Discouraged about becoming an engineer?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice here; I'm a second year Engineering student who has always loved learning, Math (even though I'm not the best at it) and taking this apart. The problem is, I'm going into Mechanical Engineering but have never really had any experience with mechanics; such as Robotics or Automotive. I've joined a couple orgunizations this year that build robots and cars for competition, but the problem is I know nothing about now they work or designing them because I've never had the chance to work with them personally or had any exposure to them before college. I'm trying very hard to understand, by listening to what the other members are discussing and looking at the designs, but they know so much about them (compared to me who knows nothing about them) and its discouraging to the point where I'm questioning becoming a Mechanical Engineer...any advice?</p>

2

<p>I knew nothing about cars or robotics leading up to starting my mechanical engineering degree, and after 4 years and a BS, I still couldn’t tell you how to tinker in a car or build a robot. There’s a whole lot more to mechanical engineering than cars and robots.</p>

3

<p>Jessica, I am not even mechanically inclined and I am a Mechanical Engineer. It’s a really broad field. I absolutely love working with fluids. But I’ve also done shock analysis, structural design, radiation shielding, CAD/CAM. I’ll put building robots on my bucket list though. Still not interested in cars.</p>

4

<p>I’m currently working on an MS in mechanical engineering, focusing mainly on dynamics and robotics. I know next to nothing about cars, very little about solid mechanics, and only have rudimentary knowledge of fluids.</p>

<p>Like the posters above have said, mechanical engineering is a very broad field, including (but not limited to) such areas as dynamics and vibrations, acoustics, controls, biomechanics, robotics and mechatronics, solid mechanics, materials, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer, nanoscale engineering and processes, and design. Cars and robots might involve all of these in different ways, but so do a ton of other things. Cars and robotics are only two of many aspects of mechanical engineering.</p>

5

<p>Like others have said, Mechanical Engineering comprises many different skillsets. As long as your understanding of the underlying principles is strong, you are good to go!</p>

6

<p>If you are interested in cars and robotics, and I guess more broadly the nuts/bolts/hardware/machines side of mechanical engineering, then don’t worry about your perceived lack of knowledge. I’d bet that most of the students that “know everything”, probably knew nothing two years ago. They learned by working on the project, and you can too.</p>

7

<p>I think you’ll be fine. One of the fun things I did as MechE was to join the MiniBaja club (all terrain vehicle competition). It was fun, and I learned a lot. </p>

<p>Some what we learned was hands-on. (We all benefited from team lead that had worked in machine shops.) Some of it was how-not-to-do project management. The guys that went to the competition have great stories about finishing the car in the U-haul trailer with flashlights in their teeth. </p>

8

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>I’m also currently a 2nd year mechanical engineering student, also struggling with school and feeling discouraged about progressing with this major. To be honest, when I first chose to major in engineering (back in high school), I wasn’t sure if it was right for me, but I greatly enjoyed math, physics, and most other sciences, and engineering seemed to be a popular choice among peers, so I (somewhat blindly) decided to go for it. So far I completed Calcs 1-3, differential equations, probability/statistics, physics 1 and 2, most “general” requirements, and a couple programming classes involving visual basic and matlab. Even though the subject matter was really tough, I still enjoyed the topics and got good grades, but from everything I’ve heard from my other colleagues, they all say that it will all get worse, up until senior design classes.</p>

<p>With all of this stress, I’ve started to doubt whether or not this field is right for me. On one hand, some people say that school is WAY more stressful than the actual career, getting the “paper” is the hard part; others say that school doesn’t really give you a true glimpse of what engineering in the workforce is like, and it is better to just struggle with school because at work things will be easier/clearer. From others, I heard that the nonstop stress didn’t end at school, and it continues to be just as (or more) stressful than school itself.</p>

<p>All that said, I don’t want to appear whiny about school, I realize that all students have gone through the same things that I am going through, and that all majors (not only engineering) are hard in their own ways. I totally get that, and have tremendous respect for all students that work hard to get through it. However, in engineering school it seems like a lot of the times you are constantly trying to do the impossible, many days it feels like you beat your head against the wall trying to reinvent the wheel. Now if that’s the way the job feels like every day, then I honestly would have to switch for another career.</p>

<p>Now, please don’t get me wrong, I understand engineers make their money for a reason, and money can’t be earned for nothing, but if the job is constant stress/pressure/chaos the way school feels, I’d rather earn a little bit less studying something else if I can avoid being constantly overwhelmed to save my health and nerves. Perhaps it also depends on what job you have, what company, seniority, etc. I know that engineering is VERY broad, and I assume that job difficulty is variable. From what I’ve seen so far in school, in engineering classes you’re put into groups and work to build something/ solve tough problems in an insanely short amount of time. Then its right into the next project, one by one, after the other. Everything, including the classwork, just feels like you “completed” it rather than feel rewarded for the accomplishment. </p>

<p>Again, I don’t mean to sound whiny, but I would like to know from those in the workforce, is this the way it is on a daily basis? Maybe it would be wise for me to switch to something else? Like I said, I really still like math and science, but I don’t think that liking those subjects definitely means you 100% like engineering. Other majors I’m considering are computer science, mathematics, physics, among a few others. </p>

<p>Would someone be able to give me some input? I would very greatly appreciate any thoughts that might help give me some new ideas or anything that could change or support my opinions. Thanks in advance to all taking time to read my post.</p>

9

<p>@btenn. Engineering is a valuable degree. You can then go on to do something else in grad school if you wish. My engineering roommate became a doctor and another friend went to Wall Street after an MBA. Do the research and look at the employment rate of computer science, math and physics majors. I read that computer science and math have high unemployment rates. I know some companies will not even hire computer science majors to program, only engineers. There are different stresses in life. You have to decide what is best for you. Do an internship to better explore the field.</p>

10

<p>The great thing about engineeering is the variety of opportunities. For me engineering courses were MUCH harder than the real world. </p>

<p>After 20 years I had to transfer to another division in a less techie area. My current job is less rewarding and far more stressful. But that’s because instead of working on long term projects I deal with systems that need 24x7 support and coworkers in many timezones. Some of that is probably par for the course in many fields these days. </p>

11

<p>@gearmom Thank you for taking the time to read my post here, I sincerely appreciate the thoughts you shared with me. I knew that engineering degrees offer a vast array of different careers (even careers outside the engineering field itself), but I did not know you could study something completely different in graduate school. I thought that once you complete a bachelor’s degree in engineering, you could only pursue a master’s degree within the same field, I had no idea (quite naive, I know, but still haven’t completely figured out the college system), I really appreciate that bit of information. You are right, probably the only way I can determine if it’s right or not is to do an internship in order to get a glimpse of what the workforce is like.</p>

<p>@colorado_mom I really appreciate the reply, it really helps knowing how engineers feel at work in contrast to how they felt during school times. I’ve heard the same, a few older colleagues felt that school was WAY tougher and much more stressful; or at least stressful in a different way than school was. Like you said, since engineering offers so much variety, there are many other options available if job A doesn’t quite fit with your particular strengths/interests.</p>

<p>I guess I’ve just been having a hard time separating school from career since I haven’t had the opportunity to see what the career is truly like. I guess I’m just afraid that the career will be like school but raised a few (hundred) notches more in terms of difficulty/stress. At school, you constantly feel demoralized, unsure, uncertain in yourself, always like “you’re not good enough”, poor confidence even when things are going well, at least the way I feel. Perhaps I’m also a little bit unsure because I’m not the most mechanically inclined, haven’t been the stereotypical “take stuff apart and see how they work” type, but I have a lot of appreciation of mechanical things. I guess all I have going is the interest in math and science.</p>

<p>I want to say thanks again for the responses so far and have tremendous respect for anyone who has a little bit of time to read this and wishes to provide anymore thoughts or opinions. I really appreciate it!</p>

12

<p>bt - Here’s your assignment…, if not already doing so, get in gear looking for a summer internship. You hopefully will find one, but if not it’s good practice for next year. An internship will help you see an example working environment, and it will also make you more marketable (to that company and others) after graduation. </p>

13

<p>@colorado_mom Thank you for the advice, that sounds like a good idea, I’ll try to find an internship soon, it will hopefully give me a better perspective on the career. </p>

14

<p>Also check on Co-op opportunities. MechE as others have said, is a very broad field. Maybe some Co-op work will give you a little ‘break’ from school, or maybe you can do one on-line course during intern or Co-op assignment.</p>

<p>You will find more motivation when you see how your classes ‘apply’ in real life.</p>

<p>Not to discourage you, but the final senior eng courses are challenging - most students realize the degree is so close they muddle through.</p>

<p>If you get intern or Co-op experience, even if your GPA dips a little - getting the first job after college is key. You may have an offer from where you have interned or Co-oped. No one else really looks that closely at grades after you work in your profession after graduating - you stand on the degree and your work qualifications/experience.</p>

15

<p>bt - Good luck in your hunt for internship. I’ve been on these CC threads for a few years now. (DS in an engineer / college senior). There is a definite theme that “internships are important”. </p>

16

<p>@SOSConcern Thanks for the co-op idea, I’ll definitely look into that and see what I can find. Like you said, I also heard that senior engineering courses are very tough, advisors recommend taking that class by itself because you spend so many hours with the group working. From a few other students, I heard that getting into a hard working group is an absolute must in order to have success, but no matter what you’ll spend a lot of time beating your head against the wall. I’m not too discouraged about that, I know that school is school and you have to do what’s required, I’m sure most majors have “that particular assignment/project” that students usually struggle significantly with.</p>

<p>I’m really interested in finding out what life after school is like, if the career makes you feel just like you did in school during senior classes. That’s why I’m unsure about it, like I mentioned, I really enjoy the topics a lot, very fascinating, but if the career is torture on a near-daily basis, I would definitely consider something else. I know some students (unfortunately) choose this field solely for the money, I’m totally not one of those. I’m quite modest actually and would definitely consider studying something else related and earn a bit less if it ultimately means less agony in the long term. I’m taking a bit of extra time now to rethink this since I’ve completed 2 years, and if I do decide to change, now is probably the time in order to avoid making the mistake when it is too late. So far I have a decent opinion, but don’t have the “this-definitely-feels-like-the-right-career” feeling.</p>

17

<p>My H is an EE, graduated from a great eng school with so-so grades but a lot of practical know how. Worked as an electrician’s helper and also had worked in a plating factory (so he had some ‘work history’). He had a test engineering kind of project - and he got hired in test engineering - that was a ‘hook’. OOS employer - hired at school interview early in senior year (big company anticipated what they needed to fill). It was win-win on first EE job and he was a good employee. So try to gain the experiences in school projects, EC, and hopefully intern and/or Co-op.</p>

<p>Look ASAP for the co-op and intern opportunities - you have enough coursework @btenn4 to be eligible for either. Be sure to present yourself as interested in what they have within ME - once you gain some experiences, plus it may help you decide on your electives.</p>

<p>There have been good suggestions and good comments to reassure you.</p>

<p>Try to be more extroverted in the learning process. You are at school to learn, so asking questions of other students and profs, esp during the EC will reflect positively on you. Ignorance does not mean not intelligent. </p>

18

<p>bt - A lot of engineering students (including me) whined at least some of the time about engineering academics. In the workplace, most seem to like the work. Sometimesthey’d like a bit less of it, but I think that is true in many professions today. </p>