Tip for Engineering students currently having difficulties: Reduce your course load, take an extra year or two to graduate. Trust me, it will make your life ALOT better.
As a person who finished much later, this point is never mentioned as much. It's all about understanding and gauging oneself; completing the degree is not about those who finished the fastest.
The Engineers are out there, trying to get a job, but nobody wants to hire entry level Engineers and take the time to train them. It took forever to get my first Engineering job.
I got a contract from a company when i didn't even graduated yet ! :) But im also not living in the USA either... that fucked up country. But here all companies have these "entry" level kind of jobs that don't pay as much as people who got 5 years experience. But hey.. you do get experience. :) Why isn't that like that in the USA? Is everything fucked up like this in the USA?
About how long did it take you and what did you do to get there? I have an Electrical Engineering Bachelors and I want to get a job before I continue with my Masters (so I don't end up in debt), but I'm having a tough time getting an entry level job. ):
Mate, come to the UK or go to Germany... it is very easy to find a grad scheme for Engineering. Anyone that struggles over here isn't really trying IMO.... not sure whats going on in the USA but over here you have to be pretty lazy not to get a job.
Are you kidding with this? Engineering is hard! Even decades ago, at orientation they said, "Look to your left, and to your right. You won't see them at graduation". Meaning 2 of 3 drop or switch majors... I stuck with it and finished. It was not fun, but worth it.
This video is 10 years old. Engineering is hard and at that time for most of the students it was easier to make more money in other fields. Today there are way less jobs in engineering than 10 years ago.
Many, many college instructors also don't know how to teach math and science, yet they get teaching jobs and turn people away from the field. I wasn't ever interested in STEM, but I've had to break the news to teachers in college that they are subpar instructors.
I get that schools don’t want terrible engineers associated with them and want the best ppl to represent said school but the entire point of universities is to educate not bottleneck the future generation of industry. I am probably wrong when I say this but back when uni’s first popped up as we know them the main factor to getting in was probably money and a willingness to learn
@@DC-ee9de That is my point. American engineers earn absurd amounts of money that are beyond anyone's dreams here where I live, and yet they still complain.
@Anthony Lino To be honest, I have a had time believing that anyone that earn over 1000$/month can have any problems with food and housing. I am sure that you could easily find a cheaper place to live, even in the US.
***** Because diagrams: K-maps, propagation delay and timing, circuit design problems, and finite state machines. Most jobs aren't interesting.. plus different people find different jobs better or worse. What job do you think is interesting?
Then you have to have a math degree to be an actuary, and that's almost as much work as an engineering degree. I know; I've done both. Just pick what you want to do, engineer or actuary, and go for it. Yes, the barrier is tough for a good engineering program, just like it is for medical school, because you have to be proficient in your chosen field. And yes, you actually learn how to be an engineer on the job (again, I think it's similar to medical doctors. Once they finish medical school, they still have years of residency to do, which is where they learn on-the-job, and learn how to actually practice medicine. Same for engineers; you learn your job on-the-job, but you have to have the education and training as the foundation, in order to learn the job itself)
They fall behind at some point. But instead of getting support to catch up, they get convinced that they are just "bad with numbers". Seen that s*** so many times. Tax dollars NOT hard at work.
@@everythingisfine9988 we can blame the schools and everyone else all we want, but most students I knew in my math classes had the "I'm never going to use this in real life! It's not like I want to be a scientist or engineer!" mentality, when in reality, they don't know what career path they're going to choose as they approach adulthood. This huge lack of motivation to work hard in math in elementary, middle, and even high school would largely be the responsibility of the parents, but blaming everyone else for not figuring out how to motivate their kids is much easier.
I think there is also a problem with engineering culture though. It’s a cycle of “I got my ass kicked, so fuck you” by professors that’s really visible. Meanwhile, math or physics majors cover even more advanced stuff in their fields and on average do better than engineering students. It’s unreasonably ruthless at times and student obviously leave when they see their friends have fun in other majors.
@@geegoflex6762 lol are you really trying to flex with your middle school math? If you didn't struggle at all, great. I'm happy for you. That doesn't mean kids who struggled in middle school math were stupid. Not everyone had the same upbringing or support system, i.e. parents.
the reason they drop out is because engineering is super hard...when I was in college I took a few engineering classes and struggled to get a c. when I took a few law classes I got all A's and sometimes at the top of the class.... engineering is hard
It depends on the person. Some people are simply more verbally inclined and others quantitatively. Your abilities are probably weighted towards verbal IQ/ability.
@@AfricanThinker86 I recently heard a data point that supports your position: I attended a conference at a law school and one of the students told me she is part of a program that mentors 1Ls that are struggling, and that one of her students is a CS grad whose is doing terrible at law school. For me it is the math. For example right now I am studying the Ford-Fulkerson algorithm for finding the minimum cut/maximum flow in a network. I can fully understand the concepts, and I can quickly run the algorithm in my head on a small graph, but when you abstractly represent the process in mathematical notation it becomes uncomfortable. You speak English for probably 16 years or more until you see something like a summation symbol and more years before you see a recurrence relation, so I struggle to see how verbal thinking is harder than math thinking, but it must be for some people.
@@MSneberger People often just assume quantitative fields are more difficult when really stuff like law can be just as demanding. I think the avg law school graduate has an IQ above 130, which is about the same for postgraduates (PhD level) in the hard sciences. The difference is in how their cognitive abilities are distributed, not their overall "intelligence". Of course, there are exceptions to the rule where some people are more balanced. To your question, I think it has to do with more than knowing or having familiarity with certain words. Verbal reasoning involves being able to solve problems with the use of concepts and principles that aren't represented by numbers. Numerical reasoning is highly deductive and straightforward while verbal reasoning requires the use of several logical techniques (e.g., induction, syllogism, etc). For someone good at math, they could have good numerical intuition and deductive skills.
Most STEM college majors have "weed out" classes to take out most students that want to get one of these drgrees. You think you passed one weed out class only to find out that the rest of your classes are all meant to weed you out until only few are left.
If the entire curriculum is composed of 'weed out' classes, then it's not trying to weed out anyone. The field is what it is. If you can't understand crucial concepts like Laplace transform, you can't even step foot into a control systems course.
@@texasgun2731 so you will be able to do the job. Those construction projects are not the best idea to get involved in. They take up tremendous amount of time. They are known as ' GPA killers.'
So, you would have someone designing a building or bridge because it feels right; not because it is structurally sound? Or maybe you would like to have your surgeon cut you open just because that seems like the thing to do because you came in with a stomach ache? The basic classes for these fields of study are difficult because the fields are difficult and require more advanced classes later. Without the basic classes, a person will not have the knowledge for the more advanced classes and then will not have the knowledge for the field in which they are studying.
My dad is an electrical engineer. He went through community college, then got his BS and MS. Math wasn't really the bad part. Mastering logic was more challenging. Applying logic, math and physics in the real world is key and some schools fail to teach that.
Personally what I find most challenging about the stem field is applying the knowledge. Throughout our high school years we were taught two things: memorizing, and understanding. when students from high school attend a college/university, they carry those two learning habits. If you just memorize and understand, you will not become an engineer. Most students in my college go to class and then work after. They really don't study outside of class and when they take stem courses they start struggling. Don't treat your stem courses as regular courses. You are setting yourself up for failure.
Some? Most highschools fail to teach you how to properly understand the concept behind the formulas which makes the majority of the students unable to solve more complex and challenging problems
I'd rather travel in an airplane designed by an engineer who passed a challenging program, than an airplane designed by someone who was just handed a passing grade
You do know the difference between them isn’t that big like the barely pass student and average B students are usually one or two simple questions wrongs in engineering however the A* students are on a different level but most of those do research because they have no social skills
I wasn't a good student in high school, never made really good grades. Looking back at it, I can say the major reason why was because I didn't have confidence in myself and I placed limits on my own ability. If I didn't understand something right away I would think "a smart person would get this". After high school I started working on cars, basic automotive maintenance at first but I worked up to becoming a certified technician after about 3 years. During that process I realized that I can figure things out even if concepts don't come to me right away, and to really understand modern ignition system circuits can take some effort. It was in my early 20s when I realized throughout my academic career I never put in the time and effort needed to approach my learning potential. I decided to go back and give school another try, this time with motivation. I first went to a community college and needed remedial classes, but I was making good grades. I kept at it and figured I'll just see where this takes me. Eventually I made it to an engineering college majoring in electrical engineering. Even among engineering degrees electrical is seen as one of the more difficult fields.I graduated in December of 2015 with my EE degree because, anything worthwhile won't be easy. No regrets.
The challenge of teaching is that each student has his or her own way of assimilating information. I always had trouble with Math, beyond Arithmetic (which I drilled into my head by rote). Writing was much easier, because I'm more inclined to words than numbers. But I did notice that Math classes didn't emphasize vocabulary as much as they should.
@Jacob Fully agree, but Columbia does have a point (more practical application) and understanding how the hell all the math I was learning would benefit myself and society is a better way to learn engineering (engineering major here).
Lol at the columbia dean explaining why his school has a 96% graduation rate. Such a BS explaination. The students at that school are just way smarter in general compared to students at other schools. It's a damn ivy league man
I know right. Let me compare the smartest students in the country (that probably took calculus when they were 15) to people who may not even had calculus offered in thier school. What a joke.
There's something to be said for the hands-on learning approach in engineering. I've always spent way more time learning in college when it's accompanied by wanting to make something that works.
Well, for me at least, his statement makes perfect sense. I learn things by attaching applications to them, it's like sinking hooks into what I'm learning, weaving the knowledge into my head. If I can't see why something is useful, I cannot force myself to learn it.
This right here. Than they offer you jobs as a technician in QC/QA and tell you if you work hard maybe someday an engineering position will open. Years pass and surprise! No engineering position and no raise since starting the job. That's why my motto is to hell with the company. Job hopping is the only way to get any growth these days.
Pretty much. It's not a shortage issue. It's an issue with too many companies convincing themselves that their engineering projects are profitable and worth entertaining. Companies rarely consider that the problem they are trying to solve is very complicated and might require five talented, experienced, and diligent engineers at a 200k salary each. They go on to hire two people at 100k each. Then they cry about how engineers are not being trained well enough and claim there is a shortage of engineers.
96% success rate in Columbia because they are actually being selective during admissions. If your standards are low, it is no wonder most of your students drop out from a program that hard.
You guys (Hz and Ruben are idoiots! Would you take a tweaker as a student. NO because you can understand why they would FAIL. Same as a professional administrator. They see and have a better understanding of the likely success rate of students. Morons!
I really think teacher student ratios, money, and pride all play a large factor also. Like doing the same work for a degree from University of Phoenix is rough. You're a lot more encouraged to get through the work when you know you can get a degree from say Harvard. I mean think about the nature of Harvard students. I bet every single one of them thinks they will get a high paying job like a piece of cake.
This is the reality. STEM degrees aren't the golden ticket everyone thinks they are. This piece is so full of crap - jobs are there but you have to work your ass off, get internships, get connections.. and sacrifice your life with friends & family if you want to make it.. even then, luck is a huge factor.
Columbia's engineering program is incredibly selective so they are also getting the brightest and most motivated kids. It's definitely not because of their "applications" philosophy lol
I'm a Production Engineering dropout currently about to major in Finance with a minor in Music Education. Engineering is no joke, and if you go in with the mindset of "well I like computers, technology and geeky stuff so I should be good at it" you'll most likely fail like I did. Never got past Physics 2 and Calculus 3 so after repeating those courses over and over I decided to quit. My dad has a MS in Chemical Engineering and he always tells me stories of how they used to jump his college fence to make it to an empty classroom at 2-3am to study, sometimes even sleeping on these clasrooms to study for an exam (and he barely passed those exams too, he wasn't a top student at all). Given how many distractions we have in our lives nowadays that our parent's generation simply didn't had such as netflix, videogames, social media etc. it's easy to see why fewer people are going for engineering majors.
I found it fait personally. Nowhere near what some people have experienced here. Sure I had a couple busy weeks (60 hours+) right before the exams but the rest of the time I averaged what 25-30 hours a week which is not that much. I guess it might really depend on the person/university...
The problem is that students are not being exposed to these fields at the high school level, so when entering college it becomes quiet difficult for them to keep up with the work. The entire educational system in the U.S. needs a major reform; stop wasting student's time on irrelevant material that they're not going to utilize in college or their professional careers.
That is where you are completely wrong. My foundation of studying STEM began freshman year. Many of us are tasked against difficult classes early on in highschool days. However, some people cannot deal with the challenges of hitting a wall in academics.
Yes. It is easy to say, until you get to details. For 95% of the population, Math past algebra is a "waste of time". And really we should not think of school as simply prepper kids for work. No, we are prepping students for LIFE which doe include some work, n=but we hope more than that. Literature, arts and history, and English are all very important even if you are going to work at Walmart.
35%? I remember when I started Computer Science, there were two full classes for entry level programming, or intro to programming. By the time I was in my third year, taking upper level courses, only 5 or so people were left from my class and courses were a mix of third and fourth year students. At my graduation, only I and 3 others graduated with a straight Computer Science major. Talk about the attrition rate. And yes, there were many days when I did not understand something after looking at it the first time. And second. And third. Those were the days when I passed on getting 'hammered' at the bar. Those were the Friday evenings when I stayed in and worked on those algorithms. Hundreds of lines of code would not work the way I programmed them to work. Tough luck, try again. And again, and again, and again until you get it to work, and until you understand the concept to the point where if you were to wake me up in the middle of the night I'll be able to recite it back to you without hesitation. Any skill worth having is going to be science, logic and math based and it's not going to be easy. No matter how intelligent one is. And you have to work for it.
I disagree that any skill worth having is going to be math or logic based. Successful traders, bankers, sales people, marketers, HR people etc. don't need much math beyond high school algebra and they can make $200k plus. Not to mention singers, athletes, youtube personalities, poker players etc. A skill is something that not many people can do but that has a lot of value. It doesn't have to be math related just because that's the path you took. Of course, society needs STEM people but there are art history majors that are making millions on Wall Street and genius PhD engineers maxing out at only $100k a year or even driving cabs so it's not the only skill worth having.
I'll have to disagree. All those professions in your first list, if I can call them that, require skill that can be readily acquired, without too much effort or investment, and thus the marketplace is full of people with various business and HR degrees. That is why math, computer science, physics, chemistry and biology classes are half empty, while one cannot find a seat in various social sciences classes. With the market being saturated, a great portion of graduates in these social science fields cannot find employment out of college, or employment period. That's economics. Also, success is this context is a relative term. You cannot bring up an art history major on Wall Street making millions,who is an outlier, a profound statistical discrepancy, and compare it against a PhD engineer. You need to look across the entire spectrum of population, comparing averages (to not get into mathematical statistics and other techniques and methods). On average, a PhD engineer is far more successful, both objectively and subjectively, than an art history major. And business, and HR, and marketing. That's a fact, mathematical certainty.
Voycodin The reason no one is doing physics, chemistry and biology is because they are all useless majors with no employment prospects. However, I do agree with you with regards to engineering and comp sci
Voycodin There are students out there that are motivated to learn engineering but the programs simply fail them. You can sit trying to learn something for 10 days straight but not get it because you do not have the correct foundation to be able complete the learning. Take high school mathematics for example. There is far to much emphasis on calculus but very little emphasis on algebra and number theory. And when the students get to university they find that there general Calculus skills simply do not cut it and their algebra skills are none existent.
+Crab Bisk Um successful traders, bankers, marketers (to some extent need a bit of logic and projected value) all are based on math and logic. lOL even poker players dude, ever heard of expected value? Obviously not like calculus type of maths, but enough so that you can make reasonable decisions in order to make your company a profit and therefore prove yourself as an asset. Plus singers, athletes, youtube personalities all have a very very small chance at making it at a top level where they can earn comfortably. I'm pretty sure that just because you see some art history majors making millions it doesn't automatically mean that that profession at a population level is a successful one as you only picked a few percent whereas on average you'd expect an engineer to make more.
Engineering grad here from a top school, I graduated 13 years ago. Here are the problems: 1. Pre-college preparation - most high school grads in US don't have enough of basics to do well day 1. This is especially the case when you goto a lower ranked school. Engineering is hard everywhere, you can literally not read your psychology textbook and get a B. Even if you study all the time, you might only get a C in engineering. Most people don't understand this. 2. Curriculum - 100 years ago, you learned through apprenticeship. Someone showed you how an engine worked, step by step. Most engineering programs today are just glorified math programs, where you hardly know how the equations are connected to real life. Usually only in your junior/senior year do you have lab classes that put everything together, by then a lot of students already lost interest. Most faculty are also poor teachers, where #1 above gets compounded by poor teaching. 3. Incentive problem: I got an MBA and worked in a bank because it pays better. Unless you work in silicon valley, engineers aren't paid as well as they should be. To be honest, the intellectual capability of my peers in banks is several notches below that of my college engineering classmates, but thats the reality if you're a mechanical engineer working for a non glamorous manufacturing company.
Civil engineer with B.Eng here. Graduated CCNY, the school in this video. Everything you have said is true. Only thing that got me through this ordeal was perseverance.
The Columbia professor nailed it. If you don't see the mathematical equations and their results actually applied to physical, real world objects, you start to lose interest and also have a harder time understanding.
镜云和 I was lucky enough to have professors that worked for decades for NASA to chemical and engineering firms. West Virginia University Institute of Technology isn't well known but is always rated in the top 20 engineering colleges in the country.
Mine professors are just phd holders no engineering background at all. They teach you all the theory but no real world application... Which kinda is a boring...
"Yours" professors are basically incompetent. A good scientist is far clever and smarter by nature than a good engineer. Just because you live in a shithole country like I do doesn't mean all professors are bad.
Math is hard, but most people wont do it due to them being lazy. I didn't know basic algebra, trig and physics when i started the program at 30. Now i'm a junior with a 3.4 gpa at 32. It isn't because i'm smarter than the others in my class but i do try much harder than them. Most of the people dont make it past calculus 2 because they have no heart and expect everything to be easy. Well guess what....life is hard. The work is grueling , the reports are tedious but the paycheck is going to be awesome. You also get to actually do meaningful work in a field with some really talented people. It reminds me of the old Army basic training but for the mind. Put one foot in front of the other and before you know it you'll graduate.
Agreed. Most people won't use the math, but not because engineering doesn't require it, but because most people who call themselves engineers, are really technicians. Why would anyone pay you the big bucks to type "plot(fftshift(abs(fft(x))))" into octave/matlab?
I graduated as an mechie and I was kinda lazy but to be honest you're def right, I had the fortune of being rather bright and engaged in what I liked but then haunted by my apathy and laziness in what I didn't. I didn't continue my studies because I didn't have a good GPA and was gassed out but now 10 years later I've had a taste of real life and realized how easy it was... trust me work is actually harder than studies... and one more suggestion, continue and do a masters, too many bachelors... and one last suggestion... don't do it for the paycheck, you'll have a tough job and you'll have to enjoy it because what it won't buy is time...
A lot of people do internships which put them ahead. Graduating college in engineering with no experience is a bit of a mistake, especially considering you can use it to pay off loans. I do plenty of interviews for my company and seeing someone who got by with average grades and no internships is a bit of a red flag. If they have good personal projects, we'd still hire, but it is a competitive process and we pick the applicants who we think are the best fit. Not having any experience when you graduate puts you at a disadvantage.
@@askmiller yeah but at some point there’s only a limited supply to satisfy the demand for internships. Some people are bound to not have internships unless they work for free or relocate to a place which has its own costs to it and it might be a better financial decision to stay and work somewhere locally. Plus the industry in my opinion holds internships to such a ridiculously high standard that they fail to see other experiences that have the same or even more value than that. I worked all 4 years in college as a research assistant doing computational data analysis work in a particle physics experiment and when I was interviewed I was always asked “but do you have real experience in industry?” when applying to computer science roles. Plus I had my own side project. It’s kind of absurd
@@JuanSanchez-qt1ue with that experience, you shouldn't have issue finding a job (though maybe right now things are more tight). If you're looking for top end though, there are some impressive people who get those. Also with internships, big companies tend to pay for relocation. Ultimately though there are no guarantees with this. It is a competitive process and companies don't always need as many new hires as there are available applicants. It fluctuates year to year.
@@askmiller Kinda hard to find internships during COVID, not gonna lie (This is after receiving advice from multiple career services people from college and following it) There's been a total of 2 things locally to apply to when I live in an engineering city... makes me think I'm doing something wrong despite having already sought professional advice
@@ihaveseverefrootsnackism across the board, now is not an easy time to find employment due to covid, but that's a very temporary issue (hopefully). Not all engineering degrees have the same number of employment opportunities too. I recommend not limiting yourself to just your city. Most of the time you should be able to get relocation payment and help from the companies. Internships are only 12 weeks usually so you don't have to commit much to moving. Also you want to start looking like 6 months out to maximize your chances, and check with your school for internship databases or ask professors if any employers reached out to them. Some years it is just going to be easier to find internships than others, but we are still in a field that has more need than availability on average.
From my own experience, the challenge wasn't so much the challenging courses, overwhelming workload nor the frequent all nighters. It was all of that, plus seeing my fellow Engineering peers go out and have completely normal, healthy college social lifes because they were somehow all able to get their work finished the day it was assigned. At least, that's how it was in the early years. Eventually, I was able to get through school and get my Masters, but seeing that shit can really fuck with one's self-image.
This hits me hard! It took me 8 years to get my BSEE. I just wasn't a "natural" student. Things my classmates got so easily took me 3X's as long. They breezed through classes I struggled with. I needed tutors and study groups, although even in study groups I was always the one lagging behind. This stuff really wears on you. Doubting your own intelligence your whole college career can really make you have questions about yourself. The good news is once you graduate and get that first job and do well, your confidence will slowly come back to you.
I'm an engineer with two master degrees and 30 years worth of application experience, so you would think that the industry jumping over backwards to hire me. The fact is, they don't. And whenever i do manage to get hired, they treat a person like me who can get the job done, ahead of schedule, and way below cost like total garbage. It's not worth my time. I'm much happier now being a self-employed contractor.
This is the truth....young people will never understand engineering was once a noble profession but is no more because its been cheapened and outsourced....I worked in Silicon Valley but 2008 hit and now Im doing something else. I wouldn't mind going back to work in engineering but it is not a fairy tale.
I agree. They won't hire you because they are afraid you'll take their job. They treat you that way to keep you in your place. They love hiring you as a contractor because that takes you out of the competition. Anyone who is smart and gifted these days has to work for themselves if they want to maximize their abilities. You can't do that today within the framework of a corporation. The only ones that do are losers.
They certainly want to maximize profits @@scottsimmons9296 , but they do that by hiring cheap, not by hiring the best. I wish your assertion was true...but after over 25 years in this business, and performing peer reviewed research on the topic, the data says otherwise. Of course, such things are not official corporate policy, but they are very much in practice with hiring managers. There are many strategies corporations employ to "pick up the slack" so to speak...such as matrix management, high segmentation, etc. too lengthy to go into here. Perhaps it will change someday.
Comparing ivy league students to community college lol. My guess is communi5u college may have more personal issues They have to deal with like a job or family problems while ivy just spend 10+ hours a day studying
...and that's why we have poor and rich people. You can't compare someone studying 10+ hours a day to someone who decided school wasn't for them or just doing the bare to get a C or B. Someone putting in the work getting straight A's and working on soft's (clubs, community service, research, sports, etc) is going to have a better career/job offers. It may not be the life you want to choose in your early teens to early adult hood which is fine cause we have that right but just don't complain about the wage gap or the gender gap or the raise of the cost of college.
Sounds like a non-stem major. Which is fine for them just know not all majors are created equal a lot have pros and cons and it depends on the school/market
not to mention those classes that should be credited more/ divided into multiple courses but counted as one small course. also, those "secret" courses that are for us to find ourselves (lucky for you guys now there are public courses like MIT missing semester)
I sucked at math in elementary school and middle school. In high school I decided to do better. One part of me was saying “I suck because it’s I mental ability” and one part was saying “ Maybe it’s my attitude”. I went with the latter and it was difficult journey but absolutely worth it. I got 5/5 AP calculus and 4/5 AP chemistry. Now, whenever I face a challenge I realize that I shouldn’t blame my mental ability right away but look at my attitude. This is applicable for everyone not just me
Companies are not desperate for entry level engineers because I'm entry level and I know a lot of other entry level engineers and we are having a hard time getting a decent job. It boils down to who you know and if you were lucky enough to land a good internship. The college system is the most inefficient way to learn. It is so true that when you learn something in class you need to be able to physically apply it to a real world situation to really understand it and stay interested. That is very lacking in a lot of schools. You learn the most working on projects and joining clubs but when you are struggling just to pass your classes, it doesn't leave enough time for the things that will really give you solid job skills. Also what I see going on is that companies don't want to train fresh grads and college does not teach you what you need to know. I see "entry" level jobs that what you to have 3+ years experience and already have a lot of job skills that I didn't learn in college. I'm sorry but entry level means you have at most one year of experience and you have general knowledge but are no expert in any one thing.
Yes, college, and just school in general, is terrible for learning. But I have to disagree about projects. Projects are useless wastes of resources and time. Being familiar with the specific problems involved in whatever task you will do in your job is valuable. Having to spend time doing projects in discrete steps set up by an instructor and doing a fake brainstorm when you already know what you want to do and having to document what you did and share it and having to rely on other useless students is just a waste of life. It is not conducive to learning.
@RU-vid Username Something that unfortunately isn't taught in the curriculum because most humans have this biased assumption that social skills or networking can always be naturally picked up or self developed while textbook knowledge requires pedagogy, even though there are plenty of examples that prove the contrary.
I took electrical engineering, they weeded me out using the full marks or nothing method, they give u a zero for a 10 point programming question. They be like "in the real world, that digital code aint gonna work even if one word of the code is wrong", althought in the real world u get to fix it before it gets used.whatever bunch made this rule really upset my life, had to drop out after failing the same courses over and over, switch to a completely different major, waste 3 yrs, i hope whenever they die, it will be a engineering related death,prefably electrocution.
I graduated in 2015 with a Masters in CS. I was really good at programming, but hated the job as a software engineer. Wasted my degree and 3.8 GPA and now I am a marketing manager. I kind of enjoyed school, though.
No. It's just coincidence. Try different approaches to your learning, look up material in the internet, ask professors, classmates etc., till you succeed. Don't give up!
Getting through an engineering program is tough. It requires a fair bit of intelligence and a whole lot of grit. (And a whole lot of studying on weekends instead of partying, sadly). I decided not to continue with engineering after graduating. Was it still worth it in retrospect? Yeah, absolutely. I went to a great medical school (now in residency) with my engineering degree and I couldn't be happier. It created a very strong foundation upon which to study, research, and ultimately practice medicine. I didn't expect to go to medical school when I decided to major in engineering as a freshman. But it's hard to predict these things at 18. Work hard, stick with something, and the doors will open. Best of luck to anyone in an engineering program! Hang in there!!
@@typhlosionisbest What do you mean? How is the fact that high school is easy related to the fact that universities ought to be selective? You can use standardised tests for selection.
@@iamcleaver6854 It's related because part of their selection involves GPA. I didn't think about standardized tests, though; needing better scores there in order to enter the more difficult majors isn't a terrible idea at all, but it also doesn't help someone determine how well they'd do in those programs. The material may be easier to understand for higher scorers, but they still wouldn't be prepared for the amount of work they'd have to do.
Hi, a german engineer here. I find it good, that not everyone is graduating in engineering. Yep, maths in school will never prepare you for maths in university (especially STEM), but the main point for me is, that you have to have a passion for it. That will get you through all the boring-ass stuff, through the hardships and eventually get you your the degree. There probably never was an innovative engineer, who did it for the money.
Man, If you ever end up working at Mercedes, please, try to make them change the CLS 63 AMG to the design from the 2014 model. The new ones looks terrible. Thank you.
Nice, wo genau hast du studiert? Ich habe eine technische Berufsausbildung und überlege den Techniker zu machen. Irgendwelche Erfahrungen oder Meinungen dazu?
You don't get the "high-school" life that's shown in the media. Engineering is sitting 8h a day in a small dark chamber doing math on a white paper for 2years After that the fun begins.
I am a computational maths major and I can 100% relate to you comment. STEM courses turn you into a sage who rarely goes out and spends all day studying - with breaks in between of course. The point is there are majors where you have the opportunity to BS through, while with others no such opportunity exist. Sacrifices will be made.
@@19mitch54 Yeah, after having to take a lot of those classes for my major (I'm in third year), I've consistently found the mechanical engineering classes to be my least favorite
If you want better teachers you have to be willing to pay more. How else are you going to get the highly capable members of society to be willing to teach when it pays a fraction to what they could earn in another field? You can't expect everyone to be willing to make that pay cut out of generosity.
well thats what happens when you have an agenda to push women and minorities into STEM. high dropouts because they are simply not biologically suited to those things. why throw good money after bad?. focus on Asians, Ashkenazi Jews, and White Males into STEM fields and you will have a greater return on investment.
nunya baznus Mann fuck off. Stop blaming black folks when noone is stopping you niggas from becoming engineers. BTW many black folks did a lot of engineering and inventions back in past so GTHFO.
I don't know if this is something to expect in engineering programs from the beginning, but at my school the engineering professors *DIDN'T* teach you the material. They made you buy the book, study out of it on and learn the material yourself, and the actual engineering classes were just two-hour practice sessions. I was able to hang on at first, but the further I got in, the harder it was to keep up, especially when you still have to work on 4 other class to care of AND go to work just to pay to be there, and eventually I just couldn't take it anymore. To illustrate how I died, "die trying" was defiantly a bad idea.....like really bad. I should have dropped out of it when I was still "ok"..... I'm in Information Systems right now, which is like computer science but for business, and I'm doing much better in it right now, but I still hope to go back for my electrical engineering degree some day 😕
I had the same experience. These are bad college professors. They're focused on research but not teaching. They teach just to fulfill what they see as an annoying obligation to their academic overlords. Another issue is a lot of professors cannot speak English properly. They rely on power points and regurgitating formulas. On the other hand, sometimes you get the gems. These guys not only care, but their English is usually native or close enough so that when they explain things, they use analogies and figures of speech in ways that are intuitive and explain the motivation behind things. In my opinion, understanding the motivation behind why you're learning a formula is vital. These are the guys you want to learn from.
The amount of time spent on homework as an engineering student is ridiculous. Also, if your college doesn't have enough tutors to help you better understand the material, you have no chance. BTW, I was a straight A student in high school and took AP Calculus and I STILL barely earned a D in engineering physics. The system is messed up.
I always loved science like the video says, but learning and swallowing information like a robot is more challenging than doing the actual work, I wish I had the mental capacity to major in physics but since AP calculus, where I needed my father to help me learn differential equations for 3 hours and to then get it was relieving but having that problem with every single one, I'd burnout and dropout. I'm definitely not a lazy person but there are somethings that I cannot do, and like my brother says, Neil Degrasse Tyson might make it sound easy, but it is not, and not everyone can do it.
It really isn't about the money but more about the passion for the field. Too many people get into engineering with the intention of making a lot of money but then run away when calculus get's crazy on them.
i study chemical engineering, i would say i was mostly in for the money when i started but now in my last year when all the pieces come toghether i am starting to really enjoy it.
and apart from "higher mathematics 3" which was hard as fuck, and even though 90% of the courses involve math, it isnt really that hard. its mostly basic things like differentials, integrals and solving really basic diff equations
Just Curious That's the spirit! I dropped out of school twice for low GPA, but fought back, graduated in Mechanical Engineering at age 32. Eventually, I married a very hot blonde 🔥👰🏼. I retired three years ago at 58 and live in a big house with an in-ground pool, three-car garage and have a private plane! And I owe it all to Advanced Calculus.
For me the hardest part were the weed out classes that had nothing to do with engineering program. I had piss poor teachers for calc and physics. My suggestion is community college during the summer or maybe a semester or two to knock them out.
I took half of my classes at community college. As a result, I am halfway done with my engineering degree with no debt and I was guaranteed admission to ASU's engineering school as long as I maintained a GPA above 3.0. More people should do this
100% true, had a really crappy first year programming class we were forced to take. It killed my interest in programming for 2 years and I barely passed the class, having had no prior coding experience. They gave us really insane math problems to put into code which were from second year classes we hadn't even had yet. Worse, they didn't even spend the single semester on one programming language but two- even the professor hated that fact. Good professor, crappy class setup by the university. Physics was worse, please don't ask about it LOL (the story is depressing)
@@sentientartificialintelligencePhysics are calc based. 1 is about mechanics and issac newton. 2. is electricity and magnetism. 3. is modern and quantum mechanic aka albert einstein physics 1905 year
Ah, the "weed out" classes. I took both Calculus and Organic Chemistry as part of my undergrad degree at a very prestigious, ivy league university. I barely passed them. The professors were literally horrible, the worst at explaining things that I've ever seen. Plus, they had very thick foreign accents, and I'm sure I missed a lot just because I couldn't develop an ear to comprehend everything they were saying. There was so much to learn in terms of sheer volume of material, and no time to really understand the subjects or the point of taking them; consequently, most of us tried to memorize the concepts as a sheer survival strategy. It didn't work too well for me, as evidenced by my GPA. Years later, I retook the same subjects through a less prestigious university that focused more on teaching than on world-class research. I got straight A's. This was the same material I'd struggled with at the other institution, not watered down at all. In all fairness, part of the difference might have been that I'd matured intellectually in the intervening years, but that can't wholly explain it. For instance, when re-taking Organic Chem at the second institution, the prof taught us that it was really all about centers of reactivity and pushing electrons around, as opposed to simply saying, "Here's 100 reactions; know them," and a light suddenly came on in my brain. The experience got me thinking, why waste time and money taking your undergrad at a school with snob appeal, when the teachers are lousy and the so-called "academic standards" are impossibly high? It might make sense if you're a wannabe snob yourself and envision a life in academia, but if you're looking for a job, it might actually be better to attend a less tradition-steeped, less stuffy school where you will actually learn something.
Too many people are allowed to get college degrees in general. College’s don’t effectively weed people out or train them harder, they only care about your tuition payments... life’s a bitch but still... to those who feel fear in their hearts, don’t give up. Never give up. You still breathe. Don’t give up hope.
When I was an Electrical Engineering major in college. My engineering class started at around 40 students my freshmen year. By the time we graduated there was only 6 of us left
@@henry0113 What's the T In CET? OK - I looked it up - the T is Technology. Why are you going for CET instead of CE? Of the majors above, CE is already considered the easiest to learn. Are you having difficulties in CE? As I understand it, if you want to become a real Professional Engineer, you should go for the CE over the CET.
@@henry0113 Which math classes are you having problems with? If the sequence of math classes isn't given properly or if the math instructors get too abstract, you could find it difficult. CS/programming skills are certainly useful, but in general, programming is much easier to learn on your own than mathematics (or engineering). If you go the CET route, you can always become a software engineer for CE applications like Finite Element Simulators (eg modeling water flow).
My daughter graduated in Electrical Engineering and is so glad she did. Now working at a utilities company. Changed from a physics major because of my explaining to her the practicality of an engineering degree. After graduating I then told her that she can obtain a Masters/PhD in physics if she wish and I would pay for that too. She waved her hands and said: “oh no, I’m done.”
I recently came across a comment from someone bashing EE in favor of physics. Seeing your comment is really encouraging as I am supposed to be starting EE in 2021
That was me too. I just graduated at 27 ( I am now 28) with a bachelor's degree. When my parents mentioned a master's I said "nope, I am done. I'll study certifications for my industry but that's it". I might try a master's in a few years but I am very busy with my job (I like the work though so it is a good type of busy). Plus university left a bad taste for me. While I have had PLENTY of really great professors, I had enough worse professors to not want to risk that again. I am happy with the education I got and it did help me a lot with my career (I studied computer science) I don't want to encounter that stress again. School was rough on my mind and my ego. Especially when I wasn't employed and worried about my chances in life and what I could do.
@kraftdinner I studied CS so I'm biased towards that answer. However I would recommend you try out a programming course (e.g. online) for a couple of weeks and see if you like it. If you do, then computer science will probably be the right career path for you. Computer science isn't just about programming however its the kind of job most people with a CS degree go for.
Lol, did they really think Engineering is as easy as becoming a McDonald employee its fucking Engineering for god's sake of course you have to spend 8 hours a day to study it, and get better at it imagine if the world was full of lazy, uneducated engineers, bridges would collapse, buildings would crumble, no electricity, no dams, no sewage system, basically, everything that makes the modern world modern will be gone and we will all be living in the stone ages again Its because of Engineers who studied daily, understood the concept, spent hours everyday to make sure they know their stuff, and actually loved Engineering we have a civilized world, where we have planes, trains, internet, computers, cars, skyscrapers, and anything else you can think of, A Doctor wouldn't be able to perform surgery if it weren't for high tech surgical equipments created by Engineers, you wouldn't be in a Air Conditioned rom if it weren't for an Engineer Television, and Film Industry would still be producing low resolution images if it weren't for Engineers who improved the quality of camera and vision capture Computers would not have existed if it weren't for engineers you would still be riding on a horse, and not a car, if it weren't for Engineers Appreciate and thank the Engineers who build our world the way it is today stop whining, and blame Engineering, its a great and beautiful field, and i am glad i am soon going to become an Engineer
ME Student, I find it easier to get through Engineering than working at McDonalds. The smarter you are, the more you come to the realization you are wasting your life flipping burgers.
Engineering is not for everybody. Students often switch degrees or realize the field of study isn't for them. Of course you have to give up a large chunk of your social life and fun and dedicate it to schooling. I have friends who are just plain lazy and don't wanna study hard but rather have fun/drink all weekend yet they want to earn a high income and always complain about their shitty low end jobs. Reality is, it takes time and dedication. After all, it's about your future. Friends don't pay your bills.
Strange how engineers are expected to take 2 years of humanities and cram 4 years of STEM into the remaining 2 years. Woke degrees spend 2 years doing humanities and 2 years doing fuck all while getting 100k in debt. Solution is to get rid of all humanities after high school
I went to Engineering School in the early 1970's and half my classmates at that time were foreign born. It's a tough curriculum and a lot of students don't want to work that hard. Instead they go into Business or the Fine Arts and then wonder why they can't land a good job. I spent 42 years in the Auto Industry, eventually working on Electric/Hybrid cars for one of the Big 3-and had a salary near $ 175,000.00 when I retired last year. I went 42 years and was never laid off, retiring with a great 401k account, pension, subsidized health care as a retiree and a feeling of great accomplishment. If you can handle the math, Engineering is a great field to get into. But you do have to be willing to work hard in school, there are no shortcuts.
(Canadian second year student perspective) I'm going in Industrial Engineering, but all my courses have been the core sciences and other Engineering courses I don't need. However, I realize (mostly through listening to older folks) that they are good background knowlage, but it's frustrating as all hell. I could go to a collage, in and out in a year or two, and learn to do something useful, like welding. I am resigned to a fate of Excel Spreadsheets, and report writing. That's just my job outlook. A lot of people, are going to feel unfufilled by that. One other thing I'd like to add that makes it easier for me compared to others. My university's engineering department consists of 10 professors, and no more than 100 students of your year. This allows you to work with other people, and because everyone knows everyone else, you're almost peer pressured into completing your degree! But if you drop out, you know you will be missed.
I just graduated with a bachelor in engineering (minor in math) from an ABET accredited program and passed my F.E. exam. It took a lot of work. I think people just don't want to put in the effort. At first I was slacking as a freshman but toward the end I was more focused. You have to sacrifice a lot to pass engineering classes. They're not like typical courses where you're coddled and automatically given a passing grade.
Dumb Fuq Of course. When I was more of a freshman though. I never really studied which was not good. I thought I was stupid or something. Made me very depressed. All you have to do it just study the material non-stop over and over again. Especially Calculus. Just keep doing problems all of the time.
Obviously the graduation rate for engineers is going to be higher at Columbia. With acceptance rates less than 10%, Columbia only takes the best and brightest. Obviously if one is accepted into Columbia, one is prepared for the intense curriculum of engineering. It's the same way with schools like MIT, Caltech, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, etc.
Paw Games Yeah the person narrating this video is an idiot. They're basing the attrition rate of engineering students on 1 thing....how many people make it to the end, but when you're such a selective school you'll get only the smart and hard working students. Simple fact is some people are lazy and/or not smart and thus aren't made for engineering.
The biggest problem in engineering courses is that they don't teach the relationship between what is written on the board and the real life. So much calculations,formulas,diagrams,but the professors never tells us their point.You have to figure it out yourself
As a person that just failed his first semester in college for a Computer Engineering degree, this is scary 😬. Hopefully you all can check back in 4 to 5 years and might see where I made it...
Stay strong man, I'm in the same predicament as you except I'm doing computer science and am going to be a sixth year graduate hopefully. Take time to take care of yourself and make sure not to dwell too much on the endgoal, rather enjoy the process if you can.
People don't realize the degree of effort it takes to get an engineering degree. I sure as hell didn't. I'm finishing my sophomore year in MAE, and I'm struggling. But I won't pussyfoot around it. It's my own fault for being lazy. If you put the time and effort into it, you'll do alright. But don't jump in thinking it'll be like high school. You'll be in for a very unpleasant surprise. I have no plans on quitting. No way. I just need to buckle down. If you want to be successful, just make sure to keep up with homework and get to know the professor outside of class. Get extra help from office hours or tutors.
I got an engineering degree many years ago. The hardest thing I have done in my life. I later got a law degree, which was tough, but not as hard as engineering. It took me more than 5 years to get my engineering degree.
My father and brother are engineers. My dad told me when I was a kid 1st year classes had a couple hundred students. One of his final classes had TWELVE students. It's hard and requires resolve. Not everyone is cut out for it tbh.
The problem is that our Math skills are pathetic when we get to college in the U.S. The foreign students, especially Asian, have a huge advantage over us because their Math skills are so far ahead. Math is basically the *language* of Engineering, so the American students are trying to learn twice as much at once. And yes, there are like *TWICE* as many Class and Lab hours as any regular Major. I did notice that the Math _would_ have been *easily* teachable to us (it's really just step by step- you build on each concept after you master the previous one) in Middle School and High School so that we would be ready, but many schools just fall so far behind in the Math and Science arena. Lol- there were motorized chalkboards 20 feet high in my college Engineering classes and one problem could take up the whole board.
I'm currently studying Mechanical Engineering (ME) at Colorado State University. This video is very misleading. There isn't an abundance of jobs in any field anymore. We have over 7.3 billion people on this planet... (just think about it). However, engineering is extremely hard. My life revolves around school, and the material I must consume, and project. Don't do engineering if you don't love math, and physics. These courses are the foundation of all engineering degrees. You must eat, sleep, and breathe the information in order to pass. In laymen's terms; If, you're not studying, you're probably wrong. Sincerely, MalignMan-Mechanical Engineer
Well put, there are so many students enrolled for engineering, that the job is no longer going to be as high in demand as everyone makes it out to be. Strange how you go to CSU, I'm transferring there next year. Most of my friends from highschool are enrolled there.
Wow that's interesting and ironic I will be transferring to CSU next fall. I noticed at the Engineering Career Fair many students were telling me there were no job offers at all. I hope things will turn around.
What nonsense. There is not 7.3 billion people living the American economy. All those jobs that have disappeared have gone to China, Taiwan and else where.
At some point, it needs to be realized that taking every imaginable type of math course does absolutely jack-shit to prepare one for the software industry.
I'm an engineering graduate with a first class degree. I flied through the exams because I found the theory simple to grasp. However the practicals proved very challenging. I spent many sleepless nights problem solving and feeling the pressure of meeting deadlines. It's really not worth the stress especially when your efforts are not appreciated by nontechnical managers.
There are the people that want to be engineers and those that are. I graduated with a 2.5 and have never made less than 130K a year. That should be motivation enough.
Josh Ritter EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCE > GPA. I’m finishing up my mechanical engineering degree. I killed first year, sat at like at 3.9/4 gpa, then second year came and I became a stoner, fucked around for a year, doing part time, failing some course and differing for 6 months. Came back last year strong while still being a stoner but I had my shit together although my GPA was trash from the damage I did earlier and was averaging at like 2.3. Right now I’ve brought it back to 2.9 and hopefully when I graduate it’ll be like 3.2 or something like that. But regardless I’ve scored 2 internships and when I graduate I’ll be guaranteed a job. The company which hired me is Amazon and they told me that the last 5 engineers who had amazing marks couldn’t communicate for shit. They way you hold yourself and they way you apply your actions with experience is more important than any gpa. That’s some motivation for ya. From smart to stoner to stoner smart to smart again. Now I only smoke on breaks and when I have time and I’ve been killing uni again.
I have a degree in electrical engineering; graduated in 1996. I can tell you that it is a VERY difficult program. Even among engineering majors, it is the most challenging. When I started in electrical engineering, the class had 65 students in it. At graduation, there were only 11 of those original people in the program who made it to the end. Many ended up switching majors (usually going to math or computer science). With that being said, I can also say that it has been very lucrative from a financial perspective. I make a very good six figure salary, which considering I only have a bachelors degree (along with some certifications), that is impressive. There isn't much one can do about the difficulty level of engineering. It is tough scholastically and not everyone can cut it. But one thing that can be done is having better subsidies for people that choose to go into engineering. Not only are we in the most difficult university level program, but we often pay the highest tuition costs. Add to that all the books and lab equipment, and it adds up.
I think mechanical is harder, we have to do some civil, some EE, some programming, and all the ME stuff too. Got the degree, not working in it now tho :(
There needs to be exposure to the sciences at an early age. I’m a medical laboratory scientist and now work at a cancer research laboratory. Anything is possible!
@Rosa Perez Interesting. I was majoring in electrical engineering before I switched to Med Lab Sci back in the 1980's. Great career choice and I'm about to retire.
Companies are on the hunt for engineers? Heck I graduated with a 3.95 GPA in Mech E, Magna Cum Laude, with plenty of involvement in engineering honor societies, sent out over 200 applications in the last two years and have only had 3 or 4 interviews for which I've been rejected in. I learned how to use their CAD programs, programming, and was highly interested in everything I was learning and eager to apply to the real world. Who exactly are these companies hiring? I already gave up with engineering as a profession and looking on to other things.
You are absolutely right, the field is over saturated.. I know a lot of engineering grads that can't find jobs, bachelors, masters etc. Companies are very picky now due to high applicants. It doesn't matter what type of engineering; mechanical, electrical, civil, biomedical etc.. they are not so much in demand as before. companies want ridiculous experience level for an entry level position with 30 to 45K a year salary!!! shit i could hustle my way as a Uber/UPS driver, web developer and still make twice as much.
You can only get jobs in the middle of nowhere. Anywhere that has industry and big name colleges is going to be super competitive. While majoring in mechanical engineering in northern ca I had 3.85 GPA and applied to an absurd amount of internships all over this half of the state (including the fabled silicon valley) and got nowhere, for two years. I ended up quitting 3.5 years into it (on a 5 year track) because of chronic health issues, but many of my friends who did graduate still don't have jobs now almost a year later. All of us were people who let our lives be absolutely consumed by this major; we gave everything we could for it - money, quality social interaction, worldly experience, and most importantly our health and our spirits. Meanwhile an old friend from my freshman year turned into a total party girl stoner and, majoring in biotech, she landed a full time job at genentech right after graduating. Oh she's complaining on fb because she has to live with her parents for a few months. The rest of us are stuck back at home indefinitely, and have forfeited a huge piece of our young adult lives for what?
As a Mechanical Engineer myself, I can tell you all this talk about engineers making a lot of money and there being a shortage of engineers is a bunch of nonsense. Engineers don't make a lot of money and there is no shortage.
I dont know where I'm goin. My Dad died, and he left me his degrees. My mom would always say "Dad, why dont you work?", But he just kept learning. All the other kids parents were working and saving up money for school, And I was actaully in school all when my dad was in school. He was so gready with degrees, he took my degree. And now I'm just glad he left me these. Because all the regular homeless people have newspaper, and look what I have. These are documented. My father left them for me. And Im going to leave them to my kids. I'm going to learn too. I'm going to get super smart, so I to can die without money. But I'll be the smartest dead guy. Who has that.
The issue is the not the material’s difficultly, it’s the speed and work load required. Most of these student are working jobs outside of school and are full time students. Students are given 24 hrs to understand material from a course and turn in their homework assignments in time. So, fall short once, and you will follow behind for the rest of course. My advice, familiarize yourself with the material BEFORE taking the course. No Social life! No entertainment! No social media!
You're right. Everyone can't be optimistic and have a beautiful outlook on people. Take you for example...statistically you're a joke (and not the funny kind)
They're designed this way for a reason, it is to weed out all of the bad apples before graduation. You only want the best and most passionate to go on developing aircraft, nuclear reactors or medical devices.
What that guy that dropped out of student said was totally spot on. I took precal, calc, physics, chem in highschool and finished top of the class in two of them, but I didn't know half of the shit the professors in my first year courses expected me to know (and neither did most of the class) and instead of teaching you that shit they say look it up online because they have to finish this entire goddamn 1000+ page textbook by the end of the semester. Either professors got to chill or highschools have to actually teach you this shit.
I'm in a similar boat. I'm still playing catch-up from poor math and science education in highschool. I've been start stopping my degree... But I am still determined to get my CS
Guess what. In the real world, there's not going to be someone there holding your hand teaching you everything you need to know. You have to teach yourself everything, so you better get used to it now. Learning how to learn is the most valuable skill you'll get out of an engineering degree. I didn't take any of those classes in high school, and I did just fine in college. Especially in the age of the internet, you can literally teach yourself anything.
@@sentientartificialintelligence good luck man. You'll make it as long as you're willing to put in the work. I failed algebra on high school, and I ended up graduating with a bachelor's in electrical engineering with a 3.1 GPA.
I've been an engineer now for almost 30 years, and during that entire period, the same bullshit about "engineering shortages" has been propagated, except during brief periods during recessions. If you are whining about shortages, you are really whining that you don't want to pay more. The reason people don't enter the field, or drop out, is because you make more money in finance, and it can be just as challenging. If I weren't a top tier engineer making more than most techies in finance, I'd change fields.
You can't survive engineering degree and have a social life. most of these kids straight out of high school want to pass all their courses, while playing video games, parting on the weekends, or working full time. if you are for that, go into Liberal Arts, But engineering requires hours studying non-stop and doing homework, the library will basically be your 2nd home. I survived it, because I transferred from community college, where I learned some valuable lessons and completed my 2 yr pre-engineering there, so I already knew what to expect when I got there.
+Defense General I never went to a single party in college, but just trying to maintain a healthy diet, get a full nights sleep every night, have a girlfriend, and follow a strict exercise program led to me getting so short on time and subsequently depressed that I dropped out with a crappy GPA to boot. Now I'm getting ready to return, having dropped everything else from my life completely. Perhaps others have an easier time getting an engineering degree, but for me this is what I have to sacrifice.
I am not saying you are wrong sir, and I am not disrespecting your experience. However I am going into my 3rd year as a mechanical engineering student at an ABET accredited school and I am also enrolled in the 4+1 masters program for Biomedical engineering. I play collegiate D3 soccer, drink most weekends and have plenty of time as well and have a 3.4 gpa. I'm not saying I am a super genius but I get annoyed when people say you can't do engineering and have a social life because people then FEAR engineering. I am an averagely intelligent young man, and I do not kill myself studying, its all about using your time productively. 20 hours of distracted, anxious and exhausted studying equals about 4 hours of productive, focused studying. Do what makes you happy so you don't hate engineering and studying.
A couple of points from a 35 year veteran engineer who is also PE: You can always find a job as a manufacturing engineer. It s the most hands on, tough, stressful, and not as many want to do it. Ironically, you will learn more doing that than in anything else and it will help you become excellent at design later. Another thing is you are nuts if you think you should wait til you get out with your degree to get experience. If the school has a co-op or internship program you MUST get into that. It's real experience and you can rack up a year or two of experience by the time you graduate. Sure, it will take you longer to get your degree. SO WHAT?! Another point: If you are looking for a 'job', then don't go into engineering. This is a PROFESSION, like medicine or law. If you go the PE route you have to take your two board exams and internship for five years after graduating. Worth it? Damn right. A new EIT can expect to make serious money in a firm and a PE like myself....takes home more money than an MD in private practice. Without a lot of the hassle doctors have to put up with.
Everyone else is saying it, but pro tip: Take a 5th year and take courses over the summer to reduce your courseload. Eng is hard as fuck, no point in making it even harder.
Fr you'll become a much better engineer actually having the time to digest the information you're receiving. Learning things quickly to pass an exam is a terrible way to learn. IMO Engineering should be a 6 year program with mandatory Co-op.
I went to UC Irvine, school of engineering. The "counselors" and faculty treated me like shit, even going as far as to tell me that I didn't belong there. I did the honorable thing and just worked hard and ignored them. I graduated with a respectable GPA. Don't send your kids to UC Irvine.
If u like Engineering DO IT, and if u don't like it then don't talk shit about it. Without engineering you wouldn't be using RU-vid, the laptop that gave u to access it, and the electric that powered the laptop.
+Mohamed Ali Exactly- I was in the Math dept. first year and I am going to be switching out now but I'm not going to go ahead and talk shit about the math dept. That's on me for not having the passion to stick to it.
RU-vid was designed using programming, not engineering. software "engineering" and electricity are 2 completely different unrelated fields. It would have been more profound had you actually understood engineering before you started praising it with references you don't get
eksine I know more about software engineering than u will ever learn, so calm ur ass down. What I mean by without engineering is that most curriculums in Computer Science departments are in the School of Engineering. Therefore, you have to take engineering classes as a requirement to get into the major. So stfu and learn something.
Mohamed you are so triggered right now. I was perfectly calm it's just you who is completely on edge. How do you know how much I know about programming, you don't have a clue who I am. so no you STFU and calm down princess
eksine my bad. Don't get me wrong. But, if u know that much about programming u would've known that engineering was part of designing RU-vid. The algorithms and data structures behind it is pure engineering. Furthermore, when u say Software Engineering, that word "Engineering" is clearly what is stands for. I'm CS graduate.
@@trinityrobinson2123 to be a licensed professional engineer, you need to work for 4 years under another professional engineer and successfully pass some exams. That's possibly what they're referring to Another possibility is that they mean that the knowledge you gain in college wont prepare you for real engineering work in industry. Some people joke that, if you managed to complete a 4 year bachelor's degree in engineering, you've only proven that you're capable of one day being an engineer, not that you're ready to do real engineering work.
I'm a mechanical engineer, which, in my opinion, is not as tough as electrical or software (though difficulty depends on people's individual strengths). Being an engineer is very rewarding and well worth the effort. However, contrary to the report, companies are not handing out jobs like they're going out of style. I live in Southern California, so there is already a huge pool of applicants and everyone and their mothers from around the US want to move here. Maybe engineering jobs are more easily attained in other parts of the country.
actually in my state, companies will come to the career fair looking for those students with 3.0 GPA or higher and that have done some internships with big engineering companies,they have abundant pool to choose from that they cut their recruiting to those above 3.0 or sometimes 3.3 and if you don't meet those requirements or standards they don't give you a chance and will tell you to apply online. its stupid and the school won't tell you that you won't get a job if you don't do internship or your GPA goes below 3.0.
A lot of jobs have gone overseas. Manufacturing consumer goods has definitely gone to China. I guess my field, aerospace and defense engineering, is still here for obvious reasons.
For now. Aerospace is now a huge sector of our economy but the Chinese, Indians, and other former "3rd World Countries" or working fast to build competing industries there also. It's scary to think we could lose that too. Aerospace and software/computers are our last big manufacturing exports left.
gacaptain, I doubt that most aerospace engineering jobs will leave. Most aerospace engineers make military parts (like helicopter rotors and engines) which is contracted to the federal government under specific designs. The government will absolutely not buy parts from overseas, for numerous reasons.
Graduated in 2011 BE(Hons) Chem. Eng. Companies complain about a shortage of engineers, but refuse to take on new grads b/c lack of experience. It's HARD to get a decent job unless you're top of your class. Honestly, if I had my time again, I would've quit school at 15 and invested every penny. My 2c as a mid tier engineer...
And students refuse to do what it takes to get experience and to get jobs. The vast majority of people complaining here aren't moving across the country, aren't willing to take unpaid internships, and think a high GPA and some bullshit honors society is going to look good for potential employers living in Cape fucking Cod. People with masters degrees in engineering who have zero experience...like no wonder. How these idiots even get degrees is astonishing to me considering their complete lack of awareness that "hey I may need to move, or I may need to get experience any way I can get it".
@@jeffharbaugh8683 is that so? my school prided itself in the very same number! 33% about were expected to graduate. there was no mercy - not from admin side nor from professor's side. no wonder the good professors stayed away from the CCNY (school in this video) and went elsewhere like Columbia. yet as a bonus, it was required we TOOK AND PASSED the FE exam to graduate. which we did (point of no return during last semesters). wondering if now they upped the ante and required the PE exam to be passed to graduate! nothing would surprise me at this point.
i been studying business for almost 4 yrs now and this impact is also taking a toll for business seeker, or nurse major i'm thinking of taking a semester or yr off to evaluate myself. I suggest engineers or any major who been in school for 3-4 yrs to take a semester break to evaluate them self the amount of studies you have to do for this era is no joke
Everything is hard. Every career is tough. Choose one and go for it, act like its your only option for freedom. When you shall do that, the light will glimmer at you.
One of the problems is the workload. If you want to complete an undergraduate program of 3 year you need to work at least 50 hours (not including travel, study breaks etc.). Because of this a lot of people just study for the exams, but they don't understand the concept.
Shawn Davis When you combine remote access, video conferencing, 3d modeling, and 3d printing you can outsource almost anyone. Programmers and network infrastructure people are very vulnerable. Years of experience is nothing more than a database. Any idiot can follow a flow chart.
Shawn Davis If you were to lump all engineering degrees into one variable than do a break even cost analysis assuming time * effort = money. The outcome would not be favorable compared to 10 or 15 years ago when adjusted for inflation.
I graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering (3.75 GPA) from a decent state school. I mostly attribute my success to being able to learn the material on my own, through textbooks, online resources, etc. Self-learning is so important in engineering because you will find that most professors either don't speak the English language very well or don't care about teaching. Yet, you are still responsible for knowing the material. Still, I can't say that I blame the professors for making engineering hard. They make their courses hard so that we can enjoy high starting salaries after graduation. If engineering were easy, everyone would do it and majoring in engineering would be no different from majoring in English, business, or psychology.
The truth of the matter is that engineering learning should be treated like a trade skill where you start as a technician and schools provide that experience. Nowadays they pack in more curriculum than they had in the past, but younger folks don't have the practical experience that older generations had. People tinker with electronics and tools less to understand how they truly work, and there's less learning for the job (entry level requiring experience).
I graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. It's hard work and really tough classes. I saw a lot of people drop out in my time but if, I'm going to be honest I wasnt surprised. Most of them just didn't dedicate their time or didn't want to dedicate their time to studying 8 hours a day plus going to classes and labs and working. It's really hard and it should be hard. Not everyone is going to make it through.
