I need advice from Hambers and people who do this stuff for a living

Bro, It's like we're on the SAME paths.

I did great in high school. I went to prestigious local prep school, national honor society, etc., and college was a given. I wound up getting a scholarship to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, though I turned it down to go to University of Delaware. I started as a mechanical engineer because I love cars, ove working on cars, and I wanted to work for an automaker designing new cars and pushing the boundaries. I thought the coolest thing would be to work for SVT at Ford, or for Shelby. But it didn't work out that way.

I too, admittedly, suck at math. Hours spent studying didn't help. I barely squeaked through calculus with a passing grade, and the same went for Statics. I knew that once I got to Dynamics and knew I was at a crossroads. I was miserable from working so hard and not understanding the material. Something had to give. Though it goes against my nature to quit anything, I knew that changing paths was the right thing to do. I wound up changing majors instead of dropping out completely, going to Sociology and Criminal Justice, and I minored in US History.

It was a blessing in disguise, because I found a whole new career that I also love; law. During my last couple years at school I interned at a couple area firms and decided that law school was the way to go for me. I took my LSATs, got into Widener, and this May, I graduate. It's been crazy, lots of hard work, but I'm much better suited to do this work than the engineering, and I'm much happier because I'm not frustrated all the time.

You do need to do what makes you happy, but you don't necessarily need to do it for a living. I still work on cars, go to shows, hang out, go to cruise nights, except now, I do it when I want and not because I have to. Working on cars for people is frustrating! Customers have unreasonable deadlines and budgets, not to mention stupid ideas you need to go along with because they're paying. Working on my own cars as a hobby is more fun for me. When inspiration strikes, I do what I want, when I want. If I'm on a time crunch, it's self-imposed.

Don't quit school man. Seriously. In todays world, you need a college degree to be a janitor. You're young and now is the time to seize that opportunity, because if you get married and have kids and a job, you're gonna have a helluva time going back. Who is to say that you're going to love your Mechanical engineering job? What if you have to design plumbing valves, or toilets, or something lame? Just because you're an engineer doesn't mean you get to work on cars. Do some soul searching, some research, and really think about what is right for you. Weigh the pros and cons. But no matter what, I would NOT quit school.

Feel free to pm me if you want to talk, i'll shoot you my cell number. good luck man.

 

I could write reams on this, but.....

I graduated with a BSME in 82. I too hated calculus, but I struggled through it. 90% of Engineering graduates never use the serious math in the real world. You can choose your career path to not go in that direction.

After almost 30 years, I have no regrets. At one job, I ran the prototype shop, so I had room full of awesome machines to make car parts in the evenings. Now I work for an OEM of off-road recreational vehicles which is damn near as cool as hot rodding. And, I firmly belive that Engineering knowledge will help you build better hot rods. Laying out a rear suspension in CAD and checking for binding, pinion angle, etc is way easier (and cheaper) than trial and error in the shop. So, the Engineering world has been good to me....I'm looking a retiring at about 55 and building hotrods just for the fun of it.

Put up with the pain and reap the benefits later in life!

 

I'll throw in my .02 here.

I graduated with a BS in Aerospace engineering in '02. As far as math or chemistry goes, I wasn't great in either one. I hated chemistry, and I was lousy at it. But, for an BSME you should only need a couple of quarters/semesters of it, I wouldn't worry about it, just grind it out, get a passing grade and forget about it. Calculus is a little different, you're going to need some of that. UCLA was on the quarter system, so I took 6 quarters (~4 semesters) of lower division Calculus. I had a hell of a time in a couple of my classes, linear algebra was a disaster for me. But I found some of the other classes pretty easy. Just depends on what concepts you're working on, it may all be Calculus, but it's not all the same. So, trouble in a class or two doesn't mean you won't be able to make things work.

And if you already know how to weld, you're way ahead of a lot of engineering students, and some actual engineers. When you get to do some actual engineering, and not just pre-req's, that will help a lot. I can't tell you how many of my classmates were totally lost when it came to actual building something. Depending on the program you're in, and the University of California is terrible at this, the jump from theoretical concepts to real world application can be HUGE. And not all engineers can make it. Not just students mind you, but guys that actually got their degrees and are still lost when it actually comes to applying what they know.

As far as jobs, there are tons of positions out there for engineers that you wouldn't even think of, far beyond just the standard engineering/design work that most people think of. And you won't be competing against 10,000 liberal arts majors for the same job.

I can't be much more helpful than that on jobs though. After I graduated I never worked in the field, I went straight out and pursued a career in professional firefighting. I currently work as an Firefighter/Paramedic. But I wouldn't go back and change anything. I chose not to go into engineering, and I could have gone back into it had I not been able to make firefighting work. Those are good options to have. And now I have plenty of time to work on all of my project cars on the side.

I say stick it out. One Calculus class isn't cause for concern. Keep up with tutoring, find a study group, go to office hours, whatever works for you. And if you don't pass the first time, don't worry about it too much. You won't be the first student to have to retake a calculus class, and you won't be the first engineer to have to either.

 

Finish your course or take classes in other subjects, I don't know how the US school system is structured compared to the UK but get your degree, it does open doors even in unrelated areas of employment. A degree proves to a prospective employer you can work independently at a certain level,you are able apply some thought to a task or problem, work out some possible solutions and logicaly opt for a workable solution. This does give you a foot in the door even if it is at a pretty low level to start with, but, it is much easier to find alternative work, when you are working in a job, than from being unemployed.

 

I'll make another comment, and engineering education is important. A liberal arts education is nothing but useless indoctrination today.
A cousins daughter was getting married- going to OSU for an engineering degree. So I asked him how it was going; he said he just couldn't handle the math, so he switched his major to philosophy. After he left the table, my brother leaned over to me and asked, "what kind of job do you get with a philosophy degree"? I said, "Would you like fries with that, sir"? He's a security guard today. Learn the math! Get books, a tutor, whatever it takes, just do it....

 

Im an engineering student also, im on my way to BS in civil engineering. and just the same I love wrenching and dont like studying to much. in fact im putting off my diferential equations homework as we speak. At times ive learned to enjoy math and Chemistry. I think its kind of cool to look at stuff and pretty much be able to understand whats going on around me (chemicaly,physicaly,mathmaticaly,etc) It goes beyond calculus as you know. Dif Eq, linear algebra, statics and Dynamics. and it gets hard but at some point everything starts to come together and it will click. Trust me at one point the light bulb will come on and everything will kind of come together. I wanted to quit many times but im glad i stuck it out. Keep going and grind your way through it. Theres lots of good books to make it through classes, Schaums guides to calc 3,4, dif eq and linear, and the idiots guide to chemistry can explain the concepts pretty well.
Good luck comig from some one who has walked a mile in your shoes.

 

As much as I do agree, it's not as if an engineering degree is a meal ticket to a huge salary or even a job today. With the market glutted as it is, engineering jobs are at a premium, and with outsourcing a reality, many jobs are leaving for cheaper overseas options. My roommate is a civil engineer and he languished for a year on unemployment after his job of 3 years laid him off. He was working on a huge commercial development project, and when the project lost funding, so to did his firm. He finally got a job for SEPTA in Philly, but it's by no means a dream job. Solid job security and about $65K including overtime.

My ex's father is in a similar predicament. An electrical engineer with 30 years of experience, his company laid him off to eliminate his $100K plus salary, but kept him as a consultant to cut his pay and not pay him benefits. Nobody else has picked him up yet.

I used to laugh at one girl in my dorm my freshman year who was a Fashion Merchandising major. We used to say she was getting her "MRS". Well, she's smart, got good grades, has a nice personality, and is real pretty, which combined to land her a badass job in sales for Oscar De La Renta. She now travels the world selling exotic furs to rich people, making killer money and driving her new BMW M3. I guess she can laugh last.

 

Like most of us old guys, that have busted our asses, we would all tell you the same thing "STAY IN SCHOOL"

 

I beat on cars. I love what I do. When I decided to this I was on my way to being a physical therapist. Any regrets? sure but Im happy with my life. DO what you want.

 

For help with calculus, make sure you have a good graphing calculator that you understand how to use. The instruction manuals are often huge, but read it. A TI-89 is what you should be using. $100 and worth it. Also, get familiar with Mathematica or Maple software. It shows you step by step how to solve the problem. I also found that reading books such as "Idiots guide to Calculus" or Physics, or any of these books that simplify the explanation of these subjects will help as you do your homework. Whatever you do, whether you stay with engineering, or change majors, stay in school. Trying to get a degree when you're older and working a full time job is much more difficult and takes much longer. I found that six months after I learned something, it made more sense than when I learned it. Good luck.

http://www.wolfram.com/products/
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
http://www.maplesoft.com/products/maple/students/index.aspx
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/

 

Engineering ain't easy, if it was everyone would be doing it. Get some tutoring, if my dense skull can learn to compute hexidecimal and octal into binary code almost anyone can.

 

Stay in school!!!!! I went to be a machinist about 20years ago
and love what i learned. However i regret not going on and
getting a degree. You aint gonna stay young forever. Besides when
you do your passion (cars) for a living, unless your doing it as a
shop owner, as opposed to an employee, it is enjoyable.
As an employee it sucks the life out of you. Time goes by and you
cant scratch enough bread together to do your own stuff.
Stay in college, get your degree, get a desk job, and when you get
home every day you will feel like playing with your toys instead of
not because it feels like "homework"

 

what a truly incredible thread! that piece of paper actually is a key! it will open a door sometime in the future. as was suggested if you're having a problem get some tutoring there is not an accredited school in this country that doen't have a tutoring program, check with some of you classmates. you can do it but just like all the vehicles you read about here none of them were easy builds unless you had the resources to just sign the check! the good things are going to work up a sweat! another i suggest is to consider the difference between a vocation and an avocation! good luck!

 

Finish school ....... i graduated with my associates in 92 and never used it until 05 , always wrenched and have been very lucky to score jobs in the high line industry but when it all come down to it they could never provide a secure future for my family. When i interviewed for the NY transit the first thing they asked me was about my education and with that i was able to enter the system as a manager , Now i enjoy my time off and enjoy working on my toys .. "Make it a Hobby not a Living " Good luck in all your endeavors

 

Stay in school! It is always better to further your education. Heck half of us can't even spell on here that's why we use spell check. I'm sure there are plenty of old-timers in your area that'll help you. I'm 43 stuck in the middle. I work offshore. If you want to make the money, stay in school then get a job in the oil industry offshore. You work 2-5 weeks offshore then home 2-5 weeks depending on the job. My wife has started a new job working from home. And I hope to follow in about 2 years.

Stick with it. You'll regret it if you don't

Shawn

 

What makes a school the ultimate authority on deciding what a person knows or needs to know? A school can only predict a tiny fraction of the answers a student might need in life, but they take way more than a fraction to pass those answers on. Between tuition and loss of potential wages lossed while in school, they set a kid in the hole for many years. Life is a never ending education if you keep your eyes open. The secret to a never ending free education is learning how to learn and be skeptical of everything. Always ask yourself "Why?", "Is it true?" and "who made him the ultimate authority?". Always keep in mind, someone had to do it the first time.

FAMOUS DROPOUTS (Many are BILLIONAIRES):
http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/lists/dropouts.html

 

don't mean to monopolize this thread but Clik couldn't be more right and wrong! the purpose of education should never be to give one all the answers but rather to teach how to find an answer and as Clik so truly points out THINK!& QUESTION! but if you are going to waste your time challenging the teacher's authority you will tire before you answer that question which is you did when you chose to enroll in his/her environment! as a nation we have become enamored with the "degree" rather than the education. so we have created a couple of generations of degreed unemployables. get your degree but also become educated!

 

Whatever you decide to do, keep this story in mind: Two guys were hiking in the woods when a bear gave chase. The two guys were running for their lives when the one stopped to take off his heavy boots and put on his tennis shoes. His buddy said "What are you doing? You can't outrun a grizzly bear"! The other guy replied "I don't have to. All I have to do is...outrun you".

Always provide your boss or customer with a little more service than your competition does. Create dependency.

I used to race accross a job site to prevent my boss from getting to a machine. Eventually he got used to not getting his hands dirty. Soon he quit wearing work clothes. It wasn't long before he got soft and comfy and made me Forman. Eventually I owned the company.

I went from a highschool dropout, raised on ketchup sandwiches and watered down milk to millionaire by outrunning guys with college educations, poor attitudes and high expectations.

 

Stay in school. If nothing else the degree is a door opener. When they have so many applying for a job they have to weed people out some way. One easy way is "Does this person have a degree? No trash. Yes let's look at them further."

I'm old but I couldn't get the job I have today without a degree. It was different years ago.

Bill

 

That's how they do it where I work. And yes, it was different years ago. I started at my place of employment when the company was less than a year old. Thought it was a great opportunity to start in a company and move up as the company grew. 12 years later (after the original owners sold to bigger LLC, and then to an even bigger corp.), I'm still at the bottom, and the new hires with their degrees are the only ones let in the door, and start off making more than me. I'm like number 10 out of 150, but that doesn't matter, the degree does.

 

Hello Brandon,
I don`t usually respond to many posts as I tend to listen, learn and often bite my tongue. This post of your`s, however; is very near and dear to me. I was in your situation about twenty four years ago. I left University after two successfull years of Mechanical Engineering at the best engineering school around (very hard to get accepted to and every graduate had multiple job offers upon obtaining their degree). I could have easily finished but I could not hold back on my true passioin. I left University to become a Millwright with a large company at a coal fired power plant. You see, I think that we all have a path that we are drawn to and we must follow. I read in your profile that you have a passion for cars and that you are basically on your own to figure things out and get it done. I am the same way, surrounded by family members that are all educated people. I was always different from the rest. I, like many here, was repairing lawn mowers and such before I hit the double digits. I was "mechanically inclined" and very inclined to say the least. YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF IF YOU ARE THE SAME. I made a VERY educated decision to leave and accept with a top company. I have risen to a very high position which compensates me very well, far more than I would have made as an Engineer. I knew at 19 or 20 though that I would be an excellent Millwright and would do better than an average Engineer. I have not regreted my decision once. If your not a "mechanical" prodigy in this economic climate you have a very hard decision, regards, Rhys.

 

holy shit.

I cant believe how much feed back I've got. Most of which I kind of expected, and its nice to be reassured. My parents tell me to stay in school, but both neither went to college. My dad owns a small drywall operation and my mom is a bartender. But hearing it from people went to school and some of the stories. I hope that one day I can tell some stories like that.

Clik, I like what you had to say man, a lot. That was my thought when I was younger and your list was interesting to read. Is there any list for famous people who are millionaires who have degrees? It would be nice to compare all that stuff.

To who ever said something about working a full time job and paying bills and all that stuff. I work a full time job, pay a mortgage, and all the other bills that go along with that. So I know, its fucking hard and sucks the life out of you.

Thanks for everything guys. anyways that was my hour break from homework, I've got a chem test tomorrow so I'm going to bury my head in the book for the next 5 or so hours. last time i studied a little, not enough and i got a 71, the one before that a 60, so I'm shooting for at least a B here.

 

Stay in school - something you will never regret!
Seems to me you are asking all the right questions. It's OK to have doubts along the way.
My son, now 24, went to college and started in Engineering. It seemed like a natural just because he works on cars - pretty good at it too. The math threw him a curve and the course work just didn't inspire him. I said if that's not to your liking then pick another field - and he did. Graduated with a liberal arts degree in political science. Now it's all working out.
I went to college for ten years, off and on, and have two degrees and still didn't know just what I wanted to do - somehow I found my way. Takes a little time but I'm thinking it usually works out. But that education is the most important thing you will ever do for yourself!
Good luck!

 

Stay in school, you have a lifetime to work.

 

Get your education first. Then go off and do what you want. This way you have something to fall back on to if need be. Having options in your life makes life a lot easier.

 

I read your intro and saw myself 42 years ago. I played with cars all of my formative years and joined the Navy in '62 when Viet Nam was getting ready to explode. After six years I was released and decided to use the GI bill and go to college.

The math in Mechanical Engineering courses was brutal and Calculus was beyond me. It was one of those courses that you never understood until after you flunked the final. School was not going well and the campus riots and student boycotts led me to drop out and find a job. I tried a few manufacturing jobs then hired on with Xerox and worked there for 39 years.

Looking back it all worked out for me and life has been good. I don't know if it would have been different but I think I would have stayed in school if I could have.

 

Brandon,
My advice is like alot of other good folks here.Stay in school,keep at it and soon it will click.I've worked in automotive design for 20some years.I'm very fortunate to be doing what I do.I'm in the creative end of the process.But I'll tell you,engineering jobs are,and have always been in demand(in this country,and many others)I know many people who have gone to other countries to work,and with no regret.
With an engineering education,you can take that knowledge in many many directions.
Keep at it,and good luck!

Oh,and love your F100!
Myron_

 

i cant believe ur making that little money welding when i was welding full time i was making between $40-60 dollars an hour we were working 16 hour days 7 days a week...if u have a welding rig then you make a second tax free check at $15 per hour look into union jobs boilermakers or pipefitter...itwould be nothing for us to clear $15000 a month after taxes...plus u can lay yourself offwhenever you want....in our area we are like the natual gas capital of the us right now so welders can name their wage

 

I am in the same boat you are, I was a welder/welding inspector making decent money but I had the GI bill and wanted to go back to school. I was going to go for engineering but instead decided to go into radiology. I am trying to juggle school and a 9 month old with my wife working full time as a nurse. All I can say is if you hate math you should definitely rethink engineering because math is pretty much the basis of everything you do in engineering.

 

I was a welder and tried the engineering school never did figure ourt calculus or chemistry, gave up on the fucking bullshit collage. Still went on to be a engineer at the old general motors. Never let lack of a stupid piece of paper from a bunch of idiots who wanted to decided for themselves if i was smart. Left gm to start my own business, never looked back, have great success now. Drop the school start your own biz part time and move forward success will come if you are humble and hard working.

Fyi, bill gates , steve jobs, henry ford and others never finished collage, no was not a acceptable answer

don't ask someone if you can be successful make your own success