I’m an upcoming junior in high school and my counselor says that I need to start thinking of my pathway for the future. They said this because I’m dual enrolling this upcoming year and I need to chose classes that will benefit my pathway. As of right now it is engineering, which I like, however I’m not the best at math and science. All of my academic classes have been ap or honors and I try my best at math and science, they’re just not my strengths. I am much better at English and history. I really do like math and science when I understand it, it just takes a while. I know engineering requires math and science so I was wondering if I should still stick with it even if I’m not the best at it. I have four Bs without the extra points and they’re all in math and science classes. Ik I still have two more years of high school so I’m not that stressed, I just want to weigh my options. Thanks
Drive counts for a lot, but the best correlate to success in engineering is facility with math. Engineering is essentially applied math all the way through. Even after you get past the math titled classes, Statics, Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Vibrations, etc, are all applied math classes. Spend some time with a math teacher you like and see if you can deconstruct why you struggle. Good luck!
“I really do like math and science when I understand it, it just takes a while.”
Math and science do take a while. Sometimes a lot more than a while. So don’t give up if “takes a while” is your only concern.
When I was in engineering school there were 2 kinds of people in Calculus class…people who just “got it” and people who had work hard for it. If you are willing to work hard, then keep at it.
Hey there! I’m a junior too, and - ironically enough - I’m going through the same chaos as you are! My family recommends stem and engineering to me, but I enjoy English and writing as well. It was a hard decision for me to make - and it still is. I’m somewhat good at math and science, but not your typical math god or anything. English, however, is one thing that makes sense to me, but my (Indian) parents don’t recommend it. Anyways, I’m planning to go to the government/lawyer path, but then again, I might change my mind. What I’m saying is, it’s hard to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life in a mere two years, but I have faith in you! Do what you enjoy the most, even if you aren’t that good at it (unless you like the thing that you are good at). And also - stereotypical advice here - do something that you’re actually passionate about, not what makes the money. Because if you really are passionate, then you’ll end up being rich and successful anyways.
It’s nice to talk to another junior! Reach out to me if you want to talk about any other concerns!
Consider your strengths, of course, but also consider your interests.
Throughout your post you highlighted what you are good at and what you are not so strong at, but you didn’t mention much about what you actually like. You said you like engineering. Do you like it because you have experience (however limited) with it, or do you like it because you’ve heard vague things about it (especially good job prospects and earning power).
It’s OK to be better at English and history as long as you are good at, and like, math and science (especially the physical sciences). An engineer who can communicate well is a gold mine. But what do you actually want to study? What do you like? What classes are your favorites?