Why did you decide to become an engineer?

[Unicorn-Demon]

As opposed to entering fields such as medicine, law, finance, accounting, actuarial science, etc.?

 

[Runei]

Because Engineers created the world we live in

 

[Aero_UoP]

Theodore von Karman had said "Scientists study the world as it is; engineers create the world that has never been." ;)

 

[sheldon_cooper]

I became an engineer because I really enjoyed physics and building things. Getting an undergraduate engineering degree will give you a strong foundation in math and science if you later choose to go into another field such as medicine, actuary science, etc.

 

[jehake12]

because mad scientist wasn't a major at my university...

 

[chroot]

I feel as though I've always been an engineer. I was attracted to Lego sets with pistons and motors as a child. I loved making science fair projects. To the dismay of my parents, I took everything apart -- clocks, power tools, appliances. Every now and then I even managed to put one back together.

For me, engineering was just a natural continuation of my childhood curiosity. I like to understand things, I like to build things, and I get a kick out of seeing my creations in action.

I also tend to get bored with any job that has a well-defined procedure that maps input to output. Jobs like accounting and finance, for example, seem to involve the same process being repeated every month, every quarter, every year, over and over again, ad infinitum. My engineering career, on the other hand, has challenged me with new projects and new methods so many times I've lost count. I feel like engineering is rare and beautiful as a profession because it encourages -- even demands -- a passion for life-long learning.

- Warren

 

[YYaaSSeeRR]

because no other major interest me :)

 

[jackkingsford]

It’s because I watched the 3 idiots movie and I was inspired to become one. I want to be like Ranchordas, or whatever his name is. :3

 

[jefswat]

When I started college I got a job in the structural research lab where people would bring in full sized bridge girders and parts of buildings and I got to break them. It wasn't even my job to do all of the boring post processing work. I've graduated and am at a different university now, but all I have to do is walk down the hall to watch all kinds of full scale, or nearly full scale destructive testing. Nothing gets you going in the morning like watching a 6ft deep prestressed girder meant to span roughly 150 feet on a highway bridge fail in shear.

Also, I get to build sweet bridges now. I don't think there is a better job out there.

 

[Leeboy]

Pretty simple. It is because I liked being able to create things that don't fall down, bend when it is not supposed to, burn up via overload... and any number of other reasons why constructed things 'break' or, otherwise, do not work.

 

[sus4]

I actually wanted to go to med school to be a surgeon... but the current situation with loans and reduced compensation for medical professions dettered me from that. Also, the hours do not fit a type of life I want to live.

Law is interesting, but I really enjoy math the most. After giving up the medical school thing, I considered being a math teacher. I don't really see me doing a career that doesn't involve math.

I would still consider finance if a good oppertunity came up, since I am an active investor and enjoy business.

I know some basic accounting. I was really good at the courses I took in college, but it was honestly too boring to me as a career.

I chose electrical engineering because I have always been fascinated with electricity. In high school I read through the physics textbook before we finished Newtonian mechanics and couldn't get enough of it. As someone with a strong musical background, I enjoy the mix of analytical thinking, practical knowledge and creativity that goes with being an engineer

 

[Rathy Cato]

Because studying engineering is learning on real stuffs and facts...

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

I like to play with toys. Engineers are people who never stopped playing with Lego, Tinker Toys, blocks, and the like. At the beach, they're the sorts of people who like to build very subtle, but durable sand castles. When hiking through the mountains, they're the ones with interesting, but simple gadgets that make the journey so much easier.

And on the job, I get to see my creations scaled up or down to ridiculous extremes --AND THEY WORK! That's the thrill. It's the thrill of creating new things. It doesn't get better than this.

 

[Jjjxy]

I just love "making things work" since I was a kid, I concentrate so eagerly to lectures on computers and generally electronics, I was like a fly around electricians and computer engineers around my house... so dad and I figured out that I could make a bad manager, doctor and so on... the only discipline to which I would be coherent was EEE and am currently having fun!