your friend is right, but electrician doesn't require a degree either, so maybe that is a fallback plan if your selected major doesn't pan out, and the demand is increasing there.
Electrical engineering pays better, requires a degree, but the market is only showing < 5000 new jobs next year, so not the biggest growth field, and according to
this, there were about 10,000 EE grads in 2011. But you should sail through electrician training if it doesn't pan out and you will have a STEM degree and be able to make your own products and whatnot.
it isn't trivial though, lots of math and logic, overall engineering has a %50 dropout rate, and ~%60 of the ones who make it through take 6 years to do so.
You ever take an aptitude test? You really want to make the most of those 4 years the GI bill will cover.