Becoming an Engineer: Considerations and Personal Experiences

[Nomy-the wanderer]

Zeronem i think engineering would be great, as long as u love both, and there r fields where it cna be more physics or more mathematics, so it's up to u..

And then u don't have to make any breakthrough, engineering is more about practicality so if u can be so...Go ahead!

But i agree don't concern urself with being unproven or the career prospect later follow ur passion!

I'd have joined pharmacy if i thought of a better career at leats i'd have managed our own pharmacy and i'd have foudn a thousand oppotunities for a great job with a great salary!

 

[Orgonics]

I am already a trained and qualified Engineer just not in this exact field.

www.i-sis.org.uk

Genetic sequences are analysed by supercomputers these days. How many manipulate genetics by using some form of physics here?

Zeronem what field would you be inetrested in graduating in? If you like science and enjoy experimenting then an eventual Ph.D may be good for you. It's worth getting a degree just for your CV or Reseme these days.

 

[Orgonics]

Ya know, you don't need a Nobel Prize to be a successful professor, right? If it happens, great, but I think you're setting the bar a little high.

I can assure you that if you do something you don't enjoy just for the sake of money, you'll be miserable. Yes, money is important, but it isn't the most important consideration when deciding on a career.

Money means absolutely nothing to me, as long as I can survive I am very happy. Luxuries in life is what we all seem to want these days, when we do not essentially require them in most cases. The East is fast becoming the West when we look at their modernised cities, industry, technology, way of life, etc. Humane beings mean much more to me than trying to make a million, but I do want to progress with some sense of achievement in life to know and feel what I've gained when I look back each month or year. In fact the East is now more advanced than the west - with all outsourcing and industrial corporations operating from Asia even the MoD depends on China now.

Go where your heart leads you, not your mind. You will be happy if you listen to yourself - your true feeling.

 

[Humber]

Orgonics,
Wanting to be paid well does not mean that one is greedy. Perhaps for now, you are contented with your currrent income, but time may well change that. Money does not only buy luxuries, but freedom, and the freedom to choose. Not all engineering or science jobs are interesting or stimulating, and you may find that you will be forced to take such a position. Being paid well goes someway to easing the pain.
Engineering and science are not well paid, and perhaps it is the notion that we all do it for love that has led to this.

Bruce. I'm in the UK, and have just (this week) been offered two separate jobs, in engineering, on graduate training programmes, with starting salaries in excess of £22k, with very reputable companies. I have under 10 weeks of practical, real-world experience under my belt, which was only partly relevant to one of the jobs. Most of the other guys being interviewed had similar levels of experience, but almost all were attending interviews to decide which offers to accept! There is so much of a shortage of good engineering graduates that graduates choose which employers they want to work for, not the other way round. I'm currently turning down interviews...

Brewnog,
There are also lots of candidates. If there really is a shortage, why is the salary only £22k?

 

[preet]

How can all of you say that career prospects and wages and stuff don't matter? ...I'm in my last year of high school and Math and Physics are pretty much the only reasons I bother going to school... I'm not excelling in either one but the interest is definitely there. I'll stay up until like 2-3AM If I don't get a question or something... I feel the need to understand... But even with all of the interest I feel that all of my work has gone to hell if I'm going to spend my time looking for a job that doesn't pay that well. Don't get me wrong, I believe that you should go into the career of your interest rather than go into something where money is available... but It's discouraging to know that even if I become a really good engineer, the money and demand is not even comparable to a field like medicine. Especially in Ontario, where I live, doctors will always be in demand whereas engineers end up having tocompete with people who come from other countries... often better trained and willing to work for a lot less. To some point it's inevitable... but it's really discouraging. I can understand that those of you who love engineering and science and math and stuff a lot wouldn't think for one second about the pay or whatever... But I know a few people who are engineers and are SOL...

I also wanted to comment on the different branches of engineering. I have no idea what I want to do. I know that someone mentioned if you don't know what branch you want to take, don't go for engineering... I don't think that's right. It's really frustrating having a deep interest for engineering but not knowing what you want to specialize in. I've eliminated a couple of things (Environmental, Civil)...but that leaves most of the major branches. I like working with CAD and stuff on one hand, but I don't want a desk job... just choosing a career is really damn frustrating. I envy people when they have like a total passion for what they want to do in life. For me everything just pans out into a dull grey. Did any of you go through this phase?

 

[Nomy-the wanderer]

Did any of you go through this phase?

Well i did, even after choosing to specialize in Nuclear engineering(the most unspecialized department, since it mainly qualifies u for a number of specializations later...) i was not sure if that was what i really wanted. A yera later, i realized, yes that's where i fit, I've chosen this department mostly because i loved physics (thinking i equally loved maths too). Then i discovered that i need more passion for physics than maths if i needed to go on, I'm skilled mathematically but my passion for it has gone gradually, seeing other friends in electrical engineering dept(wether power or communications and electronics) with their passion for maths already gone (there r some people who really love it this way, and they r totally devoted for mathematics)but they have to deal with it all the way even the physics we both study, their physics deepest complications turns into a mathematical issue, if u r good at maths u'll get through, our physics complications are deeper, because it's more about how will u translate this problem into mathematics, it's more philosophical, more about the concept...

Gradually, i started to realize that i really fit, i eleminated mechanical engineering(though they r the closest dept) because they go through much of engineering drawing which is something i hate although I've been one of the best (i've been through a couple of courses). And the syllabus balances in a way i don't really like, again nuc eng wins...

Probably why I've chosen nuc. eng. from the 1st place, was because i liked the variety in it, it's not very specialized, afterall what do we know after our 1st and general year of engineering? merely nothing, not enough to assess our readiness to join this dept or that.

Maybe u r right, it's all based on career prospects, hence i wasn't able to choose, I've chosen the dept that gave me more options (knowing that it's mostly called engineering physics dept).

I know a civil engineer who ended up working as a communications engineer in Alcatel. He has never been able to stand the idea he could actually work as a civil engineer, he was fond of communications, and so he was able to convert his career. This guy represented the concept of an engineer to me, he had the mind of an engineer, and ahd the flexibility to do it anyway...

For me it matters little the speciality...The spirit is what matters really!

 

[dunckel]

Engineering is very difficult and required a lot of time and effort (and caffeene). If you look at something and wonder how it works and how you can inprove it, you may be engineering material. Or if when you see a problem you imediately consider possible solutions for that problem, you may be engineering material. However, if you don't like math or physics, you don't want to be an engineer. The two engineering majors that offer the broadest spectrum of career options are electrical and mechanical. They are required in almost any field. I'm a mechanical engineering student at Cal Poly SLO, and I plan on entering the entertainment industry once I achieve my degree. Hope this helps. :)

 

[DizzyGillespie]

Ok. So I am having the same kind of internal conflicts about college as everyone else in this post. Math has been a passion of mine since as long as I can remember. In 10th grade I took my first physics class and my first calculus class. They were both equally exciting

I can do a major in either of these fields and still be happy. However, I don't really know much about engineering. I want to continue furthering my knowledge of math and physics as much as i can, and I think I would be uneasy doing something else in lieu of that. As of right now my intentions are to major in physics (Im a senior in high school.) How much physics would I be sacrificing as an engineering major as opposed to a physics major.

Math and Physics are my passions, but I can't say that Engineering wouldn't be just as exciting to me. If it does become just as exciting, then the deciding factor between the two becomes the salary. I cannot get that thought out of my head.

Now, there are two things that I have looked at that seem to scream my name. NYU has a Dual Degree program with Stevens Institute of Technology. In this program I can get a physics degree from NYU in 3 years of study, and get an engineering degree from Stevens in another 2 years. For some reason though, I can't separate this kind of program in my mind from those "Get your degree quick" vocational schools that you see on TV. I know its not since these are both reputable schools. Does anybody know anything about this program? Would it be worth doing this 5 year program rather than a double major at a 4 year school?

Also, if I were to skip the NYU thing and just go to Stevens I could major in Engineering Physics. I have little idea what this entails. Anybody have a clue?

I mean my Physics teacher tells me to Major in physics and do something important, My calculus teachers tell me to major in math and become a genius, and my counselor tells me to major in engineering and make a lot of money.

I know engineering is a lot of work. How does a physics or math major compare?

edit: I just saw the engineering physics post. So disregard that question.

 

[FredGarvin]

NYU is hardly a fly-by-night university. Neither is Stevens from what I have heard. You would be working your arse off if you went for a dual degree like that.

 

[z-component]

I gathered from this discussion that 3+ years of engineering is hell enough for most everyone, so how common is it for engineers to continue their education to graduate school? And is it even worth the time and money to get a masters or Ph.D in any engineering field, with respect to employment opportunities?

 

[FredGarvin]

I think more and more a masters is looking like the norm. I do believe it depends heavily on the sector you are working in though. It's tough to make that kind of blanket statement. Plus you have to balance that against a lot of people not going for graduate degrees and opting for licensure instead. Really, I think you have to feel your situation out and see what your career path dictates.

 

[Astronuc]

I gathered from this discussion that 3+ years of engineering is hell enough for most everyone, so how common is it for engineers to continue their education to graduate school? And is it even worth the time and money to get a masters or Ph.D in any engineering field, with respect to employment opportunities?

I obtained an MS in nuclear engineering and then started working on a PhD. All baccalaureates from our program were encouraged to strive for a MS and even PhD. Most got at least an MS.

In the MS program, one goes more into a more advanced level of work, and one usually does some supervised research. For PhD at my school, the research was to be new and innovative, and more or less independent, i.e. whereas in the MS research, one's research is directed by a faculty member, in a PhD program, the work is completely one's own with the idea that the research contributes something new to the field.

As Fred Garvin mentioned, what one achieves will depend upon one's goals.

 

[z-component]

That helps a lot; thank you.

 

[Achernar]

Hello,

I was just reading this topic and found it interesting. I just got accepted into an Engineering course after doing 1 year of a Geophysics course and finding it too boring and uninteresting. I never grew up wanting to be an Engineer, but like most of you here I was able to construct lego battleships by age 3 and didn't stop until I exhausted the best part of my lego supply and was too embarrassed to buy more. So after i got bored with Geophysics, I decided to look for something else and stumbled across Engineering whilst watching "Extreme Engineering" on the Discovery Channel, that show owns and so does the channel.

I like computers and technology, I also love understanding how things work and why they do. I also like Astronomy. I am not necessarily huge into designing stuff like Engines though. My favourite subjects are Maths, Physics and Computer Science, I also don't mind Geology. Do I sound like Engineer material? Also what forms of Engineering are more awesome?

Thanks.

 

[Achernar]

...for nothing.

 

[kdinser]

LOL, this is not a paid service, you are not entitled to expect/demand results. You post your question and people answer or don't as it pleases them.

On the other hand, you sound like most of the people in my engineering program. If you can handle the math and or the fact that most of the math involved is presented without rigorous proofs, you may do fine in an engineering program.

 

[Achernar]

At least ONE person responded to my redundant demands.
Good man.

Glad to hear about the maths being more practical.

 

[batman394]

I decided my senior year in high school to become an engineer after I'd taken some computer programming and accounting classes and decided I really hated CS and Business. I was a good math student up until then, and senior year I started calculus and it was really easy. Out of 20 kids, I was one of the only 2 in there that understood things. I decided I wanted to be an engineer because it heavily used calculus, that and I was a big science student anyway. I graduated with 5 years of it. I settled with Mechanical Engineering because when I got to college Civil didn't interest me too much. I didn't want to build bridges, design sewer systems, or public facilities. I joined solar car team and the alternative fuel part of it was amazing. Here I am in the 3rd year of the Mechanical program and although I don't get along with people in the department the classes I still enjoy.

 

[russ_watters]

I like computers and technology, I also love understanding how things work and why they do. I also like Astronomy. I am not necessarily huge into designing stuff like Engines though. My favourite subjects are Maths, Physics and Computer Science, I also don't mind Geology. Do I sound like Engineer material? Also what forms of Engineering are more awesome?

Thanks.

Sorry, sometimes new posts in sticky'd threads go unnoticed because they are always on top anyway.

Sounds like mechanical would be a nice fit for you - perhaps with a focus in robotics or something that requires computer programming or modeling. Thermodynamics is a major requirement of Mech-E, though not necessarily actual engine design.

 

[electrifice]

physics or engineering?

I am presently a high school student. I am, like a few others here, divided between Physics and Engineering. I really love Physics but I dislike what a physics education is usually geared towards... teaching, research, etc. I like the "job" of an engineer, which is more practical and involves problem-solving, which I enjoy. I want to know how much difference is there in physics education and engineering. How much physics is sacrificed in engineering?
Some institutions offer dual-degree programs in Physics and Engineering which are quite appealing to me. But I have also considered doing undergrad studies in Physics, and then later merging into engineering. Is that wise? It would allow me more time to think about what I want to do, but is the shift from a physics degree to engineering in grad school drastic? There are definitely differences and extra work would be needed, but how much extra work? Would it simply be better to start with engineering?
My questions are a bit broad in scope, but a thorough answer would be appreciated.

 

[FredGarvin]

If you wanted to do a grad school switch like you mentioned, you would undoubtedly have to take undergrad courses to bring you up to speed in some areas. I don't think it would be too much, but I doubt you'd go as indepth into areas like heat transfer and fluid mechanics if you went into a mechanical or aero engineering course. I think you'd be really well off if you went into an electrical engineering though. That's just an opinion there.

 

[kdinser]

The nice thing is, there is almost no difference the first year between engineering and physics majors. You will be taking Calc I & II, intro physics I & II, and Intro Chemistry I & II. Depending on the school, both may or may not require a an intro programming course. In other words, no need to nail yourself down just yet.

The other thing to look at is how long you want to wait before you start working, you can do a lot with just a 4 year engineering degree, while the options for a 4 year degree in physics might be more limited.

 

[Newton_Wannabe]

I'm finally in my senior year of high school and on my way to college. I've been waiting for a challenge since 8th grade and I'm told that engineering is the field of work that may offer it to me. I've been looking into different engineering fields. but the more I read into the one I thought I wanted, the less it appears to be what I wanted. I'm not sure which field I want now, and am hoping for a little advice. I was looking into Mechanical, but now it just seems less of what I want from the different sources I'm looking at.
If it helps you to help me, here are some of my interests:
Science, especially physics
math, working on finishing calc I
computers and video games
I like to know how stuff works, I'm trying to learn how computers and other electronics work.
Starting to learn Python programming with the help of my physics teacher.
I'm also looking to do more of a design aspect of engineering.

 

[russ_watters]

Electrical engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science all seem like a good fit.

 

[Newton_Wannabe]

Thanks. I'm starting to find that I only have to worry about the last two years for a 4-yr degree. Can you tell me some jobs within each field?

 

[kdinser]

check out this link, it should answer a lot of your questions.

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm

 

[Astronuc]

I gathered from this discussion that 3+ years of engineering is hell enough for most everyone, so how common is it for engineers to continue their education to graduate school? And is it even worth the time and money to get a masters or Ph.D in any engineering field, with respect to employment opportunities?

I went through a MS and started a PhD. I did a fair amount of interesting and practical research, and the first job I had was related to the fact that I was only one of few students who had used a particular code. The research and advanced courses I had in graduate school were necessary, since undergraduate didn't get into the nitty-gritty details. Grad school was well worth it for me.

My company prefers graduate students, but we would consider hiring 'high performing' undergrads with the expectation that they would go to graduate school.

Yes, engineering can be hard - but I personally enjoy hard work - both physical and mental.

There are many interesting technological challenges coming at us, and we need sharp, bright minds who don't mind rigorous work.

 

[batman394]

No matter what you like. You have to be willing to put in the work. Just because you enjoy learning how things work, doesn't mean you'll succeed. My last fluid mechanics assignment took 9 hours. It was an 8 problem assignment. No one in my class got #8 done. And my 9 hours was spread across 5 days. You have to understand that it's a big committment. Engineering is exactly what it sounds like. You engineer things. For most of us we're going to go out in the world and take research that other people have done and make it into something useful.

 

[gschjetne]

I have International Baccalaureate exams in six weeks, and I have already applied for the faculty of Engineering at UVic and UAlberta in Canada.

Back when I was just a little kid with large ambitions I was a great admirer of a friend of my dad's - a professor of cybernetics at NTNU in Norway. When someone asked me what I wanted to become when I grew up I always said 'inventor' - mind you, I always thought Gyro Gearloose was a god damned idiot, making the real guys look bad

In junior high I did have a period of confusion - not whether I was straigt or not - but something worse; I wanted to start making documentary films! (No jobs, no pay, just a lot of kids hooked on the latest trend)

Luckily I got back on track by two great senior high science teachers, the only people who have actually understood me in all these years

I guess the modern inventor is in fact the engineer, so I pretty much had it all figured out from the start. Lately I've been fiddling with electronics, and if I don't make it to Engineering Physics at UAlberta, I'll go for EE at UVic (warm climate + Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy & Cotton Tail )

Anyway, please excuse all the digressions and smilies...

My impression is that EE is mainly about telling all the stuff the girls and boys over at ME make how to move around. Signal processing, servo controlling, sensors, etc. Pretty close to cybernetics, eh?

While the only reason for choosing this is my pure interest in the field (and not enough mad skills for theoretical physics), I have some "backup justifications" for my choice:

• Making a difference
• Providing for a wife and kids some day
• Easier to get jobs (my sister at the road dept. says they are practically begging for engineers)

Edit: Mixed up 'Gyro Gearloose' with the French name for the same character

 

[batman394]

hrm.. there's a lot more to it.. simply power transmission.. like the fact that the powerlines running to your house supply a lot more than 120v at X amps.. and there's a down transformer in your house that converts it into something you can use...

your field can have almost nothing to do with my ME field. think about tvs.. that's a purely electrical phenomenon.. besides the manufacturing portion of it... but you are designing the circuit boards in it, the tubes, the lcd display etc... think of an EE more in that way.

 

[gschjetne]

Control engineering is of course a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering#Sub-disciplines". I might also be interested in electronics and signal processing. Power transmission doesn't seem too interesting to me, and I'm not sure about microelectronics either, as I'm not a big fan of chemistry.

At least it gives me peace of mind that I don't have to chose that yet.

 

[Astronuc]

Control engineering is of course a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering#Sub-disciplines". I might also be interested in electronics and signal processing. Power transmission doesn't seem too interesting to me, and I'm not sure about microelectronics either, as I'm not a big fan of chemistry.

Well, the original controllers, like the governor on a steam engine were entirely mechanical, so there is control theory in mechanical, and by extension, aerospace and power engineering. Basically, any dynamic system require a control system, or regulation, and certainly in the modern world, many control systems are electronic (and digital).

In addition to nuclear engineering and materials, I did course work in power systems and control, and two interesting courses involved digital and micro-processor based relaying systems. Basically one designs various transducers to monitor system states, e.g. flow, temperature, power, etc . . . , and these are processed into electronic signals, which are sent to a computer which compares the states with a model. The actual states are compared with the predicted states, and thus stability is maintained. The interesting part is when a fault occurs and the system must be protected from gross failure and otherwise returned to stability 'without (or perhaps with minimal)' disruption to operation.

The closer to physical or technical limits a system operates, the greater the challenges - being able to control the system effectively (and preventing catastrophic failure) and being able to model the system well enough to design a robust controller.

One of the more interesting aspects of power engineering is the generation of electrical power and the attendant control systems.

 

[aspotting]

Yes you should become an engineer, if you are interesting in searching problems an of corse to find solutions on big or small problems. I can say I started to study civil engineering and I´m happy with this step.

 

[batman394]

Yes you should become an engineer, if you are interesting in searching problems an of corse to find solutions on big or small problems. I can say I started to study civil engineering and I´m happy with this step.

Again i say... check in with some business students.. a large number of them are former engineering students... check out the computer management info systems people... they're former computer science (engineering people)... its a tough field of study.

i extremely resent anyone saying mechanicals take less math. i take more than the industrial, manufacturing, and electricals.. more than bio-engineering. we don't have aerospace here. but they couldn't take more than mechanicals either. by our requirements a civil or mechanical gets a free mathematics minor because of all of the math requirements.

if you can't spend 5-8 hours a night doing homework. don't bother entering engineering. its going to happen. if you don't want to sit through derivations and calculus. don't enter engineering.. i know this gets really negative.. but you have to work hard. if you don't want to then its no point. you're better off being a business major. (and anyone that wants to arguing about business being hard.. I am game. pm me.)

 

[evrimfeyyaz]

Hello,
First I would like to thank to everyone who has contributed to this subject. I've found this when I was studying physics for tomorrow's lesson. Thanks for creating a brilliant source for potential engineers :) I live in Turkey and going to high school. This is my second year. In Turkey at the end of second year of high school we choose departmants(science, language, turkish-maths etc.) I would like to tell my traits and get help from you. Main subjects that I'm good at are English and maths. But I don't like biology and geography a lot. I improved my English without exerting any effort and it's better then my coevals now(I'm sixteen). Because of this my English teacher wants me to choose language department. But I want to become a game programmer. In Turkey there is no computer science department in universities. There's only computer engineering. I started programming in my 10-11 with HTML and I have improved it till my 14. I was even writing articles for a website but I'm not doing a lot in programming now beacuse of school and laziness. I think I'm lazy and I get bored quickly if I'm not passionate about something. I'm in the top of the school in science and maths but I'm not the best. I think I'm also perfectionist. I also haven't studied any lessons till this year. But this year in high school is hard. We learn new things in maths and other lessons. I didn't study and the school doesn't go superb(but I'm in the top of the school about marks). As i said if I study hard and I'm passionate about something it is really good(I mean my lessons here :). I like making projects, examining things and solving problems. Should I be a person who doesn't sleep even in the high school(I don't mean university. I know I should forget what sleeping is there :). There are people like that but I'm better than them in creativity. I also like making researches and reading online encyclopedias. I always want to learn new things, and I try to learn just when I see something new. Should I choose engineering? I think I wrote too much. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate all the answers.