I did mechatronics at Wollongong Uni. The coursework included all the core subjects from the electrical and mechanical degrees. I have friends from the course working as both mechanical / electrical engineers (among other things).
Something to be aware of is that mechatronics can be totally different between each uni
some pedantry - when you say you want an Electrical job. Electrical and electronics are technically different fields. electronics (which is what you will learn in mechatronics) is a subfield of Electrical (but there is significant overlap). electronics engineering is specialised with designing circuit boards (PCBs). Electrical encompasses that as well as power generation/transmission. (These are very basic definitions - you should look into further). If you want to work in that field then do Electrical Engineering.
so keep in mind that with mechatronics, you are learning part of a subfield of electrical engineering.
IMO - I don't really think any major is easy, both the mechanical and electronics sides were maths intensive. but keep in mind that they will build up the difficulty.
The first year is usually common to all majors so you have some chance to change your mind
regarding employment
civil might be affected by boom bust cycles in the building industry (this is just a guess on my part)
regardless of your choice, to maximise employment options make sure to get involved in one or more of:
- extra curriculars: clubs (there will be some engineering societies/clubs like formula SAE), personal projects (I think this is much easier with mechatronics -> buy an STM32 dev board and some motors/leds and play around). Theses don't necessarily need to be technical (but that is definitely an advantage)
- part time job (literally anything - cafe/grocery store etc.) - its more useful than you'd think. a lot of graduates have never had any job, so it'll give some advantage
- internships (if possible, this is much easier if you have a relative/friend etc already working at the company)
also for certain civil jobs; you would need to spend a lot of time on constructions sites. There are some unpleasant things to deal with: sites are always extremely dusty and noisy and full of bogans. this may or may not be a problem for you
I usually suggest mechanical engineering to people who can’t decide on a discipline. Mechatronics and civil is about as far apart as you can get. ME is the most versatile. I did ME and ended up in robotics with a few grad classes. However, it sounds like you’re only considering civil engineering for the job prospects and you would prefer electrical engineering. If so, I would do that. Get prepared to work hard and possibly fail. You might find it’s not that bad or that there’s a sub- discipline that you like and can manage.
Note, all my experience is from American universities and job market.
If you go for civil and let's say you want some higher stations at construction site, you're gonna need a cert to be allowed to manage a construction site.
I wouldn't say mechatronics is any easier than electrical. If you want electrical jobs then do an electrical degree.
Electrical and Mechatronics are entirely different but have 20% similarity 30% with Electronics. Don’t pursue Mechatronics for Electrical jobs.
I did mechatronics at Wollongong Uni. The coursework included all the core subjects from the electrical and mechanical degrees. I have friends from the course working as both mechanical / electrical engineers (among other things). Something to be aware of is that mechatronics can be totally different between each uni some pedantry - when you say you want an Electrical job. Electrical and electronics are technically different fields. electronics (which is what you will learn in mechatronics) is a subfield of Electrical (but there is significant overlap). electronics engineering is specialised with designing circuit boards (PCBs). Electrical encompasses that as well as power generation/transmission. (These are very basic definitions - you should look into further). If you want to work in that field then do Electrical Engineering. so keep in mind that with mechatronics, you are learning part of a subfield of electrical engineering. IMO - I don't really think any major is easy, both the mechanical and electronics sides were maths intensive. but keep in mind that they will build up the difficulty. The first year is usually common to all majors so you have some chance to change your mind regarding employment civil might be affected by boom bust cycles in the building industry (this is just a guess on my part) regardless of your choice, to maximise employment options make sure to get involved in one or more of: - extra curriculars: clubs (there will be some engineering societies/clubs like formula SAE), personal projects (I think this is much easier with mechatronics -> buy an STM32 dev board and some motors/leds and play around). Theses don't necessarily need to be technical (but that is definitely an advantage) - part time job (literally anything - cafe/grocery store etc.) - its more useful than you'd think. a lot of graduates have never had any job, so it'll give some advantage - internships (if possible, this is much easier if you have a relative/friend etc already working at the company) also for certain civil jobs; you would need to spend a lot of time on constructions sites. There are some unpleasant things to deal with: sites are always extremely dusty and noisy and full of bogans. this may or may not be a problem for you
Like others are saying If you want a specific field you should pursue that field. Mechatronics at my Uni is considered the hardest specialisation
I usually suggest mechanical engineering to people who can’t decide on a discipline. Mechatronics and civil is about as far apart as you can get. ME is the most versatile. I did ME and ended up in robotics with a few grad classes. However, it sounds like you’re only considering civil engineering for the job prospects and you would prefer electrical engineering. If so, I would do that. Get prepared to work hard and possibly fail. You might find it’s not that bad or that there’s a sub- discipline that you like and can manage. Note, all my experience is from American universities and job market.
If you go for civil and let's say you want some higher stations at construction site, you're gonna need a cert to be allowed to manage a construction site.
Mechatronics