Doing engineering in college not having done engineering or metalwork in school?

Mr Rhode Island Red

Hi all,

I'm just narrowing down some of my ideas for courses after secondary school and was pondering engineering.

However, I didn't do metalwork or woodwork for the Junior Cert, and I amn't doing engineering or construction for the Leaving. I did Honours T-Graph for the Junior Cert though. I tried out DCG in Transition Year but hated it, so I didn't do DCG for the Leaving either.

I do Honours Maths and Physics, and enjoy both of them. I also do Biology and Chemistry if that means anything.

What I'm wondering is would doing engineering in college be a good idea, considering I've never done Wood or Metalwork, and I'm not doing any practical subjects for the Leaving Cert either, having hated DCG?

Another concern I have is whether I'm "creative" enough for Engineering. I was never really any good with my hands and at times also had a bit of bother "thinking outside the box". Not that I have zero spacial awareness but just that I always went for the most straightforward route when solving things. Is this a bad trait for an engineer to have?

Any and all advice welcome.

breadmonkey

yes no problem whatsoever but your post makes me think you have a slighly skewed idea of th curriculum of an undergraduate engineering degree. It isn't really about physically making things in the manner of, say, a carpenter making a bench. It's more understanding the material and its behaviour so that you could design a safe and serviceable bench. Does that make sense?

godtabh

Engineering in college is more aligned to maths and physics in school. Its about understanding the principles of how things work.

If available I would also consider doing applied maths.

CatFromHue

I think alot of people go to Uni without ever having done any of those subjects, none of them were even options for me in school. I don't even know what DCG is!

I found in the IT I went to though that a few people had done some of them. Not that it mattered in the long run though as the IT or Uni will start you off from scratch.

In a Uni I think they do workshop in first year only and in an IT, or the one I studied Mech Eng in, you did it in 1st and 2nd year.

spideog7

Engineering is a very broad term. Those courses you mention are only relevant to some engineers (Mechanical and Civil spring to mind) even then they wouldn't be necessary, although they might very well be helpful. They wouldn't be really relevant at all if you were doing Electrical, Electronic, Software, Nuclear, Biomedical, Petroleum, Chemical, Robotics, Aeronautical etc. etc.

Mr Rhode Island Red

Thanks for all the advice. What about being "creative" enough for engineering. I often find it hard to think outside the box, as they say. Would this be a hindrance in engineering? It being about problem solving and all

CatFromHue

Not really, in some sectors of engineering creativity doesn't come into it at all. Thinking outside the box could be actually be a hindrance.

Also you're still in school so when I was your age I'm not sure if I did any thinking at all :pac: Let alone thinking outside the box

KeithTS

Out of interest why are you considering engineering and what field interests you?

In electrical/electronic you wouldn't be at a disadvantage at all. Maths, applied maths and physics would be more beneficial for sure. Don't worry about the thinking outside the box stuff, that'll come.

Any engineering course is going to be demanding, they're not 12 hours a week lets go on the piss type courses by their very nature. You'll be in labs/lectures 30+ hours a week excluding your own study time outside of that. I only mention this as if it's something you're not sure about and know nothing about then it might not be for you. I know from my own experience that a lot of the first years who started had dropped out come xmas as the workload was high and didn't interest them.

That said, I love my work, it's really rewarding and there are a lot of options for work out there so I'd recommend engineering 100%, just don't go into it blind.
Most courses these days offer a 1 year common entry course so you wouldn't even need decide on discipline straight away and can choose what interests you most after a year.

Mr Rhode Island Red

KeithTS wrote: »

Out of interest why are you considering engineering and what field interests you?

In electrical/electronic you wouldn't be at a disadvantage at all. Maths, applied maths and physics would be more beneficial for sure. Don't worry about the thinking outside the box stuff, that'll come.

Any engineering course is going to be demanding, they're not 12 hours a week lets go on the piss type courses by their very nature. You'll be in labs/lectures 30+ hours a week excluding your own study time outside of that. I only mention this as if it's something you're not sure about and know nothing about then it might not be for you. I know from my own experience that a lot of the first years who started had dropped out come xmas as the workload was high and didn't interest them.

That said, I love my work, it's really rewarding and there are a lot of options for work out there so I'd recommend engineering 100%, just don't go into it blind.
Most courses these days offer a 1 year common entry course so you wouldn't even need decide on discipline straight away and can choose what interests you most after a year.

I love science, physics in particular, and could almost say I get a buzz out of maths (when it's going right :pac: ) I've been looking at science degrees but many of them seem to lead to just being a lab technician which doesn't sound as appealing as actually applying science to the world around us, as is the case with engineering.

Also I'm not going to college for the piss or just the social life. I'd like a bit of a challenge. Something that involves working things out and not just solely learning droves of information off by heart.

On top of that, it would give some peace of mind to know that my employment prospects out of college would be good, relative to the likes of teaching or something. At the end of the day I also want a qualification that I can get a job with.

2011

Mr Rhode Island Red wrote: »

What about being "creative" enough for engineering.

It depends very much on the role.

I was working in a well known semiconductor plant where deviating from the tried and trusted design was a definite no no.

But now I am now working in a design role on a prototype tidal turbine. Some of the design challenges we face are quite unique so being "creative" is important, there is no standard/typical approach.

KeithTS

All perfectly valid reasons.
Any idea whether you are leaning towards mechanical, civil, electronic, electrical?

If you have any questions about electronic engineering and prospects etc feel free to drop me a pm and I can answer some questions in some detail for you if you like.

Mr Rhode Island Red

KeithTS wrote: »

All perfectly valid reasons.
Any idea whether you are leaning towards mechanical, civil, electronic, electrical?

If you have any questions about electronic engineering and prospects etc feel free to drop me a pm and I can answer some questions in some detail for you if you like.

I'm keeping an open mind for the moment, except for civil. I just don't think it would interest me much. I've an uncle who's an electronic engineer and he's showed me a bit about capacitors, transformers and stuff, but that's all the hands-on experience I've had with any engineering so far really, so I don't really know yet.

Peter T

Lets peel things back a bit. What has you considering engineering ? what attracts you to the idea of studying it in college ?

Chemical Byrne

I did civil/structural engineering in college. Apart from stupid soils lab tests we never had to do anything practical. I definitely think you've a misunderstanding of what an engineering degree involves as someone said. It's about working with your head, not your hands.

And that's just the degree part. When you leave college you might only expect to work 2 or 3 years at actual engineering proper, doing the technical design and stuff is very much an entry level role. After that it's all about project management, contracts and dealing with people. You don't need to know the technical ins and outs of everything, just have a general appreciation of the principles.

Well that's just my experience of it anyway.

spideog7

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

When you leave college you might only expect to work 2 or 3 years at actual engineering proper, doing the technical design and stuff is very much an entry level role

I 100% disagree with this, after 2 or 3 years a junior engineer would barely have a grasp of all the technical requirements for a design position.

This might depend on the discipline of course and your role/desired role. Some of my colleagues are close to traditional retirement age and they're still working in design positions.