- #1
Jessewhallon
- 1
- 0
Hello! I'm here today to gather feedback from people in the engineering world and the like asking your opinion on the academic strengths and general mindset needed to not only complete an engineering curriculum but to be successful in the field once graduated.
I have been interested in the field of flight test and evaluation for years now. Places like Mojave, CA where they do this sort of work fascinate and excite me. From reading it seems the best way to open the door to this kind of work first begins with a engineering degree and this starts my dilemma. I consider myself to be a very practical learner meaning if I don't see the relationship between what I'm learning and the end goal I get very bored. I was a horrible student in high school for this exact reason, though I'm in my late 20s now and know I could just focus and grind through the education, I still retain this mindset and am concerned I would not be successful in engineering because of it.
There is a second and perhaps greater challenge I have, and I say this not with any bit of pride or even seeking understanding. I'm not good at math. I have taken Algebra 2 three times now, just recently this past fall semester through an on line course. I will say the course was terrible as I had no interaction with a single person the entire time except the midterm and final but I digress. The reason I say I'm not good at math is because I struggle to see the relationship from one area of math to the next, the entire time I'm learning Algebra I'm constantly trying to find a point of grounding in something practical or even just useful. I have always looked at math as a tool you can use to solve problems."What's this used for" is what I'm asking myself all day. I had to hire a private tutor which I saw every weekend to help me, in the end I earned a C in the course and my midterm and final grade was a 69% & 73% respectively.
In summary I'm worried that the abstract nature of engineering combined with my practical learning style and weak mathematical reasoning makes engineering a bad choice. Maybe I should do engineering technology instead. Thank you greatly for your feedback and I look forward to reading your responses.
I have been interested in the field of flight test and evaluation for years now. Places like Mojave, CA where they do this sort of work fascinate and excite me. From reading it seems the best way to open the door to this kind of work first begins with a engineering degree and this starts my dilemma. I consider myself to be a very practical learner meaning if I don't see the relationship between what I'm learning and the end goal I get very bored. I was a horrible student in high school for this exact reason, though I'm in my late 20s now and know I could just focus and grind through the education, I still retain this mindset and am concerned I would not be successful in engineering because of it.
There is a second and perhaps greater challenge I have, and I say this not with any bit of pride or even seeking understanding. I'm not good at math. I have taken Algebra 2 three times now, just recently this past fall semester through an on line course. I will say the course was terrible as I had no interaction with a single person the entire time except the midterm and final but I digress. The reason I say I'm not good at math is because I struggle to see the relationship from one area of math to the next, the entire time I'm learning Algebra I'm constantly trying to find a point of grounding in something practical or even just useful. I have always looked at math as a tool you can use to solve problems."What's this used for" is what I'm asking myself all day. I had to hire a private tutor which I saw every weekend to help me, in the end I earned a C in the course and my midterm and final grade was a 69% & 73% respectively.
In summary I'm worried that the abstract nature of engineering combined with my practical learning style and weak mathematical reasoning makes engineering a bad choice. Maybe I should do engineering technology instead. Thank you greatly for your feedback and I look forward to reading your responses.
