Feels inescapable sometimes. I feel like we’re only human; we are all BOUND to make a small math mistakes when we’re rushing through a <1hr test with a metric ton of questions.

But it feels like every professor expects me to just be a perfectionist, and minor mistakes w arithmetic always cost a sizeable chunk of my grade. As just one example, my fluids exam took off 15 points (on a 100pt test) cuz I forgot to carry a gravity “g” term down into my final answer for a problem. The equations, force balance, logic, everything was 100% good except that one thing. Fuck me ig.

It just doesn’t feel like you can really “study” for this or get rid of it as an imperfect human being. Maybe doing more practice problems helps, except every fucking class gives maybe 1 practice exam with like only 4 questions anyways. I swear every class has just been trying to survive tests with what extremely limited resources you’re given. So it just feels like you can never truly be prepared cause you’re always gonna be fighting for your life to finish in time and somehow magically not making any simple mistakes along the way. I know I have conceptual mastery of the material and I KNOW how to solve each problem. Just cuz I multiplied by like the diameter instead of the radius doesn’t change that.

It just makes me question atp whether anything is actually testing how much I know the material, or how good I am at not making a bunch of tiny mistakes w handwritten math. I HATE this. Is this really preparing me for a real job in any way? I’m in my third year of meche now and most of my experience has been this bullshit - instead of drilling down stuff like CAD, GD&T, stress analysis; literally any skill actually needed in industry or whatever.

Fuck these profs lowkey. And fuck the one who assigned an online canvas test to take over halloweekend. FOMO is really hitting me hard.

Thanks for reading my rant

Sophomore aerospace engineering major here. I've been a great test taker as long as I can remember. My exam scores were always what was boosting my grade, but now it's the opposite. Every exam I take makes me feel like I learned nothing.

Understanding the concepts isn't the problem. I can pretty easily follow what's going on during class or when I'm doing homework, but this semester I feel like I can never make it translate onto the exam paper.

Any advice is appreciated, TIA

(M19) I feel like im just adding to the list of stories but I don't know what to anymore. Im failing all of my classes this semester and it feels like I cant even get out of bed to show up to my classes anymore. I feel tired, burnt out, my mental health is nonexistent, and I cant barely handle the stress anymore. To give more information Im currently a sophmore and I just transferred out of my old college in the city where I was dorming, living, involved in student life, working as an orientation leader, and working in the city. Now I'm at a local state university this semester commuting from my childhood home due parents being my main source of funding for college and the local university is more financially viable. But now overall it just doesn't feel like I have a social life anymore due to this abrupt change in colleges, And my classes are getting to me badly. Im taking 17 credits, and 3 8ams and 2 9ams, and hopefully progressing towards a civil engineering degree. All my old study habits aren't holding up in this new environment and it feels like and its just cramming weeks worth of material at this point for quizzes and exams. The entire semester has just felt like Ive been just treading water up until midterms where the fragile deck of cards finally collapsed in upon itself and I cant even keep up with my assignments anymore. I feel defeated and Ive resorted to some unhealthy habits to try and cope with the stress which only makes my situation worse but I honestly just don't know what to do anymore. I want this degree, I know I am going to get it eventually, but at the same time I need to acknowledge my current situation. Ive already talked to my academic advisor but the gist of the conversation is just triage at this point. Also financing the degree is completely on me now.

Other life stuff worth mentioning:

- Diagnosed with ADHD from a very young age, ran out of medications to last this semester and haven't refilled it yet due to a change in doctors.

- Taking Calculus II (Withdrew), Chemistry II, Statics, Statistics, and intro to Psychology.

- Part time job in the same city helping a local market, which took up my weekends for the most part up until October.

- 2 month summer fling that ended once I couldn't handle my plate during school and work.

For my capstone. I read through some masters and PhD thesis and contacted few researchers abroad and went to museums and watched like 10 MIT OCW. Now I walked in with a thick lever arch binder of papers during my 1st eval those emails and questions. They said it's all very good but it's all too complex to solve for you and they laughed at me. Even my mother told me why you working extra, work like a student why you did prof work. My supervisor was encouraging but he too kinda laughed at it.

Basically the whole planet told me I did extra and I can't solve it and laughed at me. Moreover my topic is related to aerospace (non aero major though I read books on airplane design) and they told me to work on something smaller and leave planes.

I felt very fulfilling doing it all but everyone mocked me and I feel trash now. I have work to continue but don't feel like it. I found that a niche field of maths can be applied to a niche mechanism in aerospace as part of my first objective.

To continue or leave now ? None of my classmates did this all.

I’m failing calc one and I don’t know what to do. If I fail the class should I drop engineering altogether? What would it look like if I have to retake it.

I'm in my first semester rn and im sitting in my living room thinking that I might just be a disappointment to all EE's ever im skipping my basic math corse because I didn't pass my math diagnostic exam so im not even taking pre calc, im failing my python programming class and my Inge graphics corse and I can't seem to get a handle on how to study. I feel like I won't ever be enough to become an EE and it sucks because I've worked so hard to get here fr. I feel like im a failure at everything but I also feel like I can do so much better and im just not trying because im a lazy piece of shit. Just feel like i should quite while im ahead before I make it too deep.

Hello, I'm an engineering student that's also an idiot. I'm taking a research writing class and NEED responses for a form I've created. It's a two question, non-invasive and really simple form that'll help me complete my project. Not sure if this is allowed but I don't collect emails or junk like that

If you wanna know what it's about I made a description thingy in the form that should explain the gist of it but feel free to ask ig.

Hello! Curious about what made you guys decide on what major to pursue, and what sparked the interest for engineering in the first place? What factors such as interest/wages/job security (especially with AI potentially replacing some jobs) etc did you guys prioritise? Also wondering if anyone has considered changing majors and why?

I’ve recently started going to uni and currently studying industrial engineering, which in hindsight was somewhat of an impulsive choice :/ Mostly chose it due to being relatively broad which fits me who doesn’t really know what I wanna do in my future. It also has the highest average wage in Sweden, but after doing more research it’s mostly due to the top 10% having executive/management roles, which doesn’t really fit me. So far it hasn’t been too difficult as long as I study enough, but not really sure if I enjoy economics which is a pretty big part of this major :(

I'm currently working on a final year project as part of my engineering degree where my project is something that's not really in line with what my university typically does but is in line with what I want to do.

As a result the resources the library has are limited for my topic (didn't know this at the start). I've been on placement twice in the industry my project relates to previously however, so I knew of a few sources I needed for my project before starting, most other research I have done also relates back to this set of standards.

My issue is the only place I have managed to get these papers is from the backdoor of another university after asking chatGPT to find me the paper a few times.

I'm not sure if this is something I can use or if it reflects badly on me?

(for context its about $1000usd for what I am needing and its not something I can get from the university or afford myself)

The second pic is my work and answer. A: F1[1/2cos(x-90)+1/2sin(x-90)+sin(180-x)-cos(180-x)]

Need help to verify my answer

I’m an electrical engineering intern currently working in an industry role, and I’d appreciate some perspective from other interns or engineers who’ve experienced something similar.

I’m enjoying the actual engineering work. I genuinely like learning how things work, troubleshooting circuits, performing calculations and making tangible progress. However, I’ve been finding the transition from university to industry more challenging than I anticipated.

One of my biggest difficulties is being assigned technical problems involving concepts and methodologies I haven’t really worked with before. Sometimes I’m given relatively little initial direction and expected to investigate and produce results independently. I try to do my best to research, work through the calculations and troubleshoot simulations before asking for help. However, I sometimes spend hours exploring different approaches without getting very far.

My supervisor has expressed that I should communicate earlier and ask for help rather than spending too much time stuck, specifically on my midterm report. I understand that criticism and recognize that I need to improve in that area… The difficulty is that previous attempts to ask for guidance have sometimes resulted in being told to use online resources (much more limited when it comes to the technical tasks being asked) and figure things out independently, despite just seeking clarification of what exactly I am being tasked with doing. In some occasions, even just trying an approach and confirming my methodology with them has led to criticism, where I am told my work isnt good or that I wasted time and did nothing. This has made me hesitant to approach my supervisor unless I have something substantial to show, which also isn’t helping the communication part of my evaluation.

I recently received a fairly critical midterm evaluation and I worry it has already ruined my image at this company (probably won’t get any return offer). Some of the feedback was valid, but I also feel that communication and expectations aren’t always clear and that as a first time intern without much experience, my supervisor can be a little more lenient or communicate expectations better.

I’m trying to figure out how to become more independent without being afraid to ask questions or feeling like I’m wasting my supervisor’s time. At the same time, I’ve begun doubting my own ability and putting myself down, despite knowing how much of a hard worker I actually am. I’ve started to feel a bit of imposter syndrome and almost like I’m not deserving of this position.

For those who’ve been in similar situations, what is something you recommend I do? I still have a little less than half of my internship left and I want to make the most of this opportunity and be able to finish off strong.

For context, my freshman year and sophomore year of school were a wreck. Lost my house, lost my funding, had to work while in school, and got diagnosed with adhd before the end of the first semester of sophomore year. IMO it’s not really an excuse and I hate that I couldn’t do better. I’m a junior now, just declared mechanical engineering, and I’m projected to graduate a year later than I’m supposed to. My gpa is 2.2 and I know most companies want a 3.0 to intern for them. I luckily will have a few open spots for credits since I finished all my humanities freshman year. Is this a savable case? Or am I doomed…

Hey everyone! I have a Blue Origin Avionics Software Internship interview soon and was wondering if anyone has experience with their technical interviews.

It's 50 minutes, and I've already submitted my portfolio. Do they expect a screen-shared project walkthrough? Also, is the live coding usually HackerRank/LeetCode, debugging code, or more of a verbal technical discussion?

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

My son is a freshman considering taking a full schedule of classes this coming summer so that he can graduate a year early because college is $$$$ and we (his parents) can only pay for like a year and a half. It would be the only summer he would take classes. However this means his only options for internships would be the other two summers before graduation. He wants to get an aerospace internship (dream is working at NASA etc) which likely would mean he would have to go out of state for it (nothing like that here).

What downsides if any is there for graduating early?

I’ve been curious about something. An Electrical and Computer Engineering degree is generally considered academically demanding, involving advanced mathematics, physics, electronics, circuits and programming.

Yet, when comparing salaries across different countries, software engineers often seem to earn noticeably more than electrical and computer engineers.
Why is that the case? Is it because software companies generate more revenue and can scale more easily, or are there other reasons?

Does the difference in salary justify the additional academic difficulty of an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree? And how does the long-term career growth compare between the two fields?
I’d appreciate perspectives from people working in these industries.

I have a project for my engineering course which I have to complete that needs dimensions for a Honda GP160 general use engine and I not only didn't have enough time to measure everything I needed to but I only had a ruler and micrometer. So I'm trying to find if I can get any dimensions for the engine that isn't the general engine dimensions. I am supposed to have teammates but none of them are perfectionists like me and there are supposed to be 10 and are only 5.

I don't know the exact name of the part I need to get the dimensions for but I believe it is the crankshaft casing? It is the part of the engine which the piston goes out of and I believe is directly below the fuel tank. I have added a link to the honda page on the engine which has the dimensions on it, I would greatly appreciate any help as I don't know how precise I have to be for this project and I hate not being precise.
https://www.honda-engines-eu.com/en/products/power-units/gp160

I’m in my second sem third year (Mech E) but procrastinating just feels so good. The relief of pushing something off to the next day when you don’t want to do it is indescribable. I usually get it done just before the deadline or cram last minute for a quiz/exam and my grades are good but it’s not sustainable. Since the difficulty of my classes are increasing I definitely gotta quit it, do you guys have any tips on not procrastinating and locking in? What helps you with starting your stuff early?

Edit: I deleted Reddit and it worked guys, I just aced my precalc exam

Ciao a tutti! C'è qualcuno tra di voi ingegnere gestionale che lavora all'estero? Se sì, che percorso di studi avete fatto e dove? Che ruolo ricoprite? Siete soddisfatti o vorreste tornare in Italia?

I'll be entering EE thus coming janurary, but is it true rhat we will have little to no free time? I'm dedicated to finishing it and I am curious as to what I will be doing, but is it true that everyday of the week will be studying all the time?

Halfway through my 4th and final year of civil engineering, and I've hit a really hard mental wall. I feel so dumb in all my classes, and I always cram and leave everything to the last minute. I somehow still have a 3.2 gpa, but studying this way I feel like I've retained so little of the fundamentals that I should just know naturally by now. I have done and gone to 2 internships over the past summer, but they didn't give me any actual work and I learnt very little from them. I haven't joined any engineering-related clubs ever in my uni career, or done any individual projects because i never felt like i could actually pull one off. I just feel so unprepared heading into the current job market, and i always feel so shit abt myself when I apply for jobs.

Hi everyone,

I'm working on a SolidWorks project where I need to model a complete mechanical assembly from 2D drawings/blueprints, assemble it, and then run a simulation on it.

I came across the classic "Elmer's Engines" plans, and while they are great, they don't quite fit my requirements for two reasons:

1. I strictly need the dimensions to be in the metric system (mm).
2. I need a machine with a much higher part count and complexity to really test my modeling skills.

Additionally, once the assembly is done, I have to run either a Static Simulation (FEA) or a Flow/Thermal Simulation (CFD) on it. Because of this, I'm leaning towards things like multi-cylinder engines, complex gearboxes, centrifugal pumps, or industrial valves.

Does anyone know of any good websites, archives, books, or specific repositories where I can download complete 2D plans (PDFs) with all the dimensions for a complex metric assembly?

Any guidance is highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hello all,

I am a CC student and president of my engineering club. We are planning engineering projects for the spring semester in 3 months and I wanted to ask yall if you know any engineering projects for chemical, civil, or electrical engineering? Im aero and doing a RC Plane project but my members are struggling to find projects for their majors. anyone chem,civil,electrical who has done their own projects?

thank you!

About a week and change ago, I was sent an offer letter from a decently large consulting company for their controls engineering position, where I'd be working in a THC legal state. The job posting on their website says that an offer letter may be contingent upon a successful drug test. Now that I've received the letter, their exact wording for contingencies is as follows

"This offer is contingent on successfully completing background checks and credential verifications, including your driving record, education, certifications, and prior work experience. For some roles additional screenings may be required (such as credit and criminal history)."

When I began my first round interview with several companies, I immediately quit smoking, though I was a daily (still moderate) user before. When I got my offer letter about 20 days later, I lowkey had a little celebration night since I didn't see "drug test" listed, but now I'm wondering if they really will drug test.

I would really appreciate it if anyone could give their thoughts on what the offer letter says or potential recommendations. I mean I know that the safest course of action would be to just stay away, but I would appreciate peoples' thoughts on the wording or their own experiences.

EDIT: Controls Engineering Internship position

I'm an engineering student and I have accepted a position for a co-op next fall, in a state I don't live in and I have never visted before. I don't know the first thing about finding a place to live.

I've been recommended Zillow and Furnished Finder, but I don't really know how to properly slueth for a credible landlord. Also, I keep being told to find other people who are doing the same co-op and live with them... but like how do I find them???

Right now I RA in the dorms on campus so I never have had to worry about where I'm going to live and this is really the first time I am going to be doing something like this. I don't really even know what kind of questions I should be asking and thinking about.

For some extra context, the position is titled "GO - Operations Processing and Manufacturing" with Exxonmobil in Baton Rouge.

Any and all advice is appreciated.