Which field of engineering should I choose?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a student's dilemma in choosing a field of engineering, specifically between mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering. The conversation touches on personal experiences in math and science, the nature of different engineering disciplines, and insights from peers and mentors in the field.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • The student expresses doubts about their math and science abilities, particularly in physics and pre-calculus, while contemplating their engineering major options.
  • Mechanical engineering is considered by the student, but they feel less mechanically inclined and uncertain about working in industrial settings.
  • The student is interested in a dual degree in electrical engineering and computer engineering, but is concerned about the heavy math requirements and the perceived diminishing value of computer engineers over time.
  • Industrial engineering is appealing to the student due to its focus on system efficiency, though they admit to a lack of understanding of the field's specifics.
  • One participant shares a recent experience at a college tech prep competition, highlighting the importance of documentation in engineering projects and the practical challenges faced during the competition.
  • Another participant emphasizes that electrical engineering involves extensive math, particularly in areas like signals and electromagnetics, and suggests the student may be more inclined towards industrial engineering based on their interests.
  • A later reply encourages the student to explore industrial or manufacturing engineering further by visiting Kettering University and engaging with the departments directly.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the suitability of various engineering fields for the student. While some suggest a natural inclination towards industrial engineering, others highlight the challenges and requirements of electrical engineering, indicating that no consensus exists on the best path for the student.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects the student's uncertainties and the varying perspectives on the demands of different engineering disciplines, particularly regarding math requirements and personal interests. There are also references to practical experiences that may influence the student's decision-making process.

SuperCujo
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I am a student at the Toledo Technology Academy in Toledo, Ohio (USA). At my high school they specialize in teaching engineering, specifically mechanical and manufacturing mostly. I am trying to figure out what field of engineering I should go into but I can't decide.

My school basically breaks our class into a smart and dumb class for math and Science. I am in the smart class but I have to admit I am in the middle to lower range of the class. Physics I am getting slowly and Pre-calculus seems to be making my head want to explode (Trigonometric Identities I don't think I will ever understand you). I have recently been very doubtful of my abilities to understand the science and math needed to become an engineer. Despite my doubts I have been accepted into Kettering University (also know as GMI) and it is one of the best engineering schools in the country (3# in mechanical and 1# in industrial engineering for undergraduate schools in the nation).

So my questions is how were all of you in math and science during high school? Also I still need to figure out what major I want, I have it down to 3 different options 1.) Mechanical Engineering, I am not the most mechanically inclined and working on mills and lathes in an industrial plant is exactly for me, although this is what I have been learning for the past few years and have some experience in it. 2.) getting duel degree in electrical engineering and computer engineering, I love to play around with computer hardware yet I am not the biggest fan of software, and I hear that electrical engineering is heavily math based. Also I often hear that computer engineers seem to lose their value over years as employers are afraid that they are not up to date with the newest technology. 3.) Industrial engineering, improving the efficiency of systems does sound interesting and I hear that industrial engineering is less involved in math but I have to admit that I don't fully understand what is all involved in this field.

I'm sorry about the long Post but I have really bean doing some stressing over these subjects and although I know none of you can say which one is the best for me, I think some help from insiders in the engineering industry can be very helpful.
 
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College Tech Prep. Competition

Today my team went to a College tech. prep competition and we took 2nd place out of over 15 different schools in the Industrial engineering division. Normally I wouldn't be happy with 2nd but half of our machine malfunctioned after we traveled to the competition. Our machine was a spring combiner for Chrysler motor Corp..

One of our mentors who work at the local assembly plant was complaining about a machine they had that was always breaking down and we offered to come up with some designs for him. The machine was made to take 2 different diameter springs and insert the smaller spring into the larger spring and then transport the combined springs to a robotic arm that would then insert them into a dampener plate. Well when we got to the competition our feeding system for our springs malfunctioned (this part isn't going to be used by the plant anyways, our design is going to be retro-fitted into the system they currently have) and we had to demonstrate our machine by hand.

Despite that we still came in 2nd place. I asked what was the deciding factor and I was told that the other team had a written down cost efficiency sheet and we didn't. Our cost savings that we told the judges was actually higher then the other team but in the end it wasn't written down.
 
EE has a ton of math in it - much more so than any other type of engineering in terms of breadth. Trig is a core component in signals, and a lot of difficult math is involved in electromagnetics as well. Although hardware is a big part of EE, you might feel very uncomfortable with the amount of digital logic you have to understand in order to work with digital hardware.

Just by the way you talk, you sound much more interested in Industrial Engineering.
 
You sound like a natural for Industrial Engineering or Manufacturing Engineering. Go to Kettering and talk to them about this and visit the departments and look at their textbooks and see their projects. Forget the difficulties and follow whatever gets you interested.
 

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