As a first generation immigrant from Asia, working as an Electrical Engineer, I discourage my kids to be engineers. Because, the companies only hire you based on your GPA, the ranking of your college, it's tough. Also, there's no union protecting you, you are competing against the engineers around the world. They have low living cost and low tax. In contrast, the U.S. engineers pay tax to union members (police, teacher, state/city workers) and pay huge healthcare fees to union members (nurses, hospital workers). I told my kids, unless you have huge talent to do extremely well, don't be an engineer. You should either join a profession protected by unions, or professions protected by law (lawyers and doctors). Dear friends, our young kids don't choose engineering majors because they are stupid, but because they are smart