Do I even have a chance at becoming an electrical engineer?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hey guys, first post though I've come across this website quite a few times through google.</p>

<p>Basically, money is tight with my parents. I want to get a degree that will pay well without having to pay for and spending time going to graduate school, unless I can get a job after my bachelors and pay for school myself. Naturally this led me to engineering majors.</p>

<p>I've been at Cal State Fullerton major hopping, first I was in business, which I found so boring I couldn't muster the willpower to learn, if something is interesting I can spend 10 hours straight doing it. I then moved to chemistry which I thought was just a thousand rules a computer will memorize and calculate for me, in biology I had my first anxiety attack but now I've finally got my anxiety under control (woot), It was mostly the fact that having to get a Ph.D to do my own research projects that put me off (money situation). </p>

<p>My most recent degree decision was psychology which I greatly enjoy reading but the pay with just a bachelors is horrendous compared to other majors, though the classes are easy. I think many people take it as an easy way out.</p>

<p>I love to learn at my own pace, if something is interesting I have no problems working for 10 hours, but accounting put me to sleep. </p>

<p>All my hobbies involve EE related stuff. I have a bunch of DIY projects I'm working on: circuit bending an old yamaha keyboard I got for $6, building my own projector, soldering pre-build electronics together to make new interesting stuff, been building my own desktops and fixing electronics since I was a kid, to name a few. I love computers and I love downloading interesting software and messing with all kinds of electronics and hardware. I would love a major that is "hands on" and not all in the book.</p>

<p>However, I havent had the best track record in school. I've had unchecked ADHD for which I finally got treated and now I can focus my interests instead of getting side tracked over and over. I was drinking a lot because of the stress of class and now with my anxiety under control I don't drink at all. I'm a completely different person than when I was barely coping with school, but do you think I'm cut out to be an electrical engineer? </p>

<p>I've already taken a lot of the prerequisites from my other majors, chemistry, biology, math150... (I got mostly B's, but this was when I wasn't at my best)</p>

<p>Anyway, thats my history. Do you think I have what it takes? I figure if I work my ass off I'll be able to pass all the classes and get my BS in EE (I came from a college prep school that left me about 1 hour a night free time), so I know about crazy work loads.</p>

<p>I think if I got a little involved in school I could get help from friends or tutors if I get stuck on something, I had a pride complex where I just didn't ask for help, but I'm over it and ready to do whatever it takes to succeed. Making 60-80k compared to $40-50k psychology (in a market flooded with psych majors) definitely appeals to my situation. And getting a paid internship while I'm in school doesn't sound bad either, my friend who is a Mechanical Engineer is getting paid $60,000/yr for his internship.</p>

<p>What will be my greatest hurdles? I would discount the idea but I've grown so much as a person since my early college years, I want a good major and something I love to do, which it seems I already love. I'd love to master circuitry and build my own electronics. Is this impossible? I don't drink or do any drugs, I just need to survive.</p>

2

<p>Sorry for the wall of text: to sum it up I wasn’t doing so hot before because of some personal issues but I’ve got that all under control, I just don’t know if it’s enough for these majors. 4-5 hours a DAY just studying, going over books and homework, aside from “doing the work.” </p>

<p>If I’m super into it I think I could do it, but if it’s not fascinating and well taught I don’t know how well I’ll do.</p>

3

<p>This might not mean much to you but I’m kinda in the same boat as you. As long as you believe I’m yourself you can do it. I</p>

4

<p>A large portion of engineering work is boring. If all you do is the work that is interesting to you, it will show up in your gpa and you will be unhireable. Since you have already blown your gpa, there are some things you can do to achieve this goal.</p>

<p>Start getting good grades NOW. You will need to have a demonstrated quantity of success, and 2 years of good grades can go a long way in mitigating your performance up until now. Start keeping an engineering journal with descriptions of your projects showing a path to completion. There are still jobs for hands-on fix-it type engineers in areas like test equipment, radar systems and such. Start kissing up to engineering professors and find a way to get onto projects. You will need great recommendations.</p>

<p>Make sure you have stopped drinking alcohol entirely. You have identified it as a problem for you and have removed the problem. That’s what engineers do, and if you are not willing to do that, you may not have the willpower required to get through the EE curriculum.</p>

<p>You will be competing with the smartest and hardest working kids at the school. Best of luck.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for replying to my post.</p>

<p>Like I said, don’t drink anymore, at all. I’m much more well rounded, and who said I blew my GPA? I’m at a 3.0 is that considered blown?</p>

<p>I was under the assumption that electrical engineers build/design circuit boards and electronics… I really want to build my own synthesizer some day.</p>

<p>What kind of “boring work” were you talking about? Math? If it’s toward my goal I have no problem doing math, memorizing, etc. My point was more like even though my school has a great business program, learning about credits, debits, accounting, etc. No amount of willpower could power me through 4 years of that.</p>

<p>I thought engineering majors were more like a year or two of work, then the fun classes begin. I don’t need to be hands on like a repair man, just learning. If I have a teacher who shows me how to solve a math problem, and I’m allowed to ask questions along the way to clarify my understanding, I learn much better than reading how to solve a math problem out of a book, with no clarification, no questions, no assurance that my understanding is correct.</p>

<p>Also, will employers be asking about my GPA? Really? I have never heard that.</p>

6

<p>Of course employers will be asking for your GPA!! How else do you think they’ll know if you are a great candidate or a lousy one! There’s a big difference between someone with a 4.0 and a 2.0- so employers make sure they know what they’re getting into.</p>

<p>There will be classes about circuits, electronics, etc., but there will definitely be classes you consider boring. In most schools there’s a humanities requirement. Additionally, there’s a lot of math and physics you’ll need to take- I don’t know if these are considered fun. (I mean, I like math, so I consider math fun.) Even with the classes you consider “fun”, there will be moments that are boring. It’s not a free-for-all with everyone experimenting and building electronic devices. There’s a structured curriculum that you’ll need to follow and will cover topics that are “boring”. </p>

<p>You write that if it’s building toward your goal, you have no problem doing it. Realize that your goal is to graduate to get in a good position for LIFE! You need to take these years seriously, because these will impact the rest of your life. It’s great that you want to build a synthesizer, but realize that the goal now is not “fun”. Take school seriously. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while your’e doing it. Good luck man.</p>

7

<p>Alright, I’ve been trying to give you guys the benefit of the doubt, but this is the most condescending forum I’ve ever been on. </p>

<p>So what if I mentioned I want to build a synthesizer? It doesn’t have anything to do with my work ethic. Did I ever say the classes were a free for all? I am taking these years very seriously, you don’t know me.</p>

<p>I don’t know where you’re getting all these assumptions, but I do know I don’t have to prove anything to some condescending freshman-sounding internet “wanna-be” engineer who’s in his first year and got his head up his… anyway</p>

<p>Are there any REAL Electrical Engineers here? Someone at least in their 3rd year? I’ve heard everyone mention the obvious math and physics, but I asked which classes were toughest in the EE coursework, not the GE’s or Pre-reqs, which I’ve already completed.</p>

8

<p>You can be an engineer if you want to. It isn’t the hardest thing in the world. It sounds like you are ready and willing to work for what you want…so go for it! As in any major (and job!) there are going to be parts of it that you like and parts you find boring, but are necessary and require alot of work. There may be less of the actual hands on work than you would like, but try to tailor your classes (and eventual job) to do as much of this as possible if that is the part of it that you like.</p>

9

<p>It is a very fun career for all of the reasons that you mention. </p>

<p>However, you must understand that math is the key to being an engineer. If you don’t love math, and view it as your essential toolbox, then you will have a very difficult time becoming an engineer. </p>

<p>Engineering involves designing a mathematical model of what you want to achieve and then building it, then verifying that each component behaves as your mathematical model predicted that it would, then refining the model when you learn that it doesn’t. Iterate until you have what you want.</p>

10

<p>trying2survive - my apologies for making some inferences about you that were less than accurate. I thought that your combination of boring/anxiety/ADHD/drinking meant you were underperforming. 3.0 is a good start, but will need to improve to get design jobs. Projects and recommendations will still help. And yes, I am a working EE, 25 years in the field. </p>

<p>ClassicRockerDad may be the only one who has ever referred to it as a “very fun career.” It has its rewards, but also has its drudgery. I spent 2 hours designing a component (the fun part) and a week designing fixtures then writing specifications and test plans (the slog). Reading 150 pages about op amps for an analog circuits course is also boring.</p>

<p>EE students usually come at the career choice from two angles: the ham radio and circuit hobbyist guys who enjoy that hands-on experience, and the computer and math geeks who enjoy the theory. There are jobs out there for both and I regularly interact with each type. </p>

<p>Once you demonstrated the intellectual capacity for engineering - another inference I made is that you are capable due to your posts - then your greatest hurdle becomes your admitted and demonstrated weaknesses. So yes, you have a chance, and a real good one.</p>

11

<p>

Rule of thumb: being douch-ey to those who offer to help you isn’t the best way to get answers you want. However, I’ll assume you’re just speaking out of frustration, so I’ll help you the best I can.</p>

<p>The hard classes are mostly complex math/physics classes. DiffEqs(and PDEs), Electromagnetics, Signal/Systems, and the like. The CS classes might be hard if it’s not your cup of tea (which may very well be the case). EE is the 1st or 2nd hardest engineering major (about the same as ChemE) because of the fact that you have to learn the relations between quite a few things (math, E&M physics, CS, mechanics).</p>

<p>However, as with any other major, if you legitimately are willing to work, you’ll get through it. People who are smarter will get further if they also have a good work ethic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful (hard work is more important than natural ability). </p>

<p>You’d better learn to deal with classes you don’t like though. There’s ALWAYS a few of those, no matter where you go.</p>

12

<p>Join the CSUF Formula SAE Team.</p>

13

<p>Whoa- looks like I struck a bad chord. My apologies if offense was taken as that was definitely not my intention. You don’t know where I got my assumptions from? Alright, here goes…</p>

<p>You wrote “first I was in business, which I found so boring I couldn’t muster the willpower to learn”. That doesn’t give the impression of a great work ethic. I didn’t blame you, as everyone studies what they enjoy much better than what they don’t enjoy. However, you continue that you’ve explored business, chemistry, and biology, which were either boring or useless. </p>

<p>Then you write “I thought engineering majors were more like a year or two of work, then the fun classes begin.” My concern was that there seemed to be a pattern that if something didn’t interest you, it might “put you to sleep” like accounting did. Obviously, I don’t know you, but that’s what it sounds like from your post. I wanted to make clear that engineering is a grueling 4 years of work, and even if you like engineering, there will be boring parts. Ask any engineer, they like certain parts of engineering better than the other. When I mentioned the synthesizer, what I meant was that that and your hobbies seem to be your focus, and that I think personally more of that focus should be put on getting an “A” on whatever you’re doing, whether interesting or not, because you’re investing in your future. Obviously, experimenting and working on projects is an integral part of an engineering education. </p>

<p>BTW, out of curiosity, you mention that engineering is your hobby. Why didn’t you start out in an engineering major?</p>

14

<p>@trying2survive. I just wanted to say that I understand what you are going through. I don’t want to bore you with “MY LIFE,” but please allow me this. Being totally honest, I am 35 and have recently been diagnosed with ADD (ADHD, inattentive type). I struggled with my grades and was written off as a failure. I have always done great in math and science though, and was always in “Honors” classes, in those subjects. Anyway, and to make a long story a shorter one, my 8 year old son was going through the same thing I went through so my wife and got him tested and it turns out he has ADD. After seeing this, I went for testing and realized I have the same thing. My son, is now getting straight A’s and I am going back to school to persue a BSEE degree. I have been working as a “Field service engineer,” at my current job, for 10 years and love what I do, but I still have a burning desire to build the equipment I work on and not just repair it. (For all engineers reading this, FSE is just my job title, I am not trying to insult anyone’s hard work in school…I know I am not an “Engineer.” I also know this is a title given to make our customers happy.) </p>

<p>I am writing you to let you know that YOU WILL NOT FAIL. A lot of people do not understand that it is a lot harder for us to do something we are not interested in. We are constantly looking for “pleasure” as our brains work differently than people without ADD/ADHD. The fact that you stopped drinking and are serious about your schoolwork speaks volumes on you being successful! I am 100% positive that you will do fine in anything you chose to do.</p>

15

<p>@trying2survive, I think you should pursue your passion. I think you should go into EE and study audio and digital music electronics.</p>

<p>There is a lot of competition for those jobs. Grades may be an issue. But your passion is your advantage, because you want to spend time on that more than anything else (possibly to the detriment of grades). I would recommend learning how to live on the cheap (which includes not getting into crazy debt), if you start to have trouble finding jobs. That way, you can “buy” more time to develop skills that can lead to professional success.</p>

16

<p>Yes, you can do it.</p>

<p>Just passing and getting through an Engineering program at an average school is not exactly a tremendous feat by any stretch of the imagination. </p>

<p>If you want As, then that’s a different story.</p>

17

I just wanted to come back to this post and thank everyone who took the time to discuss my life in such detail, I am truly humbled by this community. Thank you, will update soon as I’ve been very busy.

18

Hmmm… maybe not… I am an engineer and did lots of college research for my own kids. (#1 stayed in engineering. #2 was also very bright but ADHD-ish switched to Econ Engineering has rigid course sequences, with little opportunity to pick/choose.) EE does not sound like a great fit for you. It’s cool that you like electronics, but you need to also like intense mathematical problem solving.

19

@colorado_mom This is an old thread and that last post was the OP coming back 3+ years later to give an update. It sounds like he/she did EE and did fine based on that last post.

20

Oops… missed that. It’s great to hear that thing turned out well.