I'm not "handy" - can I be an engineer?

I am excellent in Maths and Physics and I want to become an engineer but I am just not "handy" and people keep discouraging me and say "I dont know how you are gonna become an engineer" guidance pls. Should I discredit civil engineering as the career for me? Do engineers work with hands mostly? I am good at coming up with ideas but can't physically put my ideas to practice. Is it possible to just be the idea person and not the muscle?

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Jeena Jayamon , John A. Martin & Associates

Answered Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 12:25 PM

Hi GOTSILEKGOTLHA, 

Great to see your interest in being an engineer and congrats on being excellent in Maths and Physics. 

You don't essentially needs to be handy to become an engineer. Civil engineering has several sub-divisions and several of them don't need you to be a handy person. When you study for your undergraduate college degree, you get to take courses in all these different fields. You might also have some lab courses where you need to do experiments and mostly in groups. Again, those are simple experiments and meant to give you a real time demonstration of the theory.

Once you start working in an engineering design firm, you are not gonna do any of these handy jobs. You will be mostly working on using computer softwares and apply the principles you learned through your courses. 

Hope this answers your question. Please message me back if your want to discuss more. 

Thanks,

Jeena Jayamon , John A. Martin & Associates

Answered Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 12:25 PM

Hi GOTSILEKGOTLHA, 

Great to see your interest in being an engineer and congrats on being excellent in Maths and Physics. 

You don't essentially needs to be handy to become an engineer. Civil engineering has several sub-divisions and several of them don't need you to be a handy person. When you study for your undergraduate college degree, you get to take courses in all these different fields. You might also have some lab courses where you need to do experiments and mostly in groups. Again, those are simple experiments and meant to give you a real time demonstration of the theory.

Once you start working in an engineering design firm, you are not gonna do any of these handy jobs. You will be mostly working on using computer softwares and apply the principles you learned through your courses. 

Hope this answers your question. Please message me back if your want to discuss more. 

Thanks,