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Have you ever regretted becoming an engineer?
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Hey there, industrial engineering student here. It seems like, at least at my school, a lot of the students here don’t actually want to be engineers. They were just always smart and good at math and always had teachers and counselors tell them “You should be an engineer!” so they went with it.
I’ve started to take a hard look at myself and I realized that I kind of fit this description. Although I am genuinely interested in engineering, I didn’t even consider majoring in something like math, statistics, physics, etc. I just knew I “wanted” to be an engineer.
Do any of you regret becoming engineers? If so, what do you wish you were? I’m seriously thinking about switching to statistics, and since I’m still a freshman, now is a better time than ever.
Top Comment:
I don't. I love seeing and analyzing the world through a different lense. Seeing all the meticulous details that go into making something safe and operable.
Having an engineering degree can take you anywhere from banking, hospital management, design to teaching. There are some people I know indirectly with an Engineering degree and they became brew masters at a craft brewery (and they can make a good brew) . It's not what you do with your education, it's how you apply it.
Having an engineering degree is valued for its problem solving, critical thinking and bridge between natural and theoretical sciences.
How did you become an engineer?
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I want to become an engineer, but do not know any engineers within the fields I want to pursue. So, I'm looking to hear from you all how you got into the position you're in. Whether civil, electrical, biomechanical, ect; What steps did you take during or after high school to land yourself in the position you are in today? What struggles did you need to push through? How specifically did you prepare yourself to be "hireable" by your company?
I make this post due to the fact that I'm lost. I graduated in June from HS and have been working as an apprentice Maintenance Technician at Lozier. Junior and Senior year I was an apprentice engineer at Rockport Commericial Vehicles. However, my dream is to become a mechanical and/or aeronautical engineer at a major company such as Lockhead, SpaceX, Toyota, or other companies. I have to pay for my own college outright as my parents won't help, but I do not fit the criteria for any form of student aid. Scholarships have been a bust and would only cover less than 10% of my tuition. So I just want to hear how some of you got through the struggle of going from graduated to employed, as I'm not sure how I'll do it.
Any and all advice, stories, and anecdotes are appreciated immensely!
Top Comment: I decided to become an aerospace engineer after a cheif engineer for the ISS came and talked to our class. After graduation, I had the choice between a really high quality but expensive college and a cheaper (free if you kept your grades up) state college. I went with the free ride and have no regrets. I joined multiple engineering clubs and helped to build multiple RC aircraft and a satellite as a result. Didn't get an internship, but did become a research assistant for the satellite work. Landed my first real job shortly before graduating with my bachelor's. Went off to work for a defense company writing simulation software for a (sort of) space system. The company paid for my master's which I did while working full time (don't do that, it sucked. Do part-time), then landed a new job as a systems engineer on a system that will fly on a couple different actual satellites. I kinda fell into space systems through indecision. I'm the kind of guy that wants to do EVERYTHING. Electrical, mechanical, software, science, you name it. I loved giving the science spiel when I was working on the satellite in college and I loved having the global view of the simulation software in my first job. I'm now in a role that I have NO knowledge about and am learning a ton, but suffering from imposter syndrome like crazy. One helpful note on cost, I know a lot of people that went to a cheap community college for their general education requirements, then moved to a 4-year school for the final two years of hard-core engineering courses.
is engineering worth it - hs
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over asked question but i need some advice;
i come from an IT background (dad: project manager, siblings: IT/cyber) and my dad isn’t supportive of my interest in mechanical engineering- essentially he doesn’t think that i’ll get a 6 figure job within 3-5 years of graduating and says “all the money is in IT/comp sci and engineering is too limited”
personally i dislike coding and im decent at math + engineering really interests me. i just want my income to match the effort i put in. words of wisdom are appreciated 🙏🏽
addition context; american hs junior, currently full time at a public uni bc dual enrollment, good grades/extracurriculars
Top Comment: For what it’s worth I’m a MET grad 3 years out of school and just accepted a salary position for 90K base, likely around 95K total with their projected bonuses. I live near Cincinnati, which is a lower cost of living area. Engineering isn’t something I recommend doing just for the salary because it’s hard, but if it’s genuinely something you’re interested in and you push yourself you’ll do pretty well. Also, from what I’ve heard the IT/CompSci field is pretty saturated right now.
A day in the life of an engineer
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It's been a while since we've hosted one of these threads, and since we do get periodic inquiries from readers, please share what a day in your life looks like. Feel free to share as little or as much detail as you like, but at least include how many years of experience you have, your title, and your field as these will provide useful context to readers. If you wish, you may list your salary and location, but this is absolutely not a requirement.
The last one I recall was this one in case you want to get an idea of the kinds of things people posted.
Top Comment: Engineering Manager at a small specialty chemical company. I have a team of 6 engineers with varying projects and responsibilities. Generally in around 7:45, check on them before heading to the morning production meeting to figure out today's particular fires. Check in on capital project status and spends, plus overall capital budget. Explain to my Director of Manufacturing that I don't care how much production variance it's causing I can't currently shit out a rental cooling tower on demand but I'll let you know when I can. Explain to my EHS director that rebuilding an MI program from scratch is going to take more than 3 months and your angry glances. Go to my engineers that are working on said cooling towers and MI programs and ask where we are and what can we do to expedite things. Basically my day boils down to managing expectations and disappointments.
eli5: what do engineers... do? : r/explainlikeimfive
Main Post: eli5: what do engineers... do? : r/explainlikeimfive