in Nigeria unless you want to teach in a secondary school. If you live in the developed world (US, Europe), then you might have a fighting chance with Mathematics. I will strongly suggest you go for Engineering.

calculator123:
the above.courses am comfortable with,presently am in maths dept in one of the federal uni around,going to 200lvl next year,pls classify them under prospects,chances of being self employed e.t.c by the way i will be 18 next year

hmmmm.....well I am a mechanical engineering student at KNUST,and I can honestly tell you I wouldnt want to do anything other than mechanical engineering. As a mechanical engineer, well a good one for that matter there is no field in engineering or even finance you can't adapt to or be relevant in . plus if you specialise in the right area of mechanical engineering, like maybe thermofluids and energy systems engineering or maybe design and manufacturing, the sky would be your starting point.......please note, you need the hard skills to back the paper though,i know mechanical engineering graduates that can't even prepare a detail engineering drawing on the board or even worse auto cad

gunpoint:

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/zenith-bank-announces-peter-amangbo-gmd-ceo-designate/175075/
MD Zenith bank

https://www.ubagroup.com/mc/bio?id=20120904032833dky9zr9pp7
MD UBA

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/rasheed-olaoluwa-i-was-nervous-when-appointed-as-boi-boss/212515/
MD Bank of industry

Just 3 i know personally

http://www.unitybankng.com/index.php/media-news/press-releases/72-cbn-approves-henry-semenitari-as-md-ceo-of-unity-bank-plc

Frankly its not even a bloody debate.
And you need to see engrs rising through the ranks in all these banks
Its a trend that can only continue

Debate?far from it.I'm enlightening myself,not to linger on the fact It's not even in my line.But it seems you have to earn "MBA" cert after your first degree prior to thinking of having it run smooth for you as a worker in bank.

Yes I'm a Mech. Engr. undergraduate.

But why would I choose Pure Mathematics over Mechanical Engineering. sounds funny.