Pursuing an ME Degree; Need confidence

[ArsenalDC]

I want to drastically change my life around, I'm a 23 year old male about to graduate from an Community College.

In high school I was a complete bonehead, my parents are fairly rich so I didn't take school seriously and didn't even attend college after I graduated (barley).

It came a point in my life where I told myself I want to change my life and not rely on my parents, so I enrolled into community college in 2012 and about to graduate CC with a 3.6 GPA. I'm graduating with a liberal arts degree because I had no clue what I wanted to do.

I've done a ton of research and before I submit my transcripts and choose a major, I'll like know your guys opinions if i should pursue a ME degree.

I'm probably not nearly as good in Math like some of you on this forum are but I'm willing to put in the work and study my ass off. Math has always been my weakness but I never applied myself. I know pursuing a ME degree will involve a lot of math but I just need the boost of confidence and someone to tell me, YOU CAN DO IT.

 

[Danger]

If you can learn the math, then your dedication alone should be enough to ensure success in handling the rest of it. I love engineering, but am not capable of math so I have to design everything by "educated guesswork" along with trial and error. What I wouldn't give to have an actual education in it.
Congratulations on your decision.

 

[ArsenalDC]

If you can learn the math, then your dedication alone should be enough to ensure success in handling the rest of it. I love engineering, but am not capable of math so I have to design everything by "educated guesswork" along with trial and error. What I wouldn't give to have an actual education in it.
Congratulations on your decision.

Thank you.

 

[Chronos]

Could be worse, you could be trying for an EE. ME is a challenging degree. Not so much due to brain strain as it is the scope of material you need to know. Civil or architectural are probably among the easier engineering degrees, but, no engineering degree is a laugher. Competition in ME is also a bit stiff because it is still viewed as lucrative and with more job prospects - which is probably true. It is certainly a versatile skill set. DiffEQ is probably the worst of the math part - and at least the most hated part. You don't need to be a math genius, but, you do need proficiency to that point. Just grit you teeth and grind it out. ME's have almost every table you can imagine to do the heavy lifting at work. Powerful math skills are not a prerequisite to success so long as you how, when and where to use the tables. I've worked with more than a few ME's that fell short of brightest bulb on the tree. So, be ready to work, but, don't be intimidated. You will do fine.

 

[russ_watters]

You are definitely on the right track: getting a random CC (two-year?) degree just to get proof that you can learn will help get you into a 4-yr college. Next step: start taking remedial math courses and see how far behind you are and if you can handle it.

Based on your story I see no reason why you can't do it - you spent two years successfully proving you are college material.

 

[timthereaper]

ME's a fun degree. It takes a lot of work (which you seem to be willing to put in), but it's worth it in the end. The thing I liked about ME was that you get to learn about so many other fields. You get the standard applied physics and math, but you can also delve into the fringe areas like design, biomechanics, computational geometry, control system engineering, mechatronics, etc. There are many job opportunities all over the place because of the lack of people in STEM fields, so finding one isn't going to be too hard.

Don't worry too much about how hard it is. The mountain might seem impossible to climb from the bottom, but as you work in the degree, you'll learn things a piece at a time and be able to understand it more and more. All the concepts build on each other and the degree is crafted to make the material palatable. The thing you need to be concerned with is enjoying it. Don't keep doing something you don't like just because you feel you need to change your life. Engineering is a discipline that demands a lot of time and energy, and if you're gritting your teeth through it all the time you'll hate your life (although gritting your teeth sometimes is normal). I started out doing an art degree because I thought it would be fun, but I ended up hating it after a few months so I tried something as different as possible and loved it.

Don't let any of your doubts stop you, especially if you haven't tried it out first. Jump in and feel it out, and if you don't like it, quit. You'll still have the other degree ;-)