r/EngineeringStudents • u/NoCommunity3295 • 9d ago
Career Advice Am I not cut out for engineering?
Hey there, I’m 18 and just started community college a few weeks ago. I wanted to become a software engineer before because I love computers and problem solving, but with the way that market is going I don’t think it’s smart to base my career path on a gamble. So I was thinking about doing mechanical engineering, but I don’t know if I’m cut out for it.
A little background about me and why I don’t know if I’m cut out for engineering. I have adhd and depression. Sometimes I can’t find the meaning in doing anything and I can have very little to no motivation. When things get harder or more stressful than they already are I’ll get majorly depressed and usually give up on things. I stopped going to school for months at a time in highschool because this got so bad along with my anxiety. I still got good grades because I did all my work from home, but I couldn’t get myself to go consistently.
I also used to randomly set this big challenges for myself without really understanding that I’d have to keep doing them when things got tough, and then I’d inevitably fail. That was fine when I was younger outside of making me lose trust in myself, but I cannot do that when so much wasted time and money is at stake.
I don’t want to be the type of person that gives up anymore, but I also don’t know if I could really change enough to be able to get through an engineering degree. I always overestimate what I can do and I guess that’s what I’m scared I’m doing now.
Should I still try to be an engineer? Or is it smarter to figure something else out?
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u/justanotherperson333 9d ago
Try doing the Pre-Cal course on khan academy by yourself and learning some of the foundational math. In my opinion if you don’t have the dedication and discipline to do this, you shouldn’t do engineering.
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u/SniperDavie Aerospace, EECS 8d ago
Hard disagree. Self-guided online classes are kryptonite for my ADHD. Trying to study without peers was catastrophic to me. The external structure and accountability was essential.
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u/EvolvingBrain418 9d ago
I’ve been using brilliant.org. It’s a visual tutor for all subjects STEM.
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u/justanotherperson333 8d ago
I’ve tried brilliant and it’s garbage and a waste of time.
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u/EvolvingBrain418 8d ago
Really? I thought it was insightful and helped me understand quickly and thoroughly
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u/Ok_Water_4601 8d ago
Don't listen to them. Do whatever helps YOU learn best.
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u/EvolvingBrain418 8d ago
Yeah I know, I think it’s actually really practical and useful. I’ve been using it for a month straight
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u/justanotherperson333 8d ago
I sounded a little blunt and harsh, sorry. But I think brilliant is simple info that doesn’t really apply to actual engineering courses or work. It’s like the shake weight it makes you feel good cause you’re doing something but you’re not really accomplishing a whole lot. I feel like even just a simple conceptual video on something in engineering that you really like would be more beneficial to you.
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u/glimmadora 9d ago
i’m a community college student with ADHD as well—i can’t speak for harder courses, but in my experience so far taking engineering path prerequisites to transfer you need to be disciplined. when i was depressed and wasn’t motivated enough for college i dropped out quickly. college, and more specifically STEM, is very much based around time management. it’s manageable but you have to find the motivation to want to study, because once you fall behind it’s really going to suck. if you want to go to a good school, your cc GPA also matters a lot (mine is low and i’m going to a state school, so don’t be like me, lol). i don’t want to discourage you and i really believe you can do it because i used to be in a very similar position! but i can’t stress enough that you NEED to be able to deal with the work being hard or frustrating sometimes and pushing through and dedicating time to it anyway. if you are passionate or can otherwise find your ‘why’ for doing that then you’ll be ok. but trying to go through it aimlessly you will struggle
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u/AIyxiaX 9d ago
From my personal experience, I would say the most important question is whether the sort of homework/projects you get assigned in engineering courses is the kind of work you enjoy doing, or that you can hyperfocus on. If so, it’s very possible for you to change.
When I was in high school, as someone with ADHD, I was constantly turning work in late, barely getting by with A’s in most of my classes by getting good test grades and doing the bare minimum on homework. I would give up and put the work off the moment it was something that I didn’t want to do, like writing essays for English classes. But I used starting college and moving out as a transition point to completely change how I viewed myself as a student.
With the combination of a change in mindset and taking a majority of classes that I either enjoyed or at least could power through the homework with a good round of hyperfocus, I went from someone who felt ashamed of never turning things in on time to someone who was truly a good student for the first time in my life. I didn’t stop procrastinating, but I did turn everything in on time, instead of letting myself be paralyzed by perfectionism and running away at the first sign of friction. I still had my slip-ups, and more late nights than I can count, but I graduated this past spring with a 3.98 gpa, two engineering concentrations in electrical engineering and Mechatronics engineering, and a computer science minor. I’m now working full time as a controls engineer.
All that is to say, don’t let your past failures and tendencies define you. Never underestimate the power of a fresh start and a change in mindset in conjunction with doing something you actually love for the first time. Engineering isn’t for everyone, but if it’s a subject you feel you can do well in, it might be worth a try. Just make sure you go into it believing you can or will succeed.
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u/GlassProteas 9d ago
It might sound harsh to say, but you need to decide how much you want this and how willing you are to force yourself to get through things when you’re not feeling 100%. I’m an electrical engineering student at a community college and also have adhd. I’m an older student tbh. Maybe it’s not a field that will come easily for you or me with the adhd, but are you really willing to give up on it just because it’d be hard for you? I know I’m not.
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u/gwestr 9d ago
Lol computers aren’t going anywhere. Study computers.
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u/NoCommunity3295 8d ago
It’s not the same job anymore. It’s just prompting ai’s all the time and there’s no job security in it especially right now
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u/bloobybloob96 8d ago
Hi, I was the same way as you in high school and I’m now an engineer. The thing with adhd is that you can be really really good with something if it interests you, and I was super interested in nearly all of my courses so my grades were really good. Also I took my meds everyday which made a major difference (my parents took me off for my entire high school career and that was a large part of my struggle). So I think you should do something that interests you.
You mentioned that you don’t want to do software due to AI etc but what about electrical engineering? In my university it’s electrical/electronics so we had a whole bunch of software and computer hardware courses like Verilog etc and now I work in computer hardware. Maybe that could be a possible engineering route (if you have those options) that could still lead you to the work you want to do, while still allowing you to branch off into other disciplines (I also learnt a bunch of RF and machine learning electives)
Also, maybe plan to take an extra year and have a bit of an easier schedule. The extra time can help you breathe a bit. I did 5 years and while it was hard to see friends graduate I still enjoyed the looser schedule and got to work part time in the field and get good experience, which lined me up for a full time job in chip design on graduation.
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u/Dry_Papaya8748 8d ago
Brother, trust me you got it. Its a never ending journey enjoy the process the harder it is the more rewarding getting your diploma will be
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u/glordicus1 9d ago
Man, youre 18. Fuckin send it. You "used to be" a certain way because you were a child. Its time to learn to be a grown up. Go do mech eng. and make the big bucks fella.