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Engineering Sucks

A

Alphathree33

Platinum Member
I'm in 3A (third year, first semester) Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Every semester, it's always h3ll -- cramming, badly designed exams, bell curving, low marks, low self esteem, and the rest of it.

On the one hand, I'm more than halfway through the program. Plus, I really do like hardware, software and mathematics... just not in the way they are taught/tested here at UW.

But on the other hand, I have literally felt like there was no hope on dozens of occasions. (Now being one of them.) I was a student with a 97% average in high school and I just keep getting the crap kicked out of me academically by this engineering program. It affects the rest of my life -- constantly.

So I'm faced with a choice... switch out now, perhaps to mathematics or science or philosophy or ANYTHING else... or stick it out another 2+ years in this h3ll hole.

Has anyone gone through this before?
 
Originally posted by: Alphathree33
I'm in 3A (third year, first semester) Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Every semester, it's always h3ll -- cramming, badly designed exams, bell curving, low marks, low self esteem, and the rest of it.

On the one hand, I'm more than halfway through the program. Plus, I really do like hardware, software and mathematics... just not in the way they are taught/tested here at UW.

But on the other hand, I have literally felt like there was no hope on dozens of occasions. (Now being one of them.) I was a student with a 97% average in high school and I just keep getting the crap kicked out of me academically by this engineering program. It affects the rest of my life -- constantly.

So I'm faced with a choice... switch out now, perhaps to mathematics or science or philosophy or ANYTHING else... or stick it out another 2+ years in this h3ll hole.

Has anyone gone through this before?
Click to expand...

Unless you're sure you'll enjoy something else more, I'd stick it out. Engineers are in high demand. Dealing with the stress of finding work after college is worse than the stress of doing work in college.

Of course, I didn't exactly pick an easy major in school, but it doesn't have a lot of value in looking for a job 🙁

I was a lot like you in college; I got really good HS grades but just didn't do well in college... and I don't think I'm dumb. I'm just not good at handling exams, etc, but in retrosepct, I do all of my friends math and CS hw, even though I didn't do so well in those classes in college...
 
Originally posted by: jman19
Originally posted by: Alphathree33
I'm in 3A (third year, first semester) Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Every semester, it's always h3ll -- cramming, badly designed exams, bell curving, low marks, low self esteem, and the rest of it.

On the one hand, I'm more than halfway through the program. Plus, I really do like hardware, software and mathematics... just not in the way they are taught/tested here at UW.

But on the other hand, I have literally felt like there was no hope on dozens of occasions. (Now being one of them.) I was a student with a 97% average in high school and I just keep getting the crap kicked out of me academically by this engineering program. It affects the rest of my life -- constantly.

So I'm faced with a choice... switch out now, perhaps to mathematics or science or philosophy or ANYTHING else... or stick it out another 2+ years in this h3ll hole.

Has anyone gone through this before?
Click to expand...

Unless you're sure you'll enjoy something else more, I'd stick it out. Engineers are in high demand. Dealing with the stress of finding work after college is worse than the stress of doing work in college.

Of course, I didn't exactly pick an easy major in school, but it doesn't have a lot of value in looking for a job 🙁

I was a lot like you in college; I got really good HS grades but just didn't do well in college... and I don't think I'm dumb. I'm just not good at handling exams, etc, but in retrosepct, I do all of my friends math and CS hw, even though I didn't do so well in those classes in college...
Click to expand...

Waterloo has a very good co-op program; I already have a year full time work experience with two different companies. I won't have any problems finding a job when I graduate. It's just a question of from what program I graduate.
 
No! Dont tell me this. I will be going to North Carolina State next year in their engineering program and frankly I am scared to death 🙁
 
Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
Cry me a river, no one said engineering school would be easy; you knew what you got into when you signed up.
Click to expand...

I hope you suffer a long and miserable life with no women you sorry mother f*cker
 
Stick it out man.... I went through a Mechanical Engineering program, and I've had no trouble finding jobs. ... well, finding the first one was a little difficult, but it has been easy to move around and up the pay scale now that I have some experience.
 
Stick it out. I had the same kind of doubts at one point - went as far as shopping around for another major, but after honestly looking at the choices, there was no choice.
It gets better - but it may get worse first 😛
Grad school and/or a real job rocks compared to undergrad engineering.
 
that's because you're comp.E. I'm almost done with my ME program and it's been a blast. I guess I actually enjoy this stuff. but if you hate it so hate, it's not too late to get out. Don't get stuck doing something you don't enjoy.
 
Originally posted by: Alphathree33
Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
Cry me a river, no one said engineering school would be easy; you knew what you got into when you signed up.
Click to expand...

I hope you suffer a long and miserable life with no women you sorry mother f*cker
Click to expand...
HA! Maybe you should learn to handle a couple of bruises to your ego and follow through with what you started...

I'm not worried about myself, thank you very much.
 
if you like the major but just not the program, then transfer to another school....where they teach better. but since you are 75% done, dont change now.
 
Stick it out. Don't major in something stupid.
And read my sig. EE is hell. Computer engineering in particular. But it prepares you for almost anything. You are not the first one, and you won't be the last.
Also, look at it this way. You have this semester, and maybe one more before you are on cruise control. Two semesters before graduation, you'll start looking for jobs, and hopefully have an offer before semester is over. So there is a good chance that your last two semester grades won't matter much as long as you don't completely collapse academically. So basically you have to survive one and a half semesters before there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just do it.
 
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
Sooo would you guys say Computer engineering or electrical engineering is harder?
Click to expand...
It depends on the person and on the courses you take; generally speaking though, EE is a superset of CE.

I wouldn't say one is harder than the other, but I will say that some aspects of EE are more "artistic" than CE. I had a prof that once said "Analog design is part science, part black magic".
 
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
Sooo would you guys say Computer engineering or electrical engineering is harder?
Click to expand...

Computer engineering is a subset of electrical engineering with some low level CS and discrete math thrown in.
So depending on what you do in Computer engineering, you could be more on EE or CS side of things.
If you want to be an ace in EE, and understand logical, physical, architectural, etc aspects, then it's gonna be pretty hard. If you just want to do your little part, then it won't be as hard. Most people end up specializing in their own little areas in the industry.
 
Originally posted by: Alphathree33
Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
Cry me a river, no one said engineering school would be easy; you knew what you got into when you signed up.
Click to expand...

I hope you suffer a long and miserable life with no women you sorry mother f*cker
Click to expand...

He's right though.

And college is the easiest part. It only gets harder/more stressful later.
 
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
Sooo would you guys say Computer engineering or electrical engineering is harder?
Click to expand...

they are both pretty much the same depending on University.

At my university, the first two years are common, and the last two years share common courses. The workload/course difficulty is similar tho. Last semester my EE friends had a harder time, this semester we (CE) have a harder time.
 
I have a good friend that is graduating from waterloo comp E.

I am EE/comp E as well.

if you are in your 3rd year, you might as well stick it out.
 
Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
Sooo would you guys say Computer engineering or electrical engineering is harder?
Click to expand...
It depends on the person and on the courses you take; generally speaking though, EE is a superset of CE.

I wouldn't say one is harder than the other, but I will say that some aspects of EE are more "artistic" than CE. I had a prof that once said "Analog design is part science, part black magic".
Click to expand...

Wow, that may be the best description of it I've ever heard.
 
Analog design. Ah yes.

That is one portion of EE in which you can carve out a nice niche for yourself if you are really good.

Digital sometimes seems too saturated with ideas.
 
Keep in mind that there are plenty of analog aspects to CE, and they are getting more and more important.as technology scales.
 
Originally posted by: SuperTool
Keep in mind that there are plenty of analog aspects to CE, and they are getting more and more important.as technology scales.
Click to expand...
Somewhat true, but it most cases nearly everything analog is abstarcted away from digital design otherwise things get insanely complicated.
 
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