Mathematics or engineering

Fratertv

I will be mature student. 35y. I will get trinity in Maths or Engineering in DKit or Tud. I am between the two of them....any advice... I am stuck....

AerLingus747

there is a loooot of info missing...

Fratertv

What is missing?

AerLingus747

what you want to do, what's the motivation for each, do you want to do design work, hands on work or analytical, Engineering has over 10 different loosely grouped sub-areas so simply "Engineering" is far too broad... even courses that have a standard engineering in the first and second years specialise in something..

as I said, there is a lot of info missing.

Fratertv

Yeah.. I got you. As I say i am stuck. I will entry for the 1 year General entry.... You decide which engineering in the 2 year. If you want Eletrical, mechanical, automation, computer, civil, structural.......... I think maybe Eletrical..... Because i love maths and physics. I have studied 1 year in the open University Mathematics.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586736#Comment_120586736

Do maths as that's what you like.

Engineering I believe requires a certain amount of attention to detail. Your spelling and grammar above would counter indicate this.

Math is more about ideas.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586754#Comment_120586754

Spelling is no measure of suitability to engineering

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586736#Comment_120586736

OP if you like physics/applied math then engineering may be a good fit, mechanical or electrical are math/physics heavy.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587376#Comment_120587376

Attention to detail is though?

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587589#Comment_120587589

Spelling is no measure of attention to detail as it would apply to engineering or maths

AerLingus747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586736#Comment_120586736

still missing a lot of info... you done the equivalent of asking us what sort of breakfast that you like in the morning.... how are we even to to begin to know what you like?

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587690#Comment_120587690

Grand, sloppy is as sloppy does. One of ours fairly good at math, you'd be hard to read the writing though. I wouldn't fancy them noting down figures and making calculations in the field.

AerLingus747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120588947#Comment_120588947

if you get into a decent engineering company, you will realise how neurodiverse it is.

What you see as sloppy, could be dyslexia or ADHD... which could be moulded in on top of being on the autistic spectrum.

literacy reasoning does not equate to numerical or mechanical... they can be completely mutually exclusive.

This is where good management comes into play, any good engineering company works as a team with a good leader, who dishes out the work accordingly.

Anything that is published is peer reviewed anyway, and if it goes to public or legal, you will have relevant publishers or solicitors look over it also.

Point and case is one of my previous lecturers is still main peer reviewer for papers that enter a journal of the IEEE, has numerous books, speaks around the world, and is dyslexic as **** ... you can see it when you e-mail them, they are tough work to read. He has helped deploy some of the most complicated comms systems the world has seen. They are always working with manufacturers on the next generation of comms systems.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598174#Comment_120598174

I suppose it depends what space / role you are working in. If it's at the ideas and concepts end, then I agree fully. Of those working at the empirical end, the practical matter of logging data, preparing plans and so on - attention to detail is crucial as others will need to interpret this data, plans and design guidelines. Getting basic things like units of measurement mixed up for example is not great.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598268#Comment_120598268

The point being made is that grammar & spelling are no indicator of mathematical ability or attention to detail.

They are 2 fundamentally different skills.

AerLingus747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120598268#Comment_120598268

not great, not the end of the world either... it would only be in an ops or construction type environment you would need that sort of "now" skills in engineering. everything else is compensate-able with computers these days.

Which a lot of people see as the only side of engineering, where it will have taken years for something to get to even the point of "breaking the soil" etc..

Fratertv

I have Asperger's Syndrome

AerLingus747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120602391#Comment_120602391

What do you enjoy?

what do you do in your spare time?

what level of Asperger's do you have, for example, do unfamiliar situations make you very uncomfortable? dealing with the unknown? or are you high functioning but maybe the social side of things you struggle a bit with?

I am asking because, pretty much Engineering, Mathematics, Sciences, you'll probably enjoy and excel at, but, thinking from your perspective, these routes can have very different academic journeys and subsequent employment outcomes..

This is a general observation, and not a sure thing... but this is what I usually see happening:

Engineering - good mix of maths, physics and hands on stuff, but, when you get into the real world, unless you stay in Academia, it is very much a social sector, where unless you land yourself in a company which works around you, you will need to work on the social and networking side a lot, you will need to interact with people a lot. Don't get me wrong, there are jobs where you can work solo and have minimal interaction, but they will be very career limited

Sciences - Physics in particular is a step more towards the theoretical side of things, whether in Academia or employment you will most likely be researching or experimenting in whatever sector you're in.... companies who look for scientists will definitely tailor to the neurodiverse and for people who find parts of their life difficult (social interaction, ADHD etc...) these companies make allowances, and you usually have a more lucrative career, because, you're surrounded by others.

Maths - I've always found this one a strange one, you have people who do Master's in Mathematics, then end up in analytics roles (which isn't bad, just something you don't need a masters for) or people who go and specialise in a specific area of mathematics and work for a fortune 500 company of Government agency on something ridiculously cool.... Cryptography and Cryptanalysis is huge in this area, and Trinity as you mentioned is very much a leader in this area...

again, it comes down to your personal circumstances, which we don't really have much to go on here...

What I will give my 2 cents on is: if you're planning to stay in Ireland to work, Physics is probably the best all rounder, if you want to work in Analog Electronics, Tyndall institute, Intel etc... obviously Electronics/electrical Engineering would suit better (but will also take you on with Physics or Maths) .. Or, if you plan on staying in Academia, Mathematics or Physics would be better.