Ask an Engineer

Hi Ayanna. Of course it is OK to just learn engineering skills for fun! Engineering is all about problem solving- and it doesn't matter what career path you take, solving problems will always be a part of your career and your life. Engineering skills- ...

Dear You-Can-Do-Math-too,

Mathematics, like many acquired skills, requires practice. This is true of mastering cartwheels, baking, woodworking, painting – I could go on. This is also true for reading and for language in general, the more exposure we ...

The opinion of one person does not/should not define us. Please do not take this person’s teaching style or opinion as a reflection of what you are capable of accomplishing. Study groups, online learning, a tutor, library resources, a classmate, someone ...

Doing poorly in one math class should not determine your entire future nor should it deter you from considering engineering. It could be an isolated issue that is causing you difficulty. My advice would be to find a tutor or a friend who is understanding ...

Glad to see you want to re-enter your field!!! The question is whether you want to use your 2 years as a content writer to promote engineering or whether you want to go back to engineering. As a content writer it is important to know have a fairly good ...

So glad you wrote, Laura. There could be a few things at play here, all of which I've experienced at some point in my own career. Only you can determine what mix of the below is actually going on. 

(1) Size of Transition. I've typically measured the ...

While the math and science grades can be enough to get you where you want to go, often your GPA will be used as a filter when looking at your admission file, so other courses could count against you. Perhaps you can find a school that has enough of a ...

Hi! Don't worry, you won't be chained to your desk. Much of the work you will do requires a lot of "thinking" time. Some engineers think by sitting at their desk, looking like they are staring off into space. Others (myself included) think better while ...

I don't think that should stop you.  A couple of things, begin to work on your communication skills now, to build your confidence.  There are organizations out there that can help.  I am assuming you are sill in school, so your school counselor may be ...

Discouragement can affect everyone at some point.  I was discouraged in high school when I told everyone I wanted to be an engineer and they told me I would "flunk out" and "fail" because I did not have the aptitude or the "smarts" to be an engineer ...

My sincerest apologies for being so late in responding to your question. This past year has been a bit challenging for me as I have had some personal family health issues and am entering the next phase of my own career as I will be stepping down as ...

Hi Vinna!  Short answer: yes, environmental engineers are definitely needed.  

One thing you might not realize is that the term "environmental engineer" applies to a lot of different scientific disciplines. My area of expertise is environmental fluid ...

You don’t have to change the way you are, no matter what you decide to study or where you work. What I think happens in these work areas where there are fewer men than women, is that you feel constantly insecure. Especially is you enter a new subject, ...

No, you do not have to be really outgoing. It takes all personality types to make a really great team and teamwork is an absolute necessity to accomplish great things. Most of the engineers that I have worked with during my 20+ year career have been ...

In my experience, the best engineers and leaders know their strengths and use them to their advantage in how they interact at work. You can still be an introvert and be a successful engineer, but you will need to find a balance of speaking up and ...