what options do i have left?

[tom1607307597]

Well first i wanted to start things off by explaining the pickle I'm in. I am a sophomore, almost junior, at my university. The last 2 years I've been taking courses for a mechanical engineering major. It started off good, but these last few semesters I've been doing really bad in my classes. These classes were hard, but I also just didn't feel motivated to do any of the work. Maybe I just really hate all the math and science they put you through. I just know it's time to switch majors but my dad keep nagging me about how great job security is for engineers.

 

I've seriously thought about switching majors even before that because I didn't expect to do well, hopefully to something easier. My university doesn't seem to offer what I'm looking for. For example, I was thinking physical therapy, but the closest they have to physiology. General Biology or biology with a medical concentration was another thing I picked out but I know I don't want to pursue a graduate degree. A technician, or even engineering technician job of some kind sounded cool too but they don't offer anything like that here.

 

To make things more complicated I thought about transferring to another university, possibly get a change of scenery and maybe find something that really motivates me. They even have an college exchange program that would let me go to a college in lets say New York or California, just as long as I have 2.5 gpa or higher. Taking this engineering path though has screwed me over though, as of this last semester I have a 1.92 gpa. Transferring to another university or even another college on campus seems almost impossible. I feel trapped since I will have to pay back all my loans if I drop out. I don't seem to have too many options left from where I stand. What else can I do?

[CaptainPlanet]

Finish the Engineering degree. You don't have to be an Engineer, get a tutor and study 24/7 but make sure you finish it. You will be 100% better off in the long run.

[capbit]

Is being an engineer what you want to do as your career? If it's not, then you can still change your major. If you're at a traditional university, the first two years are generally spent fulfilling your general ed requirements. You took some engineering courses which can probably be converted to electives, and I think worst case scenario you graduate a year behind.

I say stick it out where you're at, I don't think it would be very easy transferring in your position. Research some more and see what your school has to offer and find something that you can see yourself doing in the future. I'd speak with your advisor, maybe they point you in the right direction.

[McLovin oo7]

As an engineer myself, I can tell you it is a great profession.

 

However, everything depends upon you. It does not make any sense for you to get a degree in mechanical engineering if you dont like it.

 

Study something what you would like to do rest of your life. However you gotta think the money factor also. There are professions that sounds really good but then you need money to be alive.

 

Its a tough situation but if you think hard, I am sure you will be fine!

 

Good luck!!!

[correspondent08]

Hi Tom,

 

If you are 2 years into a degree and you don't like it and you find it really difficult I would say consider switching majors. If you try to tough it out consider that upper year courses only get more difficult, and ultimately if you don't like what you are learning you may really not like a job in the area if you do get the degree. Upper year students who are unhappy with their chosen discipline are miserable creatures. If you really hate it, find a way out.

 

Switching universities is usually messy, the new university often won't accept courses you took at the old one. A smoother option might be to switch to a more general degree if your university has such a thing, some schools have 2 or 3 year general degrees in science or math, probably many of your engineering courses could count towards something like that. Sometimes joint majors which combine disciplines can be very flexible, social science degrees can be flexible and can take advantage of math courses you've already taken. Read your university's degree descriptions carefully. Go see a course counselor.

 

Most university degrees do not translate immediately into job training, a general science degree might be okay if you want an entry level technicians position, or if you would be willing to follow it up with a short trade school program.

 

Good Luck...

[BeStrongBeHappy]

There are also lot so of online degree programs you can do. They have less stringent rules since you don't actually transfer to the campus.

 

You might want to look for a school that offers a two year program, like Physical Therapy Assistant. Many community colleges offer two year technician programs that you can get in 2 years. You could get one of these A.A. degrees then work in the field for a while and then finish a four year degree later if you like the field.

[tom1607307597]

thanks everybody for your advice. I was hoping to switch in a new major this fall but I'm worried that I'll take a semesters worth of classes and realize I don't like the major at all. It would push me back at least another semester to a year, that seems to be what's keeping me from just experimenting with other majors, classes. It seems like taking different classes though might help me figure this all out.

 

I've looked into biology several times before but it seems like the job is mostly research, I've never worked as a research assistant before so I don't know if I'd enjoy that kind of work. That and to do research you need at least a masters degree, otherwise you end up as a lab technician or research assistant. It doesn't sound possible to move up from that position either w/o at least a masters.

[correspondent08]

Hi Tom,

 

Switching majors often leads to an extra year or so on your degree. Its almost unavoidable. I don't think you can know if you are going to like something or not without experimentation, but too much experimentation can make finishing your degree difficult. You might consider reading or doing some volunteer work as a less expensive way to get to know something about a work area. Talk to people who do the job you are interested in, see what they have to say about it. Large companies often have web pages which describe their industry. Human resource people are often willing to talk to students via e-mail or telephone. Or start another thread here- asking about specific job profiles...

 

If you switched to a Biology major, and after that couldn't find work you were interested in, you could augment the biology degree with some sort of related technical training- X-ray technician, pharmacology, veterinary assistant &c. There are many diploma programs that require you to at least have a bachelor's degree, or for which a bachelor's degree is a very good compliment. MBA, teachers certificate, Law and Medicine are the four obvious professional degrees which a good student from any background can fit into. There are others though, you have to be creative and look around. Use your imagination.

 

Research assistant is usually a job given to somebody with a MSc or PhD. The pay is sometimes not very good, neither is the job stability.

 

Good Luck

[poloplayer]

Finish the engineering degree. As much as it stinks, really try to stick it out.

 

You will not be limited to a traditional engineering job. I have friends who were chemical, mechanical, electricial, etc., engineering majors who are NOT doing any engineering. What the coursework did provide was the brainpower to go into almost anything in the real world. Some work in finance, others work in sales. Some are IT. My friends uncle in an exec. at a Fortune 50 company - all he has is his BSE.

 

Many of my friends contemplated dropping out. One of my friends scored in the 99th percentile on his college entrance exams, and pursued engineering. The guy was always on and off academic probation. It's not an easy degree to obtain, but if and when you get it, you will be glad you went through the pain.

 

Look into switching routes when exploring graduate/professional school if it really warrants it. Engineering is a really good background to have.

[infinitecore]

As an engineer myself, I can tell you it is a great profession.

 

 

From my experience ( I used to do EE before getting into the hospital field ), the actual design positions are VERY scarce and often go to the most competitive graduating students. Many major companies have gpa cutoffs for interviews. In today's world, you would have a hard time with less than a ~3.3 gpa and without summer internships. That's not to say you won't make a great engineer but the gpas are what managers use in screening new graduates with no prior engineering experience.

 

I've heard of how engineering students even with 2.0-2.5 gpas in the early 80s were almost guaranteed job security but times have evidently changed.

 

Anyone want to chime in on this?

[tom1607307597]

I'm not too sure about the success rate for new engineering graduates but I know the pay is different based on gpa. Some engineers from raytheon came by my school and mentioned how one was paid more because she had a higher gpa than her coworker.