To stick with engineering or not?

[djk123]

Okay, so I am a freshman Engineering major. I am leaning towards mechanical engineering, but I don't have to officially decide which branch until end of sophomore year I believe.

I chose engineering basically because I've always been good at math/science and found them most interesting. To be honest I don't even want to be an "engineer" after college, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to go to graduate school. But people, including my adviser, have told me that an engineering degree provides all kinds of opportunities outside of engineering.

So we're past the halfway point of the first semester, and I'm doing fairly well so far grade-wise. I understand the math and science stuff, but I just feel like I don't have the engineering mindset. I'm not very handy and not that good at putting things together. I also am not good at visualizing objects.

All of those skills seem pretty essential for engineering. Are these skills things I will be able to learn as I go? Even if i switched out of engineering, I'm not sure what I would do instead. Math maybe, but I'm not sure.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

[relativity_x]

a common alternate major for engineering drop outs is business. Try out finance if you enjoy math or business information systems.

[TheSalche]

Preface: I'm a senior in mechanical at UIUC graduating this year.

How good are your people skills compared to your classmates? A good option for engineers is to get an MBA after their undergrad and try to go for a management type position. You may want to consider switching to general engineering if your school offers it. That's the more business side of engineering. Also gives you a chance to go into patent law where you can make some serious cash.

What do you not like about engineering? Is it just the difficulties of combining math and science? You may want to wait till you take actual engineering courses before switching out. A lot of the math/science/gen ed classes will transfer over to a business major.

[freedom18]

until you figure out what you truly like stick with it.

I found out this year (i am a senior) that I might prefer finance/investing over engineering due to the higher ceiling and flexibility to become your own 'man'.

Your advisors are right about engineering providing lots of opportunities but so did poker for me.

It opened up my mind to a different world in which you don't need to get that 50k-70k year entry job to make yourself feel like you made it.

So ultimately just figure out what you like to do and why you want to do it. Obviously money is always an issue but start with that if thats your 'limiting reagent' then go from there

[dukemagic]

i'm also ME, a senior, graduating from stanford.

i'd wait until you take a "real" engineering class. if you're doing okay class wise and you've always been into math and science, you'll probably be okay. the visualizing stuff was only one small sub-set of the classes for me - most of it is equations and stuff. however, the visualizing and building classes were by far the most fun for me.

i'd wait until you actually take a class that requires you to build stuff before you decide you aren't good at it. i'd never really built stuff before college and i turned out to be pretty good at that.

as far as after school goes, there is a lot you can do. i'm personally going for a masters from stanford (earning it in a 5th year) and then getting a job. i'm not sure what job i'll do yet, but i've already gotten an offer from an oil company to work at a refinery for about 90k/year - not bad for an entry level job. that is dependent on me getting a masters, though - otherwise it'd be about 80k/year.

[djk123]

thanks for the replies.

Salche - people skills aren't great.

[ QUOTE ]
What do you not like about engineering? Is it just the difficulties of combining math and science? You may want to wait till you take actual engineering courses before switching out. A lot of the math/science/gen ed classes will transfer over to a business major.

[/ QUOTE ]

For example, in my intro to engineering class (the only class i'm taking that is an engineering class) we seem to focus a lot on visualizing objects in their different views (i.e. left, top, right, isometric). I really suck at being able to draw the different views of an object given the object or drawing the object given the different views.

But like you said, my adviser said that I won't actually get an understanding of real engineering until later and that I should stick with it.

[willw9]

I'm kinda in the same quandry, thinking about switching to IST actually.

[Partizan Beograd]

I am in 3rd year Mechanical Engineering at University of McMaster, Ontario.. and i have told myself about a million times "Why didnt I go into business!". If you are not 100% prepared to take on Engineering, change your program!

[johnnyrocket]

you have to think abstractly, i'm in my 6th semester of it, the problems get complex but teach you how to solve so many things with the use of the mind. Engineers get hired over almost anyone for even random positions because companies want people who can think outside the box and are good at solving stuff. MBA or Masters also and you make some nice cake.

You don't learn much about your engineering til semester 4 or so. they give you the tough maths/sciences/physics off the bat to try weeding out the weak who can't handle it, stick it out.

[SuperUberBob]

Engineering is rough. After one year, I totally ditched it. Couldn't handle the workload.

Switched over to Economics and have been great ever since.