What are the wrong reasons for majoring in engineering?

[MetalMat]

Just because you have an engineering degree does not mean you have to go into engineering. There is an advantage to having tha degree in getting certain jobs. Both of the jobs I got after I graduated in EECE have little to do with it and I am making more than starting engineers.

 

[DarkThinker]

Concerning the GPA topic, I will not assert any points, I will let you guys draw your own conclusions.
As an engineering student majoring in two engineering majors (Computer Science and Engineering & Electrical Engineering) and currently on a Co-op with a very good company in a position that is even in terms of Co-ops is very well compensated (currently I am doing R&D and I am not even graduated yet!).

I through my experiences have been able to get in to companies and places that my buddies back in engineering just couldn't get in to, don't get me wrong, they had the GPA advantage, I had the 3.0~ish level (or sometimes taking little dives there) all the time, they on the other hand had the 3.6-7-8, that I could basically just wish for.

However they didn't have the better GPA's because they were smarter than me, on the contrary I think without any bragging that I know more in my field than % 90 of my classmates through my interactions with them. However it's only because they were spending their time pounding the books, meanwhile I spend my time picking up new skills, new prog languages, experimenting with ideas, researching this and that ...etc even on my spare time, why? Because I have deep passion for what I want to become, they don't have as much, I know them, they don't spend their spare time working on fun little projects or learning anything new, they spend it chasing girls or reading Harry Pothead books.

Interview time comes, interviewer looks at my resume(I don't even have a GPA on the resume!), GPA wise I know I don't even stand a chance w.r.t to my fellow classmates, however the interviewer looks first at the skills column and it is loaded to the brim with all well diversified types of engineering skills (in both CSE and EE) the interviewer could only dream of having in an average candidate that hasn't yet graduated.

The interviewer asks me a couple of questions and I answer correctly and then the last thing you know me and him are spending 2x times the original interview time just shooting shit and laughing, discussing why this software rules while the other sucks balls , why it's much more efficient to use this controller rather than that controller, what I read in this book and what I experimented with for fun and to top it off what type of music I like playing and what electronic components it involves. At the end of the interview, the interviewer can see clearly, that had I really put my mind into it, I could have easily landed that high GPA like the others, but that's not the way I chose to spend my time in school.

Afterwards, the interviewer talks to the other candidates. Sure some might have the GPA and the skills, but in reality, many students outside their curriculum don't know jack, a smart interviewer realizes that and doesn't let the GPA fool him/her. Hence why on more than one occasion I was able to get into nice places my upper GPA fellas just couldn't get in.

Now in the real world a lot of companies hold the GPA as the holy grail of filtering candidates, you know what, I am not going to feel bad about not being able to get in to those places. If they don't want to take the time to see if I have the capability to do the job right, then I am not going to take the time to worry about it, there are lots of companies out there that appreciate a passionate student more than anything else.

Now this is not a standard case by far, but a good deal of the stuff that I have to deal with in school has nothing to do with my real professional prospects, I feel I am investing my time much better on the stuff that I really want to do and learn, rather what I am being force fed in school.

If you are an Engineering student that is suffering due to the not so fair measure by GPA, go out and prove that it doesn't really matter, for example go get some hard to get engineering certifications, take courses outside your curriculum like those offered by companies or even take some major related electives that make your experience more well rounded, pickup some skills that make you more marketable and make you stand out. Take a cup of coffee and a cigar, go out to a park, admire nature relax and think about a project you would really love to see yourself involved in, go and involve yourself in it.

Sorry for the long post, but I felt compelled that I needed to share my experience with other current / future Engineering students.
Hang in there mates

 

[HardcoreRobot]

i see no reason to not be an engineer, unless you just arent smart enough to pass the classes (then its probably not a good idea)

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
i see no reason to not be an engineer, unless you just arent smart enough to pass the classes (then its probably not a good idea)

What if you don't enjoy engineering?

I could have handled engineering (ok, I did CS, which is close I suppose), but I had no desire to BE an engineer.

 

[bonkers325]

the wrong reasons are for money and because you like math/science. you wont get much money until u are professionally licensed and depending on your position at your firm, there might not be much math/science involved either. engineering is applied science that is regulated by codes and guidelines - for the most part, you're going to be following a handbook of some kind.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: bonkers325
the wrong reasons are for money and because you like math/science. you wont get much money until u are professionally licensed and depending on your position at your firm, there might not be much math/science involved either. engineering is applied science that is regulated by codes and guidelines - for the most part, you're going to be following a handbook of some kind.

Not all types of engineering require a PE. In fact, I would guess that more don't than do. Based on the rest of your post, it sounds like you are referring more to civil engineering than anything else. Not every type of engineering has to follow any sort of regulation, codes, or guidelines, except those that might be put in place by the company itself.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: thepd7

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: thepd7
And in MY experience, engineers that graduate with less than a 3.0 don't get jobs, so those with less than a 3.0 normally drop out of engineering (business was the popular one at UTD) or do something else that doesn't use their degree. And yes they are more successful because they choose an easier program 9 times out of 10. I have never met a sub-par engineering student that actually become an engineer.

I hate to disagree sir, but a good friend of mine just graduated from biomed engineering (which is a pretty tough market for entry level BS graduates) and he got a job with one of the larger biomed firms.

I've said it plenty of times before on AT, but it is my belief, and personal experience, that grades != ability in the real world.

You're just disagreeing with me so I will be rough on you later.

Oh and what was his/her GPA? Did he/she have an internship?

Oh and I COMPLETELY agree grades have almost nothing to do with competency, problem is you can't talk to every candidate, you have to weed them out somehow. At least in my market (Dallas) that means <3.0 and you often won't get a call. Hell I have a 3.6 and I didn't get a call for months.

He had about a 2.7. Yes, he had internships - that's what my school was all about.

i didnt put my GPA on my resume, wasent bad, In major was a 3.4 (physics) total was a 3.0, i didnt do a single physics or engineering intership, hell i didnt do any interships for anything

took me aprox 1 month to find a job in this field, great company and all that, they called me, resume was on CB or monster i cant remember which

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
i see no reason to not be an engineer, unless you just arent smart enough to pass the classes (then its probably not a good idea)

What if you don't enjoy engineering?

I could have handled engineering (ok, I did CS, which is close I suppose), but I had no desire to BE an engineer.

what else is out there to do? again, I would rather work in my own cubicle, rather than, say, having to write articles or sell cars. I wouldnt mind doing physical work, but it is my understanding those jobs certainly dont pay you as much. I agree with those who say work is called work because you get paid for it. Money probably should not be the sole reason to choose a job; it definitely is the driving motivation to work at all, however (ok, for some us anyway).

 

[TecHNooB]

I'm doing engineering because I like computers That's what it was at first anyways..

I find it satisfying to figure the 'hard stuff' out so that's what drives me. That and all the talk about free engineering samples... need to get in on this

 

[polarmystery]

Originally posted by: Semidevil
1. dont choose (for example) computer engineering just because you like to build computers. engineering is not about building computers.

2. some people choose engineering because their parents 'encouraged' them to(so the parents can impress their friends).

I really wish someone would have told me about #1 after I graduated with an EE degree. You are incredibly correct I want to cry every time I come into work...

should have done MIS...*sigh*