Transferring from community college to a T20 college for EE. I like the degree and I have a pretty good GPA (3.85) having taken 16/17 credits each semester all engineering / stem courses. I enjoy the major and I find the material interesting. I am kinda interested in med school but a little scared to switch out of engineering because I like the job security it offers if things don't work out. I am currently in the national guard and my degree is paid for as well as I get a stipend. I have an extra semester benefits I could use for undergrad (different from the ones I would use for med school) so I could take 4.5 years for my undergrad to fit in the classes needed for med school and also try to keep my GPA up. (can also take a few classes per year at the community college for free using different benefits). I am worried that because my school is very competitive and EE is hard in general that I will have a hard time keeping my GPA up. I would try to do active duty army stuff a bit in between undergrad and med school (or over a summer if I can swing it) because I need it to unlock some benefits, it would give me a break from school, and I could save up a good bit of money. Currently finishing my 3rd semester of college.
I don't want to do W2 EE work for the rest of my life, but there are a lot of exciting opportunities within the field and outside that I could see myself pursuing.
Medical Route Pros:
Med school would be free + stipend for at least some of it (IF I get into my current school's med school)
More tangible and exciting work
Get to learn more
Higher Salary
Cons:
If rejected by my school I am kinda screwed (military benefits only apply to school in my state)
Huge commitment / fixed path
Have considered some more entrepreneurial paths in EE which also appeal to me
Not great at rote memorization BUT good at standardized tests (it might be I just have bad study skills though)
I want to have a social life, national guard + EE takes a lot of time already