Engineering Difficulty: Aerospace, Mech, Elec, Chem, Civil

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the perceived difficulty of various engineering disciplines: aerospace, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and civil engineering. Participants share personal experiences and observations regarding the challenges associated with each field, as well as the subjective nature of such comparisons.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that the difficulty of engineering disciplines is highly subjective and varies based on individual experiences.
  • One participant mentions that they find electrical engineering particularly challenging, while others may have different perspectives based on their backgrounds.
  • There is a suggestion that the distinctions between engineering disciplines are often blurred in practical applications, with engineers frequently performing tasks outside their designated fields.
  • Statistics regarding student withdrawal rates in Spain are presented, suggesting a perceived order of difficulty among the disciplines, though this may not reflect experiences in other countries like the USA.
  • Some participants assert that chemical engineering is often viewed as one of the hardest fields, while civil engineering is considered easier by some.
  • There is a general agreement that electrical engineering is perceived as more difficult than mechanical engineering by several participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that the difficulty of engineering disciplines is subjective and varies by individual. However, multiple competing views remain regarding which fields are harder or easier, and the discussion does not reach a consensus on a definitive ranking.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the influence of personal experiences and educational contexts on perceptions of difficulty, as well as the variability in engineering roles in practice.

redgoat
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Relist, in your opinion, these five kinds of engineering in terms of difficulty.
aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering and civil engineering.
 
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This question comes up a lot, and is completely pointless.

I have a lot more trouble with anything of an electrical nature, but that's just me. I also found the aero aspects of my (mech) course more difficult than others, but this is such a ridiculously subjective question that any answers you get will be based on individual experiences and will certainly not reflect the difficulty of the actual tasks carried out by these types of engineers.

In addition, the distinction between the different disciplines is far more blurry in real life practice, than in a university course. Someone with the job title of Chemical or Civil Engineer could easily be carrying out tasks more commonly associated with a Mechanical (or even Aero) Engineer, and this crossover can be seen between almost any disciplines.
 
brewnog said:
This question comes up a lot, and is completely pointless.

I have a lot more trouble with anything of an electrical nature, but that's just me. I also found the aero aspects of my (mech) course more difficult than others, but this is such a ridiculously subjective question that any answers you get will be based on individual experiences and will certainly not reflect the difficulty of the actual tasks carried out by these types of engineers.

In addition, the distinction between the different disciplines is far more blurry in real life practice, than in a university course. Someone with the job title of Chemical or Civil Engineer could easily be carrying out tasks more commonly associated with a Mechanical (or even Aero) Engineer, and this crossover can be seen between almost any disciplines.

But most of people here in Spain bases his choice by means of student withdraw statistics. Here, the statistics show that the order is approximately:

i) Aeronautical Engineering (5 years program)--- Ingenería Aeronáutica
iii) Civil Engineering (6 years program)---Ingeniería de Caminos, Canales y Puertos.
iii) Mechanical Engineering (5 years program)---Ingeniería Mecánica
iv) Electrical Engineering (5 years program)---Ingeniería Eléctrica
v) Chemical Engineering (5 years program)---Ingeniería Química

That's what I can say, but I think in USA it's pretty different. As the british brewn-dog has said :biggrin:, the school you choose is a very important factor for doing the task more difficult.
 
Clausius2 said:
But most of people here in Spain bases his choice by means of student withdraw statistics. Here, the statistics show that the order is approximately:

i) Aeronautical Engineering (5 years program)--- Ingenería Aeronáutica
iii) Civil Engineering (6 years program)---Ingeniería de Caminos, Canales y Puertos.
iii) Mechanical Engineering (5 years program)---Ingeniería Mecánica
iv) Electrical Engineering (5 years program)---Ingeniería Eléctrica
v) Chemical Engineering (5 years program)---Ingeniería Química

That's what I can say, but I think in USA it's pretty different. As the british brewn-dog has said :biggrin:, the school you choose is a very important factor for doing the task more difficult.

based on what I've heard, chemical engineering is one of the hardest, if not the hardest. Also from what I've heard,civil engineering is one of the easiest. Most people think electrical engineering is harder than mechanical engineering, and I would have to agree with them.
 

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