Is engineering the right field for me?

If you enjoy science and math, I don’t see why you should stress about taking chemical engineering as a major!

Engineering, as many other majors, requires hard work, but this doesn’t mean you need to leave your social life behind. Engineering offers a lot of opportunities to work on interesting projects, working with others, and learning new skills. Being outgoing and talkative is actually a plus because not only will you have the technical skills you require to be a great engineer but also the people skills to lead projects and work with others.

Regarding what you have heard, you don’t know until you try, meaning that you cannot be certain if you can do something or if something will happen until you try or experience it. I would encourage you to take risks and try new things, as the outcome is often unpredictable and could be surprisingly positive. It’s a reminder that potential success comes from the willingness to take chances.

While the curriculum involved in pursuing engineering is rather difficult, I have found that it did not make me any less social. In some cases, it made me more social! In my junior and senior years, I worked more in our engineering building with fellow classmates. It got to the point where we all were always doing our homework together. We had a lot of projects as well that would often require us to work together.

Additionally, the engineering professors encourage joining the engineering societies which include fun social events, volunteer events, tailgating events, and so much more. Outside of engineering, many of us were also involved in Greek life, student government, professional organizations, and other social organizations. It is all about time management! It is really easy to be involved as a good number of these organizations only meet a couple of times a month/quarter. Also, as an on campus recruiter, we ENCOURAGE involvement outside of class. I hope this helps!

This is a fair question and I think a lot of people are scared off from majoring in engineering because of this and also fears of the difficulty of engineering classes. First, I would absolutely recommend you pick chemical engineering as a major, since you have expressed interest and stated it is a good path for you. Remember, you can always change your major and also, at most schools (or at least that I am aware of) for a four or five year program, your first year of classes are your fundamental courses, so you have time to adjust before your core engineering courses.

A lot of factors weigh into your first year of school being stressful, not just the classes. From being a high school senior to going to college, this is a big life transition and adjusting to being more self-sufficient can be overwhelming for most. I would recommend you not take 18 credit hours (like I did), keeping your course load to a normal semester full credit, which used to be only 12 credit hours, about 4-5 classes, if there is a lab. My advice here is also do not be in a hurry to graduate, it took me five (5) years and a lot of people this same amount of time, do not overwhelm yourself by taking too many classes in one semester or trying to keep up with others and what they are doing. Complete semesters at your own pace, keeping the appropriate number of hours to maintain your full semester credit and/or any scholarship requirements.

Find your group of friends in your discipline area so you have others to help you, that you can help and you all can lean on each other during those difficult times when they do arise. My last piece of advice, absolutely HAVE FUN! Taking the other advice mentioned above, put fun in your schedule. There will be so many events, activities, etc to get involved with, to be a part of, to participate in, to attend; go have fun, just be responsible. Speaking of my own experience, we did not miss out, you will never get this time in your life back and it should be something that you live with no regrets!

Raised as an only child, I felt exactly the same way about college as you, and I learned that engineering is all about working with other students when at universities, and all about working with other engineers when in industry!

Chemical engineering is my degree, too, and I worked on manufacturing titanium dioxide, which is an opacifier and is found in make-up, lipstick, toothpaste, and the whites of Oreo Cookies! I know chemical engineers that also work with fragrances and I find their work fascinating, too.

I think you will find that once you "get into the rhythm" of classes, that you will not feel much stress. College is much like high school, with the exception that there is more homework, but less time in actual classes. I had more free time in college than I did in high school. Good luck!

I’m so proud of you for considering your education plus your school/life balance! Good for you and so impressive!

The first year of college/university can be stressful and sometimes difficult as we navigate a new path, but something tells me you are good at making things happen! It doesn’t matter what education stream you choose, the first year is often your first time living on your own, moving away from your hometown and meeting a ton of new people all learning where they fit in. So as far as a career choice, be that science, art, cooking, engineering, doesn’t matter as much that first year as learning to adjust to the big lifestyle change and how to make it all work for you.

I love that you enjoy science and math, but don’t be afraid to explore other options – I know that might sound crazy coming from a female engineer – but there are a vast number of engineering careers to consider as well as many math and science based careers. I began my career in petroleum engineering, then chemical engineering and finally finding my “home” in industrial engineering/manufacturing. You are at a time in your life where choices are numerous!

You will also find your social life is as full as you’d like surrounded by like-minded education students – study groups were the best fun for me (I know it sounds “boring” but the friends I made in study groups remain close friends – over 25 years later!). You won’t have time to be alone working on projects together and learning – everyone always has something to contribute in a study group! Engineering classes have many projects, which allows for team building and making new friends.

The engineering student organizations are another great opportunity to meet like-minded folks (many include community projects that also offer a chance to meet some business leaders and community organizations – I volunteered as a Board member of a local non-profit while in college and loved the connections I made there).

You will find so many interesting people when you embark on your education…I can’t wait to see how far you go! I’m cheering for you!

When I started college in the field of engineering I quickly realized to be successful as a student I would need to dedicate more time and energy to my studies than I had done in High School. However, I also realized that most of the students in my classes were experiencing the same realization. I quickly searched out opportunities to meet with others in my classes and joined study groups. This opened up new social opportunities with people who shared similar career interests. To this day some of my best friends are people I met during my freshman year at college.

Bottom line - yes, studying engineering is a large time investment but you can build an expanded social network with people who share your interests and passions.

One of the core competencies for engineers is being able to work in a team environment with varying personalities and you will be able to start to build this competency in college in your first year. You will likely have labs or projects in your classes where you will have to work with a team to solve a problem, so you will definitely get to be social in this aspect.

Living on campus is another way to make sure you connect with others -- a lot of your fellow classmates will live around you so you’ll have the opportunity to have study sessions together, do homework together, and take lunch or coffee breaks together. And not just within engineering -- usually you’ll be in a dorm with people studying various degrees, so you’ll be interacting on a daily basis with a wide range of people.

As an additional data point, I studied chemical engineering and also played co-ed intramural soccer my entire college career, so you can definitely find time for your hobbies and interests outside of class and studying. I even joined a sorority in my Junior year, so many social aspects of college are achievable as an engineering student!

You will be the one to decide if engineering, or any field is right for you. No matter which field you choose, first, know you can always change, nothing is set in stone in terms for career choice.

Second, don’t worry about what other people think or say. You get to take classes and learn. Some classes will be hard and some will come easier. That is true for any field. If you are struggling (or even before), universities have all sorts of free tutoring, professors have office hours, study groups are formed, all to help you learn and succeed. Reach out to the various options. As a bonus, you will meet more people and have more social outlets, while you are studying and getting through your classes.

In addition, there are so many clubs and organizations in college. Join different clubs and meet people in other fields – it’s fun! I was in a sorority and in engineering. I also joined different groups – some just for a semester – some for the rest of the time I was there. I even started a club some of us were wanting that didn’t exist before.

In the various jobs I have had, I have met both introverted and extroverted engineers, just as in college. In addition, engineers work with many other departments, so you have the chance to meet others where you work. Some of my best friends have been in the Communications department!

Don’t overthink it. If you want to do it, then do it, and don’t have regrets. As people have probably been telling you, it all works out.

It seems like you've given this some strong thought! Engineering school is not an easy curriculum, but if you have a strong interest and are well prepared based on the classes you take in high school, that will help.

It will be busy, but if you are organized, that will also help. It will be a matter of priority. You may have to reduce TV and social media so you have more time for social activities. You will get social interaction with study groups and team projects, which are part of the engineering curriculum.

From a career perspective, I think engineering is one of the most balanced, including having a regular schedule. There are team projects at work, which feed those of us who are outgoing. My experience is that I had time for my family and some outside interests. I am also talkative and outgoing and I feel it set me apart in my career, which went quite well!

Yes! I first became aware of the field of engineering in my Sr year of high school. I originally wanted to major in pharmacy but many active pharmacists at the time told me to either get a full medical degree or pick a different profession. I chose civil and environmental engineering. Why? At that time in my life, I wanted to do something that made a difference – something BIG. I wanted to contribute to society in a way that was lasting. I was not afraid of math and science.

During my enrollment period at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, I changed my major from pharmacy to civil and environmental engineering because of what civil engineers do every day. They solve BIG problems – problems with our nation’s infrastructure, they build buildings, the design and build roadways, bridges and other infrastructure that will last a long time. During my studies and after, I found it simply fascinating how buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects were developed.

During my career, I traveled literally all over the world helping other engineers use advanced technology (CAD/CAM) in the practice of engineering. Along the way, I discovered a lot about myself as my career matured. I have had the time of my life as an engineer! I have been married for 39 years and am a mother and grandmother. I have a wonderful husband and family. Sometimes women think they have to give this up but you don’t!

Being an engineer has given my life great purpose and helped me to serve in a way bigger than myself. YES! It is the RIGHT profession!

One other thing… Engineering is a demanding profession but so is anything else worth studying like medicine, computer science, et al. You will not at all regret the decision to study engineering. I never did. It actually ENHANCED my social life – just the opposite!

If you have a passion for Engineering, you should try. When you go to your first year in college and start a new chapter, you will be meeting new people, make new friends, and meet a lot of other students in your classes where they usually create study groups. Your social life will be enriched by your new relationships.

If you are interested in engineering, you should give it a try. College is a few short years and a stepping stone to a lifetime career, you don't want to look back and wish you gave it a try.

Hi, from a chemical engineer who has been in this field for 30 years. By the way, those that know me professionally and personally describe me as an extrovert, very outgoing, and even as social butterfly when I was younger.

Chemical engineering has taken me to many places around the globe and more than 30 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. I have also made many friends for life in these countries through work. So, I would say Chemical Engineering has done well for me. I do have a loving family with one son with a Norwegian geologist who I met through professional circle of friends.

My career however has been in the oil & gas industry and not in the cosmetic industry. Yes, first year in university is not a walk in the park. The first two years, really but I was not well prepared and didn’t know what to expect. I think it is more difficult to learn in major universities in the first 2 years. If I could do it over, I would attend the first 2 years at a community college and take all the basic classes before transferring to a major university. A few of my friends did this and I believe that they learned more and were better prepared for the upper-level engineering classes than I was.

I went to Texas A&M University for my BS in Chemical Engineering and for my Master degree at University of Houston. Chemical Engineering is a very versatile engineering major. You can work in many industries. A couple of my friends even went on to be doctors after acquiring their BS degrees in ChemE.

There are stresses which are unavoidable in any career but with those stressors can also help you grew personally and professionally. Ask yourself what else you would like to be and have that as a back-up plan. But yes, you will have to study a lot and give up on some social activities to do well in college. You will have to be more organized and more disciplined than how you are in high school. It’s not going to be a walk in the park. However, I have learned and grown a lot in my career with a Chemical Engineering degree and it was absolutely worth it for me to have the lifestyle and income that I have been enjoying since graduation.