Am I cut out to be an engineer? Am I smart enough? Is it a good use of my time?
What’s Your Motive?
I’ll do my best to answer those questions, but the main question you should be asking yourself is “What’s my motivation?” Because this is what’s going to get started, it’s what’s going to get you to keep pushing through the difficult times, and it’s what’s going to allow you to succeed.
If money is your motivation, perhaps engineering isn’t the best approach. If you’re planning on getting a job as an engineer and you have a dream of owning a big house, a fancy car, or a fast boat, you will attain it, over a very long time, and you’ll probably only get to choose one of the above. If you want to become rich, you have to start your own business, and be successful at it. Engineering is a good starting point and a lot of the skills you will gain can transfer to entrepreneurship. Just be sure that you’re not in it for the money; it really isn’t worth it.
Are You Cut Out to be an Engineer?
That’s a question nobody can answer for you. I didn’t mean it in a rhetorical way; I mean that if someone, including yourself, is telling you that you’re not smart enough, don’t listen to them! It isn’t true! You may not have great reading, math, or problem solving skills today; you may lack education or having impostor syndrome, but none of these are real problems… If you’re motivated, and you find the right courses, teachers or programs you will learn what you need to in order to get started, all you need is patience and dedication. The biggest hurdle is always getting started and taking you’re first step.
Is it a Waste of Time?
I can tell you without any hesitation that no matter how much time you’ve spent in school and end up quitting, you haven’t wasted your time. Any job or career you choose afterwards will benefit from what you’ve learned up to the point that you’ve stopped. Many people quit engineer school, most because the lack motivation to continue, but they still go on to accomplish great things.
Go to School With a Vision
Getting an education in engineering requires a significant investment in time and money so research job prospects first. Try to find your dream job, and educate yourself for it. It’s crucial that you have a clear end goal in mind, it doesn’t matter if it feels unattainable, every step you take towards it will make it feel like it’s getting that much closer.
Making Friends is Easy, and it’s Vital
Random people will approach you for no apparent reason, didn’t feel awkward about it, embrace it. Word will get around about how approachable and helpful you are and will want to work with you. If you help others expecting nothing in return, you’ll have exponentially more people offering you help when you get stuck with a problem. It will also help with your shyness.
Join Groups
There are plenty of opportunity for networking especially if you show leadership. When I started school, I was a very shy person but when a classmate of mine asked me to be 3rd year rep for CSME, I accepted and applied without hesitation. It turned out to be a very easy position, all I had to do was stand in front of the class before a lecture (as the professor for permission before hand of course) and present CSME objectives. The first two times were nerve racking as you can imagine, but it did help me get used to presenting, which became a vital skill for the degree project presentation and in my professional career. I had a total of three or four presentations for CSME to do, it took almost no preparation, and it made for a great feature to add to my resume! Don’t hesitate to take any opportunity to better yourself by getting involved. It’s not as difficult as it seems from the outside. If you’re afraid it will rob your studying time; think again, you’ll be surrounded by intelligent students studying in the same field, see it as free tutoring!
What Happens After Graduation?
Licensing, and job applications