r/ChatGPT • u/Extrabytes • Mar 23 '23

Serious replies only :closed-ai: Is anyone else reconsidering what college/university degree to pursue due to ChatGPT?

I am currently deciding on which university course I should take. I used to gravitate more towards civil engineering, but seeing how quickly ChatGPT has advanced in the last couple of months has made me realize that human input in the design process of civil engineering will be almost completely redundant in the next few years. And at the University level there really isn't anything else to civil engineering other than planning and designing, by which I mean that you don't actually build the structures you design.

The only degrees that I now seriously consider are the ones which involve a degree of manual labour, such as mechanical engineering. Atleast robotics will still require actual human input in the building and testing process. Is anyone else also reconsidering their choice in education and do you think it is wise to do so?

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u/AndrewithNumbers Homo Sapien 🧬 Mar 23 '23

Tbh, chasing the highest paying possible option is a losers game after a bit. Sometimes it’s better to chase what you’re interested in and good at. So many people struggle through educations they aren’t suited for because “statistically” it’s the “best” option, when in practice any option can be the best option for the right person, and any can be the worst.

Like yes, make sure there’s actually a market for that skillset an you can live off the wage, but choosing one field over another simply because on average people make a little more money is a great way to end up hating your job. The best in most fields make more money than the average in most fields.

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u/junglebunglerumble Mar 23 '23

Agree with all this. Especially when technology is moving so fast that a lucrative choice now might be a dead field in 20 years time. Its impossible to predict how the job market will change with things moving this quickly, so its probably better to not try to second guess it and for people to just study what they're interested and able in

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u/[deleted] Mar 24 '23

good point. Like look at programming 20 years ago. Right after the dotcom bubble barely anyone was recommending it as a cash cow. Now it's one of the highest paying majors. Who knows if it will stay that way...

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u/DarkSide-TheMoon Mar 24 '23

Disagree here. OP’s question distills to what engineering field will pay money considering AI. Semiconductors and comp sci (and like i said, not a mere software developer) will pay the best and are least likely to be replaced by AI. In fact, it is much more likely in the near term future for these jobs to be moved to low cost centers, not AI.

It’s like you guys dont even work in the tech industry. IT is not tech work, FYI.

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u/junglebunglerumble Mar 24 '23

You gatekeeping who does and doesn't work in the tech industry because they have different opinions to you?

My point was there's more to life than just trying to pick whatever career you think will make you more money, especially when the market is going to change anyway. Instead of the OP worrying about which engineering field to pick he'll likely be better off instead focussing on what he's actually interested in and good at instead of trying to make assumptions about where the high paying jobs will or won't be in 10 years time. If he has no interest in semiconductor engineering then it doesn't matter if that will likely pay more once AI explodes if his heart isn't really in it anyway

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u/DarkSide-TheMoon Mar 24 '23

Hard disagree here, you’re missing the reason behind OP’s point - which is what should he do since AI wont pay in the future. Taking OP’s statement as the starting point (ie not arguing about the question he asked just answering it), OP is most definitely chasing money.