Any engineers on here?

[-nick-]

I've pretty much made up my mind that that is what I'm going to major in college next year at ECU. Any of you engineers or know someone that is? How do you like it? Any advice or any experiences would be nice! Thanks

[Long Mike]

So, what type of Engineering do you want to specialize in?  Do you want to drive a train (railroad), or a garbage truck (sanitation), or clean houses (domestic), or maintain office suites (building)?  On the other hand you could choose from one of the scientific disciplines, such as:

Civil

Electrical

Structrual

Mechanical

Electronics

Petroleum

Chemical

Software

Etc.

So, what sort of advice do you need, and from which of the professions do you need it?  What I am suggesting is that your question is much too broad for any response to be of much use to you.  Secondly, this is a bass fishing forum.  I doubt that engineers tend to hang out here.

[Hookemdown.]

I thought about engineering, then I realized that Calculus was hard.

[fourbizz]

So, what type of Engineering do you want to specialize in? Do you want to drive a train (railroad), or a garbage truck (sanitation), or clean houses (domestic), or maintain office suites (building)?

FUNNY!

[Tin]

My buddy is at RPI for civil and he is having a tough time. Well disciplined, not a partier, and smart as hell. Got a 790 on the math section of his SAT's, finished 2nd in my class, and helped me through Calc 2 in high school. It is a brutal major.

[burleytog]

I'm a fecal engineer.  

I gave a lot of thought to it during high school, but I didn't have the discipline.  I worked with a lot of ChemE during my internship in college, they were a strange lot.  Almost as strange as MechE's.

CivE or ChemE is the only thing I'd consider.

[cart7t]

If you're some sort of sadist that loves higher levels of math and physics, it's probably the profession for you.

[-nick-]

Well I was thinking automotive engineer but now I'm definitely rethinking the whole engineering thing. What is everyone's career? What'd you major in? I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do next year I'm starting to worry!  :-/

[Eddie Munster]

So, what type of Engineering do you want to specialize in? Do you want to drive a train (railroad), or a garbage truck (sanitation), or clean houses (domestic), or maintain office suites (building)?

FUNNY!

+1

One thing about engineers in ANY field; just because you have a piece of paper doesn't mean you know what you're talking about.

However you will get better pay.  

[Siebert Outdoors]

I'm an engineer.  They dont teach my type of engineering in school though.

[daviscw]

I've pretty much made up my mind that that is what I'm going to major in college next year at ECU. Any of you engineers or know someone that is? How do you like it? Any advice or any experiences would be nice! Thanks

By ECU do you mean East Carolina? If you are in NC, NC State and UNC Charlotte are the better engineering schools. Your degree will mean much more from those two. However, if you like to party, East Carolina is in the top 3 of best party schools in the nation, so take your pick.

If you aren't from NC and your ECU is different from my ECU, then disregard this post.

[Calcutta]

My uncle is a aeronautical engineer at a defense contractor and I think hes got the best job in the world. If I had to do it over again I would do that.

[RobbyZ5001]

At Penn State everyone wants to become an engineer. Than they get the 40+ hour out of class course load. You need to be committed beyond belief if you want to be an engineer.

[KevO]

My friend got an MIT (manufacturing industrial Technology) degree at Tennessee Tech, it's in the college of engineering.  Basically it's production/plant engineering, half the math of other engineering degrees with the same or better pay afterwards.  I'm thinking about going back to college and getting that degree.  I wish I would have listened to him when he tried to get me to switch my major.

[done]

Well I was thinking automotive engineer but now I'm definitely rethinking the whole engineering thing. What is everyone's career? What'd you major in? I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do next year I'm starting to worry! :-/

Not to pressure you, be really be careful of rushing to a quick decision. You pikc something you loathe because someone else did it, or because it pays good you will end up being mediocre in the field and miserable.

What interests you? What is a field you find "cool"? besides fishing, what else do you do for hobbies?

If you cannot make your decision up quick, find a good school go in as a general studies/Undeclared, and get your basics out of the way.

Also, don't wimp out on something you love because it is a hard major. I went for Computer Science, and I was not the best math student. I had to go through Calc I, II differential equations, and some of fun math classes. It was tough, very tough, and I ended up doing more study and less drinking, spent days in front of a monitor coding. However, I got my degree, and now 10 years later, I am doing work I love. As a result, I have a passion in it, and I am good at what I do. If you really like the job (i.e. mechanical engineering) and you want the degree, set your eyes on it, and do whatever it takes to get your degree.

If you do not know, really have no clue, take some time off and consider it. I knew many people who went to college with me with no major, no clue, no direction. They wasted a LOT of their parents money and racked up some nice student loans and got no degree out of it.

Whatever you do go for, get an internship as soon as possible. It gives you an idea on what you are studying for, what you will be doing. Shows you the destination of this trip and lets you figure out for sure, if this is what you want to do.

[-nick-]

I've pretty much made up my mind that that is what I'm going to major in college next year at ECU. Any of you engineers or know someone that is? How do you like it? Any advice or any experiences would be nice! Thanks

By ECU do you mean East Carolina? If you are in NC, NC State and UNC Charlotte are the better engineering schools. Your degree will mean much more from those two. However, if you like to party, East Carolina is in the top 3 of best party schools in the nation, so take your pick.

If you aren't from NC and your ECU is different from my ECU, then disregard this post.

Haha well if I would've taken high school a little more seriously I would've went to UNCC but because I wanted to have fun rather than focus on school I'm pretty much limited to ECU. But I don't know I just wanted to hear from others that are or know engineers just to get a better understanding of what its like.

[bilgerat]

I'm a mechanic. A bad day for me is having a $250,000 engine go to *&$#.

An engineer gets twice my salary to purposely push that engine to destruction to learn it's limits. And stays clean, warm and dry while doing it.

Pretty obvious choice, eh ?

[daviscw]

I've pretty much made up my mind that that is what I'm going to major in college next year at ECU. Any of you engineers or know someone that is? How do you like it? Any advice or any experiences would be nice! Thanks

By ECU do you mean East Carolina? If you are in NC, NC State and UNC Charlotte are the better engineering schools. Your degree will mean much more from those two. However, if you like to party, East Carolina is in the top 3 of best party schools in the nation, so take your pick.

If you aren't from NC and your ECU is different from my ECU, then disregard this post.

Haha well if I would've taken high school a little more seriously I would've went to UNCC but because I wanted to have fun rather than focus on school I'm pretty much limited to ECU. But I don't know I just wanted to hear from others that are or know engineers just to get a better understanding of what its like.

First make sure ECU even have an engineering program. I know App offeres a pre-engineering program, but no real program. If you want to consider engineering you better make sure you LOVE math. I mean LOOOOOVE math. For examples check out the class requirements off of the schools websites. Most schools will give you the course lists you will need for a particular major.

[Tin]

I would start at a community college. You can see if you like it or not and not waste a ton of money, bang out some gen eds. Then transfer....

[-nick-]

I've pretty much made up my mind that that is what I'm going to major in college next year at ECU. Any of you engineers or know someone that is? How do you like it? Any advice or any experiences would be nice! Thanks

By ECU do you mean East Carolina? If you are in NC, NC State and UNC Charlotte are the better engineering schools. Your degree will mean much more from those two. However, if you like to party, East Carolina is in the top 3 of best party schools in the nation, so take your pick.

If you aren't from NC and your ECU is different from my ECU, then disregard this post.

Haha well if I would've taken high school a little more seriously I would've went to UNCC but because I wanted to have fun rather than focus on school I'm pretty much limited to ECU. But I don't know I just wanted to hear from others that are or know engineers just to get a better understanding of what its like.

First make sure ECU even have an engineering program. I know App offeres a pre-engineering program, but no real program. If you want to consider engineering you better make sure you LOVE math. I mean LOOOOOVE math. For examples check out the class requirements off of the schools websites. Most schools will give you the course lists you will need for a particular major.

Yeah they do there.

[fathom]

have worked with civil engineers for 35 years.

almost 1/3 of all graduates fail the state license test their first try.

am not saying that to discourage you...it can be a rewarding and lucrative career...am just saying, like the others, it takes a good deal of commitment to get there.

as well, it takes a lotta math and a lotta common sense and, based on some of the engineers i've met, those things don't exactly mix.

[Chris at Tech]

Yep.

Industrial engineering graduate from Ga Tech here.  Lots of engineering at that school, so many of my friends are engineers as well.

What do you want to know?

As others have mentioned, you better be able to tolerate calculus.  I took Calcs 1-5, then several other math courses.  Curiousity on how things works is also a plus.  Getting an internship or co-op experience while in college will definitely help you land a job after college.

You have lots of choices...

nuclear

industrial

electrical

computer

civil

mechanical

textile

aerospace

[Hookemdown.]

I took Calcs 1-5,

Chris, I *** you. I've always been at the top of my class, but I am dumbfounded by Calc 1. It's more of a religion than an actual mathematics course. I'm still somehow earning an "A", but it's so frustrating. Your nerves must be made of steel.

[Gatorbassman]

I have two older brothers who have degrees in engineering. They both started out with BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and built on them. One is now an Aerospace Engineer (Rocket Scientist) and is the leading authority on space optics. The other stayed in college for 14 years and has several degrees including a PHD in math and a masters in physics. He is in charge of quality control for GE Medical. My dad is also an engineer. He retired very well. So engineering is a great choice.

[TheBeast]

My b-i-l and s-i-l are both mechE's he is the normal egghead no common sense that you expect in an engineer especially one that is a professor and now teaches it at Mercer University.  She isn't to bad actually she does have common sense and you wouldn't know she is a brainiac just from the first impression although she does let it slip through sometimes.

Don't think that helps any, just a little tidbit.