Life Choice, Update page 2, read the first post though Options

[devilsden97]

ok, so this is gonna be another "piss and moan" thread...sorta.

So as some of you know, I am a college student, studyign to become an Engineer. My current place of employment has me working hand in hand with engineers, so it gives me real-time job experience in the field that I want to go into.

Well...so I thought that is what I wanted to go into. The last year of college (my first year as an Engineering student) has kicked my ass. [Prior I attend college for CAD. (computer aided drafting)] I failed Calc I, two times, and it has really messed up my scheduleing. (as if that was the worst of it.) After about the first 3 weeks, I honestly, legitimatly, hated getting up to go to class. Not because its early, or because its class, because i knew everyday was going to make me mad, or make me feel dumb.

I am begining to think I can't do the work that is associated to become an engineer. My calculus teacher says that I am not trying hard enough. Which could very well be true, but at the same time, i value friends, and other relationships to be as important, or more important then 35 calculus problems. So comes the notion of, "just try harder."

Maybe I just don't want to try harder, and becoming an engineer to me isnt worth the time, or dare I say sacrafice. I like the work I do now, even tho somedays I really hate, most days are decent.

When it comes to what else id be interested in doing, i cant think of anything that really intriques me enough to major in it.


I know some of you guys on here actually know me in person, and have talked to me. I also understand all dont know me very well, but I am just looking for any insite or personal experiences that may help me make some sort of a decison.

Thanks.

Miguel aka "Migga"


(really wasnt that pissy and moany...but its pretty complainy.)

ps. any questions just ask. Ill basicly share whatever, because i want some REAL unbias opinons.


Edit: Update Page 2.

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Jun 23, 2007 - 12:33 AM

[BlackCelicaGT94]

What kind of engineer are you looking to become?

I work for a transportation engineering firm here in Washington if youre interested :-)

[97lestyousay]

Work harder, I have actually contemplated going back
to school to be an M.E. I really like machining but, for
the knowlage I have I am maxed out in pay without an
engineering degree. I already am doing half the job with prints
and design corrections for the ones I work with. I think you would
make a good engineer, you seem to have good attention to detail
which is very important as an M.E. imo

Bit of info which almost all the grad students I have worked with overlook.
Know your fits.( slip, press and tolerances to make them correct)
I see it almost everyday, mating parts drawn the same size + or - .005
Fit on a computer is not the same as real world.
Bosses and holes the same size don't mate.(without a hammer )

[orvillescelica]

Bit of info which almost all the grad students I have worked with overlook.
Know your fits.( slip, press and tolerances to make them correct)
I see it almost everyday, mating parts drawn the same size + or - .005
Fit on a computer is not the same as real world.
Bosses and holes the same size don't mate.(without a hammer )

This is good advice that i learned in grad school. If you want to make a part, draft it up, then go and talk to the machinist and ask his advice about the tolerances. Talk to him/her about what you are looking for and theyll help out to make it just right.

Anyway, about the subject on hand. I dont know if this is going to help you or discourage you, but ill go ahead and tell my side of engineering anyway. Engineering IS math. Thats the short of it. I was never too great in math class either, but applying that math to the engineering concepts came a lot more natural to me. Maybe its the same way for you. By your senior year of engineering you should figure that out if you havent already. Next, having been out of school and working for a year, i can tell you that being a working real world engineer has made me work harder than i ever have in school, made me feel dumber than i ever have and more incompetent than ever before. And i was in grad school where at least one day a week i would go to class in the morning and then work in the lab until midnight, most of the times not eating all day. Real world engineering and college engineering do require a lot of work. It requires you to try hard, harder than you should for results that may not be important, but you need to do it, simply because it needs to be done. You say that Friends are more important than 35 problems, i agree. But there is a balance between those two that you can find, trust me. If you set aside your friends for one or two nights for those problems, they will understand and be there when youre done. If you set aside those problems for your friends, the college might not be as forgiving and the degree youve put so many hours into for already might never come. If you can, push through to graduation. Actually try hard, study, and see what you can really do. It doesnt matter if you dont even use your degree after college, as long as you prove to yourself that you could and that you did, youll know that you can do anything. If you just sort of coast through without giving it a real try, then youll always wonder what if and leave doubts for the future.

[ILuvMyCelica95]

I am begining to think I can't do the work that is associated to become an engineer. My calculus teacher says that I am not trying hard enough. Which could very well be true, but at the same time, i value friends, and other relationships to be as important, or more important then 35 calculus problems. So comes the notion of, "just try harder."

to me, that right there is a big problem. Your education should come before your social life.

I understand what your saying. Not too many people enjoy doing things in life that are necessary.

I think you should REALLY apply yourself and see what the result is.

Take time out of your day for the homework and cut out all distractions. I used to go to the library to do homework because i knew there would be no distractions there.

Shut off your phone, unplug the internet, whatever it takes and just get your work done. You'd be surprised how quickly you will accomplish things without distractions. The time spent dwelling on how much you dont want to do work is time that could be spent just sucking it up and getting it done.

I dont think you should feel stupid. You're not stupid your just not applying yourself.

[Boss-Celica]

Maybe you should change your major. I went through the same phase. I started with Electrical Engineering, then changed to Computer Science and now I'm at Web Programming which I am extremely happy with. It's not always about how much you'll be making in the future.

[GTSOwner]

Just a bit of background here.... I'm actually not in Engineering or anything even remote to that. I never even graduated college. I started off in college in Communications, Design and Graphic Arts. I was good at all the technical courses like Photoshop and such but was never really able to develop that creative touch that would be required of me as a Graphic Designer. Very frustrating. So I redirected myself towards a trade school in Pre-press Processes. A lot of hands on, no courses that don't really relate to what you're learning... I was happy like a pig in mud.

Nowadays, I work as a Digital Solutions Specialist in a company that sells digital document solutions (copiers, scanners, printers, and software to manage all that paper). Not what I studied in, but still having a lot of fun.

Now. Here are some things I've learned along the way.

1-Real life kicks school life's ass any day. School gives you some tools to survive, but they do not necessarily prepare you for the real world (besides, if they did, it would just be no fun )

2-"Decent" days do not cut it. If you can't say that you enjoy your job most of the time, if you say you can't get up in the morning wihout bitching and complaining for half an hour then that line of work might not be for you.

After about the first 3 weeks, I honestly, legitimatly, hated getting up to go to class. Not because its early, or because its class, because i knew everyday was going to make me mad, or make me feel dumb.

3-See #2

4-You work to live. Not the other way around.



Basically just try to determine if what you do is making you miserable or not and try to take that into account.

[devilsden97]

BlackCelicaGT94 - thanks for the offer but i dont plan on moving away quite yet...after all im only 20, and as discuseed here i dont have a degree in nething.

97lestyousay - I believe i want to be a mechanical engineer, right now i just really dont know if i wanna pursue it any more, or go in another direction.

orvillescelica - discourage. So here is a question for u, Was it worth it? did the end satisfy the means for u?

Boss-Celica - Ive changed my major once already, which really isnt a big deal, but besides engineering, i cant think of anything else id like to do. But all jobs have days that u would rather murder your boss, then go on working.

GTSOwner - I know its not always about how much u make, or whos the smartest. My think right now is that i REALLY dont think i can do it, and I honestly cant think of anything else id like to...i guess "try".

Iluvmycelica95 - Ive given up going out many a weekend/week so i could do hw. My point is, I work, go to school then come home and do hw. I give up weekends and weekday nights for hw. My buddy calls, asks to chill, and i say no, i have hw. He cant believe how much work i do. (neither can i sometimes).

I believe one of my MAJOR problems is that what i think is enough, isnt (obviously) but im not willing to give nemore. I'm really not willing to disappear off the face of the Earth for 4 to 5 months while class is in session. Yes, there is time to go out, and do things, but at the same time, im not gonna spend 75% of my non-school (classes)/work hours doing hw.

keep the opinions coming people. i appreciate it.

[snapshotgt]

Stay on track Miguel, apply yourself more -- and in the end you'll be happy you did. Just go balls out on it.

[pure_dx]

don't worry Miguel, you are not the only one who's going through this. I am in the same boat as you. Take some time off to get things straighten out, I've been thinking so much my head hurts, I just need a vocation, you should, too. A week, a couple weeks, maybe even months to get your mind straighten out. Best of luck, keep us updated.

[Racer_J]

Well, Engineering is a challenging and demanding career choice, this doesn't stop when you leave college either. I've been working in this field for ten years and its been hard, very hard at times. I too specialised in CAD, I work for a consultancy and have worked for several multi-national companies including a very well known American construction machinery manufacturer.

All I can say is, don't throw the towel in! It might seem like its too much for you at the minute but stick with it, it does get easier as you gain experience!

By the way... What CAD software were you using? Was it 3D or 2D CAD? In my job, I use Pro/Engineer so if you need any pointers, give me a shout! LOL

[daazndood]

hey dude, i just barely finished my first year for mechanical engineering. i was pretty much in the same situation as you. i missed alot of class and ALMOST failed calculus 1 twice. i ended up passing it the second time with a C and its sad becuase engineers are based around calculus.

first semester, despite missing over 50% of most of my classes i still pulled a 1.99, but for the second semester i really turned things around and got a 2.4. not much better but at least its an improvement.

i chose to study engineering. its up to our selves whether we do well in college or not. you just gotta sort things around, manage your time better so its not devoted just to studying or only hanging out with friends.

it seems like you really want to become an engineer.

do what you love and love what you do

[lagos]

friends come and go, but an engineering degree is for life.

[JonCars17]

My major is Computer Engineering because I like technology, but I'm good at math. When a teacher shows me how to workout a problem then I follow the steps and get it pretty qiuckly. I haven't taken Calculus 1 yet, but I have taken Calculus for Business Management and I ended up passing with a B+ because I slacked off at the beginning only making Bs over halfway throught th course. I say keep at it if you fill that is the career choice you want to go into. I chose Computer Engineering because I feel that I could never be completely happy with a job all of my life therefore I chose a field that I'm good at it and that changes all the time with it having a good future, which allows me to always have a job. My priority is family. If I choose a field then it must be a field that can easily find another job. Regardless of the field you choose, it will have things you dislike and like about it.

I don't hang out much myself because I'm focused on school and work. I'm a high school drop out and have had a job that I hated for years (I still hate it) and I saw it going no where. In Addition, I saw my brother go from job to job because they were laying him off. I don't want to end up like my brother.

This post has been edited by JonCars17: Jun 6, 2007 - 9:58 AM

[95CelicaST]

I know how that feels, to be incredibly frustrated with school and just wanting to quit, but you have to look at it in the long term.

For one, you need to drop your social life. Your social life is not going to earn you a passing grade. You need to go to school, go to work, come home and do your homework or if that particular class day was frustrating then you need to study. School isn't meant to be a cake walk. Its even worse when you get out of high school and decide "I'm going to take a break from school... you know, because I've been going for 12 years already."

The problem with that is that you get into the habit of NOT going to school, and then once you're in school it sucks. Personally I did not take this route because I knew that it would happen. I knew that if I didn't just keep rolling through that it could be 3, 4, 5 years down the road and I still am not in school. I was attending ITT before I even graduated High School. I was supposed to be finished this next quarter, but I have one more after that because I did the exact same thing you are. I spent some time with my social life in front of my school and it ended up costing me a lot of money, and a lot of time. But look at your priorities. The sooner you finish school, the sooner you will be done, have a good job, and nothing but time to be social.

We're all your friends on here Miguel, even though most of us haven't met you, we are all here to help. Your friends will understand you are finishing school, and a real friend will respect that. They aren't going to go anywhere. If they are real friends they will be waiting for you at the end. They will be the ones cheering you on at your graduation.

[x_itchy_b_x]

haha i think about this all the time. as long as i can put food on the table im happy. i work extremely hard just to have my car. there is no way id give up MY social life so some corporation can make a buck. i hate the system

[Culpable04]

you can't drop your social life, humans live in a society, so social life is a need.

the key here is balance, and what do you want out of life.

I wasted my fall 2006 semester because of the same problem you have, I barely passed my classes, I was not concentrating on my studies, missing homework and such, then I came to the same place you're right now. what I did to get out of that was, took a few days off work and went to relax and think about what was wrong, I realized that there was nothing wrong but my attitude, I felt so confortable with my job, that I lower my guards at school, I do enjoy my job right now, but I also wanna go higher on the ladder, is cool at my age to say what I do, but if I don't do anything to climb up, it won't sound so cool if I get to 50's doing the same thing like some of my co-workers, they all complaint about how they should have stayed on school and they didn't, and now they regret it, so I decided to not be part of the crow and focus my energy on school.

I still have some friends, not as many as I would like or I used to, but like most of people have said, school comes first, I also get to do some minor stuff on the celi, and travel once a year. I'm back on track and it feels really good, like when you take a little break and look back on your records you see you've done the right move and you're one little step closer to be where you wanna be.

[Sinyk]

I agree with 95CelicaST. It's a matter of priorities. These are real life sacrifices you have to make if you want to succeed. You can't say that you don't learn anything in school compared to the real world. You learn to prioritize and manage your time and finances better and you learn how deadlines work. Also, if your friends are your true friends, then they will understand what you are doing, respect it and support you with your decision. If you are doubting yourself, you may want to take a step back and decide if it's really what you want to do. If your social life is #1 and isn't going anywhere, then you may want to think of a different career path that requires less dedication and time commitment. If you are sure that college is where you want to be, take your first year and do general courses that can apply to almost any major like english, math, art electives, etc.

I completed my bachelor's in computer information systems and the first two years of it were hell. I was doing like 130% course load, 70 hours a week of homework was mandatory and I was starting to crack in the second year, but once I got my priorities straightened out and learned to manage my time better, it really wasn't that bad. What I do somewhat regret was the 2 1/2 years off I took in between highschool and college. Not much I could do about it, but I wish I had made up my mind sooner.

[devilsden97]

snapshotg - thanks for the encouragement

pure_dx - Im afraid that if i take time off from school, that i just wont go back. I love my summer vacation, even tho i work, when i get home from work, i just hang out, and relax. thats my 3 months of rest and self evaluation.

Racer_J - "By the way... What CAD software were you using? Was it 3D or 2D CAD? In my job, I use Pro/Engineer so if you need any pointers, give me a shout! LOL"

My company uses CadKey98, and a program called SolidWords, we are using the 2007 edition of solidworks. We use CK (cadkey) for some (very little) 2d work, and solidworks for ALL our 3d, and most of the 2d work. We are currently trying to phase out CK because it has become obselet. (sp)

daazndood - "it seems like you really want to become an engineer."

Sadly i really am not sure if thats what i feel like doing nemore. I think ive gotten to the point were i feel like i cant do it, so y even bother. Why continue to look like a fool.

lagos - so know that we know how u view your friends...lol thanks Art

JonCars17 - what i honestly worry about alot, is spending all the time, money and effort and then COMPLETELY hating the job in the end. (i dont think that happens, but its still a fear of mine.) Do u mind me asking what u do currently?

95CelicaST - "We're all your friends on here Miguel, even though most of us haven't met you, we are all here to help. Your friends will understand you are finishing school, and a real friend will respect that. They aren't going to go anywhere. If they are real friends they will be waiting for you at the end. They will be the ones cheering you on at your graduation."

I posted this thread because some of u know me better then others, some have met me, others havnt, it gives more of an unbias/broader range of opinons. it allows me to see different ways of approtching the problem, or possible ways to remedy the situation.

x_itchy_b_x - Fight the system john....fight the system.

Again, thanks everyone for your ideas and insight. I believe that after failing 2 times, that I just cant do it. Wheither its from poor time managment or not. I just feel as if why should i bother wasting my time anymore, ive wasted enough already.

Keep them coming. Thanks

edit: in response to what sinyk and cupable said.

Cupable04: I thought the same thing, i love telling people what i do now. All my friends work retail, and they hate it. When i tell them im a "draftsperson" and that i work with 3d models and autocad all day, they either say i must be smart, or that i have a pretty good job. Then i mention how i get weekends off, and thats the icing on the cake. But i dont wanna do this forever. A draftsperson is a draftsperson. Yeah u can become a senior draftsperson, but theres not much mobility from there, hense y i believe id like to become an engineer. Thanks Stevenson.

sinyk: I really do doubt myself, regularly. 9 times out of 10, i can talk myself out of something, before i even give it a try. Im more afraid of messing something up and being set back, then possibly trying it, succeeding, and being ahead. You can say its confidence issues, or immaturity, i really dont care, but i am personally begining to become very afraid of what my future holds.

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Jun 6, 2007 - 11:28 AM

[JonCars17]

I work a basic blue collar job (pallet job) that my dad self owns. It sux because I have to work with him. It has nothing to do with my education which is why I didn't really mention it. I too have that fear of not liking my job after all of the trouble because you never know what it is gonna end up being like, but if you worry too much about it then you will only cause more harm than anything else. I know my job in the end maybe be boring, hard, or a pain in the butt, but I've delt with it for 6+ years now so I think I can handle it when I get my degree and get a higher paying job. If the math is getting to you then look for alternatives that doesn't involve as much math. A friend of mine did this because he couldn't handle the math required for Computer Enginerring and he is majoring in something else that still involves computers that seems just as interesting.

I hate summer break because I miss going to class and meeting new people and all the stuff that comes with it. I was out of school for 6 years before entering into college. I have only been in college for a year now.