Is Engineering the Right Career Path for Me?

[jasonc84@hotmai]

Hello this is my first post on here so first off i just wanted to introduce myself, my name is Jason and I'm 22 years old.

Well when i graduated high school i went to an aviation college because i thought i wanted to be a pilot, i loved flying but decided it wasn't the right job for me. So i dropped out joined the navy and did that for a bit, i was medically discharged and have been just working physical jobs for the past couple of years. I just recently had a surgery and i will no longer be able to do the jobs i was doing, so I'm taking this time while i recover to go back to school.

I will be start at a community college in a couple of weeks. for now I'm just going to take core classes so i can later transfer to a university. I've been trying hard to think lately about what I'd like to do with my life. for the past couple of years i always thought I'd just go get a business degree but I'm really not that interested in it. I've realized i really like a more hands on type of job, i don't want to just fill out paper work for a bank or large company. As a kid i wanted to be a "jet designer" and have always been interested in how things work (esp anything with a motor) so I'm thinking maybe engineering could be a good program for me to look into. My problem with it is, in high school i didn't do very well with math, i also didn't take high school as serious as i should have! i did all right with the sciences esp with the 2 electronics classes i took but I'm just curious if having trouble with maths will prevent me from being a good engineer? i only got to algebra II in high school and took college algebra in college. Any advice is welcome just trying to find a program that interests me, I'd rather enjoy work forever than just get a job and deal with it for the money.

 

[UCFEng06]

First off, it sounds as if you are unsure of what engineering discipline you are interested in pursuing. If that is the case i recommend the following link to get a broad overview of many engineering disciplines. Keep in mind these descriptions are very broad and i recommend doing further research on one that piques your interest.
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm

Second, just because you didn't take math very seriously in high school doesn't mean you can't take it seriously now and excel. Before I chose to pursue engineering I thought math was boring, didn't try very hard, and as a result falsely considered myself bad at math. Once I actually applied myself fully to learning math I found that I was actually quite good at it. My point here is that if really apply yourself the math won't hold you back.
Good Luck.

 

[Maxwell]

Second, just because you didn't take math very seriously in high school doesn't mean you can't take it seriously now and excel. Before I chose to pursue engineering I thought math was boring, didn't try very hard, and as a result falsely considered myself bad at math. Once I actually applied myself fully to learning math I found that I was actually quite good at it. My point here is that if really apply yourself the math won't hold you back.
Good Luck.

Absolutely correct. Do not give up because you did not do well in high school. Passion and drive play a VERY huge role in all of this. If you did not have either in HS, then it is no wonder you did not do well in those classes.

I truly don't believe anyone can be "bad" at math innately. However, not having a good background in math will be very harmful in any area of engineering. Definitely work on that.

Good luck.

 

[jasonc84@hotmai]

Thank you for the responses, and encourging words. I am hoping this time with a new attitude on learning that i will be able to focus and do much better in school! I don't know a ton about the different engineering disciplines so thank you for the link I'm going to do as much research as i can to learn about the different areas of engineering!

 

[jasonc84@hotmai]

from reading the brief descriptions in the link i think mech engineering is what interests me the most, since for most of my life anything with a motor has been what I'm interested in!

here is another question. Would getting a degree from a state school be useful or would it be better to look for an engineering school to go to? i ask because there is a great chance i can go to a state school for free since I'm a veteran.

 

[UCFEng06]

I would say that a state school would be just fine but in the end the choice is yours. If you can get some sort of veteran scholarship I would say take advantage of that.

When picking a school make sure the program you wish to enroll in is accredited. Here is the link: http://www.abet.org/
Go to that website and click "Find an accredited Program". From there choose engineering, your discipline, etc.

 

[jasonc84@hotmai]

thanks for that link, the school i'd be interested in going to has accredited so that's good news. And because I am a veteran there is a good chance that i will be eligable for a tuition waiver

 

[jasonc84@hotmai]

well i talked to a friend who had a lot of engineering friends in college (he was a physics major) and he told me he didn't think i was cut out for engineering but I'm not going to take that to heart because i don't think he's been in school with me since i was about 16-17 years old so he doesn't really have a whole lot to go off of. I've reached a point in my life where I'm realizing that i can do a whole lot more than i gave myself credit for, it just takes time and dedication.

 

[russ_watters]

Well, you said you are going to go to a community college to get started, so here's what to do: take a couple of difficult math and science courses. Then you'll find out if you have the drive to do it.

 

[jasonc84@hotmai]

thats exactly what i was thinking. see if i have the drive an paitence to get through something that may not come easy to me.