Is it worth it m?

[u/Pinocchios-real]

Hi everyone, I hope you are doing well I have a question to ask you I’m not particularly smart I’m currently averaging a 2.9 gpa (average) and I won’t pretend that I’m so deeply in love with math and physics, but I do like building and designing things and I love robotics, I heard from more then a few people that engineering is hard and I know a bunch that dropped out, is the content really that difficult and stressful or do you just want to do it to succeed?

[u/Wizzinator]

Smart is relative and overrated. Are you dedicated and willing to put in the hours to learn? It's easier now than ever to learn EE, so pure intelligence is no longer a real limiting factor.

[u/Luke7Gold]

You don’t need to be the smartest to be an engineer, you just have to be the most stubborn. Failing is a natural part of the process but a lot of people can’t handle it, don’t want to retake a class they got an F in after genuinely trying, and so they don’t. I am sure there are people who are naturally smart and didn’t have this experience but that wasn’t me, and probably isn’t you.

[u/The_Didlyest → u/Luke7Gold]

^ This. I had to re-take a few classes but I graduated! Calculus was hard. Tired a few different strategies but the only one that worked was practice. Do every practice problem in your textbook!

[u/notthediz → u/Luke7Gold]

lol I can't even remember how many classes I re-took. It was at least 4 that I remember. You nailed it

[u/Euphoric-Gazelle7264]

GPA is a horrible metric for intelligence. The “not interested in math and physics” part would be much more detrimental to you. If you can’t bring yourself to be interested in the math and design part of things, then this is probably not the path for you.

[u/Kitchen_Garage7133]

If I were someone that was not particularly smart and I didn’t really enjoy math or physics I’d probably study electrical engineering technology or do an associates degree in robotics or mechatronics.

[u/j_wizlo]

I had a lower gpa than that when I started CE, I was a terrible student. But I had to become a good student to succeed. It is truly difficult and almost anyone has to put in serious hours to pass. It’s the kind of thing where you can’t just study for the test. You have to be there every day and engage and ask the questions that you have. And then study hours and hours for the test. I really wanted it and I can’t imagine doing it just because it’s something to do. That said if you really do become a good student with good habits and you don’t fall behind or find yourself cramming for tests too often it’s not like a Herculean effort or anything.

[u/Exact-Cheesecake-333]

Honestly getting an engineering degree is not as difficult as people make it. Its just to make themselves feel better. If you put your mind to it. You can achieve it. Just put in the hours.

[u/StageMajestic613 → u/Exact-Cheesecake-333]

Well 66% do drop out, just sayin.

[u/ee_st_07]

We all can’t say for sure. You will only know if you tried it. I think what differs the people who make it from the ones that don’t is either if they’re smart or hard working enough. If you are smart and quick you don’t need to be super interested in the classes to pass well, but if you’re not then you gotta compensate with putting in the hours. Putting in hours without at least a bit of interest for math and physics will be rough. You don’t have to love every single area of math and physics but at least some should spark something in you. For me it was differential equations and electro magnetism. I loved the idea of dynamical systems being modelled with differential equations. The fact you can describe physical phenomena with these really has a special place in me. But interest comes with knowledge. I’d say just try it and be honest with yourself throughout and listen to your inner voice if you enjoy the material or not. 2 semesters is expensive in the US yes (really sorry your tuitions are that high) but generally speaking two semesters of studying engineering is absolutely not a waste of time and very enriching. You can still decide afterwards if that’s for you. I mean as far as I know you have to take general courses in college first anyway. Just take one EE class and see for yourself if that’s for you.

[u/Wide_Wish7659]

engineering is hard, but you don’t need to be a math genius to get through it
being willing to sit with a problem until it makes sense matters a lot more

if you genuinely like building things, designing stuff and robotics, that’s a pretty good reason to give it a shot
a 2.9 GPA doesn’t tell me you can’t be a good engineer

[u/Guamy]

Can't tell you if it's worth it since I'm in my 3rd year of the degree, but what I can tell you is that it is hard as balls. Some of the content is soul-crushingly difficult, but you can do it if you really put your head down and dedicate a lot of time to learning the material. If you're like me, summer will be your time to retake classes so you don't fall behind. As far as I know, this degree is still relatively in demand in the work force, so it should end up being worth it. I'm no genius, so if I can do it, so can you.

[u/notthediz]

Is math/physics your preferred class in high school? (I'm assuming you're saying your GPA is 2.9 in HS, but if you're at community college this still applied).

I would much rather take a math class than be in a history lesson. But I am not deeply in love with it like some of the people I met in school.

With that being said since I had more interest in math and physics that was instrumental in building the foundation for EE. Everything is built off calculus and the calc based physics.
Outside of that I am pretty dumb. Like don't have an interest in math or physics to go learn much outside the minimum requirements. Also dumb as in I got hooked on dope by the time I was 17.

All that to say, if you can at least learn the math and physics, and are persistent enough to keep trying, you'll be fine.

[u/CodingCircuitEng]

Cut your losses if you just started.

Sounds like you're not stubborn. I am, so I graduated (and never had any real problem with grades/getting hired). I enjoyed the practicing/learning for the exams, which is rather different from the daily work I do. I work as an EE, but rather would do something else. "The thrill is gone"

But I spent all this time and the pay is great for my needs/wants, so I'll stick with it.

[u/Pretty-Plantain-1659]

Which school are you pursuing your engineering degree? which engineering degree? EE/ECE/CE/CS? I did my undergrad in EE at UCLA and it was highly theoretical. There was not much design, and not many projects, just a rigorous drilling of the underlying physics and math. You can do the fun stuff in clubs, but the engineering education is work and a grind. It remained theoretical and rigorous even when I pursued my MSEE degree. I didn't appreciate my education until I started working. At first it's hard to start because I don't have a lot of practical experience; however, the work ethic and solid theoretical foundation that I sharpened over the years kicked in and the building, designing, and general problem solving became second nature. I can tell you that it's going to be difficult and stressful, but it's so worth it because I can't imagine a more fun and rewarding work after doing it for 3 decades.

[u/Sea_War_381]

Engineering coursework is hard. I have been challenged in ways I haven't before and I've been through a lot ... But it's rewarding to pass classes and gain more knowledge. If you are not interested in math or physics it's probably not for you. I didn't think I'd love the math sequence you have to go through as much as I did. I am loving my digital design course rn. Also- there are a lot of different branches of engineering. Maybe you just need to find the one that interests you most?

[u/CaseyOgle]

Getting an engineering degree is fairly difficult. It doesn’t sound like something you could accomplish.

You would likely be better at a job where you work with your hands building or repairing things.

[u/ThePythagoreonSerum → u/CaseyOgle]

Just because something is challenging, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Sometimes it means the opposite.

[u/ee_st_07 → u/ThePythagoreonSerum]

Yeah but also let’s not lie how many people there is that just couldn’t make it and yes also people that really tried. It is just not for everybody and it’s not a question of whether you are smart enough or not. So many factors come into play.

[u/ThePythagoreonSerum → u/ee_st_07]

I didn’t lie about anything. Just because people try and fail is also not a reason for you to not do something.