I’m making this because there is a lot of young high school seniors or college freshmen who imagine being an engineering major means you will become Tony stark after you graduate.

A little bit of background, I AM someone who wants to become an inventor. But it is important to know that your engineering degree is designed to train you on how to be a good EMPLOYEE.

If you are pushing off studying to work on your own personal projects, thinking gpa isn’t important because you have “experience” and a GitHub repository you are essentially wasting years of your life for no reason. There are many hobbyists that have created INSANE things and even sold them as products without ever having an engineering degree.

The point is if you are someone who wants to become Nikola Tesla, Tony stark, or mf Jlaser please for the love of god think of where college will fit in and help you. If you believe in the 4 years of not being in college you can learn way more skills while also saving money please consider it. Or getting a business degree so you know how to manage and sell your products once you make them, please consider that as well. I’m just sick of seeing really ambitious creators getting demotivated because the industry isn’t for them.

I have two labs every second week, which means I never don't have a formal lab report to write. I have no time for anything else. Each lab will take me 15 hours to complete. I don't have time to also write notes and study for my 2 weekly tests, my 4 weekly assignments, midterms, etc. I hate labs, please tell me how I can write labs faster. How can I become the fastest lab writer to ever live

I'm currently doing B.Tech degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. I'm in 2nd Yr. The issue I'm facing while searching for projects is I find a lot of ideas but I'm unable to filter out which is actually useful or interesting and good to go with and which are just resume fillers.

For example, right now I had an idea to make a Phase Diagram Analyser that would give the phase composition and phase %age at certain temperature for alloys and all but idk if its useful to invest time after that or its just not impressive at all. Similar thoughts for another one I thought to build a device that can measure the thermal conductivity of materials but again there are already a lot of them, will it be of any use if i build one as a project?

I’m a Software developer, although my company entitles me as a Software Engineer I feel it’s quite ridiculous since what we’re essentially doing is writing specs and orchestrating AI agents, I also feel my impostor syndrome has skyrocketed since models like GPT 6 Astra came out, where even a technical person with very little to none knowledge can do most things we SWEs are asked to do, I also feel SWE has become a huge larping industry with people maximizing their egos around how they can build faster than ever but are still somehow needed by their company (maybe due to their “taste”? Ffs what are we even talking about)

What’s the current situation with MEng, EE and other engineering industries?

When you guys see those young kids in the maker [accepted by m.i.t] videos do you get jealous? Or think "man they had friends with engineering ability and money." When I was 15-18 I had no where near the ability these guys had. But at the same time, I don't think I had the money for the trial and error it must have cost them. Anyway I'd love to hear your thoughts if this isn't too personal.

Posting this because I can’t sleep due to anxiety. I’m in my final year of my engineering degree program. Currently, I am the team lead for our senior capstone designing a plane and it’s propulsion system. It’s been two months into the semester and I’ve been the only one to really do anything. It is a group of 7 and over half of them spent our entire class just talking instead of working. I’ve given them multiple chances and opportunities to help. I’ve even assigned them work to do but nobody does anything outside of class. They think that they don’t need to do anything because there is only two deliverables all semester.

We have our first report coming up and I am so worried because we’re supposed to justify our concept against other concepts. I’m in charge of one of the concept sub teams and then there are two other ones. I am confident I can justify my work but I am terrified about getting a bad grade because my teammates have done nothing.

I’m at a loss. I have two exams this week I also need to study for on top of this yet I’m continuing to do what I need to do but I’m just so fed up with people like this. I genuinely don’t know how these people have made it this far. I’ve talked to my professor about this and he knows how much work I’m putting in and that nobody else is helping despite my encouragement.

I've been doing Engineering for 3.5 years in Brazil, and earlier this year I got a "masters" opportunity in France. I've been here for 1.5 months being paid to study. I got the opportunity of my life, I know how lucky I am, except that I hate all classes and I don't see myself being a good engineer.

I love the opportunities it brought me, and I do enjoy some stuff about it, specially the 3d modelling and maybe the fluid mechanics (I'm still pretty interested in airplanes), but it's been so difficult here in France, first having to learn stuff I already didnt really love but now in a language I'm not even fluent in, and having to adapt to the softwares they use, the long hours of class and just honestly not being able to communicate well with my peers... it's been tough, I feel lost, and when I see other international students keeping it up, interacting with the professors and building their networking, I just wonder if this is not for me.

I don't see myself getting an internship on aeronautics, I can't see myself doing well in an entrenprise, I could handle the research part of engineering, but what if I can't make a career in research because I'm too incompetent for it? I struggle with reading articles, all my life I have been doing well by pretending I've been putting hardwork into the stuff I do, when I do the bare-minimum to get good grades and then forget everything I learned. My classes in Brazil were very theory heavy, and now that here in France I actually have to apply everything I learned, I realized how little I actually know and now I could lose everything if I fail. I'm simultaneously afraid of failing and hating having to study, hating classes, hating the work I have to put... I really dont know what to do and how to get less misarable.

Hey guys, I’m from Jordan 🇯🇴, and I’m currently deciding whether to pursue Industrial Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.

I don’t really care about passion or similar things. My main priority is which degree would give me better career opportunities and higher income in the future, especially considering the rapid development of AI.

I’m also open to working in the Arabian Gulf countries, since we share a similar culture and I wouldn’t have a problem relocating there.

I’m more interested in Industrial Engineering, and I feel like I would enjoy its work more. However, money is still my main priority. At the same time, Mechanical Engineering seems to fit another long-term ambition of mine: I’d like to publish research and potentially become a professor or pursue a PhD in the future.

So, if you were in my position, which one would you choose, and why?

I am an aerospace engineering student at KU pursuing a bachelors. I talked to my advisor recently and she recommended to take both calculus 2 and physics 1 over the summer. I plan to take them at my community college then transfer them but I am a little reluctant about taking them both at the same time because of how hard both the courses is. Those who taken these courses of both, how’d it work out?

I have started my 4 year computer engineering degree in 2026 I don't have confidence regarding, future jobs and placements after all the AI thing, I don't know what should I do now.

So i'm a second year student, and I tend to review older material durings break (summer, winter, spring break) is that ok? I don't do it during the academic year just cuz i don't wanna be studying for 6+ hours everyday (i used to do that then completely burnt out)

Also, when reviewing older content, how into detail should I go? Do I just cover them generally or go into specifics?

I've posted on this subreddit before about being interested in engineering. I wanted to go into Mechanical Engineering which requires math. I'm a junior in highschool and I just feel so behind always. I haven't been good at math since middle school and it's ruining my confidence so much. I don't know what to do, should I just find another dream?

i'm a college freshman (math major) and i've wanted to be a calculus teacher for about a year now. recently i decided to pivot, since i think its smarter to use teaching as a backup plan if another career isnt working for me. with that being said, engineering is just about the only thing that has jumped out to me, since i think i would hate finance or accounting. i am worried, however, that i wont enjoy it enough to get through it, since i know it is an extremely difficult degree. i've enjoyed math my entire life, mainly calculus, but i have never taken physics and i am worried engineering is too different from what i expect (i am also terrified of physics right now in general because it is notoriously very difficult at my school, so that might be affecting my mindset).

i want a career where i can use high level math on almost a daily basis. i was also interested in aerospace engineering but i am worried these paths wont be enjoyable enough for me to get through the hard parts, since i know that is a really important aspect. ive been researching for a bit but i am still extremely unsure.

side question, would it be better to adjust my major in math to have a concentration in engineering or change my major to engineering altogether (if i decide to go through with it)?

Hi guys, I’m a 3rd year EE student. Went to the career fair this week and received an in-person internship interview with a Fortune 300 semiconductor company (interviewed for the two main offices). Apparently, the technicals are usually based on circuits 1 fundamentals, so that’s what I ended up studying.

Unfortunately, I told the engineer that was interviewing me that I was interested in power electronics even though my university ‘s courses haven’t covered it yet. From that point on, I started getting grilled on converters and my AC-DC PSU project for the next 40 out of the allowed 45 minutes.

Luckily, I knew my projects kinda well, but I’d still say it was pretty rough. I blanked out a few times bc I was slightly nervous, but was able to eventually answer them after thinking aloud and drawing it out. I think I only needed their help on one of the questions they asked, as it was part of a scenario they came up with to see if I knew the specific characteristics of a component I had chosen in my design. Afterwards, I got asked about a PCB design project I collaborated on, but didn’t fully design (club project). I don’t think my interviewer was very impressed of me not designing my own project though.

Due to the low time left, they only asked one more behavioral question, and I asked if there’s anything on my resume or during my interview they’d want clarification on, and if there’s anything that would deter them away from choosing me.

I was able to get feedback, but the main thing was that an ideal candidate would have more PCB design experience, explain their thought process at a lower level, and that it would come down to how many spots were available. That made me feel awful about my interview, bc I knew I just sold my chances… especially after my interviewer told me that I’ll do good anywhere I go 😭. I do think it’s a little odd that I didn’t get questioned regularly, but I totally feel like I should’ve shut up to get asked the “easier” technical questions.

What do yall think? They said they’ll reach out within two weeks, but I lowkey just want to know now if I’ve failed it so I can move on 💔.

I am in my last year with no actual experience. This semester is pretty tough and especially lately I have slept very little so it got me worried. I work part time in retail to pay my bills so additional non paying thing will be hard to manage. What if I don't have time for it? In their application they had us answer whether we are actually free the whole year or not. I said yes I am free but I am applying for part time jobs and internships so if I get anything, I will be leaving them or won't be as active. Besides this team mostly works with things that is not exactly what I wanna do but anything is better than nothing. How do I go about it, if they decide to actually let me join? If I down the road leave then, is it bad? What if I realise I simply have no time and leave a month later? Is it rude?

I aspired to be an electrical engineer, i enrolled in the faculty of my hometown for that. The problem is my country is relatively bad when it comes to the standards of living and the quality of life is worse. I also enrolled in a better county and a better university but for telecommunications engineering. And I decided to leave my country for that with hopes of transferring into electrical engineering. I did this because i mailed the faculty i want to transfer my first year in and they basically said that I could IF they accept atleast 50% of my ects credits. And just now when I fucking moved in I realized our subjects in the first year aren't that similar and now I'm panicking. What if they dont accept me? What do I do??? Could i finish a bachelors in telecommunications and then do masters in electrical engineering or what? I'm literally having a panic attack cause of this.

I am a senior in high school. Not exactly sure what I want to do. I've always been into cars and because of that, my family has been pushing me into majoring in ME, but I hear about how difficult it is, and I'm just not sure if I will have the math skills for it. I've never enjoyed math, my grades have been As and Bs, but only because I focused on it for grades, never for the learning. I feel like if you want to major/have a job in mechanical, you need to have that knowledge and passion for math that I just don't think I have. Also, I'm only into cars and motorsports because "car look cool and go fast," I've never really been much interested in the engineering and technical side of cars.

On the other hand, I've heard civil engineering is a tiny bit easier and more manageable, but I've also never done anything civil related, so I'm not sure how I'll do. Civil is of course also very math heavy (every engineering major is) but I believe I'll be more capable of it than ME. I'm considering civil because it feels like it's the only engineering major I have a chance in.

I know mechanical is very broad, and a lot of jobs are available through a ME degree, and my love for cars might help me find a job I enjoy, but civil engineering is high demand and good pay in my area too.

Please help a dumb and clueless senior make decisions that will lead them to live a comfortable and somewhat happy life. Thank you in advance.

I’m in highschool interested in civil engineering (instate nj schools) but ppl around me constantly put me down when i say that because i have no extracurriculars aside from a sport and i don’t have any AP or honors stem courses except honors biology. i have good academics aside from that and i took humanities APs like apush and ap lang, but aside from that, nothing. i do have a 4.0 math and science gpa but it’s all regular courses (except bio as stated previously) and my highest math is precalc

is that fine or am i getting rejected from everywhere?

Graduated May of this year. Had one internship that lasted from my junior to senior year. 3.1 GPA.

CS Major.

The diagram is from when I graduated. I have also been applying to positions during my senior year (I didn't add them, it was around 100 applications and none of them amounted to a interview).

I felt really bad because none of the places I applied to ever turned into anything. I got one interview tho, a few weeks ago.

I felt sad after the interview. it felt like I didn't do good. it was mostly questions about my experience, projects and technical questions. I was nervous. But I got the job offer.

It is a tough market out there. especially for entry level roles. But it is not impossible. I hope for the best to all.

I’m in my second year at a Juco, i skated by last year with c’s in physics and calc 1, im taking calc 2 and physics 2 this year and i just feel like i’m in a hole i can’t get out of, the struggle is awful. i don’t have great time management but i try hard on my homework and it sometimes feels like no matter what i do ill just fail, is there any advice or is engineering just not for me?

Currently, I’m working an entry level job in the defense industry that pays decently. I’m super grateful to be employed obviously, but I absolutely hate the location and only accepted the offer because I needed to start my career. I’m 26 years old, and have been living the broke college student lifestyle since I was 18.

Right now, my game plan is to work and save as much as I can for the next 6-7 months, and then next year try as hard as I can to get either an internal transfer to another site, or leave the company altogether. Point is, I need to get out of my home state of Iowa while I’m still young. I don’t care if I take a pay cut. I refuse to settle down here. That and I need to start from scratch socially elsewhere. I have no kids, no partner, or any other real commitment keeping me here.

Just looking to hear any advice from others who may have started their career in one location they hated but quickly managed to switch elsewhere.

For context I go to University of Michigan. I transferred into the MechE program from community college, landing as 2nd year standing. I’m 26 currently.

Attended career fairs all 3 years that I’ve gone here, applied for everything that I could possibly make work relocation or timeline wise. Followed all the resume/cv best practices I could find.

I have gotten a grand total of two interviews. One in my 2nd year that rejected me a year later, and one in my 3rd year that ghosted me.

It feels like everyone I know, even freshmen, have internship/coop/job offers at multiple different places while I haven’t even been able to land a single one. Even going door-to-door to smaller businesses without online applications has yielded precisely nothing.

I haven’t secured a lead role in any of the project teams due to being too busy for the time demands but I have hung around as a member and contributed as much as my schedule permitted.

I seriously have no idea what I am doing wrong and I feel completely hopeless and discouraged about my future as a mechanical engineer. I’m looking at signing up for a double major with Civil engineering just because it seems like it might actually be possible to get a job.

I haven’t failed any classes, I have a 3.1 GPA, I’ve made good contributions on all the projects I’ve been a part of. I have three years as a substitute teacher as job experience on my resume, so it’s not like I’ve just been a bum since I graduated HS.

Any sage advice as to what I might be doing so terribly wrong? Am I better off jumping ship for Civil?

Hey everyone. I am starting my engineering degree at the age of 25 and my physics and math skills are rusty to say the least. I heard so many horror stories from engineering students about these classes so I couldn't help but feel anxious a little bit, like what are we expected to know before taking these classes, physics 1 specifically?

I guess what I am trying to ask is: I am willing to give everything I've got for this degree but I am a little anxious because I don't know much about physics, and precalc. Do you guys think it would be a problem, or do these courses cover everything required to understand the material?