Way back in the 1970’s the University of Delaware had a program for getting people interested in engineering. It met on Saturdays and I managed to get nominated. We learned that designing racecars is trial and error, even the experts can’t solve the equations, but some examples of they use them to guess. That problem solving mode made sense to me.
So I ended up majoring in electrical engineering, and I still didn’t really know what I wanted to do while I was doing it, but the degree gave me lots of options, of which I pursued a few later.
The science vs. engineering decision is not a one-shot thing. Science majors can do a master’s or PhD in engineering, and engineers can do a PhD in science (a master’s isn’t really the thing in science). Both have about the same first 2 years so it’s a normal transition. But say for an architecture major to switch to engineering, they’d be starting as sophomores at most. Likewise engineering technology is not a smooth pathway to engineering. You have to gut out those basic math and science courses, then choices appear.
Maybe, maybe not; there are MANY types of engineers, and not all like to tinker. Here is a pretty good starting list from What Are the Different Types of Engineers - Find the List
Actually the field D20 is going into, Forensic Engineering, isn’t even on the list. The link gives a description of each type, maybe she can start by finding out if any sound interesting to her. It’s ok if she doesn’t know exactly what she wants to study. Mine didn’t decide which type of engineering (going for a MechE undergrad) until this summer; she specifically chose an open General Engineering program with w/auto entry to specific major sophomore year as long as they meet minimum GPA (IOW no caps by major). The good thing is even if the students decide after freshman year that Engineering isn’t right for them, most of the freshman classes will apply to other stem majors.
My daughter is a freshman electrical engineering major. She is strong in math (thanks AoPs) and enjoys problem solving and being frustrated with a problem then joy when she figures it out, often days later…(AoPs). She enjoys Arduino projects,worked with Matlab, Solidworks, Python, Java and has done engineering camps where she discovered she like circuits best so EE is the discipline she picked. She never did Robotics (too busy in Academic Decathlon ) in school but has done programs outside of school that are engineering outreach programs. She also took AP Calc BC, AP chem, APCS, AP Physics C: Mechanics and electricity and magnetism to build a strong foundation for college. All of this helped solidify engineering was the right path for her.
It really does matter which engineers, and what catches her imagination.
We pegged one of the collegekids as an engineer by the time she was 7- but she disagreed! Never a lego kid, no interest in comp sci, no robotics. Liked both chem & physics in HS and ended up majoring in physics & math in college. Applied to both physics and materials science PhD programs, and is now doing an applied physics/mat sci program in an engineering school. But she got there in her own way, at her own time.
I would heavily caution anyone against ruling out engineering based on a lack of interest in tinkering, or not wanting to attend a summer camp.
I know many great engineers that have never tinkered with stuff unless they needed to. They spent their high school and college summers working, playing sports, or chasing girls/boys. Camps are a new thing, and may serve some purpose to confirm an interest. But a lack of interest in tinkering/camps does not confirm that engineering is not the right field of study.
I would say that a significant portion of engineering graduates don’t find out whether engineering is right for them until they have their degree in hand, or even beyond. The uncertainty is ok. Worst case, a student walks away from college with an engineering degree that can be their ticket to do anything. Financial advising, actuary, marketing, medical school, graduate school in other fields, etc. So many options.
To a high school person with a potential interest, the flagships are usually the best bet because if there truly is no interest after 2-4 semesters, there will be plenty of other options. But sticking with it beyond year 1 will give the student a better representation of the types of colleagues they would ultimately be working with. And if the admissions has done their job, the student body will be incredibly dynamic in their interests and backgrounds.
Great post. Husband, (and his dad) , and both sons all engineers. No engineering camps, no major tinkering . Kids did like Legos though! Our kids both did what you describe in high school- lots of sports, working summer jobs, and just being regular teenagers. It can be done!
I couldn’t agree more. My husband and I are both engineers. He’s a tinkerer and I am not. Many of our colleagues at our respective workplaces are amateur musicians, artists, dancers etc. My dilemma, when in high school, was whether to pursue a career in ballet or go to college to become an engineer. I think my engineering career served me well and I never stopped dancing. We’re hoping our daughter, who is an incoming 1st year engineering student, will find the dynamic and multifaceted freshman engineering class that you describe. She has many artistic interests beyond her deep love of math and science.
Although many of us were only speaking to the question, our kids probably all had many other interests. D20 is an amazing artist; she also did theatre and was a year-round competitive swimmer. Math, coding and robotics don’t have to be the only passions.
Agreed. My d was/is a pianist and a thespian. Also briefly considered going to conservatory. Super common for engineers to have artistic pursuits. She has continued with both in college.
Most of us have multiple interests. When it comes to choosing a college major as preparation for an eventual career, we have to make a choice among our strongest interests. I’m a believer that students should choose based on two criteria: a) strong interest or passion in the field; and b) natural talent relative to others in that field. There’s no point in pursuing a career in music, for example, if the student isn’t competitive in musical talent. Each of us is talented in different ways. If we all do what we’re best at, it’s not only good for us individually, but also best for the society as a whole.
My son took piano lessons for many years, and still plays – I think it is a form of relaxation from the engineering grind.
The marching band at our state’s flagship university has many engineering students in it – perhaps a reflection of their attention to detail and precision.
Thanks this is very helpful. D also enjoys art, chorus, theater, video games, anime and the humanities (sometimes). But when it comes to subject level interests it always comes back to math, physics and chemistry.
Sidebar, DD and roommates (all engineering girls) bought tickets to a nearby university Drama club’s pop-up musical for tomorrow. The cast and crew has to put it together in 24 hours (learn lyrics, lines, choreography, build sets, create costumes, etc. all in 24hrs), and the audience doesn’t know the production until it starts. IME, arts and engineering definitely go hand in hand.
I find the last several comments interesting. Music is very mathematical. Many engineers have a music side to them. Also on many campuses the engineering, theater, music, art, etc kids are lumped together on purpose… IE… North campus at Michigan.
Agree with the musical engineers! About 1/3 of our robotics team is in the marching band. And on our tour of Michigan, we asked about the marching band and he said nearly half of it are engineers!
Nice to hear all of these great stories of the more personal side of engineers. You all are raising great kids.
These hobbies can often be differentiators after graduation. The first question in one of my interviews was, “What do you do to satisfy your creative side?” I fumbled and didn’t get the offer. LOL
