Why is engineering so hard? Its not what you think

Welcome to my latest video where we'll be exploring the reasons why an engineering degree is notoriously challenging. As someone who has studied engineering myself, I can attest to the fact that it's not for the faint of heart. In this video, we'll be discussing the mental stamina required, the difficult schedule, and the lifestyle changes that come with pursuing an engineering degree.
Whether you're currently studying engineering, considering it as a major, or simply interested in learning more about what it takes to succeed in this field, this video is for you. So sit back, relax, and let's dive into the 3 reasons why an engineering degree is so difficult!
Link to my book - amzn.to/438Qlvy
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[@Davidutul]

Any engineer:"I've become an engineer" Random people:"What did it cost?" Any engineer:"Everything"

[@userJohnSmith]

What did you gain? Enough.

[@Bossman50.]

My brother is going to be majoring in aerospace engineering, is taking AP classes at two colleges, and has people from blue origin reaching out to him. IN 11TH GRADE! It’s worth the work.

[@Davidutul]

@@Bossman50. lucky bastard. I'm in grade 12 at the end of it and didn't do any engineering

[@jgmatp]

And now I drive a train for a living. Yes I had to say that. LOL.

[@dieglhix]

@@jgmatp you should become a doctor....... in gender sciences

[@erics9213]

As a relatively lazy high school student, I had a rude awakening when I entered engineering. What struck me is that most of the engineering students were groomed in high school and already had good discipline and mental stamina. It took me one wasted semester to get disciplined and I actually made it through. My proudest achievement.

[@blackpine6693]

Schools do a poor job of prepping students for college….there should be a course in high school about how to be successful in college……..

[@capekraken2672]

@@blackpine6693 some things in life you should be expected to be smart enough to realise you need to teach yourself, instead of being lazy and relying on school to teach you everything without any mental effort on your part

[@OcelotsRevolver1234]

This actually gives me hope. I pretty much stopped trying in my last years of HS. But hearing this actually gives me hope.

[@husamh4585]

@@blackpine6693there is a course like that, especially in California. And when you go to college, most offer multiple courses for personal growth. People are just lazy. Counselors are lazy. Students are lazy. No one wants to sit down and look at the classes offered in high school and college.

[@tbobtbob330]

I was in the lower 25% of my high school class. If I made a 71, I figured I worked a little too hard. I actually put some effort into my EE classes and started out on the Dean's List my first semester. I was doing great until I joined a fraternity. I still graduated with an average gpa.

[@jeremiahcornell4185]

as a midlife engineering student, this is spot on, you should expect to vastly rethink your lifestyle for 4-6 years for your degree. think of it like running a marathon. while running, there is nothing else you should be doing or you will never finish. don't expect you can go fishing, working on cars, or start painting while running. train ahead of time, do the run, then move on.

[@becominganengineer2271]

Fantastic analogy

[@jonathanweber9883]

Just graduated as a ME and this is exactly it. You have to shape your life around the degree, not the other way around. There’s no other way around it

[@synth1002]

How old are you

[@keizan5132]

For me, it's curious to see this is the case for most people. I never did anything this comment states and I'm already in my last year. Engineering is only applied math and science after all, it's not that deep; it's just a lot of brute force work but if you work it smartly, you'll save yourself a lot of time you'd be spending if you were just bruteforcing your way out of it. Nowadays I'm going through seven subjects while working on my thesis and I work as a French and English teacher, as the Cultural Promotor of the French Alliance of my City and all of that while sleeping properly every night and training hard, which helps maintaining my health while undergoing so much "office" work throughout the rest of the day. Don't divide your time or give up everything else in order to go through it unless you absolutely love engineering, you'll kill your spirit; especially if you hate the career as much as I do. Get smarter and faster instead, it's really easy if you bear any reasonable cunning, it just takes a lot of strength. The problem is High School generally underprepares people and most of them don't study anything further from what they see there, so their careers appear more difficult to them than they actually are.

[@JLC1987]

As a 35, about to be 36-year old engineering student, I too agree with this analogy.

[@jeffm7779]

Getting a degree in Electrical Engineering was the most difficult thing I ever did. Its also the thing I am the most proud of.

[@becominganengineer2271]

I feel this

[@togaplop]

Jeff, same! I had a quote from JFK that I wrote in my new notebooks, "We choose to do this and the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

[@ncooper8438]

Thing is, those without that level of qualification don't understand the achievement and might even criticise if you boast about it occasionally.

[@mellowrebel4618]

THE MATHS EASY I HAD MOST OF IT BEFORE 12TH GRADE!!! I TUTORED MOST OF MY CLASS. THE PAY SUCKS.I MAKE MORE AS A INSIDEWIREMAN AND HAVE 2 PENSIONS AND AN ANNUITY. MATHS SEEMS TO BE A LOST CLASS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW. MY BROTHER N LAW HAS A MASTERS AND WORKS AS A INSIDEWIREMAN.

[@theelectricprince8231]

Yep, work is so much easier than what I did in school

[@robertpenoyer9998]

I discovered that I never really learned how to study until I was studying engineering. The acquired abilities to study effectively, adapt to new ideas quickly, and quickly find information in textbooks and reference books made me a better student and a better engineer.

[@becominganengineer2271]

This was me too 100%

[@benjamindadzie9575]

What revision techniques would you recommend?

[@wepprop]

I had the exact same experience. I only learned how to study after I started dating a girl in allied medicine who studied every minute of every day except Friday night and Saturday. That's when I changed from slowly flunking out to actually learning the material.

[@benjamindadzie9575]

@@wepprop please give me revision techniques?😭😭

[@wepprop]

@@benjamindadzie9575 For test taking? I'll give you the three most important things that I learned - the hard way: 1) Finish studying early enough to get a good nights sleep. Doesn't matter what you know if your brain isn't functioning. 2) The profs _always_ tell you what is important when they're lecturing. Make sure you don't miss their clues. 3) Keep up with the classwork and assignments. Maybe you can cram a semesters worth of material in one night for a social science or humanities, but not engineering, math, or science.

[@maconaguy]

Great video! My non-engineering friends speak fondly of their college days. I do not. It was so hard. Every night (including Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays) studying my butt off. The mental fatigue was off the scales. But the sacrifice will be worth it. I've been an engineer for NASA for over 30 years now. I've had a very rewarding career and I'm so glad I never quit engineering school. So when you're feeling that fatigue and want to give up, take a short break and think about the long term reward. And then get back to it! You won't regret it.

[@becominganengineer2271]

Amen to this! I actually miss school in a way, I miss the feeling of working hard toward something big.. that being said, I’m very happy it’s over haha.

[@tomrichter244]

I have always said this too. People wax poetically about those years and all I remember is the grind of it all

[@agenolmedina9159]

"My non-engineering friends speak fondly of their college days. I do not. It was so hard. " you took the words out of my mouth; but I completed Computer Engineering :)

[@cdstoc]

Exactly the same for me, the constant grind. I was so happy to graduate.

[@richardjohnson1261]

You said it, Bro. College, as an engineering student, was not a happy time for me. But I got through it. I remember the night my classmates and I finished our last final. Some of us went uptown to a beer joint, ordered pizza (the college staple), and sat there nursing beers with the million mile stares of those who'd "been there and back". We'd all finished Engineering School. In a few days we'd graduate. We all had jobs lined up. (Most of our peers did not) But our celebration was a muted and somber time in the company of only those who knew how hard it had been. Engineers... God bless 'em.

[@richardjohnson1261]

I was fortunate enough to have a 45 year career as an engineer. Everything you've said is 100% accurate. I was not adequately prepared for engineering school... public schools. I went to an extremely good college that demanded a lot from its students, and even more from students on a professional career path. At times, the requirements seemed overwhelming. To make things more interesting, one of my professors said engineers were horrible business people, so I got a minor in business management. Even though I had extra hours, business was "a piece of cake" compared to engineering. All in all, I managed to graduate. I even eventually got a Masters in Business. I got lucky, too. I got a job with a heavy equipment manufacturer. Designing machine components and systems was very fulfilling and I learned a lot more on how to apply my knowledge. I liked it a lot. This background got me good jobs and a long career with the best manufacturers making the highest level products. I learned it's a privilege to work on the best stuff. My son asked me if I'd ever invented anything. As an engineer, someone schooled and trained to think outside the norm, I was able to tell him I'd invented several things. Patents, none. Oh well... projects and people benefited so it's all good. So, again, everything you said is 100% accurate. The schooling is hard. It takes a lot of discipline and work. And the work itself is hard. But the rewards are fulfilling and can be rewarding. I'm 67, recently retired, and proud to be able to say I was an engineer.

[@mike7gerald]

You succeeded in your engineering career and made a better world.

[@econdude3811]

I majored in Economics. For some reason Engineering majors (I don't know all of the specifics but it seemed this way) were required to take Macroeconomics classes. I still don't understand the correlation

[@sirena7116]

I also took quite a few business classes and those were soo much easier comparatively. A friend of mine who has a BSME and MSME did an MBA and she said it was cake compared to those. I agreed.

[@BrianGivensYtube]

Congrats, patents are over rated btw my professor and previous boss had a couple and it didn’t change their life.

[@richardjohnson1261]

Thanks man. I appreciate the comment. When I figured out that engineering was for helping others and not ourselves, I actually became a better engineer. Cheers

[@HyperMario64]

I think something that you did not mention is that a lot of students simply don't like engineering. They go into it because they think they have to or that's the obvious career choice. In my opinion you have to be very passionate about it, almost obsessed. I cannot understand how anyone can learn so much complex crap otherwise.

[@randomcow505]

Yep we have this issue at my university in the uk My year group is the one where the university pushed hard for foreign students because it makes 3x the money so I’d say 80% of the 150 students in my year are Indian and Pakistani From speaking to them it’s not that they don’t want to do the course it’s just that they don’t care about engineering they are just doing the degree because it’s highly regarded and there parents wanted them to do it. Pass rate for exams in previous years has always been around 80% this year it’s dropped to 40% It’s horrible for everyone, students who love it are stuck with group members who never help, and they are stuck on a career path they don’t like

[@davidbwn]

Yes true you need to have a passion for the topic not for the pay check at the end of the week.

[@ivanf.8489]

Being obsessed is a bit too much. But you have to like it, and to like the kinds of jobs you will be doing after university. But that is with all the degrees. If you don't like it, don't do it. You will not be good, you will suffer and you will regret. You like writing? Go for it. Don't be a lawyer just because it pays good money. You will be miserable.

[@nirfz]

Sense of duty / Biting through/ not giving up (the chance of a valuable job education) ? A small story to illustrate what i mean: Where i am from we have engineering schools, which (if you are good enough) take you 5 years. Usually you start at 14 and are out aged 19. I graduated one in 99'. We had 2 girls in our class of 35 at the start. Which was something rather rare. And after the 5 years we were down to 25 people in class. (the rest dropped out because they didn't pass the exams) Of these two girls, one was there because she was interested in electronics, the other one because her father was head of a girls school, and she wanted to do the opposite kind of school just because. (her own words) Which one of the 2 would you think had an easier time and passed in one go, and which one needed a second try at the final exams? Most would guess wrong. The one who just didn't want to go to a school like her father was at without much interest in electronics or engineering in the first place, was the one who made it in one go. Why? Because of her more focussed mindset. She started it, so she would finish it, and as best as she could. No halfassing around. We have a term for such behavior in my native language, but i don't know a fitting word for it in english. The other one realized early on (like most of us) that there was "way more boring calculating and few fun experiements and simple understanding of how things work" and so she did some halfassing and skipping school. (But she always avoided being bad enough to drop out) Lastely, both ladies still work in engineering to this day. (quite successfully actually)

[@karlfimm]

Electrical engineer here. This is all so true. I breezed through high school and my first year of engineering, but then crashed and burned the next year as talent wasn't enough, I really had to put the hours in - and I didn't. Had to repeat a year but finished ok in the end. Absolutely it was schedule and lifestyle issues that screwed me up, not the difficulty of the subject. This was all 40+ years ago, but I never regretted becoming an engineer.

[@stewbaka4279]

Hey sorry i just had a question about engineering jobs. How much of the job is actually applying your knowledge to situations, and how much of it is attending meetings and doing paperwork? is it the same for every engineer?

[@eb1684]

@@stewbaka4279 It is more about the ability to think clearly and deeply with a longer attention span. Typical college students today taking simple classes don't have much job opportunity, maturity or being able to concentrate for long, need immediate solutions, like on TV.

[@ryancraig2795]

Same here. Being fairly bright, nothing about high school had prepared me for the work load of 2nd year engineering. I dropped out and eventually returned to school to get a degree in computer science.

[@earthwormscrawl]

@@stewbaka4279 It's a matter of building a foundation of different topics. I need "D" to do my job, but I needed to learn "C" before I could understand "D", and I needed to learn "B" before understanding "C", etc. I no longer need to be practiced at "A" any longer, and have let my ability to do that atrophy, but I needed to know it at one time to get where I am. I couldn't do the paperwork or survive the meetings if I didn't have my knowledge base. An engineering meeting or document is nothing like the same things outside of engineering. BSEE PSU '82.

[@karlfimm]

@@stewbaka4279 Varies wildly. In my case it was 97% engineering, 3% meetings.

[@ericworm2010]

This applies to all STEM fields. 1) prep as best as you can prior to college. Take as many AP courses as you can. Start living the lifestyle as early as possible. Good study habits help tremendously. 2) When in college, eat well and sleep well. 3) Don't procrastinate. Nothing worse than trying to cram in a month of organic chemistry in less than 24 hours. 4) Find an internship in your field if at all possible. This will pay huge benefits not only in the job market but studying and discipline will improve. 5) Avoid partying. Biggest time killer of all is a 24 hangover.

[@custos3249]

Or as freedom was literally brought up and put more simply, be a good little slave. I got 2 BAs and completed a creative writing certificate at the same time before recently shifting to engineering, and _this_ shit is needlessly intense. Makes sense why engineering is one of if not the top discourse for college suicides.

[@putinsgaytwin4272]

​@@custos3249 what we're your BAs?

[@custos3249]

@@putinsgaytwin4272 *In what fields are your BAs? That was one degree leveraged. My other is dedicated to understanding research data aimed at helping you to navigate how you grapple and come to terms with your situation and limitations as a supposed conscious being.

[@xlerb2286]

Totally agree on not procrastinating. I was only ever middling good at avoiding that. And 40 years later I still occasional have one of those "it's finals and I've never been to class, I don't even know where the final is at" panic dreams. Do better than I did.

[@keizan5132]

This speaks "ew" to anyone with a brain... No wonder engineering is generally a career full of soulless pricks. Glad that I'm nearly out of it. I don't see a lot of this "mindset" in pure math nor pure physics students.

[@newhampshirelifestyle4233]

I started my Engineering education at NorthEastern in 1982. I was 22 at the time and working full-time. I really wanted to get into Computers, Technology and makes some real $$. I ended up on their co-op program and then working full-time and completing my BSEE part-time at night in Boston. This took me 9 years. I lived a Jedi like existence those years. Getting my BSEE is still the single most difficult thing I did in my life and perhaps the most valuable. The mental stamina, time spent studying and discipline were spot on. I was 31 when I finally graduated. 30+ years later as a Sr. Principle Software Engineer in the Defense Industry, I am making the most $$ ever in my life and I have more opportunities than I can count. Many roles I can do remote. I can retire soon, but unlike many people my age in their 60's, my age and experience are a huge asset! I almost wish I had another 30 years to move technology forward. Stick with it! Don't give up and let the force be with you!!

[@thanhnhannguyentran1000]

great story!

[@YourCapybaraAmigo_17yrsago]

That's a great story! I'm really happy you've had a great career. Everyone's age abc experience should be an asset, sadly ageism is a real problem today, and I'm not sure how to prevent it. But it's awesome that that's not a problem for you. I'm always thrilled to hear success stories from people.

[@LykosMenon]

I'm in my senior year of a computer science degree, expecting to finish in the fall. I started in 2012 and have been on and off as life circumstances change. I'm going to be continuing on to do a Master's, but this past term has been absolute hell. I've been doing at least one all-nighter a week, normally two, just to keep my head above the water. I'm not at the point where I can say it's the hardest thing I've ever done yet since I don't know what comes after, especially in the master's program, but as I'm closing out the Bachelor's, hearing others on this video talking about how hard it all was and how it's the hardest thing they've ever done is way more comforting than you can imagine. I'll be turning 30 right before I finish my Bachelor's, no idea on my Master's. I constantly kick myself for taking so long, feeling like I set my life behind by a decade to get to this point. I just want to say thanks for sharing your story, it has more of an effect than you'd think to hear/see others who struggled to get through would have. It's the first day of the summer term for me and already life circumstances are trying to beat me down yet again. A family member had a stroke around 12 hours ago for me and I need to stay home to take care of them instead of going to classes. Not sure what's going to happen, but I've made it this far and will make it through in the end. Even just little encouragements like yours mean a lot at this point. Thanks and keep being awesome.

[@YourCapybaraAmigo_17yrsago]

@@LykosMenon I think you're doing awesome. It took a close family member of mine nine years to finish his engineering degree because he was in a similar situation to you. I'm even older and will be heading back to school probably next year, it will be at least a few years on top of that before I'm done. Your age doesn't matter, and to me 30 years old still sounds really young lol. Life is nothing but curveballs and setbacks. Some people get lucky and only have a few and others aren't so lucky and seem to have to deal with them non-stop. It's not important when you end up finishing, just that you finish, provided it's something you still want to do.

[@micpic119]

I took computer programming at North Eastern in the mid '70s. We used state of the art punch cards back then.. HA! 🤨

[@peterwilson8039]

The most brutal two courses I ever experienced was the first year stream in engineering mechanics. Oddly enough, I wasn't a student in the class. I was the instructor.

[@theman4884]

The easiest class I ever had was Matrix Algebra. For some reason, that one class was so easy. I went to class and took notes. Most importantly, I understood everything the teacher said. I didn't do the homework until the day before the test. Then I did it all. I aced every exam. Some how there were people getting F's. In the end, different people have different aptitudes.

[@Slo-ryde]

As AI becomes more advanced ( by way of engineering), we will see that it will assume the function of most types of engineering, and relieve the burden on humans …..though it may take another 50 to 100 years to see that in full bloom!

[@peterwilson8039]

@@theman4884 It really helps if the student has seen some matrix manipulations in high school. Otherwise it's a completely new paradigm. Some people can embrace new paradigms easily. Other people find it impossible.

[@theman4884]

@@Slo-ryde They said the same thing about computers and calculators.

[@Slo-ryde]

@@theman4884 computers are tools that are programmed by people…..advanced AI will also be able to design and program computers, only better!…. AI will affect current research and development like the car affected the horse and buggy… but it will take time. Meanwhile, You will still have your job 🙂

[@squirrel2000]

Really good video: I was a working EE in industry, biomedical engineer and engineering professor until I retired. I would like to share some characteristics of people who often succeed in engineering. 1) they really enjoy trying to figure out how and why things work. 2) and going one step further, they like to figure out ways to make it better. In other words, they have creativity 3) they have a thirst for learning and could never imagine a life where they didn't think about new things every day. 4) They want a career that challenges them and don't mind that the career might intrude on their life outside normal working hours. They like having responsibility and the power to make decisions. 5) They have a love for the sciences, especially mathematics 6) Especially if thinking about electrical engineering, they have the capability to grasp abstract ideas and apply them to real world problems. 7) They truly understand that the concepts of engineering are difficult to grasp and will require a lot of time, focus, and work. They understand that they will need to give up some free time. Engineering is not the field for someone who just wants to put in 40 hours of work a week and forget about it for the remaining 128 hours per week. 8) if someone is doing their best, not goofing off, and still can't make good grades in high school, engineering might be too challenging for them. If they still want to try it, reduce the course load and accept that it might take 6 to 7 years. Now some ideas on how to succeed in your first year of engineering school. I was one of those annoying people who got straight As in high school without studying. This continued in engineering calculus and was my saving grace when I started engineering school. Calculus was a "flunk out" class and accounted for 1/3 of first year credits in EE. So having an easy A in calculus gave me the extra time to learn HOW to study. I had no clue. It was a shock to me when I got a C on my first chemistry test. In my entire life, i had never gotten anything but an A. Well, that semester I did learn proper study techniques and ended up doing well. I owe it to a study group I found who taught me all those things I should have learned early in life. So I will add a few pointers that could have helped me. 1) If you don't need to study much to get acceptable grades in high school, raise your standards. Learn to study well enough that you get As. If an A is easy, take AP classes. If that is easy, take classes at a local college while you are still in high school. If your grades are good enough they will let you do it. 2) Calculus is the most common trouble class for freshman engineering students. Engineering calculus is much more in depth and faster paced than high school calculus. Talk to your math teacher in high school and see if they will help you study engineering level calculus. Get an engineering level calculus text and study that as you are learning high school calculus. 3) Physics is another common difficult class. Physics in college relies on you knowing that engineering level calculus. So if you can manage it, read through an engineering physics text as you are learning that engineering calculus during your high school years. The goal here is not to test out of any calculus or physics in engineering school. Rather, it is just to make your transition from high school pacing and structure to the fast paced and relatively unstructured arena of college engineering. 4) so if you have done all the steps so far, you will have a little time to ease into campus life. Assuming you are starting right out of high school and staying in a dorm, arrive at college early and participate in "welcome week" Hopefully your college has an engineering dorm or an honors dorm you can get into. You don't want to be in the party dorm. 5) During the first few weeks there is typically a "club" day on a weekend. You can wander around and look for clubs for people with similar interests to yours. To stay sane, you need an interest separate from engineering. 6) Look for a study group. Freshman engineering is basically the same for all engineering majors, so you should have a lot of options. 7) Familiarize yourself with the help labs for your courses. Stop in during office hours just to say hi to your professors. You will quickly realize which ones like to teach and which ones would really prefer to just do research. Same thing with your TAs (teaching assistants). I was always surprised at how few students actually came to my office hours. I wanted more. But then again, I far preferred teaching to research. 8) if you are struggling with a concept, immediately ask for help. You will have your study group, the teaching lab, your TA, and possibly your professor. There will be someone, somewhere, who can teach the concept in the manner you need. 9) Most importantly, don't let yourself get behind by even a few days. Engineering school is fast paced and everything builds on what you should have already learned. It takes time for scientific concepts to settle in your brain. Cramming doesn't work with this type of material. 10) Learn how to be efficient at planning your time. Good study groups are fantastic (focused, no talking except when someone is quietly helping another). They keep you focused and provide help. A bad study group is worse than no study group at all. Who needs distractions during your study time. 11) plan your off time. You need some breaks -- but don't party too much. If you don't get exercise, music time, or whatever soothes your brain, you will not study efficiently. Going to college and living on campus is like a different world. Enjoy that. Real life will come soon enough. An engineering degree can open a lot of opportunities -- not just engineering. All employers know that if someone made it through engineering school; they are smart, dedicated, able to comprehend a huge amount of material, and able to use what they know to come up with elegant and cost effective solutions. This is what employers look for in most fields. If you also have the ability to communicate well with a wide variety of people, you can pretty much write your own ticket.

[@kpNov23]

Well written almost as good as the wisdom you doled out.

[@ericworm2010]

I'm a chemist that stumbled on this video. Great advice for chemists and physicists as well!

[@cristianhenriquez1355]

Very interesting advice! it's too late for me that i'm already writing my EE thesis 😑 My worst mistakes were focusing too much on the study without participating in any club/social activity and being too lonely in the process, poor schedule (with gaming to compensate disatisfaction) and being a night owl crammer... which is inefficient study. Cheers from Chile!

[@squirrel2000]

@@cristianhenriquez1355 Good luck with your thesis. It is never too late to find extracurricular interests that give you face to face time with other like minded people.

[@isaacram8]

Hello do you believe it’s possible to do this while being a collegiate athlete. If ur an excellent student?

[@pieterhuman8049]

I'm a chemical engineer and you are so right. Took me some time to adjust to the rigorous schedule required to get through the workload. It is also the most rewarding feeling when you graduate.

[@sirena7116]

Not to mention financially rewarding. Some of your non engineering mates are like, I think I can pay rent this month, and you're thinking, I can pay rent, pay off any loans, and maybe in a month or two buy a nice car/bike and save for a house. I looked at the starting salary for someone in my field and nearly choked as it was soo high! like almost 100k starting.

[@justliberty4072]

Now imagine you are an engineering student in the 1960's or 1970's at a big engineering school. The workload is about 50% higher than it is now and the professors actively try to make it difficult to survive. For many, the concepts weren't as difficult as the amount of work.

[@nostromo526]

“Professors actively try to make it difficult”, I had a professor that actual gave multiple choice exams. Only each question had 10 answers to choose from and he would figure out what all the common mistakes were in solving the problem and include them as answers. He also expected the problem to be solved in the units given. If the problem was stated in english units it had to be solved entirely in english units. You weren’t allowed to convert to metric, solve the problem and then covert the answer back to english. If given in metric it had to be solved in metric (generally not an issue). And you had to show all work even though it was multiple choice. Working out problems in slugs per furlong fortnights is a bitch.

[@christophercripps7639]

Profs do make a difference. Making it difficult as in start of first semester, soph year in first real, required engineering course, "look to yor right, look to your left; start of next semester one if you three won't be here." Being real or motivational?

[@SkyhawkSteve]

but on the plus side, there wasn't social media and youtube to distract you from studying! ;-) It was a lot of work and there were few teachers who cared whether you were picking up the material. The best professor I had was one who had spent some time teaching high school and actually cared about being a good teacher. Bless you Joe Taschetta!

[@Nope_handlesaretrash]

​@@nostromo526 that's a professor that should have been met in a dark parking lot lol

[@bbsqtlead4939]

Completed my Mech Engineering degree in the early 70s, and several professors felt it was their duty to separate the “true engineers” from the herd, and cull out the rest. In my freshman year, there were around 80 freshman engineering students. When I graduated, there were 12 in my graduating class. Yes, it was a blistering marathon, but it was also quite fun and very interesting. After a wonderful 43-year engineering career, I am now retired and am so happy that I made the early personal sacrifices required to succeed in the engineering profession.

[@chem7553]

I had family members discourage me from doing engineering myself. I think it was a good thing by them, as it prepared me for how hard things have become. I do think it is worth it. Despite all the pain, I would do it all again.

[@becominganengineer2271]

100% worth it. Seeing what you’re made of is what life is all about.

[@xlerb2286]

The one thing every good engineer I've known has in common is a pigheaded determination that they are going to do this thing. Whether that's school, some difficult project, weeding the garden, etc. Good job on being pigheaded and not letting your family talk you out of it. Every potential engineer should have people try to talk them out of it. If they succeed they likely saved you years of time and tuition as you didn't have the dedication to make it anyway. And if they fail congrats, you've overcame an instance of what is going to be a common obstacle in your career and have gained confidence in the process.

[@richardjohnson1261]

I would do it all again, and, as hard as it was, I would try to do it better.

[@cpowerdesign]

An engineering degree is very difficult. I am 40 working on getting a mechanical engineering degree. Having a wife, three kids and working full time makes it much harder. There have been many late nights studying after the kids and wife went to bed. I have thought of giving up a few times but haven't yet. Calculus I ate my lunch last fall and I had to drop the class, I plan on taking it this next fall semester. Luckily I work with engineers now that are willing to help me out if I don't understand something.

[@williambranch4283]

Never give up never surrender ... unless you are doing "underwater basket weaving"

[@jamesclark6382]

Casey! Do not give up! Do NOT give up! It will be well worth all of your hard work. It will open many doors of opportunities for you that will otherwse be closed. It will be life changing, and you can do this! I had to drop classes, also. But, God blessed me, and helped me get through all of the hard work. I speak the blessings of God to be upon you, also. That He would give you knowledge and skills in all learning and wisdom. That He would give you favor in the minds of all those with who whom you interact, and bless all the work of your hands. I speak Unprecedented Blessings to be upon your family, and that He would guide you in all your ways.

[@ShiroWretchedEggX]

Hang in there.

[@cpowerdesign]

@@jamesclark6382 thank you.

[@johnlehew8192]

Persistence is a crucial trait of an engineer. The secret is to learn 50-80% of the material before the lecture, even if you don’t make 50% at least try. Do 3 to 7 quick passes at the material versus one big cram. Seek understanding, don’t memorize. Good luck

[@carterlommel1344]

Just graduated with an ME degree and 3.3 GPA. Some helpful things would be get as many college credits in highschool as you can. Starting college with Calc 1 and 2 done was a huge time and work saver. Next biggest thing is become close friends with other engineering students. One of them is bound to understand the topic better than you and can help you. Get good at the fundamentals. If you can nail the fundamentals most other problems just have some sort of deviation so you can normally get close and if not still get partial credit hopefully. Don't stress too hard and don't force yourself to get straight A's, it will kill you. If you shoot for 85% in all your classes you'll probably get a C once in a while and nothings wrong with that

[@reubensandwich9249]

Over 20 years ago I still remember when I first started in engineering college. Dad,an engineer himself, dropped me off, said "do the best you can". It was hard, not fun at all, and for years afterward if I woke up suddenly I'd have moments of panic whether I missed a class or don't have the time to finish the work. Still have memories, one of which was going to computer lab at 9am on a Saturday with roommates, walked past a guy tell his son "there go the engineering majors".

[@Anon54387]

I remember all that time spent in the VLSI lab where we had to cram this arithmetic logic unit into this small bit of real estate.

[@daver7793]

I remember when i was an engineering student. We all had to take those stupid liberal arts classes . in those classes you can spot all the engineering students. We were the ones sitting in the back of the classroom doing calculus homework or electromagnetics homework.

[@williamkeys4051]

The panic dream you describe seems to be more common than you think. Myself and at least one friend have talked about the dream where you have a final exam that is just a few hours away and you have forgotten to study, or worse, you forgot to go to class for several weeks. I had that recurring dream for years after graduation. I figure it must be an indicator of the intense stress endured over several years of academia.

[@barbatosRev]

Spot on man. I graduated last year and still have nightmares about missing deadlines/exams or failing courses.

[@reubensandwich9249]

@@barbatosRev They'll go away. May take a few years though. I met an RPI ME grad who said it took him 6 years.

[@mj1234321]

Earning a BS in Aerospace Engineering was definitely one of the toughest things I've done. Being a broke kid with no car helped, as much as I didn't like it at the time. I think not being able to go out and party, living on campus, and having no real social life, not drinking before senior year, etc. helped me to stay alive and handle 18 credits/semester. I graduated in 4 years, though not with a stellar GPA. So it was definitely a humbling, but rewarding experience. I look at my old notes and realize I don't understand half of the math that I at least sort of understood at the time, but hey, I retained the basics at least!

[@aumelb]

Did you get the job in the industry?

[@paulchoudhury2573]

This video is spot on. The trade-off is that once you're completed your degree you'll have much better lifetime earning potential and job opportunities. Another benefit is that you'll be mentally disciplined, patient and capable of grinding out solutions to difficult problems in all aspects of your life. I'm getting ready for retirement and can say that my 40+ year ride has been well worth it.

[@cdstoc]

Same here, 42 years in the field and looking forward to retirement. I agree it was well worth it.

[@ATEC101]

So both of you never worked in the automotive industry and had to deal with bean counters, upper management or stockholders? Never had to babysit an engine at 3am with Engineers from across the world who are sleep deprived and don't speak English on the regular? I worked at SGS North America in Aurora (East Denver). Night shift to whenever testing was done.

[@paulchoudhury2573]

@@ATEC101 In the 90's I worked at an automation company that had customers in the automotive industry and I spent many days on site with working with them so I do have a sense of the issues you're talking about. Be assured that the factors you're describing are present in many different spaces and I've been through it and share some of your perspective. Good luck!

[@troutnut01]

You are absolutely correct. My girlfriend is studying to become a Chemical Engineer and all she does is study. It takes a lot of adapting, being patient and understanding on my side to keep the relationship alive. My Business Degree was a cake walk compared to what I watch her go through. I think the schools do need to back off a little, they don’t need to push so hard so that the students sacrifice their health to study. I am older than my girlfriend, and know the harmful effects that staying up all night working has on our bodies. I see the fatigue on her face, when she will come home from school and fall asleep sitting up in a chair and forget to feed her cats, … that’s a little too much. The shouldn’t have nervous breakdowns over outside issues and need prescription drugs to alter their moods, control acid reflux, and have monthly cycles knocked out of phase due to stress of the workload. They will never work that hard in the outside world, and speaking from my own degree, only 10% of what I learned in school I actually use in business. They didn’t teach how to have the interpersonal relationships and how to convince Board of Directors and Planning Departments.

[@chuckhoyle1211]

You don't want the engineer that designs the bridge you drive over every day to "have it easy" in school. It is the same reason why Med students have it so rough. You weed out the weak. Some people just can't hack it for whatever reason. To get a highly specialized advanced degree you really have to sacrifice to get it and it is totally worth it. It is kind of a "If I can get through this, I can get through anything." type situation.

[@troutnut01]

@@chuckhoyle1211 but I don’t want them to get no exercise so they become obese, develop bad eating habits, become so stressed they need to take anti-depressants, Xanax, ant-acids or Prilosec, develop hypertension, have bad interpersonal relationships with family and friends… that is just wrong. Life, as in nature, depends on balance, and my class load as a business major was insane, I watch what my girlfriend does and I wonder WTF these professors are trying to prove? Mentally breaking someone has no benefit to anyone, overloading them so that they don’t even have time to do laundry, eat or feed their cat is insanity. And it is common across all the upper level scholastic science education. I don’t want a Medical Intern that has been awake 38 hours making decisions on my healthcare, and I certainly don’t want a civil, mechanical, chemical or any other kind of engineer making choices about designs or experimenting without proper rest. Some things we are doing are just wrong. 280lb 22 year old students are proof.

[@troutnut01]

@@chuckhoyle1211 the key is you don’t make someone a doctor or engineer just because they fit a check mark on a social Justice scale. People need to do the work, but the workload needs to be reasonable. The system doesn’t “weed out the weak”. My cardiologist and endocrinologist are proof. Potentially worst medical “professionals I’ve dealt with. I know more about my condition than they do.

[@davidc2838]

@@chuckhoyle1211 It's NOT the Navy SEALS. Engineering Programs can be run better and more effectively. If you want to be an engineer, there should be classes to take in High School too. (More than Physics and Calc.) It's perfectly acceptable to make it a five year degree and a better understanding, with more internships and on the job training.

[@pcka12]

​@@chuckhoyle1211speaking as a scientist (that is both tough & counterintuitive too!) You don't actually want to create mentally ill people as a result of your 'tough' courses, my medical student then doctor wife cracked up in her mid 30s (as many do) with her biological desire to become a mother & I have had to carry that burden ever since (males also crack up but for generally different reasons).

[@robertfindley921]

Back when I was getting my Electrical Engineering degree, there were a lot of Freshmen with plans to become engineers, doctors, lawyers, etc. Most weren't willing to put in the effort and quickly changed majors or dropped out. Evenings and weekends all the classrooms in the Engineering buildings would quickly fill up with study groups, so we would walk over to the Business buildings, which would eventually fill up too. I can't think of a time I saw a business study group there. I studied 2 to 3 hours every evening, then 4 or so each weekend day. More during finals. 2 hours on, 1 hour off worked for me. When I graduated with a good GPA, I received many offers. The vast majority of the posted positions and recruiters in the placement office were for STEM and accounting. I have a PhD now and I'm near the end of my career. I will retire comfortably in my mid-50s. I've never once gone a week without a paycheck since I graduated.

[@michaelbaker2718]

I think what actually makes it so hard for some people is the fact that you can't BS your way through it and partial credit is less common. Grading is objective, meaning there is more pressure to get answers completely correct which can lead people to become discouraged from lower grades than they're otherwise used to. College courses are generally faster paced than in high school, often covering the same or more material in half the time which can make it easy to get behind. Engineering is also inherently interdisciplinary, particularly with its reliance on math and science. If you are struggling with math, for example, you will struggle with everything else. If you have mastered math, then many of the other courses become significantly simpler, as you simply need to learn the correct formulas to apply under appropriate circumstances. While I agree that anyone going to college, regardless of their focus, should make their studies and coursework their priority, I do not agree that you should have to substantially alter your schedule to make it work. As for mental stamina, if you are someone who did the bare minimum in high school to get by, then yes, you may be overwhelmed, but for any student who attempted to do well, I do not think it should be significantly more difficult or time consuming, unless of course you struggle with math and/or science, particular when it comes to physics and chemistry.

[@davidaugustofc2574]

I can confirm High School to college was a significant jump, especially in tests. The national exam for you to get in college requires you to answer 180 questions split in 2 different days plus an essay, so every single test I had and the preparation was to solve several questions ASAP, most which weren't very difficult, it was just tiring to do so many in a row. But I averaged 40 questions per hour. In college you have double the amount of time to do 4 questions, and dear God if you forget a single subject you'll likely get stuck in half of them.

[@keizan5132]

Finally a reasonable comment. Thank you.

[@trenitalia9184]

ChemE here. This is spot on. My oldest son wanted to go into engineering. I told him it was 4-5 years of difficult schooling, but it is more than that. It is a lifestyle. You have to be willing to BE an engineer. We are a strange breed, but it is nice to have us around when something breaks around the house. 😆

[@AthamAldecua]

I got a ChemE degree too. I don't miss school, I'm glad it's over!

[@PAHighlander24]

I graduated BS Mechanical Engineer in 1975. In my senior year as a group of us were studying together we discovered that none of us were honor students in high school, but had to work hard to get B's. It seems that most of the honor students dropped out of engineering during the 2nd our 3rd year. Either they weren't willing to make the effort to study when the courses became difficukt, or they didn't know how to study because their high school courses were not challenging enough that they needed to study. This is merely a general observance on our part, but there were a few exceptions. We even discussed this with one of our professors, and he agreed that our observations were indeed what he observed over his career. In college I found myself studying 5 nights till 10 or 11 plus 8 hrs Sundays, and had little time for extracurricular activities. In the long run it paid off. I had a full rewarding career in the steel industry which took me to many countries and challenges that the years of discipline prepared me well for.

[@HughCStevenson1]

I think that kids who were at 100% in school and getting A's got to engineering and had nothing left... The killer eng students mostly found school boring and got B's and had some reserve capacity when it got tough (and interesting!).

[@bobanderson6656]

I can also see kids who went to lame high schools and got good grades were really less prepared than the B students who went to top-tier high schools. I'm not an engineer and had no desire to be one, but I certainly had the experience of my classmates being better prepared for calculus, chemistry, etc.

[@Unsensitive]

The issue for me was never learning how to study in highschool, coupled with mental illness didn't leave me with enough mental fortitude. I put 2 years into engineering school, and changed direction to graduate with a different degree, only 6 months delayed luckily, and was able to get in the program writing a letter explaining the classes I took were waaay harder than what they required, despite my 2.5gpa at the time. From then on I had a 3.9. For awhile I thought my engineering schooling might have gone to waste. I now work in the medical field, regularly interacting with biomedical engineers, doctors, and physicists. I fill more of a niche/ specialist role, also bridging the gap between the groups A couple years back I studied RF antennae design, so I could better analyze the risks and advise physicians, also working part clinical and part research, co-authored around 20 papers in the past 10-15 years. I can say at this point, 2 years of engineering school was not wasted.

[@jayztoob]

The vast majority of "Honor Roll" students got there by their ability to easily memorize trivial facts, and ace the instructor's exams. The other end of the spectrum is 'Little , who sits at the rear of the classroom, gets lousy grades, aces standardized exams, and has an uncanny ability to grasp a problem and find a solution. One student memorizes things without understanding them, while the other student is forced to understand how things work because he has a lousy memory. I'm sure you can guess which type I am.

[@jennifersjunkmail5935]

The engineering classes I had the hardest time with were the one taught by ESL people who were very hard to understand. Mental flexibility is important in order to understand teachers whose dialect is very different from anything you've encountered before. Teacher quality is so important in this field, as it can be hard to pick up the concepts from books alone if you miss a class. Hopefully there are supplemental video options now that mitigate these challenges I faced almost half a century ago.

[@Slo-ryde]

As AI gets more advanced ( by way of engineering) in about 50 to 100 years, it will assume the function of doing what humans are doing now, and probably even better….. so as to relieve the heavy study burdens for most!

[@rayraycthree5784]

I had a number of esl instructors way back, foreign grad students, brutal being in those classes, especially feedback (S Plane analysis) and EMag (Maxwell's equations).

[@laulaja-7186]

Post mentions the unexpected challenge of having to understand new things through the lens of language differences. Likewise what threw me for a loop was the focus on writing- and it was nothing like being concise or accurate or clear. Instead it was about generating huge volumes of redundant paperwork. Not fun! By the way I found the ESL instructors were actually the ones most willing to help when I was having trouble.

[@thomasmorrison3279]

You are correct. We had many foreign born teachers with heavy accents that were difficult to understand. We also had professors who hated teaching. They only wanted to do their own research.

[@theelectricprince8231]

2nd year, 2nd semester of Electrical engineering nearly broke me. The merciless workload is still the most brutal experience

[@freeguy77]

I had a relative who briefly was in EE. Changed to a different major or career. I can understand why with other comments saying EE was extremely difficult.

[@cdstoc]

Totally true. You must schedule the hours to work. I remember scheduling 10 hours of homework every Saturday and every Sunday and having other majors accuse me of lying when I told them I didn't have time for some group activity. Also, don't forget to mention sleep. There was one semester when I spent more time on homework at the expense of sleep, got my worst grades ever. But, as you said, that degree in my hand was totally life changing, professionally AND personally (I met my wife, a fellow engineer, in school).

[@jkbrown5496]

Paul Graham's Dec 2019 essay 'The Lesson to Unlearn' discusses how the incentives of schooling is to get good grades, not real learning. "Good students" learn how to hack the test, i.e., learn what they need for the grade. That doesn't work in engineering as you have to understand the material as it will come back to haunt you in a later class. And engineering is rewiring the brain into problem solving which is slow and sometimes painful.

[@simonfunwithtrains1572]

As and Electronics Engineer (1977) I found that I hade to go back for another 3 years of night school to learn computer science just to move forward in my current job in R&D. Now retired, but will never regret the study, having had a very well paid and interesting career.

[@carldrogo9492]

Why did you have to go back and do Computer Science?

[@CrossForum]

Back in college I dropped out of engineering as I was more interested in the scientific discovery process rather than the application of those discoveries to real world situations that engineering is involved in. It worked well for me, although I did have to get a masters degree to get anywhere with a chemistry degree.

[@jerryfaircloth]

Truly getting an EE degree is the hardest thing by far I have ever done. I am retired now after 43 years and would also like to point out that you need to have a certain mindset to be a great engineer. If you are a person who really likes to understand how things work with boundless curiosity you have a big head start. The world desperately needs more good engineers so good luck to everyone out there on the path.

[@laulaja-7186]

Are there engineering jobs in western countries? All the engineering grads in my year just ended up in IT.

[@igotes]

I dropped out of my engineering degree and work in IT now. It's quite well paid, in high demand, fairly easy and nobody cares that I didn't complete my degree. So I can understand why an engineering graduate might choose an IT job over engineering. Engineering jobs do exist, but if you've got an engineering degree (or part of one) IT is a very tempting option for the lazy nerd.

[@juliaclaire42]

Ok. I'm wondering... My son got his Bachelor's degree in engeneering. He now is on the finishing line of his Master's. But he also managed to keep his own training in track and field, was a volunteer fire fighter and was executive of several local clubs. And his professor asked him to continue at the university and start a doctorate...

[@ChrisinOSMS]

I worked 30 hours a week while earning my BSME, I was a B student. At our class dinner, many professors were recruiting grad students. No one approached me, which was okay- I had already accepted a job offer in an industry I wanted to work. Your son sounds like he was able to balance his study/outside activities very well. You should be proud.

[@Hariesh]

Im a uni student studying physics right now and so many of these concepts reflect over to physics. Its a very tough thing that people underestimate multiple times and go do it anyway, when its probably better to do something else. btw im your 500th subscriber! love the content

[@becominganengineer2271]

Yessss!! 500!!! Haha thanks for the sub and kind words. Yes it’s really translatable to any challenging degree. Students should really prepare before the S%#+ hits the fan haha. But that’s the goal of this channel and my book. To teach kids how to avoid the mistakes so many others make.

[@SverreMunthe]

A couple of reservations: 1. I got my degree in '81. 2. I took my degree and worked in Norway. The main thing is not to fail at exams. You will probably get just as good a job as the dux being in the lower half of the class. Don't work yourself to death, it isn't worth it. I didn't open my books a single day after school was finished, not a single day. I had fun, enjoyed life, partied during weekends, and so on. The absolute most important thing, though, with studying engineering is that it has to fit you. You need to enjoy math, physics, engineering, chemistry, computers, programming, and so on. If you don't, even if you pass the exam, you'll be a disaster waiting to happen.

[@RunningMan630]

Chemical engineer here. This video is spot on, especially the comment about mental stamina. My day usually ended sometime after midnight.

[@bbsqtlead4939]

Yes, most days ended at 2 or 3 in the morning. Sleep was a rare commodity.

[@edwardduda4222]

I think a lot of comes down to how you think. I was an electrical engineering major for about 5 semester until I realized I’m not that type of smart. I spent so much time studying and practicing and was still doing poorly. Electrical/computer engineers build the tools and computer scientists use them. After switching my major to computer science, I discovered that I’m a better fit for programming than I am for hardware/circuit design. We’re all built different. Almost done with my degree with a specialization in AI and machine learning 😊😌

[@j.w.8663]

Yes. Hardware is hard.

[@peterbonucci9661]

I think there is intuition that goes with each type of engineering. Electronics just makes sense to me. Levers don't. I have a friend who understands levers and hydrolics. Electronics is just magic to them.

[@mrgalaxy396]

Ughh I hated my hardware classes so much during my Computer Engineering studies. I wanted to become a software developer and I appreciated the hardware knowledge gained in terms of how circuits and computers work. That being said, actually designing and verifying circuits? Fuuuuck that. My VLSI course was a nightmare because the coding paradigm was similar enough that I would subconsciously rely on my established software intuitions, but it required a completely different thinking approach despite the tools being similar and it was a constant clash in my head. Making things work in parallel is hard. I work as a web developer now and I'll be the first to admit it's a breeze compared to the low level stuff I did (I did enjoy it though) and even that has nothing on actually designing hardware.

[@Codyslx]

​@mrgalaxy396 I'm gonna do an eletrical and computer engineering degree. I plan to work in software but plan to tackle hardware to. Starting to think twice about whether i can handle this.

[@williambranch4283]

Went to an easy HS, definitely lacking stamina even though I took pre-science/math. I nearly flunked out the second semester! Didn't have are partying problem. Stuck to it, graduated on time, last semester was my best one. If you are going to work hard for 4 years, you might as get a degree that is worthwhile.

[@becominganengineer2271]

way to stick it out!

[@philippeterson9512]

Chemical engineer here. When I was in school, they loaded us up with so much work that there was no possible way you could do it on your own. That was done on purpose so we would learn to work in groups. Many prospective engineers, don’t have the social skills to work with others. If you could not develop those skills, you basically didn’t graduate, because you couldn’t do the work. You needed to be part of a study team.

[@minecrashinhard]

I dropped engineering after 2 semesters. I was a talented student not used to studying, and genuinely bad at it as I have ADHD. But the main thing was that I didn't want to sit at a computer, I wanted to work with machinery. I became a mechanic instead and I'm happy with it.

[@dennislyon5412]

Engineering - in the end - is teaching yourself to learn. There are times, such as Calculus, where the subject matter is not going to come naturally to you, and you really need to put in the extra time to grind through it so that you know the material to get through the tests and assignments. I found that there are lots of challenges in the first 2 years of classes, but if you push everything aside and do the work to pick up that method, the last years are much easier than the first ones.

[@nathans5773]

I definitely agree with the first comments but for me, years 1&2 were a cake walk compared to 3/4. Third year was especially brutal.

[@lgarcia67]

I am an engineer and I agree. However, I’d say that is true for many other college majors, or college in general. Many kids fail their first semester because they are not used to the dynamics of college, the self discipline it takes, and the amount of stamina it takes. In college, specially when you go away from home, you are in charge of everything in your life. You have to do your laundry, you have to feed yourself, you have to advocate for yourself, you have to figure out all this new system for yourself and also create a new social circle. In many cases also financially help yourself. Your parents are not there any more to resolve all this stuff for you. If the young adult never had to do any of that or very few, as explained in the video, people feel overwhelmed. That is when you start seeing kids drop out, kids grades completely drop, change of majors and so on. I’d say be prepare both academically and from a social and self discipline context before you go to college.

[@donsoards3356]

By far, the most important thing an engineering (or physics student) can do for success is to get their math (first-semester calculus) before taking their first engineering or physics class. I was lucky to get on a coop program two weeks out of high school and take first-semester calculus that summer. When I got into physics in the fall semester, I could understand the material. I saw many students flunk out, trying to learn the math needed for the first semester of physics. Flunking out was a big deal during the last half of the 1960s because you lost your student deferment and were drafted and probably sent to Viet Nam. When I changed to a civil engineering degree, I had 27 hours of math, and it was relatively easy to understand the engineering courses. Once again, I saw many young men struggle and fail trying to take first-semester calculus with their early engineering courses.

[@ronaldschoolcraft8654]

I earned my mechanical engineering degree in 1988 from GMI (General Motors Institute). GMI was a cooperative education from the start. We spent three months at school and three months working at a sponsoring company doing entry level engineering work. So, two quarters of school every year and two quarters of work assignments. Could not fail at either. It was also a five year program requiring the publication of an undergraduate thesis to be able to graduate. Mine was on the preliminary design of a single helical planet gear and tapered roller bearing system for an advanced 13,000 HP counter-rotating prop-fan gearbox. We covered a typical 18 week semester's material in 12 weeks. It was like drinking from a fire hose. The key to KEEPING a life outside of school was to be able to discern what was important and what wasn't. I never bought the book for some classes (the non-engineering classes that were required for a "rounded" education). I skipped classes that were just wastes of time. I still passed them all. I still found time to work on my 67 Camaro and go to the drag strip from time to time (overhauled the Turbo 350 automatic transmission after breaking it by talking a professor into letting me use one of the school's garage bays for a few days. I had all my own tools on hand). I would even travel the 300 plus miles home to work on the farm over the weekend on a fairly regular basis. I also changed rod bearings in my 74 Jeep CJ5 with 304 V8 during the first semester by lying on the floor of the school parking garage. Another first semester weekend was spent overhauling the 396 in my roommate's 69 Chevelle SS. He only lived about 30 minutes from school. I worked for fifteen years doing aerospace gas turbine engine design, then tractor transmission design as a full-time employee. 24 years ago I set out on my own as an independent consulting engineer and have been doing that ever since. So, no, I don't agree that you have to give up life to become an engineer. Part of the reason that I am one of the best engineers is because I did not give up those other things. I still build custom engines (gas and Diesel) and transmissions as well as repair heavy equipment and other machines. The mix of practical, hands-on experience and the theoretical knowledge sets me apart. I married an engineer (electrical, met her at school) and we had four children (3 boys and 1 girl). They are all adults with engineering degrees from Purdue (mechanical, biomedical, acoustical - electrical, and computer). By the way, my wife is three years older. We were married and had our first son before I graduated. How's that for life outside of school? The fact is, you are either born with what it takes to become an engineer or you are not. If you are not, you can force the issue by doing what you say and then pretending for a career designing horrible junk that doesn't work. Happens all the time. The reason that I have been able to be self-employed for 24 years is that there are so many bad engineers screwing things up that I have an endless supply of work fixing the problems they create. 90% of my business has been cleaning up messes for companies in a bind.

[@kpNov23]

A different, needed perspective from someone who is obviously a high flyer in the profession. Thank you.

[@tomeichenberg9648]

Good video. Here is my short list I got my undergraduate, and graduate degrees in Nuclear Engineering back when MTV was "new". Not everyone is cut out to succeed in STEM. 1: You can't think of an Engineering Degree as a formulaic process ending in 4 years. It is more like an apprenticeship than an academic exercise. 2: You can't think of your studies as a minimum wage, or union job: it's 60-80 hrs/week job (just like the real world). Most 19 year olds can't conceive of this. 3: You must like things more than people! If you are a "people" person, you've made a bad choice. 3a: Don't be surprised many of your co-students and faculty can display behaviors boarding on autistic because... 3b: STEM requires intense focus to achieve goals. Autistic tendencies and genius go hand in glove which is why super smart people (and their baggage) are drawn to STEM in the first place. 4: You are going to be hard pressed to find "free" time for the "other" things you used to do. It wasn't until Grad School that I figured out how to work 30-35 hours a week to keep my head above water and still have the time I needed for school / research. In other words, it takes years to figure out how to optimize your life schedule (35 years later nothing has changed). 5: Don't be afraid of the fact that you may need to take a course more than one time. Getting D's or F's goes without saying. But, there are going to be strategic things you need to master and getting a C in a class may create A LOT of problems for subsequent classes. This is totally unlike what the University, or some Departments, tell you in general. 6: Don't be shocked when you need to MASTER lots of subjects; not just a small core related to the subject of your degree. The world has changed so much in the last 35 years that most Universities and STEM departments have missed the interdisciplinary revolution of the real world. I would say the purpose of a good engineering school is not academic, but to see if you can handle all the other things that go into making it possible to succeed academically.

[@douglasstrother6584]

I couldn't get that "Money for Nothing", so Physics was my fall-back option.

[@laulaja-7186]

I do remember the eyesight being significantly worse at the end of each semester, and wondering whether there would be any usable vision left by the time I graduated. Trying to go back to that lifestyle later in life would probably guarantee multiple organ failure. But here’s hoping sooner or later academia can be less destructively integrated into highly productive life trajectories.

[@ralstonrobertson6644]

Very nice description and let me add a bit. When I entered Engineering College, right out of HS, there were 76 entering the engineering program. At the start of my Sophomore year, there were 14 of us left. I was fortunate as I was completely focused after the 1st Semester to become an engineer and I began to realize that, now in College, I could re-invent myself from my HS years. When I selected Electrical Engineering and focused in my junior year, I had just transferred to a new College and was living in a fraternity house. I had a notable work load and new competition as now everyone in class had made it to their junior year. Between all the classes, which several carried labs, I established for myself a rigorous daily schedule. The members of the fraternity, I found out, had begun to call me “Ghost” because they never saw me much - reason- I was in class, lab, gym and library daily. How long in library daily, 7PM - 12 AM ; 5 hours every day. Preparation for final exams was mentally taxing. That first semester junior year, when I took more classes than recommended by engineering, left me completely, mentally exhausted after last final. The fraternity members could never understand why I would sacrifice social life and partying. It was not until many years later, one of the folks I knew back then told me that they understood my focus after many years in the real world. The good part was I graduated with honors and a full MS Scholarship to major University on West Coast, a job in probably the most exciting electronics company of that time, with full support from management and the most amazing electronic design opportunities. I was later given a Full Work Study PhD Fellowship through Hughes Aircraft Company and went on to have a remarkable and rewarding career. Bottomline, a HS student has little understanding of the mindset necessary to be successful from day one in Engineering, regardless of specialty. I enjoyed the video.

[@squirrel2000]

Totally agree. My, much larger, engineering school had similar statistics. For every 100 freshman engineering students about 15 ended up with an engineering degree. Most switched majors before the end of the first year. Some before the second year. If they made it to the third year, they usually got the degree.

[@amandaolsen1083]

This is very useful. My son just finished his first year studying for an EE degree. He has ADHD and had to study extra hard in high school to pass his academic classes. He graduated from an art school and his music teachers are disappointed he has stopped his musical pursuits. A black belt, he drastically scaled back the time and effort he dedicates to Tae Kwon Do but still makes time to exercise which helps his mental stamina.

[@nathans5773]

@ Amanda Olsen For reference, I graduated about 4 years ago with an engineering degree. First year is a warm up for the rest of your sons degree. Second year will likely see a notable increase in work load. The jump from second year to third year is considerable. I once heard that it is common for engineering students to see their GPA drop by .5-1 as compared to years 1&2 and I believe it. Third and fourth year are more similar. At my university, many thought 3rd year was slightly harder. In my experience, engineering classes in the 3rd and 4th year are 50-100% more work than the same level classes in non-stem degrees. I can say with confidence that I had several engineering classes that required as much effort as the combined workload of the three non-engineering elective classes I had to take in my 3rd year. If your son is like most kids, he probably doesn’t want advice from his parents but I would encourage him to find tools/coping mechanisms to help him focus. In my opinion, ADHD is just a catch-all term for the way some of our brains work but it manifests differently for each person. For my ADD brain I need no distractions (no music, screen, background noise, activity in my vicinity) to best study and focus. Anything of these items can cause a distraction that can get me on a tangent and off topic for a long time. Conversely, I have a friend with intense ADHD who finds that having quiet music or a podcast playing quietly in the background helps him focus. It acts almost like white noise and helps stimulate some part of his brain so the other part can focus At least that is how he described it. It is also very helpful to avoid studying in a place where one eat/sleep/play. Studying at the library or a dedicated space in the house is a good way to train the brain that it is study time, not play time. Forming routines is also good for this. Our ADHD brains are not usually great with creating routines but they often benefit greatly once a routine is in place. In my opinion, and that of many others, one of the best thing your son can do is find good study partners. Human resources can be a huge benefit. If he doesn’t know who those people are, tell him to look for the older students. The 25+ year old engineering students are all likely to be serious about their education. Last thing I will say is if he is not already involved in the engineering clubs/groups, he should find at least one to join. Not only are they usually a ton of fun but they are hugely beneficial in other ways. They get the brain thinking in an applied engineering way, help practice career applicable skills, form good connections with faculty and other students. 3/4th year student can help give advice for managing workloads, class schedules, handling challenging teachers and classes, and just ways to succeed. Also, people in these clubs tend to be motivated and fun people who make good contacts after graduation. My University did not do a good job of advertising the engineering groups/clubs to 1/2nd year students so your son may need to ask the engineering college for information. If I could do one thing different (besides waiting until my 30’s to get a college education) it would have been to get involved earlier. Best of luck to your son.

[@amandaolsen1083]

I am humbled NathanS by your measured reply and will take it to heart. You are correct that I can't drop unsolicited advice on my son but it will be good for him to know what to expect and so that he can take steps now so he may go the distance and complete the program. Thanks for providing your insight.

[@kaizoku8087]

As a former student of the EE/CE school,there will be often semesters where the professors are either more dedicated to their million dollar research than their actual teaching job or they are going to test your will more than they’ll test your skill by going through means of testing you beyond the material discussed in class. Both situations require a 3rd and sometimes a 4th learning source. Most often,these means are barely enough or still not enough to overcome the amount of learning thrusted upon for you to thrive in the environment. This is also makes the major extremely difficult to pursue let alone graduate.

[@112358d15]

Accredited engineering programs are intentionally made more difficult than they need to be. The professional engineering associations set workload requirements for the degree to count. When I was getting my degree I tried to get the department to let me take some courses during my co-op terms to spread out the work, and they told me it wasn't allowed for this reason. Personally, I think society would be better served by letting engineering students learn the concepts at a pace which allows them to properly absorb the material without sacrificing all other aspects of their lives.

[@BUTCH0120]

I started my engineering studies in 1979. Your explanation tracks with my experience.

[@jpnasc78]

As a graduated engineer, looking back at what was my life like back in University (1997 - 2001), I must agree 100% with you. That's one of the most precise and structured explanations on the subject I've ever listened to. I've seen A+ high school students fail test after test in the first semesters because of the reasons you mentioned in your video. Some changed schedules, increased study times, stopped being cocky and caught on. Others simply continued repeating the same errors, were awful students and became mediocre to terrible engineers. In my opinion, engineering is one of the most beautiful professions: it allows you to understand things better in general, build stuff, fix stuff, change stuff but most importantly: it teaches you how to think creatively and study seriously. Good engineers know how to apply their knowledge effortlessly to solve real life problems. Excellent engineers determine and live comfortably with good compromise solutions rather than spending 100 years looking for an optimal solution that may even not exist.

[@skysurfer5cva]

This video is spot-on. I earned a BS in Civil Engineering in 1980 from one of the California State Universities, which are good mid-level schools that rank below the several University of California campuses. Civil Engineering isn't as difficult on the math side as, say, electrical or mechanical engineering, but my program required more units to graduate. I got accepted to three top engineering schools, but I was too lazy to pursue scholarships, so I stayed at home and went to the local CSU. Like quite a few of my fellow engineering students, I got through high school almost entirely on ability rather than by hard work. I put in close to the minimum amount of work required to succeed and I still graduated with a 3.9 GPA. Except for my math classes (my favorites), I hardly cracked a book. My biggest shock upon entering college was the amount of work I now had to do. Ability alone wasn't enough. In addition, I hadn't learned good study habits because I hadn't needed them (and my father was a high school science teacher and former engineer, no less). But, looking back, the work load was not at all overwhelming. It was just a lot more than what I was used to. Then, to add insult to injury, I had to work part-time during my Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years…and by part-time, I mean 30 to 35 hours/week. It was the combination of 17 or 18 units per semester plus working this much that forced me to focus, to self-teach study habits, to improve my note-taking methods, to improve my study methods, etc. I had better grades during my Freshman year (3.6), but I learned more during my last three years because I was far more focused. My final GPA was only 3.1, but I was still in the top 20% of my class. I am nearing retirement and I can say that I have been immensely satisfied with my career (well, most parts of it 🙂).

[@laulaja-7186]

For me working full time was an economic necessity and as a result the GPA ended up at 2.3. Too low for any graduate school, even in later life when I had saved up enough. That has always seemed like a systemic failure.

[@Madmun357]

I got a science degree, not engineering, but a lot of my classes were the same required as the engineering majors. I started school after having served in the USMC. I realized pretty quickly how unprepared I was. You're spot on about not trying to squeeze your degree into your lifestyle. I spent too much time with my girlfriend, but that wasn't going to work. I worked part-time. That wasn't going to work either. You have to WANT school. You can't go because someone else wants you to go, or because you feel like society nudged you that way. YOU have to want it.

[@aurilius8145]

What science degree did you get?

[@Madmun357]

@@aurilius8145 , I got a BS and an MS in geology. Had to take calculus I, II, III, a year of physics, a year of chemistry, mineralogy (another chemistry class). It was the chemistry classes that really showed me how unprepared I was.

[@damoc87]

Spot on! I finished my aerospace engineering degree 15yrs ago and still remember the intensity of it and how a fair few of the 90th percentile highschool students dropping out within the first year because they couldn't deal with the load. In saying this, I quit my career in engineering and went back and studied rehabilitation (physio/ex phys) and it was a breeze to get through. What engineering taught me was how to learn - which is what enabled me to study a new degree full time and graduating with 1st class honours while building and running a business full time

[@xaviergonzalez5828]

New automotive engineer subscriber! Math and physics principles are the most difficult parts to learn and get relationships with practical activities. But once you get it, everything will become easy and believe me, it's worthy ....... you can ask me whatever you want if you like.... nice video and channel also for experienced engineers ...

[@becominganengineer2271]

Hey thanks! I appreciate it.

[@alexbaker3547]

I'm 33 years old with a wife and 1.5 year old son, and about to graduate with a 3.5 GPA in EE. Anyone can do this, determination and planning are your best friends.

[@cayrick]

I take my hat off to you for what you have accomplished!

[@Eyrrll]

Most engineering schools are designed to specifically prevent the possibility of “anyone” doing it. And by “anyone” I mean people who qualify for the engineering program of course. Using the phrase “anyone” like you did, was pretty all-encompassing and not realistic. Only a very small percentage of people have the ability of ever being accepted into a decent engineering program, much less making it through it.

[@carldrogo9492]

@@Eyrrllhe emphasized discipline and determination. 🤷‍♂️

[@Eyrrll]

@@carldrogo9492 And those are definitely important things. But the use of “anyone” in his statement is not empirically correct (which is ironic coming from an engineer).

[@kurtdietrich3533]

You are spot on. I had the same experience as you. It took me about 2 years to get my focus and priorities straight. Carrying 18 credits every semester is a lot of hard work. And, I needed to work part time to have some spending money. I was very lucky. I worked part time in the evenings on a gas dock for boats. My boss was all for school and said I could do my homework between customers. That was a big help. Homework usually took until about 11:00 PM every day. And, I still had to do assignments on the weekends. Tough time having a girlfriend. Now, having been a civil/mechanical engineer for 40+ years, the discipline that was instilled in college was the best thing I learned there. The real engineering I learned was on the job after I finished school. One last thing - for the life of me, I do not understand how a person can pursue a civil or mechanical engineering career without some mechanical inclination. If you don't know how to do something yourself, how can you tell someone else how to do it.

[@UHmurrayClass]

I spent my first 3 years as an undergrad studying electrical engineering... only to reach my breaking point when we got to studying Maxwell's equations. Fortunately I had discovered a love for chemistry, so I switched my senior year to chemical engineering. It took another 2 years taking only upper-level chemistry and chemical engineering courses (talk about mental stamina!) but I graduated and had a successful career as a chemical engineer. But here's the secret: I learned that all engineering disciplines have a lot in common, and that the principles you learn in one area can be generally applied to others, they just use different terminology. Which probably isn't surprising given that they all rely on the same basic math and physics.

[@glasshalffull2930]

I obtained a degree in aerospace engineering and noted right off the bat that engineers needed about 15 additional hours to graduate than other degrees. Even though engineers have a few electives outside the engineering school, I wanted to take some additional business classes, art and psychology. (Basically a shame to be at a good university and just do engineering) So I ended up doing five years. (Don’t tell your advisor you plan on going five. Wait a year or so). I also picked up a few engineering courses during the summer. Overall it helped, but I missed decompressing during the vacation) Actually, even working an internship is relaxing compared to school. I also would take a full schedule and then identify the crappy class/professor and drop that class. Since I was going in the summer/five year program, this wasn’t a problem. I would ABSOLUTELY plan to get physical exercise on a routine schedule. The mind cannot be sharp if the body is not healthy. Good luck!

[@Bdubuc0401]

Great video! I want to add to one of your points on developing a schedule/lifestyle and that's that (at least me for me) professors generally assume that students are not working during school. I had A LOT of 12-20 hour assignments that got assigned over the weekend, the professors noting that "you have all weekend to do it!". I worked two 14 hour doubles on weekends as a waiter to ensure I could eat, and went a few days without meals so I wouldn't fail out of school. The time commitment really is no joke. If you have to work to survive while going to school, be aware that you might go hungry some days if you want to complete it.

[@heronimousbrapson863]

Ironically, the ancients created great works of engineering (some of which are still functional today) with what we would now call an elementary school mathematical knowledge.

[@conradmbugua9098]

@@11235but you clearly have never seen cathedrals and how they really used to work, same with pyramids

[@addisonkirtley1691]

@@11235but I think the point is that, regardless of what you have and haven’t seen, the “ancients” had a fundamental understanding of things like trigonometry to build their structures

[@ailius1520]

Yeah, well the ancients didn't have calculators. All the elementary school math had to be done by hand.

[@addisonkirtley1691]

@@11235but I thought I was responding to the guy who made the original comment saying they didn’t use anything higher than elementary grade level, not you lol

[@arndliebenberg1924]

Then again, trial and error was undoubtedly involved, and a lot of the stuff that the ancients built may have collapsed immediately. The Wasa (Swedish war ship), anyone? Don't get caught out with "survivor bias": as a rule, we only know and take notice of the ancient stuff that still stands. We do not know about the stuff that doesn't.

[@corsairman1956]

I graduated #1 in my high school class of 654. When I entered engineering school I learned very quickly that even though I was a bookworm in high school, studying for an engineering degree was a whole new ballgame. 4.5 years later, I earned my Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering degree, all while earning my Navy Officer’s Commission. WHEW!!! HOOYAH!!

[@ed_ELA]

Fantastic video. I struggled nightly . Having the mental fortitude is paramount to keep you grounded as you go through engineering school. It wears on you, lifestyle changes, and completing the program can seem endless. Everything in this video is on point.

[@rodc4334]

Wow, this is right on! I was not an engineering student, undergrad I did a double major in physics and mathematics, perhaps even harder. But I went through the same difficult process of learning to be a good student, becoming a good student. That was so helpful in making it possible to go on and get a PhD in theoretical math. Which then led to a great career as a research engineer at one of the top Engineering R&D labs in the country, now retired. It was an eye opening and difficult process as up until about junior year life was pretty easy - but eventually we all hit a wall where we can't just mail it in. I know it sounds really stupid, but the realization that there were things I actually had to work at hit me pretty hard. I thought about quitting, but decided to hit the books and become the best student I could be. Made a huge difference. And learning to work hard, and seeing the results, as a student translated into other areas of life, athletics, hobbies, parenting. I learned if I work really hard and focus for months at a time, I could do just about anything at a high level. Before I had never really done anything at a high level. Great insights.

[@alewis8765]

I agree with 100% of what you said and will indict myself for dropping out junior year. I learned a lot and wouldn't trade the knowledge for anything. Word of advice to everyone: Don't get divorced while you're in school. It takes two of life's massive difficulties and makes everything worse. But everything turned out okay and I love my career.

[@user-nv1pn8ru3t]

I agree with everything you say. There is an additional obstacle. You have to be prepared with a solid high school background in Math and Science. When you are not, you have to study even harder to over come these difficulties, and often the instructor is so over your head that you can't keep up in a lecture. I know this from personal experience. I started college as an Engineering major. I had to often make a decision between working to help support myself and studying. Despite taking some remedial courses to over come my deficits from my less than stellar High School education, I never quite caught up. Two years in, I had to change my major to Accounting. (which by comparison was easy) I went to graduate school to become a High School math teacher, which I am consider myself good at. However, not for one minute do I consider myself a mathematician. I hope that I leave my students better prepared than some of my teachers left me. I do take some responsibility for lack of preparedness, but it started with a math teacher in 9th grade that left me behind for the rest of my math courses.

[@spyeatte]

I can vouch for everything you said. I am a retired Electrical Engineer. I started unsuccessfully in 1965, failed, and ended up doing four years in the service. Came back and started again under the GI-Bill. Finished and had a successful career. The military focuses the mind...

[@mjpottertx]

I graduated as a Chem E 40 years ago. I was fortunate enough to finish 3rd of 72 Chem Es in my class. There were two main flunk out points. Guys who couldn’t handle the math due to poor high school preparation, but the big one was the guys who partied too much. After four years at my college, a 45 hour work week seemed like nothing. I no longer needed to stay up to 10:30 studying on school nights, and actually had weekends OFF!.

[@bobanderson6656]

10:30?!!!!!! My man, I majored in AGRICULTURE (about 40 years ago) and stayed up way later than 10:30 studying . LOL

[@beerster]

I flunked out of college partying. Got drafted. Ended up in Air Force in one of the hardest fields in electronics. Stopped partying, put my brain in serious learning mode focus. Went to college on GI Bill. Biology, Chemistry Bachelors, Physics minor (1976). Then went to MBA school double major Finance & Marketing (1982). Started out as Food Scientist. Soon retiring as President of a Food & Beverage production machine manufacturer after 48 years. Along the way, went to Brewmaster School, and completed commercial/instrument rated pilot license. Raised an Engineer and an Actuary by paying every penny of their education. It's called being a father and a man! Next up, Hike the AT, kayak the Mississippi source to sea, ride my bike across USA. I just need to stay focused.

[@Ou8y2k2]

I flunked out of Engineering and I stayed up until like 2AM. Yeah, I wasn't 'partying.'

[@billyoung4425]

I majored in chemical engineering nearly 60 years ago, and I worked as an Admissions Officer at an engineering school for a career. Your video is right on target. Everything you discussed is true. It was my experience all those years ago. It'll be your experience now. However, I've been grateful every single day after college for having studied engineering. The degree - and the quantitative, problem solving, and work skills you develop - will pay benefits over and over again.

[@michaelcushing3526]

Terrific video. I'm a retired PhD engineer with degrees from Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland. I had a successful, challenging career and am now enjoying a comfortable retirement. Your insights were right on the money.

[@BDBannister-Sp00MMSp]

Can’t tell you how many business, and communications, and liberal arts majors I met when going through school that made the statement, “Yeah, I used to be in Engineering…” and you can fill in the blank. I completed a BSME degree many years ago. I am a quadriplegic, without the use of my hands. I was pushed from class to class and left there. Did the homework and tests by dictating to someone else to write for me. I did it. You can do it too. Stick with it. It’s not about brilliance, it’s about persistence. It’s worth it.

[@userJohnSmith]

You my friend have game.

[@yonaguska2050]

Last year I finished a 52 year career in hardware/software engineering. For the most part the schooling was easy, because I was already self-disciplined and had the right mindset. Everything I wanted to do, I was able to do because I made the opportunities happen. You’re absolutely correct in that it takes incredible focus and dedication to become a successful engineer. But, if it’s your chosen path, you will succeed. And you will have a great feeling of accomplishment when it’s over. Even now I spend my time developing IoT projects. If it’s in your blood, you’ll never stop learning.

[@Nafeels]

Unlike a lot of my peers, I went into engineering because it was a childhood passion and was not conformed by my parents nor the society (coming from a Southeast Asian background nonetheless). Even with the hunger of learning something new I still struggle with understanding the concepts and as a result my grades suffered and required an extension just to graduate. It’s not that I don’t get it at all, but rather it would take me double, even triple the amount of time to understand compared to my less-than-enthusiastic peers. Funny thing is, I originally intended to pursue pilot as a career but my family’s poor financial status prevented me from even starting. Now I could somewhat geek out over aeronautic engineering since a lot of engineering concepts overlap in-between different branches of engineering.

[@fsae0607]

Spot on! Old ME major here, class of '07. Everything here is so true. One saving grace is that Engineering is a very close-knit group of students and faculty. It helps to have study buddies "in the trenches" with you and a great team of professors. Good luck!

[@trentonjennings9105]

I studied really hard, but I liked engineering. I especially liked math and was good at it. I never learned anything in class. The professors went too fast, and I couldn't grasp abstractions that quickly. So I studied my notes and any outside resources (library books) I could find. But I survived the gate classes and got a good job. Retired early. Now I'm working on an open source project by myself. The one thing I really learned that was a very important life skill was how to gather pertinent information quickly, analyze it, find what mattered, relationships, and assimilate it into my mind. I went to Georgia Tech, studied aerospace engineering and got out in '88. And I'm proud of it!

[@CarolynDaniels-xd3mp]

I was a student studying geophysics in the late 70's. Wasn't the brightest bulb in the line of smart ones at my college. Yet I survived... it's more are willing to do little more work, rather than partying all the time (I saw lots of fellow students do this). I made it out with my BS in the expected 4 years, as opposed to a lot a fellow classmates that took several more years, if they even finished. Just gotta be willing to do the work.

[@11chuckey]

Like anything, you have to WANT to do it. Not just feel obligated. Great engineers do great things because they have a passion for it. I’ve worked with many people who simply want the title “engineer” and they are pretty unremarkable performers to say the least.

[@johnm840]

Perfect review. Got my BSEE back in 1985. I worked while in school to pay for it and living expense as well. Study time was all the time, a good 60-70 hour week. Your always behind on what you need to do, and takes time to learn that. After school and in real world of engineering I learned I didn't learn crap. But I did learn how to learn technical material quickly. That was my skill. The school did warp my perspective on how I look at things. Still amazed as it's been so long that I still remember so much from those busy days. Maybe I did learn something.

[@db427]

Absolutely great information! It took me a couple semesters to figure it out also. Last three years were great once I did. Immediately started my masters. The discipline I developed getting my BSME made the masters almost easy. Students need to hear this!

[@jimg8296]

My experience is that you need to work nearly every waking hour in class and studying. Your free time is Sunday at noon till you fall asleep. It's a tough 4 years but rewards you with the skills to be successful for your entire career. It's totally worth the effort.

[@dekev7503]

As an Engineering Student, your IQ/ intelligence would only help you with 30% of your grade, 50% comes from hard work and 20% from luck.

[@xxskippernate409xx6]

I'm not attending school or anything, but I'm studying very hard about firearm engineering, i havent been having any trouble since two years ago. I think how much you enjoy your learning has an impact on this as well. I enjoy your videos, sir. Well done.

[@robertsteinbach7325]

To finish an engineering degree, you need to be on a mission to do it. To absolutely NEED to do it. I could not have done Computer Engineering any other way. It WAS a way of life. It WAS life. If you wanted life balance, go co-op. It kept me sane.

[@ChrisinOSMS]

I earned a business degree first, absolutely hated what I was doing with it. My wife encouraged me to head back to school for engineering. What you say is relevant to me, I wasn’t always quick to pick up the methods needed, but I focused on the end. One day it clicked and my final year, while busy, wasn’t nearly as difficult as the second and third.

[@edwardmanfredi121]

Very well put. Most of these things are not obvious when you're 17 yrs old and cause you to crash and burn......like me at that time. I was an "A" student in high school.....what a shock when I got to University and EE....oh boy !

[@carldrogo9492]

😃

[@sleepvark1]

I was a lead guitarist, played first string on both offense and defense for my local football team, and since I spoke German and went to high school in Germany, my social life was full to the brim. But I went far away to college, so my high school life got left behind and I was totally enamored with my studies. Engineering was a natural fit for me. I got a real kick out of attending my classes, wouldn’t dream of skipping any of them, and always took a good long nap before every exam. Much later in life I got a science degree. Great fun!

[@mr.lumbergh]

I earned my Mech E back in 2009 and have built a fairly good career of it, but it took several fits and starts before I was finally able to push through and get it done. What you said about the mental fortitude is absolutely spot on; that was the thing that kept me back more than anything else. It was a pretty dramatic change from high school where I basically just showed up and got A’s to college and doing pretty poorly my first couple semesters.

[@jmfa57]

I earned a chemical engineering degree back in 1980. I graduated with a 2.82 GPA, and oddly enough, I actually raised my GPA in my senior year, when I went from the doghouse to the dean's list. I think the hardest thing for me was, in high school, I was almost always the smartest kid in the class, I never needed to study, so I had NO study habits. When I got in college, surrounded by REALLY smart people, not-so-smart people who knew how to study and learn, and older Vietnam vets that didn't give a hoot about partying, they cared about getting their life in order. I almost dropped out in my junior year but was persuaded to stick it out. I must say that the senior level classes were far more interesting. In any event, I ended up doing very little actual chemical engineering in my career, instead did more project engineering, worked my way into management, got laid off in my late 40s, reinvented myself enforcing air pollution laws, and have worked my way up again. I never missed a house payment, even when laid off, and were it not for a costly divorce from a cheating wife, I would be retired now, but I will still be able to retire in a couple of years. Was it difficult? Extremely difficult! Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY. Great video, thank you!

[@renaissanceman5847]

the engineering being hard isn't just the problem... its the fact that financial degrees make more money for half the work. then when the market turns sour... the hard working engineers at the bottom are the first to get cut while upper management stays with the only risk is their golden parachutes.

[@simphiwesibusiso4474]

It's depend where you work, mining, manufacturing, engineering, firms are led by engineering graduates finance people who really earn in those companies account for 1% at best

[@davidaugustofc2574]

The best engineers never get fired, tho they're a really small percentage, if you're really dedicated to your job you become a valuable asset. Other option is to work for the government, likely never get fired.

[@rdspam]

“Squeeze in an engineering degree.” That’s funny….

[@rand49er]

I'm a degreed engineer, and I stumbled in the early going. Stamina? Schedule? Lifestyle? It takes commitment, perseverance, diversion avoidance, and faith that it will pay off. It will. I'd suggest getting a few like-minded fellow students together and form a study group to meet weekly or more often to help each other. Specialize in that part of engineering that interests you the most. For me, I wish I had gotten into sales earlier as I understand the technical aspects of what a company is trying to sell and I have good interpersonal skills. I combined my degree with an MBA. It's a great combination. Be honest. Have integrity. Be a team player. You'll go far.

[@h-therearethosethatcallmet684]

Congrats on the channel and having this video blow up in views. Having been in engineering for a quarter century, i can still remember the long nights of study and partner work. The mill grinds us but makes us something more. Modern society is built on the engineers and tradesman efforts and desire to make a better world. Go and build it my son.

[@marwanmahmoud11able]

That's very true! 🤝🏻

[@becominganengineer2271]

I thought so too!

[@jimdetry9420]

Engineers solve problems. If you don't enjoy doing that, don't even try to become an engineer. It's not hard work if you enjoy doing it.

[@pdexBigTeacher]

I reflect back on my undergrad days, and am in awe of what I accomplished. Indeed it took a few semesters to figure out the routine, but still that I did it still blows my mind. Everything you said, especially the lifestyle, I extoll to my former (middle school) students who want to pursue engineering. "You're friends will be partying; you won't be!"

[@pi-sx3mb]

I graduated 1982 with an M.E. degree. I remember pulling all-nighters something like 5 days a week just studying. On Friday nights when everyone else was partying I was hitting the library. Ultimately crossing the finish line was a surreal experience. Anyone who gets an Engineering Degree is instantly hire-able just on their demonstrated work ethic alone.

[@tankthebear]

When I went to school in late 70s to early 80s there were like close to 100 in the intro to ME course - there were 7 of us who finished.

[@SmartDave60]

Group study and tutoring. I would have not graduated without group study and tutors.

[@jbponzi1]

Totally agree. Without my study group I probably wouldn’t have finished my EE.

[@carldrogo9492]

😂

[@gregb5149]

Good advice. Fortunately, I learned my lesson in grade 10 when I almost flunked out. I got back on track and I thank the studiousness of a friend or two to keep me company in the early stages.

[@heatherharrison264]

I went through this a long time ago. Everything in this video is correct, and I can add a few details. It isn't only the engineering classes that are difficult. Some of the related classes, such as physics and math, will chew you up if you aren't prepared. The hardest classes from my engineering degree were physics classes, but then, I was enough of a masochist to take two years of physics for physics majors, which might not have been the smartest thing to do. In my day (and I don't know if this is still the case), the freshman year was spent mostly taking care of prerequisite classes, and the sophomore year was when the engineering classes really got going. These were the weed-out classes. They were taught in large lecture halls by professors who, for the most part, would rather have been doing their research than teaching undergraduates. Combine that with textbooks that, in some cases, were poorly written, and you have a recipe for disaster unless you are really good at teaching yourself how to do things. Many people washed out during this year and didn't make it to the upper division classes. Things got a little better after getting through the sophomore weed-out stage, but then, the senior project came up, and if you got onto a bad project with a bad team, your life could become very miserable. I found graduate school to be better, but some people signed up with the wrong professor and really regretted it. The risk at this stage is that you are beholden to the professor who is running your research project, and if that professor is a cantankerous jerk or is lazy and coasting toward retirement, your life will be hell. Engineers tend to be socially awkward. Combine that with the near absolute power that professors have over their students, and some toxic power dynamics can develop. I got lucky there - my professor was one of the good ones - but I saw other students suffer. Engineering is not for everyone. If you are going into it solely because you think it will lead to a high paying job, then you are going into it for the wrong reasons, and you probably won't have enough passion or persistence to make it through all the obstacles that will be in your way. Having at least a reasonable level of genuine interest in the material will help a great deal, because this is what will keep you going when things get difficult. Also, at least in my experience, work has seldom been as difficult as engineering school was, so you at least have a chance of a more pleasant life after you run this gauntlet of pain. (This may vary - if you go to work for a high stress start-up company, the pain will likely continue indefinitely, or until the company goes bust, at which point you will experience a different kind of pain.) All of this might sound discouraging, and it should be, up to a point, since it is good for prospective engineering students to know what they are getting into. However, if you have sufficient innate talent and enough passion, interest, or pure stubbornness, you can make it through this difficult process and have a rewarding career.