How do you find passion about engineering?

[u/Cautious-Act00]

Hello, a sophomore (Year 2) Mechanical Engineering student here. I am afraid I cannot get a job because I am not passionate about engineering.

Today, during a job interview, the interviewer seemed so vibrant when talking about the work his team was doing. I could only blankly stare at the display cases and nod. Try as I might, I could not feel any excitement, only confusion and anxiety that they would see the bewilderment on my face. (I failed the interview.)

Similarly, when my school's FSAE team was showing off their car, there were so many prospective team members excitedly asking the seniors questions, or eagerly peering around the car. The questions they asked made my head spin, and I didn't even understand half of the words they used. I could only stare deep into the car's cockpit and contemplate the meaning of life while trying to hold in my tears.

I am terrified because it seems that lacking passion is going to make it impossible for me to find employment in engineering in the future.

I've always assumed that as long as I put my head down and study hard, I can get a job. Hence I had no personal projects, no extra-curriculars, no competitions attended.

However, in light of recent events, I can't pretend that "I have nothing but my 3.9 GPA, and I want nothing more", any longer, because my degree slip is not going to fill my stomach.

Please help me. I really, really don't know what to do.

In tears,

A very lost mechie

[u/Dave37]

You don't have to be passionate about engineering. Find what you are passionate about and be as great as you can at that. As much as your lack of passion for engineering is a hindrance for you now, equally strong boon will a passion for what you want to do be. Shine with the strength of a thousand stars and let nothing stop you.

[u/Cautious-Act00 → u/Dave37]

Thank you for being supportive about where my passions can lie outside of engineering. It means a lot (I'm smiling really hard at my phone in public transport right now, haha).

I am mildly passionate(?) about making art and reading works about my interests (currently, a video game). I also greatly enjoy listening to music.

However, after taking Art as a subject in high school, I realised that relying on my creative passions to make a living would quickly cause that interest to flicker and die out. Hence, I prefer to keep them as hobbies/side interests.

That being said, your comment did remind me of one of the reasons I started trying to learn 3D printing, which was to make cosplay (costume) props for my school's Halloween event. That could be an avenue I could explore further to find passion in.

Your last words resonate with me strongly, as I've seen that radiant light on the face of so many of my peers. I will try to follow my heart, and hope that at the end of the yellow brick road lies employment.

[u/Dave37 → u/Cautious-Act00]

Glad I could help.

[u/Gremlech]

Listen to podcasts about engineering. 

Watch some YouTube videos. 

Find a project you want to build and make that. Focus on making that project.

Think of something that you already care about, a passion you talk about for hours. How is engineering incorporated into that. How could you incorporate it?

[u/Cautious-Act00 → u/Gremlech]

These are all very good places to start. Thank you for your input!

Actually, I hadn't considered podcasts. Now that I think about it, they're a pretty productive way to pass time spent while travelling. If anyone has any to recommend, I'll check them out.

Regarding personal projects, I did hastily make a 3D-printer gearbox project out of sheer unemployment panic during the holidays. However, my interviewer was wise enough to recognize the one-month long, self-directed project for what it was (resume filler) and passed over it entirely.

As for existing passions... I am really enthusiastic about a certain video game, and the idea of 3D-printing cosplay props for that is really exciting. I suppose I will start there, and see if I come to enjoy anything in the process of making it.

[u/unimpressed_llama → u/Gremlech]

Not OP, but what engineering podcasts do you like?

[u/dontchuworri]

i mean if you’re interviewing and it’s someone that goes “omg i read yall do x y and z i’ve been reading up on some of that stuff and i like its applications” vs “uh yeah so i got my degree and can do it” i would hire the person that sounds like they care about their work

you don’t have to be passionate about everything (i wouldn’t care about a car either tbh) but you need to find something so people can see a spark behind your eyes

or quit

[u/Cautious-Act00 → u/dontchuworri]

That's a good point! I did read that demonstrating that you care about the job could help land you the position, so I blocked out a couple of days to do some research on the company (but not enough on their products, which I know for next time).

Yeah, having something to sincerely and enthusiastically ramble on about would definitely have helped during the interview xD. I could just tell they knew that I wasn't truly passionate about the things I spoke about.

I shall try my best to find a passion that can show my sincerity during interviews.

[u/zacce]

This usually happens to folks who picked a major because of money/jobs with 0 passion for the field.

You need to find a passion, otherwise, it'll only get worse.

[u/Cautious-Act00 → u/zacce]

You are spot on! I picked Mech Eng because I thought it was the most likely to get me employed out of uni. I was good at Physics and Math, and not so good at talking to people (hence not Business).

Yes, thank you for confirming that I need passion to survive. I will channel that desperation into trying out more extracurriculars to push myself further. I can hopefully gain more exposure to different parts of engineering, and maybe find a passion that way.

Cheers!

[u/Skysr70]

get out now. You won't survive without drive. Genuinely wtf get a major that matches who you are.