Other Becoming an Engineer: Considerations and Personal Experiences

[ilustrius]

I'm thinking of going into electrical engineering (also considering civil, computer or industrial; however electrical seems most interesting to me) but I'm not terribly good at or passionate about math. When I took Pre-Calc and Trig in high school I didn't do so well. I'm not sure if this is important enough to re-think this career path or not. When I took entrance exams for college (I went and dropped out, am going back this Spring) I scored into the highest math placement I could without testing out of it entirely, and I did really well in Intermediate Algebra. I'm just concerned that this might not be good enough because I hear a lot about how math intensive engineering is, and I'm pretty sure I'll have to do a bit more than factoring to graduate. I don't mind doing math and find some of it fun, but I guess I'm concerned that I'd be bad at it and if it's really that crazy important I might as well just decide on another career path.

On the other hand, I find electricity and the physics behind it fascinating. I love to design things and solve puzzles. I'm naturally inquisitive which seems to be a plus for this career field. I love to write and enjoy finding the most efficient way to do things. I think that designing electronics would be really fulfilling, I love technology and looking at the progress we have made so far and thinking about how much further we have the potential to go.

What do you think? Would I make a good electrical engineer or should I go back to the drawing board?

Personally I was a little apprehensive the summer before freshers year for my Bachelor in Civil Engineering. I had completed a high school Maths subject roughly equivalent to AB Calculus, so I was a little behind some of the other students on my course who had done the equivalent of a BC. Nevertheless, I worked hard and ended up with an average score in my first semester Maths course (which involved complex numbers, differential limits, integration by parts, hyperbolic functions and trigonometry). Again, I worked hard in the proceeding semester and scored a significantly better than average score for my second Maths course (which involved ODEs, partial differentiation, linear algebra, Taylor and Mclaurin series).

It may all sound difficult to you only because it's unknown territory. The good thing about the Maths on an Engineering degree is that it's largely applied - you'll do a little bit of deriving, but not to the extent of a Maths major. I myself coped, and I'm by no means a genius in Maths. You clearly have at least some aptitude, so the hard work that you'll inevitably put in should suffice.

Granted, one difference is that I enjoy Maths. If you absolutely hate it, then I recommend not pursuing a degree in Engineering. It's essentially a degree in Applied Maths, and it features calculation after calculation. I myself am a Civil Engineering major. Arguably, my course isn't as mathematically intensive as some others such as Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, but it's still 95% Maths.

If you're looking to do a degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Maths is unavoidable. It will involve a lot of complex number theory and calculus.

 

[adwr070621]

Anybody know anything about Coastal Engineering? I am thinking about switching from going to helicopter pilot school to becoming an engineer. It is very fascinating to me and I really like math and science, although I am getting a late start. I am 27 and have to take math from the bottom up.

 

[bluephysics]

I've debated whether it really is hard or whether the profs make it hard to weed out the weak. I've come to the conclusion that it really is hard. Even weed-out courses have to be made hard so people make the effort to understand them.

I hate teachers that fit into this description, the purpose of being a teacher is to teach, not to weed out the so called weak students. If the students are not all getting 70% plus then the teacher is the failure. Sure some students will probably never understand physics or make the effort but that does not entitle the teacher to a get out of work free card. Lazy damm teachers!

I am 30 and doing a physics course because I want to learn, I am aching to be taught new things so I am making the effort and still finding it difficult because this teacher is not providing enough examples for someone who has never done physics before (it is only classical mechanics). The problem with college or uni teachers is that the younger students are too scared to complain, something which has not been a problem for me, and what is sad is that these students are learning to behave this way themselves. Do not ask for help! Figure it out yourself! Is this the learning society that greater minds than me have envisaged for the future? Really ? Don't you think that collectively if we can learn better and faster we should do this? Why should i spend a day figuring out the rotational torque of an object when it could be explained to me in 30 minutes with a few simple diagrams or heaven forbid video tutorials? This is the 20th century teaching establishment wake up!

We need to be teaching each other faster so we can move onto more complicated and relevant problems fast. Life is short. Even awesome resources like the khan academy need 1000% improvement with more examples.

Right- back to work :)

 

[denks]

I hate teachers that fit into this description, the purpose of being a teacher is to teach, not to weed out the so called weak students. If the students are not all getting 70% plus then the teacher is the failure. Sure some students will probably never understand physics or make the effort but that does not entitle the teacher to a get out of work free card. Lazy damm teachers!

I am 30 and doing a physics course because I want to learn, I am aching to be taught new things so I am making the effort and still finding it difficult because this teacher is not providing enough examples for someone who has never done physics before (it is only classical mechanics). The problem with college or uni teachers is that the younger students are too scared to complain, something which has not been a problem for me, and what is sad is that these students are learning to behave this way themselves. Do not ask for help! Figure it out yourself! Is this the learning society that greater minds than me have envisaged for the future? Really ? Don't you think that collectively if we can learn better and faster we should do this? Why should i spend a day figuring out the rotational torque of an object when it could be explained to me in 30 minutes with a few simple diagrams or heaven forbid video tutorials? This is the 20th century teaching establishment wake up!

We need to be teaching each other faster so we can move onto more complicated and relevant problems fast. Life is short. Even awesome resources like the khan academy need 1000% improvement with more examples.

Right- back to work :)

Excellent post. I have given instructional presentations in industry and if the majority of people at the end of my presentation did not understand what I had just presented I would have been the one in trouble, not the audience. It is sad that in some (thankfully not the one I attend) educational institutions being a bad teacher (ie. having a very high failure rate) and making a subject as difficult as possible is almost considered a badge of honour. A very high failure rate does not mean a lecturer is good, it means that he/she struggles to get the material across to the students. Let me ask this - would you rather spend days learning a concept because the lecturer is deliberately making it difficult to understand or an hour or two and the rest of the time going into advanced topics? No brainer really

Edit: I'm glad to see I'm not the only 30-something back at study :)

 

[fora]

1st question: if you see yourself as making something that matters in life, go for engineering. if you see yourself as being the next einstein, but you arent that good in mathematics or in geometric perception- go into engineering.

science (physics, chemistry, biology, etc) is for people who are willing to get paid less money, to work long hours and often times with little progress due to uncertainty in your work and due to the unknowns in sciences. research for a scientist is a combination of academic excellence, perseverance, and drive of curiosity. if you like teaching others or thinking of a career such as college professor this might just be the best option for you.

engineering (chemical, mechanical, civil, aerospace, electrical, etc) is for people who don't want to be journalists or accountants or customer service representatives because they want to make a difference in life, because they want to see their product - to be able to look at it and admire it with all the 5 senses. engineering is for those who want to make this world a better place, by taking serious responsibilities in everything they do, with a sense of righteosness. you might be smiling, but if engineer is lousy in his work, a lot of people will die, and a lot more might suffer. engineers get paid well compared to scientists.

now there is also a deviation from science which has a name of 'medical physicist'. those people are basically engineers, than scientists, and hence is their pay in 100k range/yr.

choose wisely, but if you are torn between the two like i am - go for both. get a dual degree in science and some engineering that interests you. for example: a dual degree, BS in Physics and BS in Electrical Engineering. Both majors are interrelated and would be a valuable addition to each other.

i'm a student in physics and chemical engineering. if you find everything interesting - go for this mix. chemical engineering is the universal engineering field. in combination with physics it creates an extremely broad range of knowledge and skills that employers will find useful.

good one...

 

[cs_chaka]

For Shahil:

Howzit, bru, I enjoyed reading your post, as I'm now at the beggining of my SA eng studies, I chose Chemical Eng, although I'll do a N4 in Electrical Eng as well. I'm not very mechanically inclined on the practical side of things, I prefer the Science part of Engineering. All the best !

 

[kramer733]

Hey just wondering if i get a math degree, am i able to get a masters degree in electrical engineering? Will I still be able to do a p.eng in Canada? Will the government of Canada still hire me?

 

[MECHster]

Hey just wondering if i get a math degree, am i able to get a masters degree in electrical engineering? Will I still be able to do a p.eng in Canada? Will the government of Canada still hire me?

One of my profs (In Canada) got his degree in physical chemistry then a masters and Ph.D in nuclear engineering, and he's a professional engineer. It's probably just harder (ie. more than the standard 4 years work experience w/o a B.Eng).

 

[elabed haidar]

well last year i was in the faculty of enginnering and i couldn't pass so i thought it was the end of the world but when i switch to physics i am on top of the world i sill want to do engineering but physics is also cool i hope that people understand that we should learn to lose in able to win in life again

 

[Jokerhelper]

Hey just wondering if i get a math degree, am i able to get a masters degree in electrical engineering? Will I still be able to do a p.eng in Canada? Will the government of Canada still hire me?

Yes, you can. However it will take more time as you will have to write one or more exams to test your technical knowledge and there may be differences in the amount of work experience you'll need. You should look this up on the website of your province's engineering body.

 

[Hellius]

Two questions:

What's the difference between mechanical engineering coursework and civil engineering coursework?

Some people I've talked to said that there will be less opportunities for jobs outside of engineering with a civil engineering degree than there would be with a mechanical engineering degree. Is this true?

 

[denks]

Two questions:

What's the difference between mechanical engineering coursework and civil engineering coursework?

Some people I've talked to said that there will be less opportunities for jobs outside of engineering with a civil engineering degree than there would be with a mechanical engineering degree. Is this true?

A strange question. If you don't want to do engineering then neither civil nor mechanical engineering is going to be a good choice. If you want to be an engineer there is more than plenty of jobs as both a civil and a mech engineer.

 

[Hellius]

A strange question. If you don't want to do engineering then neither civil nor mechanical engineering is going to be a good choice. If you want to be an engineer there is more than plenty of jobs as both a civil and a mech engineer.

I probably should have phrased the second question differently. I may or may not grow tired of being an engineer in the strictest, most stereotypical sense of the word. I may want to get into consulting or I may want to get into management, or something else that would put the skills I would gain to use, but not necessarily in the realm of design and development.

Mechanical seems to be ideal for what I'm looking for in sense of breadth, but I feel as though I'm attracted more to buildings and constructs.

 

[denks]

In which case both will serve you just as well. So choose the one that interests you more. Consulting is a very broad term, you won't be able to consult as a civil engineer with a mech eng background and vice versa. As for pure management it won't make much difference either way.

 

[Bronosio]

Hey there,

I'm currently in my last two years of high school in Australia, and am considering studying engineering at university. Currently doing extension maths, physics, etc. I lead my year at both English and Science, and come close in Maths - I have creativity, but also logic. I have been told that this suits engineering?

As much as I love to design things, my actual hands-on abilities are lacking - I don't really 'build' things these days (though, like all of you, I love LEGO). Would this be an issue?

I have a passion for weapons and weapon design, and want to enter into the defense sector - the state of Victoria here has quite the list of arms manufacturers and defense companies. I would think that mechanical engineering is the most suitable for this? (Was thinking maybe dual degree - bachelor of science/bachelor of mechanical engineering). Not sure what masters, though. I presume, again, mechanical.

In addition to the above - are there any particular types of course outlines/electives, etc, that I should look out for, when choosing a university, as far as helping in the realm of weapons/defense? And/or anything the companies look for?

(Sorry if I didn't ask many direct questions).

Regards,
- Bronosio.

 

[CheckMate]

Hey there,

I'm currently in my last two years of high school in Australia, and am considering studying engineering at university. Currently doing extension maths, physics, etc. I lead my year at both English and Science, and come close in Maths - I have creativity, but also logic. I have been told that this suits engineering?

As much as I love to design things, my actual hands-on abilities are lacking - I don't really 'build' things these days (though, like all of you, I love LEGO). Would this be an issue?

I have a passion for weapons and weapon design, and want to enter into the defense sector - the state of Victoria here has quite the list of arms manufacturers and defense companies. I would think that mechanical engineering is the most suitable for this? (Was thinking maybe dual degree - bachelor of science/bachelor of mechanical engineering). Not sure what masters, though. I presume, again, mechanical.

In addition to the above - are there any particular types of course outlines/electives, etc, that I should look out for, when choosing a university, as far as helping in the realm of weapons/defense? And/or anything the companies look for?

(Sorry if I didn't ask many direct questions).

Regards,
- Bronosio.

Do you realize that the weapons you will design will be used to kill human beings and in some cases , they could take the life out of innocents ? Think about that for a second... What would you feel towards the person who designed a weapon which killed someone closed to you?

 

[denks]

Hey there,

I'm currently in my last two years of high school in Australia, and am considering studying engineering at university. Currently doing extension maths, physics, etc. I lead my year at both English and Science, and come close in Maths - I have creativity, but also logic. I have been told that this suits engineering?

As much as I love to design things, my actual hands-on abilities are lacking - I don't really 'build' things these days (though, like all of you, I love LEGO). Would this be an issue?

I have a passion for weapons and weapon design, and want to enter into the defense sector - the state of Victoria here has quite the list of arms manufacturers and defense companies. I would think that mechanical engineering is the most suitable for this? (Was thinking maybe dual degree - bachelor of science/bachelor of mechanical engineering). Not sure what masters, though. I presume, again, mechanical.

In addition to the above - are there any particular types of course outlines/electives, etc, that I should look out for, when choosing a university, as far as helping in the realm of weapons/defense? And/or anything the companies look for?

(Sorry if I didn't ask many direct questions).

Regards,
- Bronosio.

I am not particularly "hands-on" myself and am loving studying engineering. In mechanical and civil you will likely do some kind of building / machining, in electrical, telecomms, software and computer engineering there is very little hands-on work at all unless you want to do something. To get a good feel for the courses have a look at a universities online handbook and the subjects that are undertaken in the different majors. If you are interested in defence work then every branch of engineering has some application - civil engineers are used by the army as combat engineers, with electrical, mechatronics and software you can get into things like avionics and mechanical has other things that they do (the machinery itself).

 

[Bronosio]

Do you realize that the weapons you will design will be used to kill human beings and in some cases , they could take the life out of innocents ? Think about that for a second... What would you feel towards the person who designed a weapon which killed someone closed to you?

I am well aware of this, and it does not concern me. Weapons development is what I want to do. Additionally, I would not be angry with the person who developed the weapon, in that case, rather with either the firer of it, or their leader(s).

I am not particularly "hands-on" myself and am loving studying engineering. In mechanical and civil you will likely do some kind of building / machining, in electrical, telecomms, software and computer engineering there is very little hands-on work at all unless you want to do something. To get a good feel for the courses have a look at a universities online handbook and the subjects that are undertaken in the different majors. If you are interested in defence work then every branch of engineering has some application - civil engineers are used by the army as combat engineers, with electrical, mechatronics and software you can get into things like avionics and mechanical has other things that they do (the machinery itself).

Thanks.

Could anyone with defence experience comment? (I'm not looking to enter the Defence Force itself, just to design and develop weapons, armoured vehicles, etc. I realize that if I wanted missiles, aircraft, etc, it'd be aerospace engineering, right?)

As far as the actual practical work within ME; would I be completed out-done by the sort of guys I know that work on their cars every weekend, etc, and who can use tools quite well. I'm interested more in the design, but I can learn things quickly and follow rules quite closely. ME would turn out okay for me, no?

 

[denks]

I'm no ex-defence worker, however to give an idea, one of my best mates is a mech eng working for the gov. He does zero hands-on stuff, his day is spent on a computer working on CFD (computational fluid dynamics) - lots of heavy maths. In Australia to give a very rough overview of what engineering works on what in defence related fields it would be worth your time to visit the defence recruiting page (I am not suggesting to join the defence force itself, however it will give a good indication as to what engineer works on what). Also Engineers Australia and universities sometimes hold information days / evenings on defence engineering fields presented by engineers from the defence force and associated industries. University career days would be another good place to visit where companies like Thales and BAe would likely have stalls. Also visit DSTO and DMO websites to see what engineers there work on.

 

[Bronosio]

Thanks for your replies, mate, and sorry for my late response.

I'll make sure to try and attend those sort of events.

I looked at the two organisations, thanks a lot for the names.

For you/anyone else;

- Although I know it's speaking of Graduate programs, but, on the DSTO site (http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/grads/ ), it shows a branch under engineering as 'Weapons Systems/Eng'. I would wonder how a person gets involved in such? (I am thinking that it's more the idea of coordination/control than the weapon design itself).

- Also, I would have to question the practicality of mechanical engineering for this, as in; modern weapons... the concept of the firearm is pretty down-pat thesedays.

Would missile/rocket/aircraft concepts (Aerospace), and Electrical Engineering, be more practical? I've seen things like 'Combat System Engineer', but they're about the actual coordination/control of the weapons systems (Electrical engineering).

- I would also wonder if ballistics (an important part of weapons design) is a branch of Aerospace, again, a reason why mechanical might not be the most practical.

I guess the aim (even though it's difficult to consider - [possibly private sector?]) is the idea of independently designing a weapon, but obviously with input, eventually; a purely-mechanical engineering could not design a modern weapon, right?

- And, finally... I know a lot of mechanical engineering stuff at uni is involving everything from motors to appliances, and some universities are focused on 'Australian issues', such as power generation, etc. Not exactly going to help me, I think?

Cheers.

 

[denks]

If you don't want to do mechanical then don't do mechanical. Having said that, your reasons are way off :) ME's are involved in a huge amount more than sitting in a workshop machining things. Propulsion systems, engines, structural aspects (who do you think designs the structure of a tank for example?), avionics, simulators, power generation (planes don't have power lines hooked up to them from the ground) and a heap more. You will not find a "weapons engineering" course in Australia (or most universities around the world for that matter). Part of that is because weapons are high tech devices these days. Take a missile. I am no expert, however I can see a missile requiring aerodynamics (aerospace), avoinics (aerospace, mechanical, electrical), control (electrical, computer), propulsion (aerospace, mechanical), structural (aerospace, mechanical), communications (electrical) systems just to think of a few along with the associated scientists (physicists - materials, chemists - explosives, mathematicians - modelling). You will not have a "missile engineer" as the components are just too complex and different for a single engineering discipline.

I would suggest doing a bit more research into the different engineering disciplines. A pure mechanical engineer could not design a complete modern weapon or platform such as a missile, tank, plane or submarine. Then again neither could an aerospace engineer, electrical engineer, computer engineer, chemical engineer...

 

[Ricepaddy]

Hello, everyone! New member here! I'll bold the important part if you don't care to read my introduction.

I'll be completely honest here. I'm torn on the prospect of becoming a Nuclear Engineer of any sort.

I am currently in Okinawa, Japan working as a Hospital Corpsman. It's a good job, the military takes care of me well, and I get a sense that I'm helping others.

Something that has been bothering me for some time now, however, is that when I ask myself what I'm really interested in I think of math, science, and flat out making things work better.

When I was fresh out of High School in Idaho signing up for my Navy career, my recruiter was dead set on trying to get me to be a "Nuke". The job intrigued me, but it was not meant to be.
Unfortunately, I had not been a US citizen for enough years to be eligible for the security clearance needed for the job. (Hence, I picked the medical field)

As I said, the medical field is a good path and I've learned much about how the body works and how to fix issues with it, but I find myself less than ecstatic about much past EMT level training. I would be fine with such a career, but I like to weigh my options.
If I worked toward it, I'm confident that I could get into the nuclear program with the military. The question, then, is if I should.

Of course, when I look at any career in the military field I look at the civilian sector of that field.

Spoiler

No offense to any ground-pounders, but a POG tends to get a job easier.

That being said, job opportunities in nuclear engineering are less than comforting for a neophyte like me.
One of the main reasons I want to get into this field is because I WANT the schooling. This leads me to my actual question, finally.

Learning all the things I could learn in the Nuclear program, how hard would it be to transition into another engineering field should the employment situation not improve for nuclear?

Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[Smarty7]

I am currently in Okinawa, Japan

That was the part i read. Oh, Are you alright? Must be awesome posting to "Should-i-become-an-Engineer" Thread amid tsunami waves. RESPECT sir.

 

[Ricepaddy]

That was the part i read. Oh, Are you alright? Must be awesome posting to "Should-i-become-an-Engineer" Thread amid tsunami waves. RESPECT sir.

Heh, thanks for the compliments, but they're unwarranted. I'm actually located at a very safe location for this particular wave. http://planetsave.com/2011/03/11/okinawa-japan-not-considerably-affected-by-japan-earthquake-tsunami/"
I'm going to make an effort to be part of the relief force that will undoubtedly be sent from Okinawa.

 

[Smarty7]

Good to know that. Its too fabulous to know how many people were saved by good architectural designs. It got me reading about Forced oscillations and resonance.

Do you have any preferred choices by the way, which superpower you should get with a nuclear explosion? :) I honestly find it quite amazing that most of you STILL have internet connectivity.

 

[Hellius]

What kind of problems will I solve in a career in electrical engineering? And mechanical?

 

[flyers]

Whats are some of the math courses (or topics) that you take in Mechanical Engineering programs, or any other engineering programs?

 

[CheckMate]

Differential equations, calculus 3, probability ?...

Really depends on the stream but DE is the most common one.

 

[AlbanianBlood]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what field should i study to be related with CNC machines?

 

[viscousflow]

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what field should i study to be related with CNC machines?

Computer Engineer/Computer Science/ Electrical Engineering/Mechanical Engineering - All depends on what aspect of CNC machines you'd like to design or are interested in.