I am not entirely sure if it is better to be "a jack of all trades" than a master of one trade. I feel that they both have their advantages and disadvantages.
I will start off with the advantage of being a master of one trade. Some companies would rather hire a chemist to work in their chemical lab (since they are experts at chemistry) if their primary goal is on focused on chemical innovations. They would not want an employee who knows "a bit" about chemistry to handle the lab.
However, with companies that are not so specialized in a certain field, like medical device companies, this is where knowing a little of everything is useful. Since medical devices require knowledge from different fields, hiring a Biomedical engineer would be more favorable as opposed to an electrical engineer who only specializes with the electrical aspect. I believe that becoming a BME can have its disadvantages, career wise, yet it is all depends on what type of company you are applying too and what they are expecting.
When I finally decided to take BME as a degree it came to the fact it had many different engineering disciplines associated with it. With many disciplines such as mechanical, chemical and electrical I knew this degree would give me knowledge in all these areas. Being able to partake in each discipline allowed me to appreciate the need for a biomedical engineering. This made me realize the job market would be huge since we as BMEs have had experience in each field even though it was not in depth. Now we may not be masters of one thing, however, we are more appreciated and sought after because of the ability to apply fundamentals in an area.
I appreciate the fact that BME has many different majors rolled into one. The thing is, practically each track is a different major with biology tied in. Biomechanics? Mechanical Engineering with biology. Biomaterials? Chemical Engineering, Materials, and biology. Bioinstrumentation? Electrical Engineering with some computer stuff and biology. Overall, BME is a jack of all trades. When you look closer however, there is clear specialization. In academia you may have graduated with a BME degree but depending on what you wish to research you become very specialized on one topic, especially when becoming a Masters or PhD student. For example, a vision researcher will become a near expert on the eyes and brain without actually actually attaining an M.D. They must pour over papers detailing the subject in which they research. In industry, I assume people really get to known their product area. For example, if you make knee implants it's vital to know about the materials used, possible materials to use, the knee, etc. At NJIT this seems to be the case, though it may differ from school to school. Any thoughts, especially if you've gone somewhere else before?
So far people have mentioned that the BME curriculum requires the student to learn a bit of everything, making them a jack of all trades. In the short run this can be helpful. As Dkonara921 states a student can try different areas before settling on one that matches their interest the most. However, some people figure it out sooner then others, and yet everyone is required to take a number of courses, beyond "Intro to ..." that have little to no relevance to their interests (this was highlighted by Hzy2). You don't take in depth courses until you start taking grad courses. While it seems like an issue only for people who want to work right after getting their bachelor's (without getting master's), it also hurts students looking to get coops or internships during their undergrad years. I think the reason the BME curriculum lacks breadth is because it is relatively new, especially when compared to more classical fields like Mechanical engineering or Civil engineering. One solution to this issue is to allow students to take the courses that overlap with BME that are offered by other majors. While some classes are offered, those are also intro courses that do not go into further detail.
BME is a very broad topic as you mentioned, but I disagree with you that it is a master of none. You can have a various concentration within the BME master program. So, it is your choice to focus on one of the fields such as Biomedical instrumentation, Tissue engineering, biomechanics,...etc. So, your program over different fields in BME to focus on it and master it.
Also, besides your designed courses to expect a field in BME is how you utilize co-op and internship to align with your career goal. academic is one thing but also work experience help to master and become an expert in one of the field. Actually, I see the diversity of the choices open up the opportunity in the different field.
I've utilized my undergrad experience, electronics, and computer engineering, in biomedical instrumentation engineer. Also, I have learned a lot form my previous co-op in embedded systems and programming which helps me. All the experience that you will have from different fields and/or majors will add up all in your favor if you aligned with your goal and career.
As I mentioned earlier, it is helpful to take courses that introduce students to the BME field. Even for people who think they know what they want to do, they may find something else that interests them. But in the long run, it is important for students to demonstrate the ability to apply their knowledge to real life problems. These problem solving skills can only be obtained when students learn about a topic in detail.
The process of thoroughly learning something trains students to consider all aspects of a problem. In addition students will be able to demonstrate the ability to even learn a topic to that depth, which is an important skill to have. Companies will know that they can train you and count on you to research the task at hand to the extent that is necessary.
In all, it is clear that the "little of everything" approach is not sufficient to prepare students for the professional world. In the coming years, the BME department will have to expand the number of courses offered, which will allow professors to focus on one topic for an entire semester.
The thing with being a BME where we're a jack of all trades but a master of none is that there is always going to be someone better in every area than us, simply because the major they went with was more focused in that area. While it's nice being versatile and having some sort of prior experience on whatever it is we end up doing, there is a significant chance that what we know isn't enough and will be a detriment to us and the company that hires us until we do obtain the knowledge we need to succeed. An example of this would be Dr. Simon with his first job after graduating with his PhD, where he did not know the knowledge he needed to lead the project he was given and instead had to spend weeks reading through a huge binder to obtain the knowledge he needed in order to be more successful. If BME helped us become more masterful in our chosen track by having us start on the track earlier I believe that would have more successful results. What are your thoughts?
I do agree with everyone that being in a broad field is pretty helpful, I also do think the the biomedical engineering degree is not fully recognized by the industry yet, which can be a disadvantage. Although it's gotten better, I remember the career office at my undergrad school advising me to have two resumes: one BME focused and one ME focused. Also, in most of the jobs I've had, my BME coworkers rarely studied biomed and had BS's in electrical or mechanical engineering instead. I feel like that fact that we have such broad knowledge in the engineering field in general is advantageous to us, but it also means we have more to prove when we get these jobs in the industry, unless maybe in an actual medical device company (directly in the BME field).
True, to some extent. When get out in the industry you will meet people with both experts of all trades and masters of one trade. People who are expert in their own field or people who have a lot of experience in variety of departments and jobs. It all depends on where you want to take your career and where you end up going. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to be either/or of the group. I think you end up earning more if you’re specialized in one field but you might have hard time finding the perfect job. If you’re an expert of multiple skill set you might find jobs faster but not as high paying as the specialized jobs.
Having a degree in BME certainly does feel like being the jack of all trades and not so much as a "master" in one specific direction. The majority of our courses seem to touch upon the topics that mechanical, chemical, and other types of engineers spend sometimes years on. I've personally have had a hard time holding a conversation relating to complex concepts that only traditional engineers are familiar with. At least that's how it feels at first upon graduating undergrad. But perhaps there is more to it than just that. Does the typical traditional engineer (non-BME) consider him or herself a "master" in the field they majored in? To me, not a single engineering degree truly prepares anyone to dive into the industrial world as a professional. An undergraduate engineering degree feels more like a foundation necessary to efficiently adapt, learn, and apply the skills and knowledge required for nearly any entry-level job.
It may be true that we BME student may only be familiar with the concepts that other engineers have fully grasped, but that gap in information will often be substituted by the knowledge we gain as we begin our careers, both in the industry and in academia. And if a BME decides to explore jobs that relate towards other engineering fields, we may seek out master's degrees and even PhD's to make up for that "gap". Perhaps that is why we (or at least I) see BME students pursue further education more often than other engineering students.
So certainly, we may not learn concepts to the extent of other engineers, however, I believe we are nevertheless prepared to begin careers within the BME world, just as much as any other engineer is within their respected field.
The upside of the broadened coursework associated with BME is the versatility one acquires throughout their academic career. Having background experience and education in fields such as medicine, computer coding/programming, assembling circuitry, or failure testing of materials can be only beneficial in the eyes of an employer, especially when it is acquired early on, before one has even chosen their ultimate career path. The downside of pursuing a degree in BME is that the wide variety of engineering content can be burdensome to the point that some students may change fields (BME to mechanical engineering), or even change majors altogether. When I was taking classes such as Electronics, Organic Chemistry, or Calculus C, I felt as though I was the most unfamiliar with the content compared to the rest of the class. This goes to show that BME is a unique approach to an engineering career that is more applicable to those with a desire to learn rather than a student who goes for a degree by only sticking to what they know and never leaving their comfort zone. I essentially believe that BME students undergo more coursework because of the lack of familiarity they possess in any given subject, but down the road they are more likely to come across a more appealing career path due to having a better understanding of their core strengths and weaknesses.
I wouldn't completely disregard the benefit of the versatility of the BME field. Considering my case, for instance, I did my undergrad in Biology, with a concentration in the Neuro-endocrine system. Prior to my becoming a grad student, I was confident of my solid knowledge of that system, however, my deficiency in other courses such as Biomechanics, Biomaterials, and Calculus, has rendered that knowledge defective. I couldn't really explain in great depth how the topographical propriety of hormones, for instance, leptin, influences its activity, or how the density and curvature properties of the endothelial cells in the blood-brain barrier, BBB, affect the selectivity of the border. Understanding the physiological mechanism involved at that border, as would a Biology student, wouldn't suffice in solving physiological problems due to alterations of certain topographical cues rather than the fallibility of the physiology itself. By providing different approaches to solving a problem, a BME concentration can actually make someone " a master" in his discipline.
I understand this reasoning may not be applicable to BME grad students with an undergrad background in BME, as these students may not have a " solid " grasp on one specific discipline. However, students with a background different from BME might actually find it very valuable to supplement their knowledge by adopting approaches provided within the BME field.
Biomedical Degree is definitely a "Jack-of-all-Trades" degree with broad knowledge in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biology. From what I have found out through, interviews, work experience, and hearing from others, the stigma that BME covers too many disciplines to make you a master of any is a little bit overblown. Whether or not a BME degree comes with an expertise in one small field, it makes it clear that you have a wealth of knowledge spreading over many fields along with the ability to understand and learn. I personally am very happy with my choice of BME as a major, the field is growing every day with exciting opportunities and more people are discovering that Biomedical Engineers can do just about anything with their background
Hi -
In this week's lecture Dr. Simon mentioned how BME is a diverse degree, in which you learn a little bit of everything. While it can be an advantage to have a variety of skill sets, you are not a true expert in anything. What are peoples thoughts on this, and the pros and cons of being a jack of all trades but a master of none? Do you think this is the reality of majoring in BME and how has this affected your job/internship?
I agree that a BME degree is very diverse, and while some may see this as a negative, I think it's extremely useful. Some people may say having this degree makes you a "jack of all trades, but a master of none", but I would ask those people - who do you know that is a master in their field right out of college? It takes years of experience to truly master a skill, so I don't think that people who major in a different field of engineering are any better off that those who major in BME. Once you are in the professional world, you really only use a fraction of what you learned in college, and the rest is learned on the job. Also, by taking classes in a variety of areas within BME, students can get a taste of what classes they/areas of BME they like and which they don't, which can help them narrow down the direction they want to take their career in.
I think the whole life structure of getting a degree and then getting a job in the same field as your degree is beginning to change. The way that BME is a "little of everything" very much supports that. It gives each student the opportunity to learn what they want to learn, and not just what the school they attend shoves down their throat. In my 4 years of undergrad I learned tons of Math and physics, and only some chemistry and biology. Why? Because I hate chemistry and I don't love biology, and because I had the freedom to avoid those subjects a little. Even though my specialization was in Biomechanics, I really shine when it comes to computer interfaces. What I am trying to show through this anecdote is that BME gives students the same opportunity to learn about tissue engineering, as it does to learn about Image processing, as it does to learn about using virtual reality for gait rehab. Pretty much as long as it involves a human being using it, the creativity and possibilities are endless. AND we still have the math and physics knowledge to do entry to mid-level jobs of other engineers like mechanical or civil engineers.
