Reply #61

I agree with many points of the other poster - that relying on funding dependent on politicians is inherently unstable. That same point goes with aerospace/defense related jobs as well. I know people that have made great money contracting for these industries when the project is on, but if that particular program is cut, well you may have to start looking again.

As a degree itself, civil engineering teaches a lot of the same fundamental skills as mechanical and electrical. I see pretty high paying job listings for civil engineers with a PE (Professional Engineer) and AP LEED certified (all tying in with building energy efficient buildings). If the person is interested in environmental engineering, I'd probably recommend considering civil as an option, since it's broader, but many people with a civil engineering background work in similar fields as environmental engineers.