My rant on EE.

What's your first reaction when you hear someone is EE?
a) Revulsion
b) Horror
c) Pity
d) Reverence

Here's the thing. EE is not that hard.
Well, of course, it's hard, and you need to be intelligent and hard-working to be doing well. But that same rule applies to all engineering branches. In fact, to do anything well in life you need to be smart and diligent (fairly). So why does EE scare people off?

It's no secret that EE is a hard major. And now, it's the hardest major at Tech. Yet, it's not the best major at Tech (that would be IE). Why is there such a huge gap? The basic fundamentals of EE are not hard to grasp. Neither are the instrumentation and lab work. But the manner in which these principles are taught are what makes it hard.

There are 3 types of people who select EE as their major.
a) Know-It-All Douche (KIAD): The people who live, breathe and worship EE so much that they have been almost brought up on it, and spend most of their waking hours pursuing knowledge in this field, and thus become overly well-versed so much so that they needn't bother attending class at all. These are the snob EE's, the ones that mock the people that do not understand concepts in class, and are generally socially aloof, uncooperative and flat-out douches, and all hang out amongst themselves because they hate everyone else.
b) Confused Yet Interested (CYI): The people who are interested in the subject, but only in a mild but healthy manner. They have some basic knowledge, but they haven't swallowed the textbook whole before the semester, and expect the professor to TEACH in class rather than assume that everyone knows everything. They are more open to helping people, and often build a network of contacts with regards to classwork with similar people, because they are the only ones who can be social with anyone.
c) No Other Option(NOP): The people who know that an EE degree is an easy ticket to a cushy job, and basically the other majors didn't cut it for them because there was too much studying. Since the core of EE is not hard to understand, this is the softest and yet most respectable option. They don't really care about the class, and often ask the CYI people for help on a regular basis about the basic things.

Because of this division, essentially there is a huge difference in motivation in class attendance and attention to subject matter. Student involvement is therefore very uneven, and no proper academic network can be established.

And then, the professor. Whoo boy.
Here's the deal: these are the smartest people in the field working here. These are inventors and innovators. They are researchers and developers. They are NOT teachers.
They pretty much expect you to know everything from the start, and move at a breakneck pace with an attitude you would expect in a refresher course. They cannot seem to brainstorm with people less knowledgeable than themselves, and seriously lack the skills to impart knowledge. Instead, all they do is provide information. There is a difference.

These are the main (and unless I am very wrong, the only) reasons why EE lacks so much in its results and perception by others.

Don't get me wrong, I love the damn major. I can't imagine being ANYTHING except. However these are large shortcomings and I wish they would be rectified.

I'm done now.