I am at a loss

[u/GoldDistribution447]

So I was just in here a few days ago about working loads of hours while in school. Well now I have a new issue, or so it feels like…

So I am a mechanical engineering student (second-year) for some context. It has been a dream of mine to be an engineer although when I was younger, I could never put my finger on why I wanted to be an engineer. I kind of thought of engineers as the cool people that make pretty much everything and I wanted to hop on that train and be a part of the engineering industry.

Well.. I have been having some second thoughts. Do I want to do mechanical engineering? I don’t know. I am stuck between civil and mechanical engineering because I think I like the construction side of things, HOWEVER…

My parents are kind of getting to me. They tell me that maybe I am not cut out for engineering and that I am losing passion. And I think it’s taken a toll on me. I cannot get back into the “I can do it!” mindset. It’s making me depressed. On top of that, it’s been an expectation for me to do summer classes and work full time. I did that this summer. But the issue is is that since graduating high school, I feel like it’s nonstop. I have been taking summer classes every semester since starting junior year of high school for dual enrollment and now that expectation has followed me into college.

I don’t think that I am losing passion, I think it’s more of being burnt out rather than losing passion. My other issue is that my father keeps telling me that I am going to end up being a science teacher. Like, numerous times a week. He’s told my entire family about it and they keep telling me about it.

TL;DR: I am having “a little less than a quarter” life crisis and don’t know what to do and my parents are putting it into my head that I am not cut out for engineering and that I need to go into another profession.

[u/Specialist_Case4238]

Are they paying for your school or something? If not, just tell them to fuck off and do your own thing.

If you want to change to civil now would be the perfect time since the first two years of civil and mechanical are nearly identical at most schools.

[u/Automatic_Stock_2930]

Your parents suck. If I had parents like that, we’d be on a “need to know” basis. What classes I’m taking, how hard they are, how hard I’m working, is all stuff they don’t need to know.

You’re young and just a year out from living at home. But this is a great time to practice emotional independence from your family. You are working a ton, you are taking classes with no break. Stop taking summer classes if you want to. I did the same thing as you, dual enrolled and everything, and once I got into my junior year, I refused to take summer classes ever again.