Mechanical Engineering (With Felony?)

Hello forum! Ok so I planned on starting college this august for Mechanical Engineering. Now I have some worries about the field because by the time I finish it will be 8-9 years ago from a felony conviction "Harassment of a public servant" charge I had. I was wondering is this something that will hold me back from getting a job? Should I just go for Petro eng. instead? I heard a lot of felons are in the oil industry so I was thinking perhaps I would be better off doing that. I would appreciate some honest advice before I dedicate myself into this field. I am currently in Houston, Texas. Thank you

Also I am currently in Michigan at the moment. I was raised in Houston, TX. I have the option to going to college out there but Im thinking what if i go out here to college? Then go down south to get a job. Like a petro degree up here or a mech. degree? Would it make a difference?

I don't think your legal background will affect your job prospects more in one engineering discipline than another, except maybe nuclear engineering. It might, however, make a huge difference in the types of employers you could work for. For example, defense contractors or companies in highly secretive businesses. I would stick with the standard engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, chemical, etc.) as opposed to the more specialized ones (petroleum, mechatronics, environmental, etc.) because the older more standard disciplines offer a wider base of employment opportunities. Just my opinion.