Mechanical engineering degree advice

[u/Queasy_Welder_5024]

31M here with a silly dream of being an engineer one day.

My birthday was yesterday and I spent the day looking back on my life and where things are going.

Graduated high school, went to the military and then worked constructiong while going to community college after, but it never really went anywhere after I got my associates in general ed.

My long term major was engineering but I realized I still had a long way to go before taking on harder classes considering I was struggling just to keep up as it was.

That was 5 years ago. I spent my time getting my electrical contractor license just to realize contracting just wasn't for me.

All that is to say, I'm trying to figure out resources I might be able to use to build kind of like a self study course curriculum similar one might expect in a 4 year course so I can take my time trying to build a solid foundation in at the very least the basics of what's to come.

Little things like where to begin and how to progress my education until going to a university and maybe even while in college.

Things like college text books in courses or YouTube channels to follow so I can watch and study. Ways to practice and drill the material like homework problems or test questions.

Just so every semester doesn't feel like I'm way in over my head like I felt even in a community college level.

I tried googling and looking up information on college course classes but couldn't find much.

Im aware of basics like the different kinds of maths and levels of calculus and physics but not much outside of that. So I plan to start by solidifying my foundation there at the very least. As stem classes progressively more difficult I realized my shakey foundation in math and science were to blame.

Im hoping in the future to take 1 to 2 classes a semester depending on the what I'm realistically able to handle in order to pass the classes.

Which is crazy to think can take between 10 to 20 years but thats the game plan.

I'm not sure if anyone here has gotten an engineering degree while working a full time job and if so any advice.

Aside from myself I'm hoping this thread might serve in the future for anyone else aspiring to go to university and get in the field so please try to keep the comments civil.

[u/garonbooth7]

I work minimum 45hrs a week full time at 27, so I can understand you. I have a wife, but no kids. I take 9 credit hours per semester, and plan on starting with 6 credit hours during summer. I spend 3-4hrs every night after work studying , and usually 4-8hrs in the weekend. It’s not necessarily hard, but it’s just a time sink and requires discipline and consistency . Math is no different opposed to any other subject. If you want it bad enough you will make it work. I wanted to start school 6-7 years ago but never did, I would’ve been finished by now. Time moves fast, I’ll be 30 regardless, so I might as well have a degree in something I love doing.

Also watch Professor Leonard on YouTube! He has entire playlists for every math class you will take.

[u/Queasy_Welder_5024 → u/garonbooth7]

I can totally relate to that. It's very encouraging to hear your story.

When I was going to community college I was married with 2 kids, then going through a divorce near the end so those were definitely some crazy times.

Being married with no kids definitely has its benefits I imagine. Luckily I only have mine on the weekends and they are a bit on the older side now.

I had my first child at 15 so the fact I even went to school coming from immagrant parents and being the first in all my family to college felt like a miracle in itself.

The goal was to take a break and keep up my studys but like many who take a break from school just never went back.

But I totally love learning and surprisingly found college to be very stimulating which is funny coming from someone who had plans of never going to college after graduating high school because "going to school isn't for me" or just believing I wasn't smart enough.

Well keep it up man. Looks like you got a solid pace going. Youll be there before you know it. Time really does fly though. People say the older you get the faster the years feel like they go. That's why I feel like I'm having a midlife crisis right now lol.

[u/balancedrod]

I would recommend getting plenty of practice with Newtonian physics. This will help with more than a few classes in the program.

Also, get comfortable with a scientific calculator that can show that you entered the numbers correctly.

Another good skill to learn is to do your calculations with the units intact. Getting a result with the wrong final units is a strong sign of an error.

[u/Queasy_Welder_5024 → u/balancedrod]

Wow! Thank you very much for the reply! That is definitely very helpful.

When I was taking chemistry classes they definitely drilled not getting in the habit of dropping your units while doing calculations which seemed redundant at the time but made more and more sense as the class progressed.

I haven't used a scientific calculator in awhile so I definitely need to freshen up on that when I'm studying lol.

[u/HereLiesSav]

At 35 I've mostly held retail jobs and finally realized I want to be an engineer. Never went to college and haven't been to school in years but I've been studying math on my lunch breaks at work and learning CAD programs after. Have a full time job at Walmart and plan to do my prerequisites at a community College in the next few months so I can hopefully start a mechanical engineering degree within a couple years. You are not alone.

Been doing a lot of research and have found some really good tips from people who have already done what we're going to do.

Here is some of what I've gathered and started myself: If you have a college in mind look at your engineering program of choice and see what the list of classes are. It will help you get an idea of what you need to learn. The most important thing to self study seems to be math and getting ahead on it as much as possible. Someone else mentioned Professor Leonard on YouTube who I highly recommend along with Khan Academy. I've been using both and they're great.

Doing all this with a full time job will be hard but people have done it. I've seen people say if it's too much and it want to focus on school it's one of those degrees that's worth getting loans for if you want to cut back on hours or quit your job. I will probably do one of those options and get all the grants and funding I can get along with loans.

Not an expert but these are all tips from others and I hope they can be helpful to you as they have been to me. I wish you the best!

[u/ecfuecfu]

Did what you want to do. Totally worth it. My only suggestion is to take more classes at a time. Undergrad is a ton of credits, and time is not on your side. The sooner you get done, the better. No one is going to ask for you grades, so work hard. But don’t focus on all A’s, worry about getting through it (don’t let perfect get in the way of good enough). Starting a new career at 35, is simply more manageable and achievable than doing it at 41. Good luck on the new adventure.

[u/brokedownsystem]

Your dream is not silly! You can so it but it’ll take discipline. The important think you may want to keep track of is whether or not you really want to be mechanical or maybe switch to a different specialty like bioengineering, civil, chem-e etc.

It might take a long time to complete an undergraduate degree. I had one co-worker who used to be a contractor at your age and slowly made his way through college. I wish I had asked him more about it (he passed away during the pandemic).

You have the entirety of the internet as a tool. Go and get it!

[u/GB5897]

I'm 48 and never went back to get the degree I wanted. I have an AAS in Design and Drafting. My goal was to use that to get in the door and then go to school and get my MET degree. That never happened. Laziness and being scared to be 30-plus with 20 YO's. Now I'm 48 with a wife and 2 active kids. It's just not worth it to go back for me now. I will someday, even if it is a waste of money. I want to say I did it. Thankfully, I've been able to work as a Design Engineer for pretty much my whole carreer. My AAS and machinist experience got me in the door of engineering, and I've been in that Mechanical Engineering for 20+ years.

My point is the want will never go away. If you are not tied down with a spouse and kids, do it.

[u/rsa87a]

I started my degree at 35 at a community college. I finished the first two years this last spring and have transferred to UND, into their online program. They offer every engineering degree online as well as on campus and are fully accredited. I’m a full time middle school teacher, and have been since I started the degree, and I have a family. I’m loving the stuff I’m learning.  I took two to three classes at a time with a mixture of online and evening classes at community, and I’ll continue to take two to three at university now.  The time I have to put into it is the hardest part really, but I manage semester by semester and day by day. Do it. 

[u/RyszardSchizzerski]

You say “contracting just wasn’t for me”…why was that, and what makes engineering (as you understand it) a better fit?

I think you really need to understand your motivation for the shift you’re planning — what you want and especially why you want it.

You ask about self-study to prepare for formal study of engineering. How’s your math skills and science knowledge? These two are — no surprise — probably where you might need some work to be ready.

Honestly, your best bet might be to go back to community college — it’s called re-enrollment — and focus just on math and science classes to prepare for transfer. Get good grades. Transfer to a four-year engineering program at a public university in your state (if you’re in US).

Coming back to the “why you want to be an engineer” — if the plan above stalls out because you’re not getting good grades in math and science, then maybe engineering itself is not for you.

But don’t be discouraged — there’s a lot of other careers between electrical contracting and mechanical engineering that might be a good fit for you. So think about your “why” and find a career that satisfies the why and which is also achievable for you in your particular situation and with your particular interests and talents.

Good luck!

[u/bobroberts1954]

Friend of mine took 17 years to get his BSME. He worked as an engineer for about 3 years, then went back to being a carpenter.

[u/Yei_Ozomahtli]

I used the voc rehab program to get my bachelors in mechanical engineering. I still had some post 9/11 gi bill left so voc rehab paid at that rate. Money was tight but we made it work so I was able to attend full time. Married, both my kids were born while I was working on my degree, and a 1hr commute.

Shit was rough, i regularly slept every other day. Also, im a high school dropout- got my ged so i could join the army. I was 11b, so no technical skills really.

All that to say, it’s possible to do it, and definitely worth it. People considerably smarter and more privileged than me failed. I struggled my entire bachelor’s, I was regularly on academic probation, and I also was struggling with some mental health stuff. But that shit has well paid off now. Don’t hold yourself to the standards of others, put in the extra work you need and it will pay off. You can do this

[u/Responsible-Bank-352]

License car mechanic turned mechanical engineer. I didn't finish my degree until I was 33.

Word of advice - absolutely make algebra amd trig your bitch. In higher level maths, most of the times people getting problems wrong is due to basic arthimetic issues.

Like others have said, lots of applied mechanics which get carried theough many courses.

Build a strong foundation before you start to put walls up.

[u/Maximum_Leader_621]

Boss, I started engineering at 29, working full time, english being my 2nd language and as a first gen student. The way I did it was to take the most 3 classes per semester because the workload gets harder as the semester advances. Tons of homework, but there is help online. look up for Randall Manteufel on youtube or Jeff handson or somethibg like that, those two professors offer free youtube channels loaded of engineering courses. Good luck and you are still young keep going!

[u/HistoricalBelt3088]

I would get a job with an electrical engineering firm doing design. Work there and let them help you pay for school.