I am getting cold feet ): please share some opinions

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around a participant expressing doubts about pursuing a career in engineering due to perceived difficulties in mathematics and negative feedback from others. The scope includes personal reflections on learning styles, the importance of math skills in engineering, and considerations for different engineering disciplines.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about their ability to succeed in engineering due to challenges with math and external criticism.
  • Another participant encourages the original poster to invest time in improving math skills, suggesting that this effort will benefit them regardless of their ultimate career choice.
  • A different participant notes that many introductory engineering courses focus heavily on mathematics, implying that additional preparation may be necessary.
  • Some participants highlight that different branches of engineering vary in their mathematical demands, suggesting that the original poster should consider which field aligns with their strengths.
  • One participant asks for clarification on what type of engineering the original poster is interested in, indicating that the field may influence the required skill set.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

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Strategos
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Unfortunatley I am getting cold feet in my goal in becoming a engineer... Why, you may be asking, is because everyone I talk to seems to think I have no chance in becoming one!

I am a visual learner. Math is also difficult to learn sometimes, Is engineering really not for me because of this fact? I am creative and have determination, I am willing to start a 5-8 hour study a day for a year+ in preperation to make up for my poor mathematics skills. I am only 17 and still in high school. Is this engineering worth pursuing or are my critizers right?

Your opinion means a lot to me! share it!

Thanks.
 
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If you're willing to start a 5-8 hour study a day for a year to make up with your poor mathematics skills, then get started on that as soon as possible. Or do as much as you can as soon as possible. Math takes practice to be good at it. Even if you decide eventually that you don't want to be an engineer, having some skill with math opens up a lot of other doors. At 17 you don't need to make a decision right now on whether you're going to be an engineer for the rest of your life, but the time you spend right now working on you math skills will pay off in the long run.
 
Bear in mind that several of the courses in a "general" first Engineering degree are pretty much "more math" rather than "engineering". Doing some extra work to get yourself to the starting point might not be enough.

On the other hand, some branches of engineering are a lot more mathematical than others. It would be hard to get through an Electrical Eng degree course without good math skills, but production engineering or metallurgy for example would be much less math intensive.

I think you need some professional advice about choosing a course that best fits your ability, rather than listening to "everybody".
 
Strategos said:
Unfortunatley I am getting cold feet in my goal in becoming a engineer...

What kind of engineer? Some engineers design machinery, others design electrical circuits, others design septic systems.
 

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