Should I go for engineering or not

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decision-making process of a high school student contemplating whether to pursue engineering, mathematics, physics, or biology. Participants share their experiences and thoughts on the relationship between these fields, particularly focusing on the mathematical demands and personal interests involved in each discipline.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses uncertainty about their future, noting a strong interest in math and physics but questioning whether engineering is the right path for them.
  • Another participant shares their experience of initially choosing Aerospace Engineering due to its math intensity but later realizing they were unhappy in that field, ultimately switching to mathematics.
  • Some participants discuss the appeal of biology, particularly in relation to nature and outdoor work, while expressing uncertainty about how to integrate math into that field.
  • There is a suggestion that one could potentially combine interests in biology, physics, and mathematics, raising the question of whether such interdisciplinary studies are feasible.
  • Concerns are raised about the actual use of mathematics in engineering careers, with one participant stating that many engineering graduates report not using much of the math learned during their studies.
  • Environmental modeling is proposed as a potential area that combines biology and mathematics, which some participants find appealing.
  • Geophysics is mentioned as another interesting field that might align with interests in both biology and physics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the suitability of engineering versus other fields, particularly mathematics and biology. There is no consensus on which path is definitively better, as personal preferences and experiences vary widely.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of personal happiness and interest in choosing a field of study, indicating that the decision is highly subjective and dependent on individual aspirations and experiences.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for high school students exploring their options in STEM fields, particularly those weighing the merits of engineering, mathematics, physics, and biology.

The_Z_Factor
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Ive been doing a lot of thinking lately. I am in high school now and thinking about what I want to study. Its been really I guess you could say "wishy-washy" for me because I like to do math a lot, and I've been thinking about doing physics. I like physics but I like doing plain math much more so it came across my mind that maybe I'd want to be a mathematician but I don't think I'd like that a lot..and I've seen people talk about a lot of physicists becoming engineers. So I was thinking maybe engineering would be the thing for me? I am not sure..any advice? I know nothing about engineering though, all I know is that a lot of math is required from what I've read.
 
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When I was in high school, I had the same problem. I loved math but I wasn't sure that I wanted to study math just for the sake of math. I knew I wanted to do something that was heavy in math. I ended up choosing Aerospace Engineering because it's math-intensive and I love space travel. I aspired to become an Astronautical Engineer. Anyways, I did that for a year and decided that I absolutely could not stand engineering. I just couldn't see my life going in that direction and I couldn't see myself happy as an engineer. That being said, I chose my plan B, which was mathematics. That is what I am doing right now and so far I love it way better than engineering. I am not saying that being a math major is necessarily right for you. You have to decide that for yourself. What I am saying is that if you really love math, don't completely rule it out as a major.
 
Hmm, thanks a lot, that sort of helps, because at the moment I haven't the slightest clue what to do because I've been thinking about all the possibilities I could do with math. I just don't know which would be the best for me. Engineering came up because it's pretty heavy in math but like you said I don't feel I'd be happy as an engineer I just can't see myself doing it, now that I think of it... I love physics but after doing a bit of research on the different fields I don't know which field I'd want to go into. Probably astrophysics but who knows. I don't know if I'd want to be in that work environment though.. What I seem to be looking for is a job where I could work outdoors around nature that involves doing a lot of math. I thought biology for some time, because I like stuff like how leaves and plants make their own energy, and it seems like something I wouldn't mind studied, seeing as I find it fascinating. Maybe biology would be the thing for me. Hmm...I wonder, could you be a biologist and a physicist/mathematician at the same time? If so, I wouldn't mind going to school for even longer to study both mathematics/physics and biology...
 
To emphasize on the biology subject, I think perhaps biology might be the subject for me. I love seeing how things in nature work, such as like said before how plants and leaves create their energy from sunlight..and I just really like to be outdoors and around nature. I don't think I can think of anything I'd love more to do than work outside all around nature or studying nature. So perhaps that'd be the thing for me. I have no idea how I could tie that into math though. Who knows what kind of biology I'd do though..wonder what bio-physicists do? My friend goes to the Sylvan Learning Center to do his homework and he works with a man named Jonathan who has a Ph.D in physics and geology, a geo-physicist. I'm going to look into this, though.
 
Hmph, and ironically, I hate horticulture, haha. I'm sure there are other fields in biology that deal with plants and such though. I took a horticulture class last year and I absolutely could not stand it.
 
The_Z_Factor said:
Hmm, thanks a lot, that sort of helps, because at the moment I haven't the slightest clue what to do because I've been thinking about all the possibilities I could do with math. I just don't know which would be the best for me. Engineering came up because it's pretty heavy in math but like you said I don't feel I'd be happy as an engineer I just can't see myself doing it, now that I think of it... I love physics but after doing a bit of research on the different fields I don't know which field I'd want to go into. Probably astrophysics but who knows. I don't know if I'd want to be in that work environment though.. What I seem to be looking for is a job where I could work outdoors around nature that involves doing a lot of math. I thought biology for some time, because I like stuff like how leaves and plants make their own energy, and it seems like something I wouldn't mind studied, seeing as I find it fascinating. Maybe biology would be the thing for me. Hmm...I wonder, could you be a biologist and a physicist/mathematician at the same time? If so, I wouldn't mind going to school for even longer to study both mathematics/physics and biology...

If you want a job that involves DOING a lot of math, then I don't know if engineering is right for you. I go to a school that is mainly known for it's engineering and a lot of graduates in engineering say that they almost never use any of the math they learned in their undergraduate studies. If you want a job that involves doing a lot of high level math to satisfy your ambitions and curiosity in mathematics, then you'd probably want to go into research in mathematics or theoretical physics. Or if you want work for an engineering company AND do a lot of math, you can major in applied mathematics. My Vector Calculus professor keeps talking about all the math that engineers will have to do for their jobs but he is full of crap. He works for JPL but does NOT have an engineering degree. He went into applied mathematics. That is something you might also want to consider.
 
The_Z_Factor said:
To emphasize on the biology subject, I think perhaps biology might be the subject for me. I love seeing how things in nature work, such as like said before how plants and leaves create their energy from sunlight..and I just really like to be outdoors and around nature. I don't think I can think of anything I'd love more to do than work outside all around nature or studying nature. So perhaps that'd be the thing for me. I have no idea how I could tie that into math though. Who knows what kind of biology I'd do though..wonder what bio-physicists do? My friend goes to the Sylvan Learning Center to do his homework and he works with a man named Jonathan who has a Ph.D in physics and geology, a geo-physicist. I'm going to look into this, though.

If you like biology and mathematics, have you thought about environmental modeling? I was doing that for a while and i enjoyed it a lot. If you like biology and math, it could be a great match.

Also, geophysics is kind of neat.
 

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