Enjoying school...

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  • psloan
    R3V OG
    • Nov 2006
    • 9815

    #16
    After thinking about it - you're the type of person who absolutely needs a degree to be successful.
    "We praise or find fault, depending on which of the two provides more opportunity for our powers of judgement to shine."

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    • TwoJ's
      R3V Elite
      • Oct 2005
      • 4908

      #17
      Hey, all that arguing can be reserved for the other thread.

      I am undergrad right now for mechanical engineering, and I'm loving every minute of it. I've just completed all of the general requirements, and I've been doing a math major while I'm at it. Now I start the fun classes and I can't wait. Though it may be different for me because I actually enjoy math and physics and such.

      In the end though, it just comes down to the fact that it's your decision. If there's something else calling you, then go pursue that.

      Comment

      • psloan
        R3V OG
        • Nov 2006
        • 9815

        #18
        Seriously though dude - is it the people or the classes you don't like? If you're not a good fit for the school a transfer may be a good idea.
        "We praise or find fault, depending on which of the two provides more opportunity for our powers of judgement to shine."

        Comment

        • Charlie
          kid tested, administrator approved
          • Oct 2003
          • 6686

          #19
          Originally posted by redbull 325is
          What do you actually do in life (a part from making fun of libs and driving your e30 in circles with a helmet on)?


          Julien
          IT bitch. AKA senior desktop support/implementation/patch management/network security/general BOFH activities.

          At some point I plan on going back and doing a masters, who knows, maybe I'll teach or something.

          -Charlie
          Last edited by Charlie; 12-06-2007, 11:29 AM.
          Swing wild, brake later, don't apologize.
          '89 324d, '76 02, '98 318ti, '03 Z4, '07 MCS, '07 F800s - Bonafide BMW elitist prick.
          FYYFF

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          • craig4ie
            Grease Monkey
            • Sep 2006
            • 359

            #20
            Don't worry about it...

            The courses will get better in the last couple years. It's pretty interesting when you start applying all the dry, boring math they teach you in the first couple years. There must be some chill people in your classes. I know that there are alot of giant dorks in Engineering, but there are also alot of good people who probably share the same interests as you.
            sigpic
            1991 Diamantschwarz 318is
            1998 Cosmosschwarz M3 Sedan

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            • speedhop
              E30 Mastermind
              • Aug 2006
              • 1509

              #21
              It sounds to me like you are generally unhappy with the outcome of the educational program. You are just entering so I wouldn't jump the gun and switch anything just yet...but take it from me; an ex-mechanical engineer that decided to switch majors too later i.e. Junior year.

              I had the same attitude going in, I could do the work but I wasn't having ANY fun at all. College is all about finding what you are passionate about. Don't get caught up in how much money you make, or how much they say you will make; that just results in an unsatisfying job/life.

              I did the internships, the classes and the studying and after a while simply got burnt out on the fact that I wasn't enjoying it. Find what you love to do and you will be successful. Previously I was a mechanical engineer major with studio art minor; I switched to full studio art major with photography minor and I love every minute of it.

              Point being, don't get caught up in the money or what others think you should do. Make the choice on your own according to your personal experience...you are the only one that knows what you want and knows what makes you truly happy. You can't take your money to the grave, you can only take your experiences.
              www.ryanwhopkins.com

              Comment

              • matt
                No R3VLimiter
                • Oct 2003
                • 3731

                #22
                Suck it up.

                I jumped on the M-train (management major) and now I'm looking at 6 years for two degrees because I realized that I should have done the engineering after all.

                Comment

                • psloan
                  R3V OG
                  • Nov 2006
                  • 9815

                  #23
                  Originally posted by speedhop
                  It sounds to me like you are generally unhappy with the outcome of the educational program. You are just entering so I wouldn't jump the gun and switch anything just yet...but take it from me; an ex-mechanical engineer that decided to switch majors too later i.e. Junior year.

                  I had the same attitude going in, I could do the work but I wasn't having ANY fun at all. College is all about finding what you are passionate about. Don't get caught up in how much money you make, or how much they say you will make; that just results in an unsatisfying job/life.

                  I did the internships, the classes and the studying and after a while simply got burnt out on the fact that I wasn't enjoying it. Find what you love to do and you will be successful. Previously I was a mechanical engineer major with studio art minor; I switched to full studio art major with photography minor and I love every minute of it.

                  Point being, don't get caught up in the money or what others think you should do. Make the choice on your own according to your personal experience...you are the only one that knows what you want and knows what makes you truly happy. You can't take your money to the grave, you can only take your experiences.
                  Sound advice.
                  "We praise or find fault, depending on which of the two provides more opportunity for our powers of judgement to shine."

                  Comment

                  • Skafrog
                    E30 Mastermind
                    • Oct 2003
                    • 1729

                    #24
                    FJ40, this feeling means your major is not for you.
                    I started in ME as well, went 2 years at Tennessee Technological.
                    ME interns get to work as quality control agents, and that can be rewarding and pay very well, but if you do not like the classes, do you think you will like the job?
                    I am with Charlie on this one.
                    I switched from ME to Computer Information Systems, and I do not regret the change for a second.
                    College is a great place to figure out what you do not want to do.

                    NASA MidSouth TT Director / GTS2 #018
                    Mods: Coastal PS Fluid, 10w40 Oil
                    Future Mods: Bosch Micro-Edge Wiper Blades, Painter's Tape, Spark Plugs, Freezer for Nutty Buddys, Adam Nitti CD's

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                    • Ral
                      E30 Fanatic
                      • Jul 2007
                      • 1486

                      #25
                      Craig- I agree.

                      I graduate in the Spring with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. It's been really hard, but worth it for the most part. The first few years were terrible until you know enough to be able to get to the cool stuff, then it's wide open. For instance, next semester I take a flight test engineering course- we go down to Patuxtent River Naval Air Station and fly some of the planes at the Test Pilot School that's based there. (then we have a huge project to do with the data, but that's beside the point.) So, keep it up. Also- find some juniors or seniors at your school in your major and talk to them. They'll be your best guidance- just make sure to ask a decent amount of people so you don't rely on one person's experiences.
                      sigpic89 M3

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                      • Bimmerista
                        R3V Elite
                        • Nov 2005
                        • 5425

                        #26
                        The parties & banging college chicks make up for all the school work.

                        Trust me, freshman & sophmore year should consist of nothing but partying.

                        Comment

                        • andyman2487
                          Grease Monkey
                          • Apr 2007
                          • 361

                          #27
                          Originally posted by matt
                          Suck it up.
                          A big +1 on that.


                          Pay your dues for a few years, and reap the benefits. A liberal arts or business degree won't really get you dick, and you can learn all you would need to know from a "_______ for dummies" book anyway.

                          Comment

                          • CorvallisBMW
                            Long Schlong Longhammer
                            • Feb 2005
                            • 13039

                            #28
                            Originally posted by Bimmerista
                            The parties & banging college chicks make up for all the school work.

                            Trust me, freshman & sophmore year should consist of nothing but partying.
                            Agreed. Once you get to your upper division courses, it gets harder. Do you partying/fucking/drinking/whatever now before you get too much responsibility :)

                            On the plus side though, once you get in to those upper division courses, some people have been 'weeded out' and you will have a lot of the same kids in all your classes. You get to know them really well and then you can party with good people you know instead of just hopping from house party to house party, hoping to run in to someone to might vaguely remember from that art 101 class last year...

                            Comment

                            • equate975
                              No R3VLimiter
                              • Jun 2004
                              • 3382

                              #29
                              Originally posted by FJ40
                              After reading a bit of the 'my school is r3v' thread, I realized that you guys might be able to shed some light on this for me. I'm in my first year of engineering at purdue, and while I am doing fine grade-wise, I am not REMOTELY enjoying it. I seem to have very little in common with the people that surround me (not in a good way), and the majority of them appear to be thriving on the stuff that we are doing.
                              My school is kinda the same way lol, I don't dislike the people that I go there with, but its totally different because everyone is from a hick town lol.

                              Everyone loves trucks except for me and one other kid. Everyone loves American cars and they don't know jack about euro cars.

                              Everyone is very hick, listens to country, and they love their tractors. Unfortunately some things are rubbing off on me, I catch myself saying "ain't" a lot now.... bleh.
                              Rollin' with a Geistkuchen

                              Comment

                              • rwh11385
                                lance_entities
                                • Oct 2003
                                • 18403

                                #30
                                Holy crap, how did i miss this thread?

                                First off, you have very little in common with the people around you because you are not asian. (And for the most part, don't seem to be obsessed with engineering and live off of it).

                                If you hate it, it's because first year engineering is torture to see if you can survive. MA 165/166, CHEM 115/116, PHYS 172, CS 158, ENGR 106, ENGR 126, COM 114, ENG 106? If you hate it, then the next 3-4 years won't be much more fun unless you get into what sector of engineering you get into. The first year tests if see if you are decently capable, and your hope is that the actual stuff interests you.

                                Once of the speakers for a class this year said something like "Do what you are interested by, not just good at, because they will smoke you in your career..." or something like that. Find out what you are interested in, which is part of college. I know many engineering drop outs, including myself and many friends. Most enjoy the switch and most have made great success from leaving, more so than staying at least. One of my friends took until this, his junior year, to see he HATED his co-op and didn't want to do engineering and switched to management (industrial with stat minor likely) and will still be out on time. My freshmen hilltop roommate made fun of me when I switched on the THIRD day of school, but I was laughing at him when he did the same 3 semesters later and was way behind and unhappy.

                                A lot of engineers do boring stuff afterwards, if they found it boring during. Civil engineers spending hours looking at bridge stucture, or chemical engineers running gasoline production cannot be fun if the work in school isn't fun to them. Sure, you may be looking at Aero or ME, and if you can deal with statics, etc. you could get into cool shit like planes or cars, but then again some ME's spend a lot of their career designing car door handles solely.

                                In retrospect, the hardest part of First Year Engineering is dealing with adjusting to college life, time management, and all those projects. I've taken the majority of those classes and they aren't that bad alone. ME gets harder though, as do most other engr majors.

                                Ultimately, Purdue is an awesome place and if you are not enjoying it, fix that. I know more engineers than is probably healthy, and also know a lot of former engineers. Hell, I even know a Junior who wants to do ME who is still in ENGR 126, along with some freshmen I am friends with in 126. One of my friends is a TA for 126 and is interning next semester at John Deere in Germany.

                                I always thought I was gonna be an engineer: that kid with all the legos, taking apart things to see how they were built, could fix anything, was into cars, and good at math/science... but the problem was not liking math that much, nor ultimately very interested in physics. There was no motivation or interest in learning how you integrated along a surface, and since switching, I've enjoyed what I learned.

                                You should really PM and we can talk over email or AIM or something. I probably know some kids in your classes and know plenty of people who have been in your shoes. I also know many engineers still in their major and dig it and are successful. I know alumni in various engineering majors, including CHE at Exxon and ME at Honda who like what they do, and had a LOT OF FUN while in school still, with great grades.

                                Engineering is for a stable future (easier to get placed for co-op/intern, but limited opportunities). Can always get an MBA later though and a lot of successful engineering grads move and find success in other fields (like more than a few Old Masters have)

                                Whatever you do, stick around for Triple XXX, Cactus nights, Green Dragon at Stacks, Sleding on Slaytor, Tailgating on the intramural fields, Den Pops during Grand Prix week, and being around a lot of pretty intelligent people.

                                p.s. matlab is B.S. and you won't ever use it, but programming is good to know apparently.
                                Last edited by rwh11385; 12-10-2007, 08:50 PM.

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