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[quote=jobaba;30515083have enough time to do the program in earnest.[/QUOTE]
This is one point that I would like to stress to the OP. My Civil Engineering degree was very difficult but also very time consuming. Plan on spending about 4 hours outside of class for each credit hour taken.
One Fluid Mechanics problem might take 1 hour to complete the first time you do it. Multiply that times 8 or 9 for each problem on your homework and you've got one assignment that could take anywhere from 8 to 9 hours.
You will be in your room or at the library working problems while your roommates who are business majors are out partying.
Look at some Mech Eng jobs on Monster and they already demand skills and experience in sheet metal, castings, and plastic design. - Hard to get to be a top notch Mech Design Eng.
And some classes in college - you can't help failing. The Differential Equations class I took at UIUC was taught by a terrible teacher who also used a terrible book. Those who did great self taught on a better book they found or had access to past homeworks and tests [they cheated, like many FRAT people did]. I failed the class because I didn't understand his lectures, the book was useless, and I missed a test because of a fight with a roommate and he didn't let me makeup the test. I was later taught Differential Equations WAY BETTER and with complete understanding at Wright College community college. They had a great book and teacher, so a top notch college doesn't guarantee top notch schooling. The first 2 years are more like "weed out" classes; take these classes at a community college instead and save on tuition + you'll get friendlier teachers.
And a Mech Eng degree today doesn't even guarantee you a good career. There are homeless or low wage workers with a Mech Eng degree that just couldn't make it happen.
If you fail a prereq for engineering twice, then you should either change majors or drop out of school until you are more mature/have enough time to do the program in earnest.
To be honest, if you fail any course once, it's pretty bad.
I mean, really despite what people say, it's really easy to get an engineering degree.
You put in zero effort and fail Calc II, take it over the summer and put in a little more, pass with a C, fail MultiV Calc, take that over the summer, pass with a D, and so on, and so on. Graduate with a 2.0 in 5 years.
Someone could get an engineering degree from all but the top engineering schools in this fashion.
D is not a passing grade.
Last edited by spotlesseden; 07-16-2013 at 02:54 PM..
taught by a terrible teacher who also used a terrible book. Those who did great self taught on a better book......taught Differential Equations WAY BETTER and with complete understanding at Wright College community college.......The first 2 years are more like "weed out" classes; take these classes at a community college instead and save on tuition + you'll get friendlier teachers.
These are other points the OP should consider. Most Engineering and high level math courses are taught by foreigners that have only a cursory understanding of the English language so plan on teaching yourself out of the book because about 50% of your teachers will be useless.
Take as many classes at community college as you can. The tuition is cheaper, the teachers are more personable and enjoy teaching and, most importantly, you leave the class with a much better understanding of the course material than those at four year colleges.
I strongly disagree with what Jesse69 said about Mechanical Engineers being "homeless". That's just nonsense. Even in this harsh economic climate a Mechanical Engineering degree is valuable. It might take you a while, maybe even a year, to catch on at a good company but it will happen.
I do agree that it is tough out there right now though. I graduated in 05' with BSCE, passed the PE in 11' but my resume on Monster does not garner the attention that it used to get in 05' even though I was still an E.I.T. at the time.
About homeless Mech Engrs - I was reading a Chicago Tribune article about a homeless man and it said he had a Mech Eng degree. I could have been homeless too now being nearly 5 years unemployed but I survive because of my parents and my SSDI. There is a youtube video I think by Peter Schafer or so and he interviewed people working in New Orleans, - some bicycle taxi drivers he interviewed have Mech Eng degrees.
These are other points the OP should consider. Most Engineering and high level math courses are taught by foreigners that have only a cursory understanding of the English language so plan on teaching yourself out of the book because about 50% of your teachers will be useless.
Take as many classes at community college as you can. The tuition is cheaper, the teachers are more personable and enjoy teaching and, most importantly, you leave the class with a much better understanding of the course material than those at four year colleges.
I strongly disagree with what Jesse69 said about Mechanical Engineers being "homeless". That's just nonsense. Even in this harsh economic climate a Mechanical Engineering degree is valuable. It might take you a while, maybe even a year, to catch on at a good company but it will happen.
I do agree that it is tough out there right now though. I graduated in 05' with BSCE, passed the PE in 11' but my resume on Monster does not garner the attention that it used to get in 05' even though I was still an E.I.T. at the time.
So...paragraph one is a result of your advice in paragraph two. I understand that not everyone can get in or afford a top tier engineering school, but I have two degrees in EE, and the only foreign professors I had, had no problem with teaching material. Yes, you have to learn from the book, but that's sort of how engineering is for the best engineers...you don't go to college to be taught, you go, to learn how to learn.
When you're ten years out (like I am, and you almost are), you should be able to confidently say..there is very little, given enough time and books, that I can't figure out.
You might be an Engineer if:
-you have no life and can prove it mathematically
-you know vector calculus but cant remember how to do long division
-you've actually used every single function on your graphing calculator
-it is sunny and 75 degrees outside and you are indoors working on a computer
-you laugh at jokes about mathematicians
-you cant remember whats behind the door in the science building that says "Exit"
-you are completely addicted to caffeine
-you consider any non-science course "easy".
-you'll assume that a horse is a sphere to make the math easier
-you make a hard copy of this list and post it on your door
You might be an Engineer if:
-you have no life and can prove it mathematically
-you know vector calculus but cant remember how to do long division
-you've actually used every single function on your graphing calculator
-it is sunny and 75 degrees outside and you are indoors working on a computer
-you laugh at jokes about mathematicians
-you cant remember whats behind the door in the science building that says "Exit"
-you are completely addicted to caffeine
-you consider any non-science course "easy".
-you'll assume that a horse is a sphere to make the math easier
-you make a hard copy of this list and post it on your door
Ah, that second to last one...
Still remember one of my odder professors instructing his class to "pretend his head was a 3-dimensional object" to make the math easier... yep!
Mechanical engineer here. To succeed in engineering, you to need to be good at: problem solving, math, and science. You also need to be very motivated and able to push yourself since the classes are generally very tough and instruction is often sub-par since the TA's do the teaching and many only know English as a second language at best.
It's not easy, but if you succeed at it and get the degree, you stand a good chance of getting a nice job after graduation, even these days... later, down the road when you get "old" is a different story, however... but that's true in most fields.
later, down the road when you get "old" is a different story, however... but that's true in most fields.
Good luck.
Perhaps it depends on the area, but I'm not noticing any weeding out of the older generation within my network. Every engineer I know over 50 has easily found work and moved around to jobs. He'll my boss is 62 and nobody would dare get rid of him. Massachusetts weathered the recession very well. We've been hiring new engineers steadily and lost quite a bit to competition.
Most of the older guys do however make the jump to management or consulting. Seems like that's where the money is these days. You can make good money as a ME...but being a manager gets you very good perks.
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