Is engineering stressful?

I think every field, whether art, music, business or a STEM field (including engineering), can potentially be stressful. My son is a musician, and getting work can be difficult and hence stressful. With engineering, your chance of getting a good, steady job is great, which reduces long term stress significantly. But, while in school, or at NASA, when working on technically challenging projects with deadlines, the best way I have found to reduce stress is to take advantage of collaboration and teamwork. In other words, ask for help!! Perhaps in college it might be someone in your class or your professor. At work, your colleagues. Once I understood that at work you can always reach out to others for help and advice, my initial stress level decreased significantly. As one example, if some complicated math or modeling work is needed for my research at NASA, which I do not feel able to do – no worries! I have a colleague I go to whom excels in that type of work. Teamwork in the workplace is great! Good luck to you!

Most jobs will have some degree of stress, and engineering is no exception. Stress in itself can be good in moderation for motivating you, but it can be hard to deal with when it creates negative feelings such as anxiety.

However, there are many ways to manage stress and it starts by planning, organizing, and prioritizing your workload. If you have a good manager, they can help you learn what works, or you can find a trusted colleague to mentor you as you learn what works best for you to succeed. Sometimes plans change. It is important to give yourself grace. The great thing is that for most tasks, you can make a note at the end of the day where you left off, and start right back up in the morning. It is important to set boundaries early on so you give yourself enough time away from the job in the evenings and weekends to rejuvenate and relax. This will allow your brain to function more effectively during the workday.

Lastly, when you feel anxious due to stress, it is good to develop a “toolbox” of what works for you such as yoga, reading, painting, going on a run, talking to a therapist or friend, and so on. Your brain needs a rest from time to time.

If you want to be an engineer because you love figuring things out and making things work better, I say go for it!

Hi there! That is a great question! There’s always some sort of stress going at school, work, home, friends… but the most important part is figuring out what works for you to manage the stress. Stress is a double-edged sword – enough of it can help motivate/push you, but too much can cause burn out. Engineering is a challenging major, but so are other majors and other factors in college. I wouldn’t let it deter you away from trying. If the fear of “failing” is causing the stress, you learn more from your failures than your successes. It’s really how you pick yourself up and what you do next. Self-care tends to take the backburner, but you do need to take care of yourself. You just need to try what works for you to control the stress. Is it yoga? Is it reading a book? Is it mediation? Is it looking at cat memes? Is it petting a puppy or kitten? Is it Thai kickboxing? Is it eating copious amounts of chocolate? Whatever works for you. So, don’t stress over being stressed! Find out how to control your stress and don’t let it hold you back!

It sounds like you might need to find your own personal methods to manage stress. There are many great books on this, including Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… I like to remain very organized and this is so that I don’t get stressed. I can manage almost anything if I’ve planned for it and if I’ve planned for most things, even a few unexpected stressors can be easily managed! Some people manage stress by having a strong personal outlet, such as music, sports, or exercise. I know I feel best if I prioritize personal health by eating well and exercising several times per week. I also love to connect with my children. They are adults now, so I can even share some of my stressors with them, which is nice on occasion.

Engineering school is challenging. My encouragement is to know you are ready when entering university, and this will reduce the stress. You are in a perfect position to take all of the required math and science classes and also add in the pre-engineering classes if they are offered at your high school. When in engineering school, make sure it’s not just about school, but also about being a well-rounded individual with a balanced approach. Also, develop strong relationships with people who you can lean on when feeling stressed, but also to join you in a regular schedule of studying, sports, etc. Good luck!

Everyone has a very personal view of what is stressful. In school, this can be about passing a hard test or balancing several classes and activities. When you enter into the workforce, this can be about the amount and difficulty of what you take on in your job. Since you are interested in engineering, I can assume that you love the idea of solving real problems for real people. I know that I personally enjoy solving the challenge of delivering power to the world. This is not an easy job, but it is worthwhile to me. I do have stress, but I am also ok with that. The question you must answer is whether you are willing to accept the stress of doing a good job at whatever field you choose.

I suggest to you that engineering is about taking on problems and solving them. In taking on that problem, you must look at it from all angles, make sure you have covered all the bases, make sure that you are applying the rules of physics and regulation, make sure the approach is logical. People who are great at engineering are not overconfident. They step back and analyze, they ask questions, they must build confidence that they are approaching a hard problem with their training and expertise. These experiences enable them to take on the next problem.

In short, what I am telling you is that being a worrier is a great trait for an engineer. I want engineers who will worry enough about doing a good job to do it right. What you must learn in that is how to create balance and perspective. Apply the right level of worry to the job (or to school) without having it impact your peace of mind, because you know that your worrying makes you do the job to the best of your ability for the best solve possible.

First, I want to say that your mental wellbeing is important. If the stress you feel seems beyond your control, please speak with someone you trust. Maybe a parent, a friend, a school counselor, or teacher. There are many resources to help manage stress – things as simple as taking a short break or calling a friend for a quick chat.

Yes, getting an engineering degree and working in engineering can be stressful and can be difficult. However, for any degree and career, stressful and difficult are going to vary from situation to situation and from person to person. In the midst of this Coronavirus crisis, I would argue that being an Amazon warehouse worker or grocery store clerk or small business owner is currently more stressful and difficult than my engineering job.

You sound like a conscientious person with a desire to do great, and being that striving may very well cause stress regardless of what major or career you are in. If that is true then you have to find a path where the cons (stress) are outweighed by the pros (like time or money for hobbies, work that gets you excited, a daily environment that suits you, etc). I am glad you love the idea of being an engineer; do not get dissuaded already over the mere prospect of difficult coursework. My engineering job definitely comes with its share of stress, but the fact that I absolutely love what I do and where I do it makes the stress worth it. And when I do start to get overwhelmed, I look to those stress-management resources that are available to me – going for a walk, writing in a journal, venting to my family, etc. Best of luck to you!

First of all, this is a great question! Thank you for being honest.There are some amazing responses here and I hope they help you. The only thing I want to add is to remember and tell yourself that "It's not the end of the world." I used to repeat this to myself in college to keep going if I got a bad grade. I say that to myself at work now too.

"It's not the end of the world" is very important to tell yourself because it reminds you (or at least it reminded me) that whatever I'm stressing about is one moment in my entire life. It doesn't define me. You might feel that one wrong decision could ruin your life. That's almost never true, even for important decisions about your future! If you choose engineering but don't like it, you can change it! If you don't choose it and take a different career, you can come back to it! These are literally decisions my friends or I have made. There are many paths that ALL lead to success in life.  Don't worry about choosing the "right" path!  Just be bold, do the homework, and pick a major you instinctively like - you'll be fine!  When you learn more, you can always make a change.

Good job for being motivated, focused, and thoughtful about your future when you're only in 8th grade! I have no doubt that with hard work and stress management, you can do whatever you set your mind to.