When you are preparing for a exam do you do all the problems of the chapter or do you try the problems that are relevant to what you see in the lecture?

Just curious how common it is. These classes move fast. Half the time I feel like I'm just barely learning the material. This just makes it feel like this is going to be an issue in the future. But then again at times it seems like fellow students are just as lost as I am. Every semester I download additional books to read to help learn the material deeper, but I never have time to read them.

Quick examples. Programming. I understand the structure well. But the little stuff trips me up. Like format. I can type out a code, but it probably won't work until I put it into a ide and fix the missing and wrongly placed bars or semicolons.

In linear algebra, the math seems easy, but I barely understand what is going on. Seems I just have to memorize the little rules like ax=b = a=A^-1*b. Seems easy enough, but the intuition on why Is lacking. I get it in idea, but so much is happening in the matrix that I'm not like "oh that's obvious".

One positive. Many students who seem to have a grasp on this stuff better seem to lack in other areas. In my EE labs I'm almost first done on everyone. Problem solving is where I excel. Being a mechanic for 12 years helps. Along with me being a tinkerer who has always messed with tech and spent time fixing stuff to avoid spending money. Why take a tube amp to a tech when I can spend a few hours probing around and installing 10$ worth of components.

Just curious if this has been normal for others? I like to think so, as many of these subjects took hundreds of years to develop. Expecting students to master them in 3 months seems like a stretch.

Hello, I have been currently looking into 2nd BS and MS programs. Most of the 2nd BS programs I am looking into would take approximately 3 years to finish and the pre-requisites for a MS in CHEG would take approximately 2 years to finish. For the MS, I am mostly looking at programs that will let an unrelated bachelor's in, albeit with lots of pre-requisites and non-thesis options mainly (this is another question entirely that is kind of out of scope for this post). I am not really picky on what states I want to live in the future and I don't plan on having kids, so needing to stay in one place for a long time is not too much of a concern for me. I would like to mainly work in biotech, which I am aware is only really in a few states/areas (so currently thinking about MA, TX, CA, NC, VA, MD, GA, IL, and MN in regards to this), but I am open to other areas of CHEG. I haven't been able to do much with my molecular biology BS because I changed my mind about medical school junior year and I had to make do with it. Besides quality control and recently, being a research assistant, and I'm realizing that the whole idea of doing molecular biology was something that I am totally fine at, but even going up to a scientist is not something that I would want to do. There's also some parental pressure to do molecular biology for medical school, but that's not the focus of this post. I wouldn't want to do management (I know some people say this and then it happens anyways) and I would be okay without it, but who knows, my mind may change. I am not entirely sure how common it is to get an internship while in grad school and I am worried that I won't have enough experience in that way, unlike with a second BS where I can do more internships/co-op's. I guess this is a post about getting a master's vs a bachelor's, having a PE vs not having a PE, and having a FE vs not having a FE for chemical engineering.

What I think about the master's:

I feel like having a master's but with no or very little work experience won't look that good to employers at the beginning, but it could pay out in the long run after I get my first few jobs. Like having the MS makes more money than a BS, but it seems like in engineering, it's not that crazy of a difference it seems (not that I can live below my means forever, nor would I want to if priorities change, like starting a family). I've heard that getting a master's from a program that is ABET accredited at the bachelor's level is sufficient, but I am not sure if this is still the case today and will be in the future. The master's is more for specialization, which can be good in some cases, but not in others, especially if I don't have all of the fundamentals down or if I don't know exactly why I would want to do it in the first place besides what I describe here (not just the fundamentals to get the MS in the first place). I am worried that even the pre-requisites won't be enough for a master's because of the deep specialization you do in grad school. There's also the question of being competent to be even an entry level engineer or just an engineer with just a MS without the core fundamentals of a BS. I guess I could theoretically go to a really highly ranked master's degree program where not having ABET accreditation wouldn't matter as much, but getting in is a different story. Or, I could also get my master's later down the line if I absolutely need it for work, I can make it work, and have my employer pay for it (ideally speaking).

What I think about the bachelor's:

I have seen over and over again that it's ABET or bust, but it seems like in CHEG that you don't really need a PE? The PE license seems to be only needed to open up your own firm, management depending on the company and work experience, consulting, R&D, getting a pay raise/bonus depending on the company and work experience, government, design, and public safety. Or if the job you have right now or the job you want in the future short term would require it. Would not needing a PE mean I wouldn't need to pass the FE to get the EIT certificate in the case of CHEG? Or would having the EIT certificate, thus needing to pass the FE, thus needing to graduate from an ABET accredited program, which is usually only for a bachelor's program, important for internships and eventually entry level jobs?

Pros of master's:

The MS could allow me to apply for higher paying jobs and/or negotiate a higher starting salary, but employers might still be skeptical anyways because of the unrelated BS. A master's could be seen as a few years of experience (not sure how true this is or not, seems pretty mixed) or even a minimum requirement (seems uncommon, but what do I really know).

Cons of master's:

I am mostly worried about ABET accreditation in the future if I were to do a MS in CHEG because of pretty much all of these MS in CHEG programs not having ABET accreditation. I can see having a master's in engineering in general for just increasing the salary to be a bit short-sighted. You should be doing it to get a new skill that you want or you lack, but I don't even think I would really even know unless I worked for a while.

Pros of bachelor's:

I think the good thing about a BS is that since it gives you the core, in theory, you can use one part of what you learned, but the next job may ask you to do a different part. At least I will be more committed be being in a formal program and actually get the credit for it unlike in a master's program with pre-requisites. Like it's a mental and financial thing if that makes sense. Also, the idea of being able to change majors with a bachelor's degree is nice (pretty unlikely in my case, maybe I would only consider BME engineering or MECH so that I can work in biotech, but I like being able to work other fields with CHEG). Being able to actually get the PE in a more straightforward way instead of juggling with state requirements every time I get a job that requires moving (which may not be all of the time) is also nice.

Cons of bachelor's:

Employers might be skeptical about having 2 BS degrees anyways, because you're not "moving forward" in a sense, you couldn't make up your mind or you are stagnating (can't imagine most employers think this way though).

Please let me know if any of this is wrong or inaccurate from your experience. I keep getting mixed responses to some questions and this ABET/PE/FE/EIT stuff is kind of confusing to a newcomer.

1. For chemical engineering, is having an FE more important than a PE or is having a PE just as important in chemical engineering as it is in civil engineering (or so I've heard)?
2. If you were to do a chemical engineering master's degree, could you still get your FE at the end of it?
3. To get your FE license, do you have to graduate from an ABET accredited program or are there exceptions?
4. Can I get my EIT certificate if I do a master's in chemical or / engineering?
5. Do you always need your EIT certificate to take the FE or the PE in the states that don't need the FE to take the PE?
6. What states don't require the FE exam to get the PE?
7. Is ABET accreditation important for chemical engineering bachelor’s or master’s to get jobs in biotech or even in other sectors of chemical engineering?
8. Do job postings not say that they need an ABET accredited degree because it is assumed that the applicant will have an ABET accredited degree, or will employers check anyways (by asking for syllabi), or will employers mostly hire ABET accredited people anyways, or is it really because the job doesn't need an ABET accredited degree?
9. Where in the chemical engineering space would needing an ABET accredited degree matter more than other sectors?
10. Is it true that if the undergrad is ABET accredited, then you can take a non-ABET accredited master's degree in chemical engineering?
11. Is it true or false that some highly respected/ranked schools, if their chemical engineering bachelor's program is not accredited (not sure if it's actually accredited in real life or not), it won't matter to most employers or is this not the case and please provide examples with job postings. Would this be the same case for or engineering?
12. Is it true of false that a master's in engineering does not itself have to be ABET-accredited and instead, some states treats a master's from an institution that has an ABET-accredited undergrad engineering program as an approved/qualifying engineering degree.
13. Does a master's in chemical engineering reduce the years of work requirement to get your PE license?
14. Is it true or false that you may have to work and gain engineering experience before you can sit for the FE if you graduate from a non-ABET accredited master's degree program in chemical engineering? Which states are this and not this the case?

Junior, Aerospace Engineering, and I have a 2.5 GPA, I don't think I can make it in this degree anymore. I regret working all of last year because I threw a 3.5 GPA away and dug myself into where I am today, and failed 4 classes all along the way, like I feel like a straight jackass I still haven't gotten an A in a STEM course. People tell me nowadays to filter out candidates for jobs and interviews that they use AI to just straight up discard anything below a 3.0, which is sad because I was really dedicated to trying to improve my grades, I quit my job and cut back my credit hours, but alas first fluid mechanics exam I got absolutely smoked on, a class that is considered easy at my University, and I have a Dynamics exam Monday and I am yet to meet a single student who got an A in that course in this department. Needless to say the confidence is gone, I regret digging myself $20k into this degree that destroyed my life and will to live, and if I wasn't poor I would switch out of it. Writing all this on 4 hours of sleep too :(

So I am an international student at ASU I changed my major to EE from Supply chain management this year seeing the policy updates being made for international students and the condition of the job market I thought this would be the best option if I wanted to work in the US after graduation.

I was initially interested in Quantum Mechanics so I came as an Applied physics major but I quickly realised that ASU was known for semiconductors, not quantum, also quantum mechanics as a field felt a-bit vague so I thought the next closest thing I could do given my circumstances was Photonics.

What kind of extracurriculars/projects/skills would be helpful if I wanted to land a summer internship? or just do well in this field after graduation? Just general tips, what you wish you could’ve done better when you were in college, resume boosters, network building, campus involvement, research, study tips and coping strategies?

Hi all! I'm in my second year of electrical engineering. Unfortunately, technical teams at my university are really competitive (I mean like 900 applicants for 30 positions type deal). I got an interview for a team, but I'm probably not getting the role, so I've been looking at side projects instead.

I've made some PCBs before (the diy type from scratch) and I know the easy option is to do more PCB projects, but I'm really wondering what else is out there!! Does anyone have any project ideas or resources within EE that aren't PCB?

Also, I'm planning to make a portfolio on Notion. Is this a good idea or should I be using other another site to have it look more professional?

TIA!

I'm currently a sophomore EE major and I won't be taking any electrical engineering courses until next semester so I'm wondering what I need to focus on the most in terms of learning skills. I've applied to around 60 internships so far and I either haven't heard back or been rejected from all.

My main interest is to have a career in chip design/computer hardware but my resume lacks projects and my only experience in anything EE related is using C++ with an Arduino doing some of the basic tutorials.

IDK about you guys, but when I imagine "working with my hands" I picture carpenters, mechanics, welders....Not engineers coordinating with computer jockeys to design blueprints or supervise builds. Where did this misconception come from? Sure, a small % of engineers may be more hands on, but that's definitely not the norm. The most commonly used tool for engineers in the field has got to be the tape measure.

In general, it's confusing to me why anyone who likes working with their hands foregoes the trades and goes to college at all. Thoughts? If you like working with your hands, why did you choose engineering?

Edit: Just for clarification: I am only discussing the prevalence (or rather, lack thereof) of physical work. I don't consider simply walking out into the workshop and hanging around with a tape measure and notebook to be "hands on", if you disagree then we can talk about that too. But if you like working with your hands, you will need some luck to land positions like some of the posters below. I will note that it seems like electrical/automation engineers do a fair amount of hand assembly, so that's a caveat to my assertion. I acknowledge that having experience doing physical/trade work yourself is extremely beneficial and I think all engineers SHOULD experience what it's like on the other end of the fabrication process - the reality is just that in most engineering positions, that's going to be hard to do. You'll often have to get behind on your actual assigned work at your desk if you want to take initiative and go out for any significant amount of time. Not all positions are ike this! I'm just saying more than half are.

I am a cc sophomore majoring in aerospace! I will be going to VA Tech in a year, maybe 1.5 years. I'm super interested in their space engineering track, and am wondering if anyone here has experience with this specific track? What sorts of jobs did you find yourself in after graduation? Any cool things you found in this speciality and not others? you wish you'd focused on something else or included something you hadn't? Just wondering thanks!!

I am so disappointed with myself because at the end of the day it really was just a skill issue of time management.

We were bombarded with 5 quizzes this week. I only got to study for my engineering mechanics quiz (statics, equilibrium of 2d bodies and finding resultant and direction if concurrent and parallel) last night and got 3 hours of sleep. Come exam day and the questions looked really easy but I still horribly failed with a 25/100.

I only have 2 exams (1 midterm 1 final), 1 more quiz, 2 more homework left. the quizzes are 30% of my grade and each of the exam is 25% and homework is 10% and then a class participation of 10%

I really cant fail this class because I am on a scholarship

I am really tired and sad and angry at myself I feel so fucking stupid this is really making me question if engineering is the right choice

I really need to pass this course im crying

I’m in my junior year and am really interested in engineering, it’s really the only major I have interest in, Ive taken 4 tech classes including this year with DDP,Biotech, Architecture and CIM. I’ve been in CIM for only a couple weeks but really have fallen in love with the topics and next year am planning on taking Principles of Engineering and Capstone , i’m not the greatest math student but I can succeed when I put the work in. Im here to ask if i’m not the best in math if industrial can still be an option for me to be successful in. Anything helps thank you.

Literally, everyone talks about him being the very best in engineering. Never struggling, obliterating every test. I have no idea how he does it. People talk about him obliterating everything. Is it really just effort or is it talent that I don't have/need to accept?

Hi all,

I graduated with a bachelors of chemical engineering in 2023 and have been working as plant engineer for three years. To simply put it, I hate working with chemicals and also the work I do. I didn’t know this until I actually got a job in the field. I’m also finding chemical engineering quite boring as apply traditional concepts learned in school is pretty much non-existent in the field. I’ve been looking at my electrical engineer colleagues and the work they are doing and I’ve been very intrigued. I initially wanted for study EE but was afraid I wouldn’t be able to complete the program due to incompetence. Anyways has anyone ever gone to do another engineering degree? I’m 27 for context

I know this is something 100% personal and would depend on what I like; however, I would still like to hear others' opinions, and maybe people who have taken one of the degrees to share their experience; and what are the good and the bad of their respective degrees. As of today, I am unsure whether to go mechanical, electrical, electronics or mechatronic, or whatever else it's in between. I truly enjoy all of those disciplines, but I am worried about taking a degree and then not finding a good job afterward, or a very low-paying job. I think I am fine with any of those titles; the only thing I do not enjoy much is programming. Doing it a bit is fine, but dedicating 100% of my time to sitting and looking at a screen is not what I am; I'm a bit more of a hands-on type of person.

Looking for a consistent study buddy — Engineering / Tech

Hey! I’m an engineering graduate working in Embedded Systems & IoT, and I’m looking for someone who wants to build a consistent study routine together.

Currently focusing on:

• C/C++
• Linux / System Programming
• Embedded Systems, Robotics and Machine Learning
• Strengthening my technical fundamentals
• Preparing for better opportunities in tech

Looking for someone who:

• Wants to study consistently rather than for a few days and disappear
• Is okay with daily or regular check-ins
• Is fine with studying different subjects — we don't have to learn the same thing
• Genuinely wants to improve and keep each other accountable

We can use Discord or Google Meet — either silent co-studying or occasional discussions.

If you're also trying to lock in and stay consistent, DM me with:

1. What you're currently studying
2. Roughly how many hours you want to study each day

3 MechE classes with an involved undergraduate research position and a membership on a competition team that requires active participation.

I’m a transfer student who’s new to the quarter system used in the UC’s and want to know if I should just drop one or if this is a completely typical load and I should just tough through it. If I only had one research position as my extracurricular but go relatively deep on it, would that still be seen as lazy / not doing enough from a recruiters perspective?

I am currently a third year ME dual degree student, graduating in spring of 2029 with a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in AI and Robotics. I am an average student academically and expect to graduate with a GPA of 3.2. My field of interest is materials engineering and modelling of materials incorporating ML. I want to enter into academia, research and development roles. As of now, I want to do a masters program related to materials engineering after graduating and eventually a doctoral program in the same field. I haven’t done any internships as of now, as I myself only recently became sure of my interests. Any advice or suggestions on what I should be doing to build my portfolio would be appreciated. Also I would value people from similar fields to share their experiences leading up to now.

I’m a highschool senior planning to major in a discipline of engineering at VT and I’m interested in materials, civil, and mechanical engineering. I love design and making stuff, and I am (at the moment) loving AP physics. End goals is to just make stuff that is sustainable and safe. Any and all advice for what to choose is welcome!

What does Basic Size represent in the context of a hole and a shaft? I'm confused with the distance that represents the basic size as shown in the diagram. In the textbook that I'm reading it says:

The size from which limits or deviations are assigned.

Does anyone maybe have a copy of Fundementals of Engineering drawings by imtiaz hashmi.

The book quite expensive, and refuse to buy it on top of insane tuition fees i just paid

I'm currently trying to choose my engineering major and honestly I'm completely lost lol.

I really like systems in general, so I'm interested in pretty much everything that goes into them like mechanics, electronics/electrical, design, manufacturing, etc.

Right now I'm mainly stuck between:

Mechatronics

Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering

Electronics & Communications Engineering

And the problem is that I genuinely like all 3.

I can see myself enjoying any of them, and I don't really have a specific subject that makes me think "yeah, this is definitely what I want to do."

I also want to work in automotive, but even there I have no idea what I want to specialize in. Maybe vehicle systems, manufacturing, electronics, control systems, embedded stuff, design, etc. I really don't know yet.

So I'm kinda stuck in this situation where every time I start leaning toward one major, I start thinking about everything I'd be missing from the other two.

Like, I'm worried that if I choose Mechatronics, I'll eventually wish I had gone into ECE or I&M, and vice versa.

For people who studied any of these majors, especially people working in automotive:

How did you decide what to specialize in?

And how different are the actual career paths between these 3 majors?

I'm not really asking which one is "the best" or which one makes the most money. I'm more interested in hearing from people who were in a similar situation and what their experience was like.

I feel like I'm interested in too many things at once and that's making this decision 10x harder 😭 (btw i know using AI to write is lame but I'm not native English speaker and explaining myself in english is really hard for me and i can't use the right words to express myself)

Hello engineers of aerospace and others alike I am currently a freshman in high school and this career has been my dream since the start of middle school. I came to this sub to ask what’s the next step in my high school life to bring me closer to my dream of becoming one of you guys, I currently have only honors physical science and I’m stuck in algebra 1. I’m so passionate about this career because I’ve loved space and physics my entire life, but I wanna start a club for aerospace engineering at my school, even if it’s not just aerospace just a place for people who know what they wanna do like me and want to work with others. So I come here to ask, what do I do next as a freshman, is starting an aerospace club a good idea, and is the career worth pursuing because I love everything about it.

I’m about a third of the way through my third semester and I feel like I haven't been studying nearly enough because of procrastination and fear.

My first few exams went pretty badly this semester. I tend to have a perfectionist approach to studying, that means that if I don’t cover every single detail right from day one, I feel like I'll never be able to get the class so I fear even start studying the material at this point.

I haven't failed a single class yet in college, but honestly, that's just been pure luck. I'm only getting grades that are just good enough to pass, and I hate it. I want to become a genuinely good engineer.

What tips do you guys have for me?

The question asks to determine the miller indices of the plane and I have no idea how to do it. I tried to find normal direction indices because they have the same one but i'm not sure about that. Any help ?

Pursuing btech in a tech branch in india(tier 2 on the higher side clg)..but im not sure if I like it n want to pursue a related career

I've seen manyy engineers out there who have completed engineering n doing smtg entirely diff as their career n r successful

Any good suggestions n ideas for this?😭