<p>seriously... i look at all the majors and jobs out there and there's nothing that interests me.</p>
<p>can i just... become an engineer, even if i don't like it? i mean, there really isn't anything else out there that i would like much more... and engineering seems to be a pretty solid career choice, i guess.</p>
<p>is engineering something you really need to be passionate about? i'm pretty smart... i could go through the 4 years just fine. but whatever i do, i just don't want to hate my job after the 4 years.</p>
<p>Being an engineering major takes a lot of work, so I wouldn’t waste the time if you don’t want to be an engineer. I would major in business if you don’t know what you want to do.</p>
<p>Probably not… after 8 months into my program I was already enjoying thinking about the light at the end and everything that comes after. If that didn’t appeal to me I would’ve dropped out and ‘just like, became a pro ski patroller’ or something</p>
<p>Whatever you end up doing, learn as much mathematics, especially applied mathematics, as you can; also, if possible, learn how to program. Those two skills are the new hunting-n-gathering.</p>
<p>No, no, a thousand times no. If you do not know what you want to study, GET OUT OF SCHOOL! If you lack interest in your program, you will probably struggle regardless of talent, and that will continue in your career. You will waste time, money, and opportunity (since switching careers can be very difficult, especially if it requires an additional academic degree). Stay out of school, figure out what you want to do with your life, and THEN go to whatever school is needed to get there.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should just drop out of school, that’s way too extreme. What you should be taking is taking as diverse a class load as possible and keep going until something sticks. Slow down and take your time. You may spend an extra year or two, but it’s worth it if you can find a career that you enjoy doing that will last a lifetime.</p>
<p>If you like the courses involved with an engineering major, it would be an easy major to switch out of should you change your mind. It isn’t so easy to switch in to.</p>
<p>Not many 17 or 18-year-olds know just what they want.</p>
<p>LOL. I have to say I got a kick out of your thread title. Kind of like you could “become” an Engineer by Tinkerbell or someone sprinkling the appropriate fairy dust upon you.</p>
<p>Basically, I agree with sugeek… if you think Engineering <em>might</em> be for you, that’s where you should start. Because it’s pretty easy to move out of and not at all easy to move into.</p>
<p>However, I’m not sure “can’t find anything I like” is a good reason to think it might be for you.</p>
<p>Do you have an interest in science/math/computers/how things work, etc?</p>
<p>OP - are you currently in high school or college? If you are in high school I would seriously consider delaying college until you have at least a couple of ideas of things you would like to study, otherwise it is all just a waste. If you are currently a college student, I would try to take some diverse classes and (better yet) get involved with some student organizations - no penalty if you don’t like it (or are terrible) and more immersion then you are likely to get with a class.</p>
<p>As susgeek mentioned, it is easier to transfer out of engineering majors than into, but that only helps you if you want out of engineering entirely - if you enter the “wrong” engineering major, you are just as screwed because the “right” one probably won’t let you in.</p>
<p>Regardless of what you will ultimately do, engineering or something in the medical field for example. You will certainly need to fullfil your math, physics, chemistry requirements. I would start there. If you find that you like chemistry/biology more so than physics, you would consider a field more towards medical instead of engineering. If you like math/physics more so than biology/chem you would consider a field in engineering. Furthermore, taking the required physics and statics/mechanics/dynamics should also help you to decide if you want to pursue, civil, mechanical, electrical for example.</p>
<p>Bottom line, starts somewhere…You can figure out the rest as you go along.</p>
<p>I disagree with the people saying that if you don’t love it you won’t survive. I know plenty of engineering students at the top of their class who don’t love engineering but know it leads to a good job with a good salary.</p>
<p>take the time to figure yourself out more, college isn’t the end-all. Are you the type of person that just doesn’t like change? If so, then I’d work to change that mindset, or look for a government job : )</p>
<p>medicine has nothing to do with chemistry. give me one doctor that can design an HPLC methodology or won’t electrocute himself when repairing a GCMS or can synthesize carbon nanowires. Doctors know a tiny bit about the details of a few otherwise unimportant homogenously catalyzed organic reactions in water at 360 K. They don’t know chemistry. Does a mechanic know mechanical engineering?</p>
<p>if the OP likes bio and memorizing useless details that can be replaced with a book, go for medicine. if the OP likes physical sciences, working with hands on stuff and not memorizing but also doesn’t want to be doing too much math, chemistry. if they like math, engineering or physics.</p>
<p>@Andale: glad you laughed at the title. as for my interest in science/math/computers/how things work… it’s not really up there. that’s my main ‘problem’ right now. my interest levels are fairly low all around (on a large scale, like when it comes to deciding on what to do the rest of my life, haha). i think i’m at a point where i could do anything. i’m good at anything i do, just not GREAT at anything. so that’s why i’m looking into engineering, because it seems to be a good field with good job prospects and a potential salary to make any indiferences toward the field seem totally worth it. idk if i’m wrong in thinking this way though…</p>
<p>@cosmicfish: i am a first-year college student at a CC, unfortunately. there aren’t any engineering-related student organizations that i see, but i’ll look into some of them anyway, along with taking diverse classes. seems like a good plan. i was hoping to transfer out to UT Austin after one year, but it looks as though the best thing will be to wait out another year, to see if if i figure myself out more by then.</p>
<p>@Intervenient: “I disagree with the people saying that if you don’t love it you won’t survive. I know plenty of engineering students at the top of their class who don’t love engineering but know it leads to a good job with a good salary.”
hey, that sounds like me! so… then you don’t need to be passionate about it to be successful/happy? like i said before, i’m a good student and i know i can “survive” the four years. i just want to have a job and money at the end of it. work is work, right? it’s never gonna be fun and games, so whatever i end up with, i just wanna bring home a good paycheck and not hate myself in the process…</p>
<p>um, i’ve heard that engineering is a pretty versatile degree… is this true? to what extent?</p>
<p>also, are there any specific engineering degrees you guys would suggest for somebody like me, who is in general not too crazy about it but just wants a solid job? i’m guessing they’re fairly different from eachother in terms of day-to-day types of work.
i was sort of looking into petroleum engineering (high salary, i want to work in Dallas/Austin) but i’m not sure if that degree will even be relevant in 20 years.</p>
<p>Medicine is applied biology, which in turn is applied chemistry. Medical doctors are to biologists what mechanical/electrical engineers are to physicists. A medical doctor who is not well versed in biology and chemistry will be as successful as a mechanical engineer who is not well versed in math and physics.</p>
<p>You are confusing a lot of concepts. Successful and happy are not necessarily related at all-you can easily be one and not the other. Likewise, “disliking” “liking” and “being passionate” are entirely different things. I don’t think anyone has to be passionate to enjoy and be successful in their jobs. I DO think one has to LIKE what they do for the rest of their lives. Okay no one HAS TO like what they do for the rest of their lives, but why on god’s earth would you opt for something you dislike, when this is the only life you have, and there are so very many ways to make a living? </p>
<p>Whether you will like or dislike engineering school, who knows? Reading about it tells you very little. Just because you think you might not be passionate about any one thing doesn’t mean you won’t. Same with the actual career- how can one really know in advance? Most of us really do not have a CLUE what a particular job really entails. </p>
<p>Related to that last point, whether you like/dislike/are passionate about engineering classes may not necessarily mean how you will feel about being an engineer. Most of the engineers I know who were successful ended up in management anyway. But my point is there is tremendous diversity in one’s given occupation and career path.</p>