Why do so many freshman think they can cut it as engineering majors?
January 5th, 2009
I go to a good school in NY where engineering is an extremely popular major including CE, ME, BIOME etc and in my Cal 1 everyone walks around like they are G-d's gift when they are at most average-mainly below. Some even said that they took Cal 1 because they took it in High school and thought it was an easy A.Am I crazy or are they in for a rude awakening? Just because Mechanical Engineering sounds like a great major, it doesn't mean you can do it, no matter how much effort you put in. It is not about just memorizing it is a field where what you learn is put into practice and if you make a slight mistake you can kill people.
I'm saying they are average in general. Like people with inflated egos who thought that because they had maybe unwarranted good fortune in h.s. they could be anything. I can't imagine they could keep up that arrogance.
I am a mechanical engineering major and I am also a qualified toolmaker. Trust me when I sat that not all things that are being produced by engineers can kill people. At the one machine shop I was grinding API gages. It is pretty precise work, but do you know what the mechanical engineer did there? He just looked up old blueprints and talked to customers. That was it. I am sure that he took all the math, and physics required but I don't know why he even needed it. He never used he never used his brain once.
Also you should take into account that many engineers end up in managerial and supervisory positions. When you take that into account why is the engineering degree even needed?
Finally, I think that it is best that you just calm down some people will flunk out and some will change majors. However, do you really need to concern yourself with this or do you need to just complain? You might also want to consider why some people might be doing below average. Maybe they are not as dedicated as you or others in the class. Part of being an engineer is to take all things into consideration before you react.
Posted in sound engineering schools
They are in for a rude shock but will probably get through it and eventually graduate.
I was a math graduate myself, but had quite a few friends doing engineering – as did my father. Math is up their on the rung of difficulty, but Engineering may be even harder. After all it is math+
Thanks
Bill
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I am a mechanical engineering major and I am also a qualified toolmaker. Trust me when I sat that not all things that are being produced by engineers can kill people. At the one machine shop I was grinding API gages. It is pretty precise work, but do you know what the mechanical engineer did there? He just looked up old blueprints and talked to customers. That was it. I am sure that he took all the math, and physics required but I don't know why he even needed it. He never used he never used his brain once.
Also you should take into account that many engineers end up in managerial and supervisory positions. When you take that into account why is the engineering degree even needed?
Finally, I think that it is best that you just calm down some people will flunk out and some will change majors. However, do you really need to concern yourself with this or do you need to just complain? You might also want to consider why some people might be doing below average. Maybe they are not as dedicated as you or others in the class. Part of being an engineer is to take all things into consideration before you react.
References :
unfortunately many of these same folks end up in the working world.we have had to deal with many. It is amazing what works on cad or on paper does not work in practice. Our motto is " I ddin't engineer it, i'm just supposed to make it work" Do your self a major help. Listen to the folks who have to build and maintain the stuff you design.They will give insight in areas you didn't think of. IE: we had to install an air pressure line underground in a sub zero climate.We asked the engineer why there was not a double run of heater tape required. The answer given was, we decided one was not needed, and why would there half to be two runs? Our answer was, so when the first heat trace fails in the dead of winter there is a secondary one to take over. We again were told none was required. Think,where does moister go in a compressed air system? To the lowest point. The line froze up the second winter, with no heat to keep it thawed. I didn't engineer it, but had to dig it back up at 15 below zero to thaw out. This wizard was 6 moths out of engineering school and took another job since. Who was left to fix the mess, or take resposibility for a poor design? The mechanics, that god forbid!, questioned her design. Now there's a double run of heat trace, with sensors to alert if one fails. We're working on getting the line overhead now.Been a maintenance nightmare since installed.
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Ok this is really simple…..
Most of these types were coddled during HS and think that they are 'special' when the fact of the matter is that they will eventually hit the washout class and run away with their tails between their legs. Oh, you may be one of them too.
MechEngineers design machines: most have never actually WORKED on a machine and therefore, have no idea what they are doing. The point is that one needs the math, physics and all that (so the theory goes) but MechEngineers have no understanding of the cultural aspects of a production environment. To them, the humans are just cogs, and can be replaced, and who have no ability to make qualitative judgments. Wrong! Time-motion studies don't cut it either. The engineering schools do not account for qualitative assessment of systems (unless they are statistical measures), and this is why the processes are so out of whack. (read The Ceo and The Monk for a more clear understanding).
Why are you worried about others? Just keep your nose to your own books and never mind the others.
The higher paid MechEngineers are managers, and may never actually design anything, but be repurposed to deal with customers (for which there is a need that they actually understand the technical specs), or end up in some other area. The TRULY brilliant will rise above the rest.
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