Not sure whether engineering is for me.

I'm a mechanical engineer student and just about to finish my first year. I like math and solving problems but I found that most of the courses I had to take were not very interesting and I felt like I'm lacking the passion for engineering. Besides that, I don't see myself work for the rest of my life at a 9 to 5 job at an office all day solving equations and other mechanical problems. I was wondering if the studies get interesting in the following years and would like to know how is a day in a life of an engineer.

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Kelly Hon , Becton Dickinson

Answered Monday, July 9, 2018 at 11:06 AM

Hello Jennifer,
I too studied mechanical engineering and like solving problems. In my job I do not spend my day solving equations (because like you that is not my passion) but instead solving problems with the foundation and knowledge I learned in school. Remember that the first year or two in college are the year(s) that level set all of the engineers. Consider using your electives to try to find courses that are more application focused or look for a research topic that you can be excited about. You need to determine what you are passionate about within engineering; remember that mechanical engineering is a very broad engineering discipline. Internship/co-op experiences can also help you define the area(s) you are interested in and then you can tailor your courses to just that. I also recommend you reach out to multiple professional mechanical engineers to understand what it is that they do in their day to day work life to find out if you see yourself doing something comparable to one of them.
Hope this helps!
Kelly