u/St33zious

Looking to attend UNC Charlotte for their mechanical engineering degree with concentration in motorsports engineering. Will have been working professionally on vehicles/aircraft for 6 years, 9 years if I’m counting my own projects. I was curious what life is like as either a head race engineer, performance/data engineer or powertrain engineer? I know the hours in the industry can be terrible. Do you think you are compensated enough? Or is it just passion that drives you? Do you feel pigeonholed to that career field?

So, I’m torn between going to San Jose State Uni and getting my ME with minor in robotics. Or, going to UNC Charlotte and getting my ME with their concentration in motorsports engineering. The tech industry has the higher pay out from what I’ve seen which can fund my hobbies/passion but, I’m sacrificing my dream car because of stupid Cali carb laws so, I’d be forced to sell it. On the other hand I could keep my car if I went to UNC and I’m more passionate about the motorsports/automotive industry but, the earning potential and career advancement doesn’t stretch far. I’d be not completely limited to but would have my best shots at OEM auto manufacturers and race teams. I should note I am also very interested in robotics but don’t have as much knowledge and experience with it as much. Is it dumb to just go for the money in this instance or should I follow my passion?

So I know this question probably comes up like once a day but, I’m here putting myself out there and asking it anyways. Backstory; I graduated high school with a 3.9 gpa, took up to AP calculus my senior year, while also being top 5% of my class, but, never ended up going to college due to a shitty relationship. Fast forward to now, I spent 2 years working as a diesel technician and will have spent 4 years active duty as an aircraft technician. I realized I definitely don’t want this for the rest of my life and with the gi bill benefits being given, I have decided to go back to school. I can’t lie, I am considering this field for the money but also because I was always a math kid back in school so I feel it lines up the most. Right now I’m considering a degree in mechanical engineering with either a minor or some concentration on robotics. Being a car guy I enjoy being hands on with my work but I want to move away from that and dive into the programming/electrical side as well. This has caused me to be also torn between SWE and CompE. I just wanted some insight from people who’ve already made up their mind and why they chose what they chose.

Edit: I should preface that I would ideally like to live in a city as I have lived in the country my whole life, so a corporate tech job doesn’t sound that bad. I say this because I hear MechE jobs can be difficult to find in those environments.

So I grew up not too far from Corvallis(Vancouver,WA), but I was still curious to see if the riding season further south is any different than up north. I can usually get 4-5 months of riding in before I gotta put the bike away. Is it any different?

Edit:I mean motorcycle riding season, my bad yall