If it were easy it would not be so much fun.
I've been working in aerospace since 1979. I have a ME, as do most my peers. Some have a degree in aerospace, and I've never noticed any difference in their performance. A few have degrees in physics, and they tend to handle the jobs that are...
My mother started her education when I was in kidnergarden, and graduated on semester before I did. She worked ten years and retired. She got much help in math and science from many family members. She was the only one in the family to whom math and science did not come naturally.
We have a huge need for engineers who understand the reasons behind the methods. Those engineers are becoming a rare breed, but they tend to stay employed. Consider becoming one of them.
You have confirmed what I thought after mentoring many young engineers. Their education is not what I remember, and so they have difficulty learning how to be real engineers. Not all of them, but most.
This is like asking if a marriage will work out. The answer is always, " No, they never work out." If a marriage works it is because the two people had a driving passion to make it work under all conditions. If you have a Passion for physics and a strong desire and willingness to make it work...
My mother graduated one semester ahead of me. She was away from math much longer than you. She caught up with a lot of hard work, and not a little tutoring from my sister and me, both engineering students at the time. She started with the very basics and worked her way thru it with a 4.0 GPA...
Also when I have something difficult to learn I approach it like weight training. I hit it with great intensity for a short period of time, then I rest my mind for a while before returning to it for another "set." I had a job in a machine shop when I was in high school. When I had to learn my...
My job is my life. When I was in school, that was my job.
But if my job was not a perfect fit for me such that it was the most fun that I could imagine, the I would quit and find another. I've changed jobs more than once when it was time to do something else in order to continue my personal...
One more thing you mentioned. I also had a great deal of trouble talking to people when I was your age. The idea of getting up in front of people to talk was terrifying. But today I will talk with anyone or before any group. I was once in a church where the pastor did not show up, so they...
We recently had a good thread relating to this topic on one of these forums called, “How do you define Intelligence.” Anyone interested in the topic should be able to find it easily enough. I don’t remember which of these forums it is in.
But relating more to the question posted here: When I...
Some of our best engineers have degrees in physics and not engineering. Probably my engineering education gave me about 5% of what I need to be a mechanical design engineer. Maybe if I had a degree in physics it might be 6%.
I have a BSE, mechanical. I've never used more than 5% of my education in any job, but each job used a different 5%. I was a machinist, and that has been far more useful than my education. Whoever hires you will plan on training you, so that you will be fully productive within 4 or 5 years..
I've worked in 4 of the 5. All were fun and interesting. It has been easy to change between them. The biggest change was at age 55. I got my most challenging job yet, doing what I've never done before and loving it. As for growth, I vote for anything in Energy is Medicine.
Einstein said that creativity is the residue of time wasted.
I say that time is never wasted so long as you enjoy yourself and take away something useful. I once took a job in a machine shop at minimum wage and became a very good machinist. Nothing in my education has helped me be a better...
I have found my true interests, and I have found my soul mate. But I did not recognise her until we had been together for four decades. Now things just get better every day.
Why limit yourself? Physics and Engineering are not mutually exclusive. My primary Passion is mechanical design...
I've worked for many companies that hire a bunch of engineers. I've always had coworkers with physics degrees. Some where PhD's. Some had engineering titles, and some did not. All were productive. Those with advanced degrees often help engineers figure out how to get the job done. No gas...