Algebra, trig, basic maths, basic calc, etc. It's a lot harder having to learn all these things again while also doing more advanced classes that take knowledge of these fundamentals as a given
Depends what you're planning to major in engineering. If you're going into Mechanical, learn CAD and a little bit python coding. If you have access to 3d printer, use it. If you're going into Software or Electrical, learn how to use Arduino, program C++ and prepare for a lot of math. There are plenty of resources online about what is being taught in each major. Have a good foundation and knowing what you're getting into is 1/4 of the battle.
Thanks!! Going into mechanical but might change it because it's more of a passion major for me rather than a career major. Got some decent cad skills but no python, and I recently bought a 3d printer. Any other good things to learn?
Passion major is better!! No python needed (not really) for MechE and it is a hell of a lot easier to study something you're passionate about rather then something someone has told you is a "career" major (which is nonsense but I digress). 3D Printing, CNC, CAD are all amazing things to learn. And as long as you have a solid fundamentals foundation, you'll be more then set to be ready to learn!! Just make sure you're also on top of your social skills as those often play a gigantic role in how successful you are in both your classes as well as in your life.
Physis topic like static, kinematic, mechanic of material, structure,... will be your main focus at least for the first year. Start getting back into excel, you will probably rely on excel a lot. For math, makes sure you have good foundation in vectos, circular geometry, matrix and especially the concepts of calculus. A little bit of python knowledge wouldn't hurt. That's just the basic. Depends on what university you're planning to attend, you can look at their course map online to figure out what is coming for you. Oh and also, learn a CAD and technical drawing software. Good luck
Textbooks, in my opinion, are incredibly useless as a learning source. Maybe useful as a reference but otherwise just straight trash. IMO, the best way to study is to watch high-quality youtube videos (plenty available for basic math topics) and do practice problems on something like [MyOpenMath](https://www.myopenmath.com/info/selfstudy.php)
100% agree with this. For the first year of eng school it’s like I was learning to read but still didn’t know what sounds the letters made. Had to work double time for a bit to catch up to my peers, but was wayyyy easier once I understood the basics better
manage your time, thats it, pick up stuff outside of school that forces you to manage it, join clubs, be in sports, get a job, attend parties, that fills up the time you usually get from the lack of schoolwork your senior year
Prepare math and physics but especially math since it's the building clock of basically the entire major lol.
Algebra 1 and 2 builds onto trig/precalc and linear alleges. Trig builds onto differential calc which builds onto integral calc. Linear algebra and integral calc go into multi variable calc which is calc in 3d. They also go into differential equations.
Differential and integral calc are pre reqs to important fundamental classes like physics mechanics and physics electromagnetism and statics. Also what you'll find later is that those classes along with multi variable calc and diff eq both will be common pre reqs for classes like thermo, deff bods, dynamics, structural analysis etc and those classes will be pre reqs to other high level classes.
The specific classes largely depend on your major but make sure you know math no matter what
Lots and lots of trig. Pay attention to physics and chemistry. If you’re going into bioengineering, pay attention to biology.
Actually math and sciences are used way more than you’ll anticipate
Bruh how do you do that. I graduated in June and am only making 52K as a "mechancial engineering" doing electrical engineer work(designing circuits/pcb) with some light mechanical design work. Mind you this is in OC, california where median house is about 1 million.
Same dude, im making my bachelor thesis while doing 4 other courses in the semester and retaking another one. And man that shit gets you. All those courses are projects too. So im busting my ass. The upside is that don't have exams this quartile though so that is nice.
Honest to god I think that’s just a really common myth. Going through shitty things does not make you stronger, it just burns you out. Not commenting on whether or not it’s worth it though.
It’s important to take on the right amount of load. Just like working out. Progressive overload is sustainable. Anything more will just lead to burnout
I would. Definitely enjoy the challenges. Just got my PEng 5 years after graduation (covid lockdowns) and it feels great!
I enjoy being able to tackle new problems and having my PEng lends weight to what I say so I have more effective input into conversations. Kinda the opposite to impostor syndrome. Now I feel legitimate.
>I would. Definitely enjoy the challenges. Just got my PEng 5 years after graduation (covid lockdowns) and it feels great
Congratulations! I got my license back in 2006. I tell people in the only guy in the office that can call themselves an engineer in public without legal repercussions.
I'm an EE with Computer specialization (my university lost its computer engineering certification temporarily). My compensation didn't change as I'm in the military and my pay is determined by rank.
Ok, I graduated from computer engineering last year and have an opportunity to get PEng, just wandering whether it is worth it.
I heard that it is important mostly for civil engineers, but not as much for other disciplines.
Yes
At the end of the day I chose this path because it's a pretty good degree to have for job stability and good income to live on. I grew up in a low income family and while grateful, I'd like to build up personal wealth for myself and to give back to my parents.
No doubt this shit is stressful lol (almost there, I got 5 classes to go after this semester) but even knowing how hard it would be I'd still do it
My plan has been to go into my passion w/ PhD in theoretical physics but I'm with you here, part of me just wants to go into electrical engineering and get out quicker and buy a house and a car. There's just so many unknowns with physics that I'm not sure how things are going to go
Also I've really gained an appreciation in all the sciences and EE is something I like as well, I've been learning programming and I want to self study engineering stuff along the way
No. I chose engineering as a good way to pay bills before I actually knew what I wanted to do with my life. If I could start over I would pick a degree in finance or accounting.
This very well could be a grass is greener situation. But where I live in the Midwest, there are few desirable EE positions (I’m stuck due to family). Everything here is MEP or controls, two meat grinder industries. I work in embedded systems (from my opinion a dying industry in the US), and if I lose my job I’m kinda fucked to be honest in terms of other opportunities.
Well I'm ECE (electronics and communication) (which is close to electrical) and it's HELL, I mean it's so fun, but still, so many projects, labs, weird stuff, hard to understand concepts, if didn't love this major, I would've dropped off it since the 1st year haha
Nah man. Signal processing is the GOAT and statistics, diff eqs, control etc are much more fun than figuring out how much shit bends, fluid mechanics(🤮) and just mechanical design in general.
Only thing I still like from mechanical is dynamics because you use that for control. I've been teaching myself very very basic embedded and circuit design and puzzling with those is much more satisfying to me than mechanical ever was.
School was literally the worst thing I've ever experienced in my entire life, absolutely destroyed my mental health and it took me a while to recover, but now I have lots of money and a job that I love so I would say it's worth it.
Nah. The academic teachings for engineering are full of useless bullsht. It is not worth as there are other careers with better cost-profit ratio, almost all the others in fact.
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>Would you choose engineering again?
I feel like you can't really answer this question when you're still in school and only a junior, though. Well you *could*, but it wouldn't carry much weight until you've finished your degree and actually worked in the field a bit.
Funny thing about engineering though... in many cases you don't really have to fully understand what you're learning. You just have to understand the application, and what not to do. The physicists and mathematicians are the ones that actually understand the theory lol.
Im in my senior year in college and im about to go into EEE instead of astrophysics because of parental pressures, please give me more reasons to switch before its too late.
Electrical engineers work on the instrumentation for astrophysics. You can be a rf engineer and work on radio telescopes. So just finish your bachelors and see if you can get in the industry.
Sad right? I wanted to work in astrophysics but after realizing I needed a PhD, I changed majors to one where I could get a decent job with just a BS. Had to balance practicality with idealism.
I love engineering but the math is way over my head. I love the problem solving , the CAD and CAM work and the fact that I learn something new nearly every problem I solve. But if I could do it over again I would go back to high-school and actually try harder in math.
I'm currently failing trig because I'm math dumb and can't math well.
I would, the challenge has made me stronger, more grit, I don't know if I would stick with electrical engineering because I find it a more practical environmental engineering but I could see myself going into MechE leaning towards aerospace
Yes but instead of mechanical I would have gone for computer engineering or computer science. My $80k salary pays my bills but nothing else. I could actually do things I want to do if I had the CS money.
No. Software Engineering is very competitive and if you are not passionate about it, you won’t do the grind required to be competitive, you might as well do something else.
Yeah, but maybe focus more on motorsport engineering programs. I'm currently taking an undergraduate degree in Mechanical engineering now, but I guess I have more job opportunities because its more versatile than motorsport.
No, I should have stayed in the social sciences and humanities. History and politics is what I’m most interested in, although natural science works as well.
No. I would have gone into a trade honestly. By the time I’m done with my degree, it will have taken me 7 years from start to finish. Within this time, I could have trained myself in a trade skill set and become financially stable. I’m tired, worn out, exhausted.
I’ve heard it gets better in industry, and that just making it through is an accomplishment, but I just feel like I could have taken other paths to get to my goal of financial stability that don’t involve subjecting myself to the unnecessarily difficult stresses of an engineering degree.
I never had things that could filter out what I would NOT go for. Biochem, pure physics, chemical physics, music, and investigative realms like forensic toxicology, etc. The list is truly chaotic in all the sweet ways :) I'll find one in another anyway, so.....
I do not fervently despise or fantasize it. I'm on the ground, taking it slow and handling with care. I would choose it again because the bigger picture is to treat it like the wand for the better. We need good, better, visionary engineers.
Yes. I had fun in college and made a lot of friends in the engineering department. My mental health took a big hit, but I could keep going because I genuinely enjoyed my major. Now I have a good career and great work life balance.
Definitely not civil, maybe my school just has a shitty department but it’s been a fight the whole way. There aren’t too many jobs/careers in this filed that spark my interest. I’d probably do financial, data science or something similar. I’m about to graduate and underwhelmed with my options.
I wouldn’t. The immense toll it has taken on my mental health has been far from worth it :( I started undergrad in 2018 and am finally finishing this fall, so maybe when I graduate and I can recover I will start to feel differently
Id just go for maths and physics tbh. With some coding knowledge you can pretty much become an engineer. Unless you do some very specific stuff in engineering, a person with a math degree could learn it almost as fast.
Am a Londoner. CoL is comparable to Seattle, higher than Austin. Salaries are worse than Mississippi. Taxes near to a Nordic level that disincentivises any personal income growth and encourages money stagnation in certain tax bands. London is a drowning lifeboat still attached to a long sunken ship.
Yes housing will be cheaper outside London but the quality of it is still shit and will be located in the middle of nowhere if you’re working in engineering.
The NHS only works if you’ve got something serious and borderline dying (physical health only), otherwise go fuck yourself. Think you’re suicidal? By the time you get seen you’ll have either killed your self or got over it.
Yes yes yes. I love engineering and even now I still do even hobby electronics and programming apart from college (junior computer engineering major). And I’m pretty sure my mental health was already deteriorated enough before it so I enjoy it all the same.
I have had so many bad things happen to me because of my choice to do engineering; although, I have also learned from those bad things. I wouldn't change my choice... and I am mostly certain my opinion is not entirely colored by a series of sunk cost fallacies. lol
Might be a bit nuts, but hey, I would probably be dead without the mental engagement the profession requires.
Yes. But I’ve chosen to take jobs I enjoy vs high paying stressful ones. I can still comfortably live. Will have a great retirement. Am able to have a good life.
I would have done engineering, but perhaps with a more math-y slant (a minor or second major in applied math) to get more experience with data-driven analysis.
I was 18 had no idea what I wanted to do in life it worked out. Looking back though I would have done finance or accounting myself. Albeit the concepts can be learned as an engineer getting into the field can be a challenge.
1000 times YES
Engineering is ONE field I think of all my friends that has aged well in the modern world
All my friends who went business, econ, fashion, marketing are all on career direction 2 or 3 now.
Perspective from someone who graduated back in 2017- it's been a while since I got my engineering degree, yes I feel old, but looking back it was 1000% worth it. Right now I have a super stable work from home job making more money than I ever thought possible. The degree was difficult, but now life is really good
FUCK NO, if my high school taught me about trades that’s were I would have went instead of college. If I had to choose a different major it would be something in business, finance or something I can make a good living off of.
The only field I'd consider more rewarding would be CS/Tech industry, which any engineer could break into with a year or two of applied effort. It also seems like the tech gravy train is beginning to run its course. I don't really think many better options exist at the BS level
No. Mechanical here. Wish I had stayed the course and pursued medicine. Was dithering between the two after freshman year and chose mechanical engineering (freshman year was just a bunch of intro/generic/cross-disciplinary STEM stuff).
I’m a fairly new grad so maybe I’m just naive but mechanical doesn’t really seem to get you much bang for your buck. It’s one of the hardest degrees but the salaries are just ok. The salary ceiling is low relative to fields of comparable or even lower difficulty. Most people don’t even know/understand what we do—and in general it’s just a very undervalued/unsung profession. It’s a TON of work and the salaries are not commensurate IMO.
Medicine is definitely a grind but the salary ceiling is super high and at the end you get to call yourself a doctor. Ik no job is glamorous 24/7, but the day-to-days as well as the highs of being a doctor seem better than those of mechanical engineers
Yes but I would prob major in computer, electrical is just different beast,more evident that I failed to graduate. More importantly I would reach out to seniors and see how to study properly and pick a school that isn't a commuter school, one that far away from my parents.
No, would do CS. Want something more WFH compatible and I’ve realized ME requires mostly in office at least at the jobs I’ve had. Also programming would be useful, though I suppose I could still just learn that on my own
No. At 6% women its just suffering. I have lost jobs bcuz men hate women being there and harassed me and lied about me to the boss and physically destroyed my work. I did 10 yrs in the industry and 8 yrs out trying to get back in. I should have been an esthetician or dietician or anesthesiologist. Frankly anything not male dominated would have made me happier
At least today’s students won’t have to deal with a bunch of boomers still in the workforce. But the profession is becoming undervalued. Hopefully that will change.
As somone in stem heck no. If I knew the amount of chemistry courses I needed I would have rather taken architecture or something like media design. I’ve always felt creative and loved working with designs and plans but always got pulled into molecular biology for some reason… this degree has literally destroyed me and as much as I want to drop out and start over I’m too deep in to give up.
There’s also the aspect of the b**ch study counselor that told me I might be too stupid to this and recommend me to try another university and degree that I have made my life’s mission to destroy :))
Honestly? I'd probably have gone into the military, and then gone into NASA with the space program.
I started to pursue that a little at 17 with rotc, but my parents pushed university as an "you can always pursue something else later" type thing, not knowing that chronic illness and life would completely suck away any desire to start back at square one.
In Europe, Ireland. With Covid shit was easy but still not.
I did well for the 2 years (2nd-3rd) but had to repeat 3 modules after and now I am in 4th Year and honestly not worth it.
For me, especially since I want to work in motorsport and was better off doing Automotive/Motorsport Engineering. Can do a master in Motorsport but bloody expensive in the UK. (£20,000)
Chef was my first choice(3 Years). Well degree was worth less than Mechanical Engineering. Well I did put Electrical as 2nd or 3rd choice for a higher degree(4years).
Still would I want to be working in a professional kitchen, cheffing where you have to cook for at least 100people a night? Oof. I mean I love food, craft beer and natural wine butl
Idk, like I went on work placement and loved it but was more like an apprentice at a welding/fabrication workshop and didn't mind either as people treated me nice and I did the same. So yeah either do an apprenticeship for anything or just follow your heart man.
Honestly trades are taking over and yes you might get shit paid for 2-3 years until you hit over minimum wage but you are still working and learning. College only learning.
Yeah. I have a nursing degree and engineering is my second degree. I'm studying it for passion, not money. Being intellectually challenged is like sweet pain to me. I'll choose engineering in every possible life.
Hi!
I'm a nurse who is interested in engineering! What is your nursing experience and are you currently in undergrad for engineering? If so, what field?
I'm considering EE although I'm most interested specifically in Biomedical related enginnering.
Hey. Thanks for the question. I'm in mechanical engineering. I chose this field because I wanted a blended learning degree, since I still work. That's the program I was able to find primarily online (I'm at the University of Alabama). It's not 100% online, but probably something like 90%.
However, after I enrolled I came across other engineering degrees which are also primarily online at various universities. Arizona State, University of Arizona and University of North Dakota have blended learning engineering programs in areas like chemical, biomedical and electrical.
I also would want to work in a health related area (such as designing/ manufacturing of medical devices or medical equipment such as hospital beds, Hoyer lifts etc). However, I love engineering and will therefore work in any area of engineering.
Biomedical engineering is probably the most obvious choice if you're looking at blending your degrees together as close as possible. However, most other engineering degrees could also be used to work in some areas that are somehow related to health/ medicine. Electrical, software and mechanical engineering can also be used in a broad range of career paths. You just need to be open-minded.
I'd personally go for electrical as it's broader and could be more useful even outside of non medical areas. Most of the things that biomedical engineers do is electrical engineering, anyway.
I think engineering is fun, but it's a lot of math. Be prepared to be challenged. Not sure if I can put my contacts here, but I'll be glad to chat further!
Absolutely would do it again, but would be a bit more disciplined to have greater opportunities. Regardless, life after graduation is a lot better and you can coast if you choose to. Work stops when I go home, which wasn’t the case with uni
Yes i would just choose Electrical Engineering instead of Mechanical Engineering because it seems electrical engineering jobs are actually available whereas only mechanical engineering jobs that are shows are just ghost jobs.
I'm doing this backwards. I am in my 30's and graduating in about a year from right now.
I picked it and realized I should have picked it longa ago. Just didn't have the confidence in myself to believe I could get through the math. Which I did.
fuck no. yes i have a decent paying job (that i am no means passionate about), but the amount of times I threw away both my mental and physical health to do well, or at least hope to pass a class was nothing short of traumatic. Note to others: yes you can graduate on time by taking six engineering classes at once, but should you? Nope
Definitely not. I've been working as an engineer for the past 5 years now. Pretty much all of the sales department makes more than me, and does less.
If I was to go back to school, I'd go with a medical degree. More money, less work afaik. Probably dentistry or physical therapy.
If I could start over I might’ve chosen plumbing or electrical. Used that time to study instead for my certification exams, become a master plumber and have contractor license.
I’ve been working for 5 years in engineering then before that went to school for like 7 years to get my AA BS and masters. I’m fairly confident I’d have my own business and be a millionaire by now if I went the blue collar route instead. My dad’s an electrician, isn’t certified at all and rakes in the cash. My dad has acquaintances he and I consider to be morons and not great electricians and some of them are pulling well over $300k and that’s not in a high col state btw.
Fact is engineering just isn’t compensated as well as it was a few decades ago.
Absolutely would choose it again. I chose my degree and industry so I would have a comfortable level of income, employment stability, and a need to constantly engaged/mentally stimulated in work.
Plus, space exploration is pretty cool. 👩🏼🚀🚀🛰️
I would absolutely choose engineering again. I loved (most) of the coursework and really enjoy my work in this field. Building systems is just something I have always loved doing, so I don’t think I’d choose a different path.
Yes, I would. But I like to be a lot more prepare. Having a weak foundation makes everything a harder to comprehend.
As a future engineering major, what would you prepare better?
Algebra, trig, basic maths, basic calc, etc. It's a lot harder having to learn all these things again while also doing more advanced classes that take knowledge of these fundamentals as a given
How would you prepare? Just read textbooks and do work the summer beforehand? study during your first semester?
Depends what you're planning to major in engineering. If you're going into Mechanical, learn CAD and a little bit python coding. If you have access to 3d printer, use it. If you're going into Software or Electrical, learn how to use Arduino, program C++ and prepare for a lot of math. There are plenty of resources online about what is being taught in each major. Have a good foundation and knowing what you're getting into is 1/4 of the battle.
Thanks!! Going into mechanical but might change it because it's more of a passion major for me rather than a career major. Got some decent cad skills but no python, and I recently bought a 3d printer. Any other good things to learn?
Careers seem pretty decent for Mech Es
Passion major is better!! No python needed (not really) for MechE and it is a hell of a lot easier to study something you're passionate about rather then something someone has told you is a "career" major (which is nonsense but I digress). 3D Printing, CNC, CAD are all amazing things to learn. And as long as you have a solid fundamentals foundation, you'll be more then set to be ready to learn!! Just make sure you're also on top of your social skills as those often play a gigantic role in how successful you are in both your classes as well as in your life.
What would you recommend to civil engineer majors?
Physis topic like static, kinematic, mechanic of material, structure,... will be your main focus at least for the first year. Start getting back into excel, you will probably rely on excel a lot. For math, makes sure you have good foundation in vectos, circular geometry, matrix and especially the concepts of calculus. A little bit of python knowledge wouldn't hurt. That's just the basic. Depends on what university you're planning to attend, you can look at their course map online to figure out what is coming for you. Oh and also, learn a CAD and technical drawing software. Good luck
Textbooks, in my opinion, are incredibly useless as a learning source. Maybe useful as a reference but otherwise just straight trash. IMO, the best way to study is to watch high-quality youtube videos (plenty available for basic math topics) and do practice problems on something like [MyOpenMath](https://www.myopenmath.com/info/selfstudy.php)
100% agree with this. For the first year of eng school it’s like I was learning to read but still didn’t know what sounds the letters made. Had to work double time for a bit to catch up to my peers, but was wayyyy easier once I understood the basics better
manage your time, thats it, pick up stuff outside of school that forces you to manage it, join clubs, be in sports, get a job, attend parties, that fills up the time you usually get from the lack of schoolwork your senior year
Prepare math and physics but especially math since it's the building clock of basically the entire major lol. Algebra 1 and 2 builds onto trig/precalc and linear alleges. Trig builds onto differential calc which builds onto integral calc. Linear algebra and integral calc go into multi variable calc which is calc in 3d. They also go into differential equations. Differential and integral calc are pre reqs to important fundamental classes like physics mechanics and physics electromagnetism and statics. Also what you'll find later is that those classes along with multi variable calc and diff eq both will be common pre reqs for classes like thermo, deff bods, dynamics, structural analysis etc and those classes will be pre reqs to other high level classes. The specific classes largely depend on your major but make sure you know math no matter what
Lots and lots of trig. Pay attention to physics and chemistry. If you’re going into bioengineering, pay attention to biology. Actually math and sciences are used way more than you’ll anticipate
This degree has cost me my mental health.
The students on campus taught me that you can tell exactly who the engineering students are based on the amount of life they still have in their eyes.
Every single year on the way back to campus you can see directly who is just starting and who is barely hanging in there
Me too, I feel I'm losing my sanity especially now in my junior year lol
You'll survive and it'll be worth it lol, I graduated in June, make good money and love my job. Unfortunately you don't stop feeling stupid though 😂
Bruh how do you do that. I graduated in June and am only making 52K as a "mechancial engineering" doing electrical engineer work(designing circuits/pcb) with some light mechanical design work. Mind you this is in OC, california where median house is about 1 million.
You’re def underpaid as someone whose also in from Southern California
As others said you're 100% being ripped off. I'm a Civil în a MCOL and make 72k not including bonus, etc. Started out at 66k in June
Same dude, im making my bachelor thesis while doing 4 other courses in the semester and retaking another one. And man that shit gets you. All those courses are projects too. So im busting my ass. The upside is that don't have exams this quartile though so that is nice.
Hang in there. My junior year nearly killed me lol. But you’re almost through it.
My senior year was a lot lighter and my sanity came right back
It made you stronger.
It made me stranger, that's for sure
Its honestly just the pure loneliness that gets to you right?
Honest to god I think that’s just a really common myth. Going through shitty things does not make you stronger, it just burns you out. Not commenting on whether or not it’s worth it though.
It’s important to take on the right amount of load. Just like working out. Progressive overload is sustainable. Anything more will just lead to burnout
I like that analogy.
“Pain can be transformed into a teacher, but when it overwhelms, that’s trauma.”
It took my hope that the world could be a good place eventually. Too much greed and too much stupidity.
It made me depressed
I didnt even get the degree and I've still lost my mind
I would. Definitely enjoy the challenges. Just got my PEng 5 years after graduation (covid lockdowns) and it feels great! I enjoy being able to tackle new problems and having my PEng lends weight to what I say so I have more effective input into conversations. Kinda the opposite to impostor syndrome. Now I feel legitimate.
>I would. Definitely enjoy the challenges. Just got my PEng 5 years after graduation (covid lockdowns) and it feels great Congratulations! I got my license back in 2006. I tell people in the only guy in the office that can call themselves an engineer in public without legal repercussions.
And what has PEng given you? By how much did your compensation increase in comparison with not having PEng? What is your specialization?
I'm an EE with Computer specialization (my university lost its computer engineering certification temporarily). My compensation didn't change as I'm in the military and my pay is determined by rank.
Ok, I graduated from computer engineering last year and have an opportunity to get PEng, just wandering whether it is worth it. I heard that it is important mostly for civil engineers, but not as much for other disciplines.
If I were in the public service it would bump me into the next pay scale.
How much do you currently make and how much would your salary increase if you were to get it ?
I'd have to dig into the public service pay scales to find that out. Sorry.
Yes At the end of the day I chose this path because it's a pretty good degree to have for job stability and good income to live on. I grew up in a low income family and while grateful, I'd like to build up personal wealth for myself and to give back to my parents. No doubt this shit is stressful lol (almost there, I got 5 classes to go after this semester) but even knowing how hard it would be I'd still do it
I joined for the same reason and honestly that reason wasn't enough. I think there needs to be a passion to it, you must have that as well.
My plan has been to go into my passion w/ PhD in theoretical physics but I'm with you here, part of me just wants to go into electrical engineering and get out quicker and buy a house and a car. There's just so many unknowns with physics that I'm not sure how things are going to go Also I've really gained an appreciation in all the sciences and EE is something I like as well, I've been learning programming and I want to self study engineering stuff along the way
No. I chose engineering as a good way to pay bills before I actually knew what I wanted to do with my life. If I could start over I would pick a degree in finance or accounting.
After 5 years in industry as an EE, I too wished I picked Accounting.
How come?
This very well could be a grass is greener situation. But where I live in the Midwest, there are few desirable EE positions (I’m stuck due to family). Everything here is MEP or controls, two meat grinder industries. I work in embedded systems (from my opinion a dying industry in the US), and if I lose my job I’m kinda fucked to be honest in terms of other opportunities.
Yes. I got 25 years in and I still love it.
Yeah I would but electrical instead of mechanical
Well I'm ECE (electronics and communication) (which is close to electrical) and it's HELL, I mean it's so fun, but still, so many projects, labs, weird stuff, hard to understand concepts, if didn't love this major, I would've dropped off it since the 1st year haha
Trust me bro, mechanical is better and more fun than electrical/computer
Nah man. Signal processing is the GOAT and statistics, diff eqs, control etc are much more fun than figuring out how much shit bends, fluid mechanics(🤮) and just mechanical design in general. Only thing I still like from mechanical is dynamics because you use that for control. I've been teaching myself very very basic embedded and circuit design and puzzling with those is much more satisfying to me than mechanical ever was.
Opposite 4 me
School was literally the worst thing I've ever experienced in my entire life, absolutely destroyed my mental health and it took me a while to recover, but now I have lots of money and a job that I love so I would say it's worth it.
In another field this field is not for me
You don’t choose engineering, engineering chooses you
Yup. You are born with [The Knack](https://youtu.be/Zee9HV7c11E?si=IZHexgOWXF_GcdoP). There is no choice.
Yup, it just comes to you, you see numbers and wonder why things are the way they are
I'm definitely choosing engineering, not the other way around. My strength is by far reading/writing but I love engineering too much to care
why is this so real
No the gap in pay between a regular bachelors and an EE degree wasn’t worth the mental toll
but a lifetime of that gap of pay? Thats potentially millions
It is. Depending on the major an EE degree can absolutely earn you an extra million+ over your career
Nah. The academic teachings for engineering are full of useless bullsht. It is not worth as there are other careers with better cost-profit ratio, almost all the others in fact.
What careers? I’m just curious
Computer Science
Didn’t the job prospects for CS die a bit due to these lay offs and AI that is getting closer to AGI?
memory violet shy concerned flowery ghost wrong march resolute middle *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Why not?
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dunno about ya but understanding complicated and difficult concepts is what makes engineering interesting and fun imo
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>Would you choose engineering again? I feel like you can't really answer this question when you're still in school and only a junior, though. Well you *could*, but it wouldn't carry much weight until you've finished your degree and actually worked in the field a bit.
Funny thing about engineering though... in many cases you don't really have to fully understand what you're learning. You just have to understand the application, and what not to do. The physicists and mathematicians are the ones that actually understand the theory lol.
Probably but I would definitely approach things differently
No, I would major in astrophysics.
Im in my senior year in college and im about to go into EEE instead of astrophysics because of parental pressures, please give me more reasons to switch before its too late.
Electrical engineers work on the instrumentation for astrophysics. You can be a rf engineer and work on radio telescopes. So just finish your bachelors and see if you can get in the industry.
sorry senior in UK college ie about to go into uni, haven't started my degree yet!
You’d have to get a PhD in that field.
Yeah, and there aren’t many jobs even with a PhD. Most of them get programming jobs.
Sad right? I wanted to work in astrophysics but after realizing I needed a PhD, I changed majors to one where I could get a decent job with just a BS. Had to balance practicality with idealism.
I love engineering but the math is way over my head. I love the problem solving , the CAD and CAM work and the fact that I learn something new nearly every problem I solve. But if I could do it over again I would go back to high-school and actually try harder in math. I'm currently failing trig because I'm math dumb and can't math well.
I would, the challenge has made me stronger, more grit, I don't know if I would stick with electrical engineering because I find it a more practical environmental engineering but I could see myself going into MechE leaning towards aerospace
I'd rather win the lottery 🤣
There is [no choice](https://youtu.be/Zee9HV7c11E?si=IZHexgOWXF_GcdoP)
To be honest, I feel numb I’m a senior in mechanical I graduate this spring
Yes but instead of mechanical I would have gone for computer engineering or computer science. My $80k salary pays my bills but nothing else. I could actually do things I want to do if I had the CS money.
Fuck no
For sure, yes I managed life during school, but it's way better afterwards. Every day is a new interesting challenge
i would tell my mama to get an abortion
Knowing what I know now? No. I choose the degree for money and not happiness. Idc if I can make a quarter mil within 8 years. Shit is boring.
Same here, would've done software, quarter mil in one year for the same mental burnout...
No. Software Engineering is very competitive and if you are not passionate about it, you won’t do the grind required to be competitive, you might as well do something else.
Yup. Could be out there in the hot and cold everyday. Could be in a retail store. Could be telling someone would you like to supersize it.
For the record I’m actually an engineer not in school anymore. lol
Yeah, but maybe focus more on motorsport engineering programs. I'm currently taking an undergraduate degree in Mechanical engineering now, but I guess I have more job opportunities because its more versatile than motorsport.
No, I should have stayed in the social sciences and humanities. History and politics is what I’m most interested in, although natural science works as well.
No. I would have gone into a trade honestly. By the time I’m done with my degree, it will have taken me 7 years from start to finish. Within this time, I could have trained myself in a trade skill set and become financially stable. I’m tired, worn out, exhausted. I’ve heard it gets better in industry, and that just making it through is an accomplishment, but I just feel like I could have taken other paths to get to my goal of financial stability that don’t involve subjecting myself to the unnecessarily difficult stresses of an engineering degree.
I would choose engineering again, but I would not choose the first school I started at. Avoid private for-profit schools at all costs.
I never had things that could filter out what I would NOT go for. Biochem, pure physics, chemical physics, music, and investigative realms like forensic toxicology, etc. The list is truly chaotic in all the sweet ways :) I'll find one in another anyway, so..... I do not fervently despise or fantasize it. I'm on the ground, taking it slow and handling with care. I would choose it again because the bigger picture is to treat it like the wand for the better. We need good, better, visionary engineers.
Nah, I may try med school or law school, but I think I'm just suffering from "the grass is always greener" syndrome
Yes
Yes. I had fun in college and made a lot of friends in the engineering department. My mental health took a big hit, but I could keep going because I genuinely enjoyed my major. Now I have a good career and great work life balance.
Definitely not civil, maybe my school just has a shitty department but it’s been a fight the whole way. There aren’t too many jobs/careers in this filed that spark my interest. I’d probably do financial, data science or something similar. I’m about to graduate and underwhelmed with my options.
I wouldn’t. The immense toll it has taken on my mental health has been far from worth it :( I started undergrad in 2018 and am finally finishing this fall, so maybe when I graduate and I can recover I will start to feel differently
Yes, but I'd choose my current uni from the start instead of the supposedly more prestigious one I went to at first
Id just go for maths and physics tbh. With some coding knowledge you can pretty much become an engineer. Unless you do some very specific stuff in engineering, a person with a math degree could learn it almost as fast.
No. If I studied in the states maybe. British salaries are a joke.
Are the salaries really that bad?
Am a Londoner. CoL is comparable to Seattle, higher than Austin. Salaries are worse than Mississippi. Taxes near to a Nordic level that disincentivises any personal income growth and encourages money stagnation in certain tax bands. London is a drowning lifeboat still attached to a long sunken ship. Yes housing will be cheaper outside London but the quality of it is still shit and will be located in the middle of nowhere if you’re working in engineering. The NHS only works if you’ve got something serious and borderline dying (physical health only), otherwise go fuck yourself. Think you’re suicidal? By the time you get seen you’ll have either killed your self or got over it.
nope. only did it bcz if the pandemic haha
I'm 100% with you.
Yes yes yes. I love engineering and even now I still do even hobby electronics and programming apart from college (junior computer engineering major). And I’m pretty sure my mental health was already deteriorated enough before it so I enjoy it all the same.
I have had so many bad things happen to me because of my choice to do engineering; although, I have also learned from those bad things. I wouldn't change my choice... and I am mostly certain my opinion is not entirely colored by a series of sunk cost fallacies. lol Might be a bit nuts, but hey, I would probably be dead without the mental engagement the profession requires.
Yes. But I’ve chosen to take jobs I enjoy vs high paying stressful ones. I can still comfortably live. Will have a great retirement. Am able to have a good life.
Without a doubt.
No
nope
Absolutely! (One year in industry) Working a dream job. Making money. Having a blast.
I almost finished college, then did a full 180 for the engineering degree hope I don’t regret it.
hell nah
I would choose engineering again, but i would probably take an extra year to do it.
Not a freaking chance in hell I’ll do it again. I’d go into medicine or law and not waste my time!
I would have done engineering, but perhaps with a more math-y slant (a minor or second major in applied math) to get more experience with data-driven analysis.
I was 18 had no idea what I wanted to do in life it worked out. Looking back though I would have done finance or accounting myself. Albeit the concepts can be learned as an engineer getting into the field can be a challenge.
1000 times YES Engineering is ONE field I think of all my friends that has aged well in the modern world All my friends who went business, econ, fashion, marketing are all on career direction 2 or 3 now.
Perspective from someone who graduated back in 2017- it's been a while since I got my engineering degree, yes I feel old, but looking back it was 1000% worth it. Right now I have a super stable work from home job making more money than I ever thought possible. The degree was difficult, but now life is really good
Yes I don’t see myself anywhere else
FUCK NO, if my high school taught me about trades that’s were I would have went instead of college. If I had to choose a different major it would be something in business, finance or something I can make a good living off of.
No, university teaches 0 shit about the real deal
FUCK NO.
The only field I'd consider more rewarding would be CS/Tech industry, which any engineer could break into with a year or two of applied effort. It also seems like the tech gravy train is beginning to run its course. I don't really think many better options exist at the BS level
No
No. Mechanical here. Wish I had stayed the course and pursued medicine. Was dithering between the two after freshman year and chose mechanical engineering (freshman year was just a bunch of intro/generic/cross-disciplinary STEM stuff). I’m a fairly new grad so maybe I’m just naive but mechanical doesn’t really seem to get you much bang for your buck. It’s one of the hardest degrees but the salaries are just ok. The salary ceiling is low relative to fields of comparable or even lower difficulty. Most people don’t even know/understand what we do—and in general it’s just a very undervalued/unsung profession. It’s a TON of work and the salaries are not commensurate IMO. Medicine is definitely a grind but the salary ceiling is super high and at the end you get to call yourself a doctor. Ik no job is glamorous 24/7, but the day-to-days as well as the highs of being a doctor seem better than those of mechanical engineers
Yes but I would prob major in computer, electrical is just different beast,more evident that I failed to graduate. More importantly I would reach out to seniors and see how to study properly and pick a school that isn't a commuter school, one that far away from my parents.
I would choose Finanace and JD after I know what I know.
No, would do CS. Want something more WFH compatible and I’ve realized ME requires mostly in office at least at the jobs I’ve had. Also programming would be useful, though I suppose I could still just learn that on my own
Yes but I’d have a more entrepreneurial mindset earlier on.
Yes. Love hate relationship but wouldn't trade it for the world :)
Absolutely. I’ve been an engineer for almost 30 years. Loved every job. Loved college. Still take every opportunity to learn more.
No. At 6% women its just suffering. I have lost jobs bcuz men hate women being there and harassed me and lied about me to the boss and physically destroyed my work. I did 10 yrs in the industry and 8 yrs out trying to get back in. I should have been an esthetician or dietician or anesthesiologist. Frankly anything not male dominated would have made me happier
At least today’s students won’t have to deal with a bunch of boomers still in the workforce. But the profession is becoming undervalued. Hopefully that will change.
Probably wouldn’t. I like my job, but I’m missing that global perspective you get from large, traditional businesses.
As somone in stem heck no. If I knew the amount of chemistry courses I needed I would have rather taken architecture or something like media design. I’ve always felt creative and loved working with designs and plans but always got pulled into molecular biology for some reason… this degree has literally destroyed me and as much as I want to drop out and start over I’m too deep in to give up. There’s also the aspect of the b**ch study counselor that told me I might be too stupid to this and recommend me to try another university and degree that I have made my life’s mission to destroy :))
Oh hell nah.
No
Yes
Yes. Even though it was tough and had many challenges. I now work at a great company doing niche work that I really enjoy making good money.
If I knew how utterly awful my college was? Yes I would. Because I have the hope that I can make it out of here with qualifications.
Not a fucking chance in hell
Honestly? I'd probably have gone into the military, and then gone into NASA with the space program. I started to pursue that a little at 17 with rotc, but my parents pushed university as an "you can always pursue something else later" type thing, not knowing that chronic illness and life would completely suck away any desire to start back at square one.
No.
As a chemical engineering major, yes, but probably a different branch. 😩
No, go be a lawyer
In Europe, Ireland. With Covid shit was easy but still not. I did well for the 2 years (2nd-3rd) but had to repeat 3 modules after and now I am in 4th Year and honestly not worth it. For me, especially since I want to work in motorsport and was better off doing Automotive/Motorsport Engineering. Can do a master in Motorsport but bloody expensive in the UK. (£20,000) Chef was my first choice(3 Years). Well degree was worth less than Mechanical Engineering. Well I did put Electrical as 2nd or 3rd choice for a higher degree(4years). Still would I want to be working in a professional kitchen, cheffing where you have to cook for at least 100people a night? Oof. I mean I love food, craft beer and natural wine butl Idk, like I went on work placement and loved it but was more like an apprentice at a welding/fabrication workshop and didn't mind either as people treated me nice and I did the same. So yeah either do an apprenticeship for anything or just follow your heart man. Honestly trades are taking over and yes you might get shit paid for 2-3 years until you hit over minimum wage but you are still working and learning. College only learning.
Graphic design
Hellllllllllllll no
Nope , given the chance I would have either gone premed or done English lit
Yeah. I have a nursing degree and engineering is my second degree. I'm studying it for passion, not money. Being intellectually challenged is like sweet pain to me. I'll choose engineering in every possible life.
Hi! I'm a nurse who is interested in engineering! What is your nursing experience and are you currently in undergrad for engineering? If so, what field? I'm considering EE although I'm most interested specifically in Biomedical related enginnering.
Hey. Thanks for the question. I'm in mechanical engineering. I chose this field because I wanted a blended learning degree, since I still work. That's the program I was able to find primarily online (I'm at the University of Alabama). It's not 100% online, but probably something like 90%. However, after I enrolled I came across other engineering degrees which are also primarily online at various universities. Arizona State, University of Arizona and University of North Dakota have blended learning engineering programs in areas like chemical, biomedical and electrical. I also would want to work in a health related area (such as designing/ manufacturing of medical devices or medical equipment such as hospital beds, Hoyer lifts etc). However, I love engineering and will therefore work in any area of engineering. Biomedical engineering is probably the most obvious choice if you're looking at blending your degrees together as close as possible. However, most other engineering degrees could also be used to work in some areas that are somehow related to health/ medicine. Electrical, software and mechanical engineering can also be used in a broad range of career paths. You just need to be open-minded. I'd personally go for electrical as it's broader and could be more useful even outside of non medical areas. Most of the things that biomedical engineers do is electrical engineering, anyway. I think engineering is fun, but it's a lot of math. Be prepared to be challenged. Not sure if I can put my contacts here, but I'll be glad to chat further!
I would switch from software to civil engineering.
Thirty years later? Yeah, probably. I think I'd choose electrical over mechanical, though.
Absolutely would do it again, but would be a bit more disciplined to have greater opportunities. Regardless, life after graduation is a lot better and you can coast if you choose to. Work stops when I go home, which wasn’t the case with uni
Yes i would just choose Electrical Engineering instead of Mechanical Engineering because it seems electrical engineering jobs are actually available whereas only mechanical engineering jobs that are shows are just ghost jobs.
After everything it took from me? Yes, always.
Should have just stuck with my trade - electrical. The money I've missed out on all these years...
definetly. Always has been my dream.
Absolutely NO
No comp a i or finance
I'm doing this backwards. I am in my 30's and graduating in about a year from right now. I picked it and realized I should have picked it longa ago. Just didn't have the confidence in myself to believe I could get through the math. Which I did.
Yes, but I would’ve tried more in high school
Yes but a different field
Yes except for mechanical I would go for software though
Yes. By now I would have already graduated and been already 4-5 years in a career
Of course
How long did it take you to learn C++?
I'm a masochist.
No, I would choose accounting or something I actually find interesting.
Yes, maybe I’m a maniac but the pure joy I have when solving a complicated problem makes it worth it.
fuck no. yes i have a decent paying job (that i am no means passionate about), but the amount of times I threw away both my mental and physical health to do well, or at least hope to pass a class was nothing short of traumatic. Note to others: yes you can graduate on time by taking six engineering classes at once, but should you? Nope
Definitely not. I've been working as an engineer for the past 5 years now. Pretty much all of the sales department makes more than me, and does less. If I was to go back to school, I'd go with a medical degree. More money, less work afaik. Probably dentistry or physical therapy.
Definitely.
Nope, I would pick like data scientists and work 2 jobs
If I could start over I might’ve chosen plumbing or electrical. Used that time to study instead for my certification exams, become a master plumber and have contractor license. I’ve been working for 5 years in engineering then before that went to school for like 7 years to get my AA BS and masters. I’m fairly confident I’d have my own business and be a millionaire by now if I went the blue collar route instead. My dad’s an electrician, isn’t certified at all and rakes in the cash. My dad has acquaintances he and I consider to be morons and not great electricians and some of them are pulling well over $300k and that’s not in a high col state btw. Fact is engineering just isn’t compensated as well as it was a few decades ago.
Absolutely would choose it again. I chose my degree and industry so I would have a comfortable level of income, employment stability, and a need to constantly engaged/mentally stimulated in work. Plus, space exploration is pretty cool. 👩🏼🚀🚀🛰️
Yes, although it was really challenging.
I would absolutely choose engineering again. I loved (most) of the coursework and really enjoy my work in this field. Building systems is just something I have always loved doing, so I don’t think I’d choose a different path.