Dropping out of Engineering

<p>This morning I spoke with a colleague who was an Industrial Engineering major and just changed her major to Hospitality Management. She said that after taking one of the IE classes, she realized that IE is not what she wants to do for the rest of her life.</p>

<p>I was a bit shocked because she was a good student, better than I am but all it took was one "bad class" to make her want to change her major.</p>

<p>I am the opposite, I have struggled with some of my classes but I am very persistent and I know I am never going to give up until I graduate.</p>

<p>I was wondering how important perseverance and willingness to stick with something are in Engineering and in what sense, these qualities would make someone a "good Engineer"</p>

<p>Taking a legitimate interest in my engineering field, and science in general, is what keeps me going.</p>

<p>I took accounting, statistics and sociology in high school. Hated all of the classes.</p>

<p>Volunteered at a hospital for two summers. Disliked cleaning the patient rooms (especially if there was stuff on the beds). There was an incident where I was told to not clean one of the patient wards, because there was a corpse on the bed, and the morgue was behind schedule by about 2 hours. Sometime later they offered me an opportunity to watch a procedure, turned out to be colonoscopy.</p>

<p>I’ve always had an interest in aircraft designs and optimizing mechanical forces though.</p>

<p>I like the challenge of my classes. If my classes weren’t challenging, I wouldn’t like it because it would be rather boring and not intellectually stimulating me to my potential. Science/Math/Engineering classes do just that. An easy major will give you more free time and less of a hassle, but it won’t feel as good as if you took the challenging route and get a diploma in something that you’re proud of.</p>

<p>I don’t understand the question here. The person in question didn’t drop because she couldn’t cut it. She dropped because she realized she couldn’t see herself doing that career. That is the best possible reason to drop and change to a different field.</p>

<p>I have worked with students interested in engineering. I do not have knowledge in this area and was curious if it is a smart move to remain in engineering if your gpa is below 3. </p>

<p>I have read many posts of engineers graduating with sub 3 gpa not finding employment. I have also read it does not matter which school you attend, a sub 3 gpa is killer if you do not have experience (internships). How can you get internships with a sub 3 gpa? </p>

<p>It would be great if someone knowledgeable in this area could give some guidance? At what gpa should a student consider switching majors?</p>

<p>I have struggled in a few courses over my years studying optical engineering, but I love what I am doing and what I am learning. And it is my interest in the material that pushes me to stick with it. I am glad that I have. I graduate in the spring and already have accepted a job offer at a major defense contractor. </p>

<p>Don’t ever let one bad class determine the rest of your life. If you enjoy what you are doing and can envision the end goal, stick with it.</p>