What if I don't work fast enough?

I'm so glad you have gotten accommodations for your processing style! The good news is, science and engineering are for all types of thinkers - deep thinkers like yourself included! I encourage you to continue to "learn how you learn" and explore what works best for you, because you will take that on with you in your career, too! For me, I learned in college that I'm very much a "why is this important?" learner, which means I need a visual map of the information landscape before I can grasp individual concepts that make up the whole. For instance, in calculus, I need to see the whole derivation first, then drill down to the major sections, and then I can follow it step-by-step from start to finish. Otherwise, I just feel lost and my brain literally does not allow me to follow.

I also learned as an adult that I have ADHD and understanding that about myself has helped me make sense of why I learn the way I do. It was such a relief to realize that nothing was “wrong” with me — my brain just works differently! If you ever wonder about how your own brain processes information, it can really help to talk with a counselor, teacher, or other trusted adult who understands learning differences. Having that insight and continuously learning about it can make a big difference in how you approach challenges.

The classes you are taking now are teaching you fundamentals and giving you the tools to solve complex, engineering problems. As long as you understand the concepts, that is knowledge you gain and will always have with you. Notice that I've said nothing about the speed of this. When working as an engineering, you will work both individually and as a team. You will be given tasks, requirements, and deadlines and will then work to meet these goals. You will have input as to if you can meet these goals. There are some higher stress jobs that will require fast thinking and there are others that do not. I find it driven more by the company than by the actual engineering discipline. So keep taking classes and learning, and you will find the job that you are a perfect fit!
-Kim

Hi!
I would suggest not working as a design consultant – I found there was usually a time crunch and urgency, working under pressure to finish things, but I feel like maybe working in research or in academia may align better with taking more time to go through the details.
Paige

As long as you do your work diligently, check your work, and do your best, you will be a great engineer. I've worked with quite a few engineers and the ones who rush through the project, trying to get it done as quickly as possible, also have lots of mistakes and incorrect assumptions because they didn't take the time to think the problem and the solution all the way through. So they end up spending more time on the project because they have to go back into their work and find all these incorrect details to fix them or someone else has to fix it for them. That ends up being slower than taking the time to do it right the first time. So keep at it. Engineering is really just a puzzle or game to be solved. Getting better takes practice, and you will figure out your strengths as you go along, getting faster at finding the solution, and finding tricks and tips to make it easier.

I am glad you are working to figure out the accommodations you might need to be successful in STEM. It is very common for some of the most impactful engineers and scientists to have experienced similar concerns while in school. What we find is that there are students who do have to spend more time. But - that they learn at least as deeply as other students, and often have a new perspective that allows them to be the most creative researchers in the field!

Thus, I would not let the time it takes you to build understanding or solve problems keep you from STEM fields. I would caution you that sometimes what seems like busy work is actually building foundation skills and understanding that are important! So - thank all those teachers that are working hard to make sure you have a strong foundation to build on.

Hi there,

Thank you so much for sharing this.

Honestly, many engineering students feel the same way but rarely say it out loud. I want you to know that slow processing speed does not mean you can’t be an engineer. In fact, engineering needs many different kinds of thinkers, not just the fast ones.

You’ve already noticed how much extra time and flexible assignments help you show your true understanding. That itself shows something important: your abilities are real, and your pace doesn’t reduce your intelligence. Even in professional exams and licensing tests, accommodations like extra time are provided, so the engineering world fully acknowledges that people process information differently. Speed is not the measure of capability.

And about those tedious, repetitive assignments in school: No, actual engineering is not like that. Classroom math often focuses on long procedures and busywork, but real engineering is very different. In real projects:

• Work is divided among teams, so no one is doing everything alone.
• Engineers spend more time thinking, designing, planning, debugging, researching, and much less time doing long repetitive calculations.
• There are tools, software, and methods that make the “busywork” much easier.
• Deep thinkers , people who take their time to understand a problem fully are often the most valuable in a team.

Engineering has space for every type of brain. Some people think fast; others think deep. Deep, careful thinkers thrive in roles like design engineering, research, modelling, simulation, environmental analysis, GIS, quality engineering, safety engineering, and many more. These roles rely on accuracy, insight, and creativity, not speed.

So please don’t lose your confidence. Your way of thinking is not a weakness; it’s just a different strength. You don’t have to be the fastest to contribute meaningfully. The engineering world needs people like you, thoughtful, analytical, and willing to understand problems deeply before solving them.

If you still enjoy math, science, and problem-solving, then engineering absolutely has a place for you. You just need the right environment, the right support, and the right pace and all of that is possible.

You belong here more than you think. 💛

Hi ! this is a difficult question.

Today’s world is incredibly fast paced and being slow at understanding at a point where it is necessary to ask for extra time to finish a test may mean that the field is not suitable.

I think the best place for in-depth thinking and analysis – with a slower pace – is in a R&D institute or an academic career.

Hope this helps !

In my view, if Engineering is your interest and passion, pls do the course. If there is a programme to learn at your pace, it is better. I think there are institutions which allow learning at your pace these days. Research and development would work best for you, as they neither demand nor expect results overnight. So, to get a foot in the door, you can join as a trainee/ apprentice in some laboratory of your choice from where you may explore possibilities along with your engineering education. You will do well in life. Cheers…where there is passion, there is success and result!

At the University, one can request additional time as well as exam environments to do one’s best. I’ve seen students go from a failing grade to an A once they had their environment needs reviewed with medical support. Engineering has options for people with different personalities as well as interests. It maybe helpful to look at careers of various engineers and see if these are options that appeal to you. If you are able to engage with scouts or science museums or maker spaces, go over and enjoy exploring. For me, making things or working my way through projects enables me to grow in my exploration of principles, theoretical frameworks and reasoning that I would otherwise not find interesting.

I can imagine the frustration with having to do a lot of what seems like tedious busywork. And I would be the first to acknowledge that not all math teachers do a very good job of explaining and motivating the material! But for an alternative perspective, I would like to offer this passage from the preface to Jordan Ellenberg's excellent and highly readable (albeit audaciously titled) book, How Not to be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking (2014, The Penguin Group):

He uses the analogy of all the “boring, repetitive, apparently pointless drills” that professional athletes undergo. He then points out that you won't see players actually performing those drills in real games, “But you do see players using the strength, speed, insight, and flexibility they built up by doing those drills... Mathematics is pretty much the same ... Math is woven into the way we reason. And math makes you better at things... Knowing mathematics is like wearing a pair of X-ray specs that reveal hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of the world... With the tools of mathematics in hand, you can understand the world in a deeper, sounder, and more meaningful way... The problems we think about every day ... are shot through with mathematics. Understanding this gives you access to insights accessible by no other means.”

You'll need to evaluate whether all the "boring, repetitive, apparently pointless drills" that you are being asked to do now are accomplishing what Ellenberg describes: maybe they are, and maybe they aren't. As for whether there is space in engineering for people who think and work at a slower pace, I would say "yes, but such spaces may be somewhat more difficult to find". For me, academia has offered that space -- my priorities have always been quality over quantity; excellence over speed; and thoughtfulness over rote application -- and they have served me well throughout my career. I hope you find that space for yourself!

All the best, Pat