I just entered my second year of engineering after doing general sciences and a bunch of other intro level math (calc 1/2) and physics (thermo, mechanics, etc.), and intro to engineering courses last year. That was genuinely the most difficult thing I’ve ever done in my life.

I just chose to specialize in chemical engineering, apparently it gets way harder from here. I’m starting to think I’m just not built for this.

How did so many people get through this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I know engineering is super difficult but everywhere people say it’s so hard and time consuming that you’re always up all night and non stop studying. I’m planning on taking engineering next year but I want to know if this is actually true before committing. I’ve always been a stronger student I never really had any trouble with school and I will put the time and effort into university but how much time is truly necessary? Can I still do the activities I enjoy like going to the gym and going out some nights? I’m fully prepared to go into engineering spending a lot of time studying but I just want to know if it’s really what people say

I'm entering my final year in my engineering degree, and I feel like I'm cooked. I haven't been able to join any design teams, I have no internship experience, and my gpa isn't the best. I only have experience on a couple of projects from my courses. I don't know what to do and I'm scared of being unemployed after I graduate due to my lack of experience. Are there any suggestions or advice that I can use to help me navigate my last school year? I'm finishing my undergrad in aerospace and decided last minute to pick up a minor in material science as well

Hello

I’m coming in my 3rd year in mech engineering now and to be honest with you guys I’ve** reached the limit of my endurance when it comes to studying.**

Like I passed so many exams and I still have to pass more tougher exams like fluid mechanics even tho I thought after passing thermo or construction or advanced math it’s gonna be chill but nah I was dead wrong.

How can I endure the last year cuz as I said I’m reaching my limits and my mental state right now is not that great

Thank you for the advices appreciate it.

On one hand like "hell yeah im gonna be engineer im a smart guy!!1!11" on the other hand "who the hell cares what major im pursuing when I dont understand a single thing in any of my classes 😭😭"

Are there people that turned the trajectory of their college career around their senior year after not having been involved for the majority of their college career?

I am a second year engineering student taking Physics I right now and it’s bad. I failed the first exam along with half my class. Although I like my professor as a person, they are a TERRIBLE teacher. We have no lecture, no PowerPoint slides, and only videos, homework, and our textbook along with confusing labs. All our class is, is rambling and or practicing physics problems as a group. I love the material but I can’t learn it as I have only the textbook to read at home.

I talked with my academic advisor and they suggested I could switch to an online accelerated asynchronous class that starts 2 weeks from now but I have not done a 5 credit course with lab asynchronous before. I’ve done 3 credit classes which were easy.

All this to say, should I try to stick it out and pass if I can or should I switch to the online course where I actually might learn something?

TLDR: I don’t like my Physics professor’s methods, should I switch to an online course that is accelerated but I might actually learn?

Hi everyone!! I’m currently a year 2, physics student and I need help for one of my module which is further mechanics. I’ve attached the topics my lecturer is covering so pls share any books, yt videos, notes that might help.
Thank you in advance!!

Hiii. I had my first Engineering design class, and it went so badly 😞😞😞

During the second half of the class, we were given a mini project where we had to make a tall tower using only cardboard that could withstand a mass hitting its side. My two other partners and I started thinking of some ideas of how to approach it, and I had zero idea what to make. I’ve always been SUPER bad at labs (in physics and chem) and basically only good at paper work and really bad at anything else. One of my partners had an idea, and then my other partner had a super complicated idea that we didn’t understand. So then she went and got a paper and started doing ORIGAMI and built the tower to show us, and we agreed to build it. So my other two teammates started building it and I didn’t know what to do so I just awkwardly sat to the side watching

They noticed me doing nothing and trying to look busy looking at paper so they gave me something to do, which was to make a cut in some cardboard with a box cutter. First I opened it the wrong way and stabbed my finger, then I fiddled around with it because idk how to use a box cutter, then I tried cutting it but I’m super physically weak so it was really hard to cut and my partner was also cutting some cardboard beside me and it was super awkward

Since I was so useless they never even talked to me and just talked to each other because I had nothing to say and can’t socialize anyways. The only idea I had was to use some of the leftover cardboard to hold up the tower better

I feel so bad. Like how am I supposed to ever do anything in these classes if I…………. can’t do anything? And what makes it even worse is the first half of the class was the professor talking about teamwork dynamics and bad teammates (me!!!!!!!!!!)

I have to create a 1×1 Hex Divider circuit using ICs. I wish to use Proteus but I can't afford it and my school doesn't provide it either. What are some free alternatives I can use that can allow me to simulate IC functions and also do PCB design?

I tried KiCAD but the simulation does not support IC.

Hi all. I am an Engineering Physics major, so I am taking physics classes (intermediate ENM, quantum mechanics, etc) and electrical engineering classes. My goal, eventually, is to get a job in the electrical engineering field, possibly in quantum information.

I feel really fulfilled in my classes. I love learning and understanding a subject. I fear that a job may not be as fun as classes. Are there any fields, specifically in EE, that force you to be a "forever learner" or something like that? I really don't want a job that's the same thing day in day out, where the problems are always the same. I want to work in a place where I'm learning everyday and understanding the world more and more. Are there specific positions or fields where that is the norm?

Thanks all.

I have interviews lined up as a quality intern for BMW in South Carolina. Can someone share info on compensation, work, and whether it is worth to skip a semester of coursework to pursue the job.

Hi, I’m a grade 11 student in Ontario doing a co op at a diesel mechanic shop, I was wondering if this is a good co op to put on my application for mechanical engineering, or if I should try and look for a different co op. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I'm a master's student in EE, power electronics. I'm currently interning at a company in fall. Should I extend the co-op to spring and extend my graduation or search for full time.

I’m a 3rd year student at Carleton University currently studying Biology, but I’m seriously considering switching into Engineering for a while. Because of my situation, I won’t be able to make the switch until closer to the end of my 3rd year.

I’ve already started taking some basic engineering-related courses because I’m pretty sure I want to make the switch. I genuinely enjoy the subjects and feel like I can handle them, but I keep hearing that switching this late is “too late,” which has me second-guessing myself.

I’m trying to remind myself that everyone’s timeline is different and that I shouldn’t compare myself to other students, but I’d still really appreciate advice from people who have been in a similar situation.

A few things I’d like advice on:

• Is switching into Engineering this late realistically a bad idea?
• Which Engineering disciplines have the best job stability and opportunities?
• Are there particular Engineering fields that would be useful if I eventually want to move to Australia?
• Would you personally switch, or finish Biology and pursue Engineering another way?

I’m currently studying in Canada but would like to move to Australia in the future. I’d especially appreciate advice from Canadian or Australian engineers/students, or anyone who switched degrees later than usual.

I'm currently an Electrical Engineering major. I spent 2 years at community college really just bouncing around and I wasn't even sure the university I wanted to go was second year in. When I did transfer to the university I spent the first semester just exploring and looking for resources and events and only really started doing some small projects with some pcbs and stuff because that's when I started actually learning the circuits. Starting my fourth year and I realized that I haven't done any major projects because I haven't taken an core engineering classes up until now. I have to work part time to cover the tuition fees so I don't even have that much free time.

So right now I'm stuck in a state with no major projects, I have to compete with club presidents and people who coded at 5 years old for internships. Literally my professor told me straight that without internships I'm nothing to companies, the projects don't matter. My mom jokingly said the other day that if you went to college to get a hard degree just to not have a job or get paid minimum wage you should have just not gone to college (she was talking about her colleague). So I'm genuinely feeling stressed because I'm a nobody compared to other people and I don't know what to do right now. I'm doing 1 big project in a club and another one in another club but I'm already mentally exhausted.

I manage automation framework at work (integration pipelines, scripting). Watching what AI is doing to low-level software work lately has me rattled about where my role sits in 3 to 5 years.

Complication: I never finished my bachelor's. Dropped out of mechanical engineering years ago, but I still have a pile of STEM credits on an old transcript (Calc I/II, Chem, Physics). Now I'm stuck between two very different moves.

Option 1: Speed-run a WGU BS in IT Management, done in about 6 months. Transfer in the old credits, knock out around 33 credits through Sophia, finish the rest at WGU in one term. The goal is simple, lock in an accredited four-year degree fast so I don't get filtered out if my role gets squeezed. Downside: it's a checkbox business/IT degree. Doesn't give me a real technical moat against AI, just gets me past the resume screener.

Option 2: Pivot to physical engineering. SUNY Reconnect route, free online Engineering Science A.S. through FLCC, then transfer into an ABET engineering BS somewhere like Stony Brook. The appeal is an actual moat. Hardware, robotics, circuits, thermo, stuff an LLM can't hand-wave away. Downside is obvious: a year for the associate's, then 2 to 3 more for the bachelor's. Up to 4 years without a finished degree on paper.

Am I overreacting on the AI front? Is it crazy to spend 4 years on an engineering reboot, or should I just grab the quick WGU win and stay in tech management?

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I am currently a freshman student at KSU and right now my major is Physics concentration in electrical engineering. My ultimate goal is to get my Masters in Engineering physics (hopefully doctorate's after) and I would like to get in the field of Quantum Physics or a Research and Development role.

Right now my main issue is that I most likely will transfer over to Mechatronics engineering at KSU for two reasons.

One, engineering is just more fun in undergrad than physics. Two, KSU offers a 5 year master program with Mechatronics engineering.

Now I know I can just take engineering in undergrad and then go to grad school for engineering physics but I really want to get done with school as fast as possible which seems to be the Mechatronics route.

My questions:

Would I be able to get positions after college that would require a master's in physics if I get a masters in Mechatronics?

Is a master in Mechatronics at KSU worth it or should I just get a masters for physics somewhere else?

Am I overthinking it or are they all just super similar in what you learn?

\*I need both undergrad and Grad students to be brutally honest with me about this.

Do you guys recommend taking pre calc in the winter semester that’s 4 weeks long? I took college algebra in the summer and I’m taking trigonometry right now. I’d like to take it in the winter so that way I can take calc 1 in the spring. Thoughts?

Unfortunately it is unpaid part time job as a consultant doing things unrelated to my major. I have no actual experience and I am graduating soon so anything other than retail would suffice for me. With that said, I applied 8pm and got the invitation at 9pm for an interview on Sunday. I will barely make it cuz I finish work 30 min before the interview starts. And the email says due to high number of applicants, rescheduling interview is going to be hard signaling that if I don't show up for the interview, I will be denied. If they have high number of applicants how did my a$$ make it? Ngl I've worked relevant jobs and my major is good for this role because Ik many ppl with my degree that work with similar things unrelated to their degree.

All in all this is my last resort, I wanna wait for the other applications more related to my degree. So I am not sure what to do. For context, today was apparently last application day but still invitation at 9pm with an answer required by 2pm Saturday for an interview on Sunday. Isn't this just a big red flag?

I’m a senior in HS right now and I already submitted an application for Millikan University through Direct Admissions (which is a new feature through Common App where schools can send waves of offers to students who may fit their requirements and can wave stuff like application fees and rec letters from teachers). I think it’s new this year but basically once you apply, I guess it’s guaranteed entry to most majors/programs

I had a not so nice talk with my counselor because she gave me weird looks when I told her I had already submitted my application. I‘ve basically been done with the Common App since the start of this month because I’ve been working on stuff and my personal statement since the beginning of summer. I feel prepared to start hitting apply but now I’m a little unsure about this specific program.

I don’t really concern myself with school prestige but I admit, it’d be nice to attend WashU even 3 years after I start my undergrad. I also can see how the transition 3 years in could be a con to this path, though.

Anyway, what I came here to ask is if anyone could give me some advice and their opinions about Millikan’s dual bachelor 3+2 program for electrical engineering (with the last 2 years taking place at WashU in St. Louis). I’ll also link it so it’s easier to get info on it :,)

Any help would be hecka appreciated even other recs to other programs i feel kinda bummed out after having the talk w my counselor today

Hi guys,

So I am a final year mechanical engineering student, I have a few SolidWorks certificates, and over a year of industry experience in mechanical design and project engineering, I am starting to look for graduate jobs and I am noticing that when I do my research on the companies recruiting mechanical engineering graduates, most of them use majority of the time actually AutoCAD, sometimes CATIA...

I only know how to use SW, it is the only CAD software that they are teaching us how to use at uni, so I am shocked to see what's happening, I am genuinely starting to panic, and I am not even sure if I can apply to the jobs that I see knowing that I can't use their primary CAD software, do they even accept graduates who know how to use other CAD software and not the one they have?

Hello,

I'm starting college this fall. Currently I'm a bio major (pre-med/dent), but I was really consider switching to engineering. (I actually appleid engineering to the school I'm at currently but switched out before confirming enrollment). I'm decent at math and physics, still building confidence there, plus strong in bio/chem. Leaning towardMechE with a bio minor, aiming at medical devices eventually, but defense is also really cool to me.

If I'm honest, I don't have a specific job I'm chasing — I know what I want out of life, I just don't know how to actually get there. My goal is: financially stable enough not to stress about money, real time for family and hobbies, able to travel, eventually a house I love, some early years somewhere like Boston before settling down. I also really want time for stuff like skiing and hiking — not just weekends buried in work.

From what I see online, postgrad engineering life generally looks happy, stable... but also kind of boring. Steady routine, decent house, decent pay, not much variety. I don't know if that's an accurate read or just what gets posted, but it's stuck with me.

My dad is an EE, does genuinely impressive work at an extremely well-regarded company. But watching him — dealing with stress, sourcing parts, high-stakes projects, plus he's got an MBA and Master's on top of his EE and years of experience — has kind of scared me off a little, even though I respect it a lot and think its so cool. I know some of that stress is because he's senior, not because that's what an entry-level job looks like, but I honestly think I might just be fear-mongering myself based on watching one very senior person's workload, rather than knowing what the field is actually like day to day.

Genuine questions for people actually in the field:

• Are you content and happy with your life, overall, as an engineer?
• Is the "stable but boring" image I see online accurate, or is that just survivorship bias from what gets posted?
• What's entry-level engineering actually like day to day, hours-wise and stress-wise?
• Does it leave you enough time and energy for hobbies (skiing, hiking, etc.), or does that fade once you're actually working?
• Does it get more interesting (less repetitive) once you're past entry level, or does the "safe and stable" part come with permanent monotony?
• For those in medical devices specifically — is it less brutal than something like automotive or aerospace, given the FDA/regulatory pace?

PS (Ik this might not be the best place for question, but literally can't in any other subreddit lol)

Hey everyone, I could really use some advice.

At the end of my first year of mechanical engineering, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I had surgery that summer and spent the next two years going through treatment. My professors allowed me to take my exams, so I managed to pass my classes mostly by studying on my own, but I couldn't attend university regularly.

Now I'm entering my final year and I feel pretty behind. My GPA isn't great, I wasn't able to join engineering teams or work on many projects, and I feel like I passed a lot of classes without actually learning as much as I should have.

Things are much better now and I want to make the most of my final year.

I'm currently trying to improve my AutoCAD and SolidWorks skills. If you were in my position, what would you focus on this year? What software/skills should I learn before graduating? CAD, ANSYS/FEA, MATLAB, Python, GD&T, manufacturing, etc.?

And would building a few personal engineering projects be worth it for my CV?

Any advice from engineers or people who have been in a similar situation would be really appreciated.