Should i be an engineer?

Question

Okay so im a high school senior right now and i am currently taking Advanced Placement Physics. Our teacher is a really really bad teacher and he doesnt teach he sleeps through class. If he taught well, we woudl be able to do problems he assigns us in five minutes. Instead we take up 40 minutes to do SIMPLE EASY problems.

Now i was always fascinated by bridges and tall buildings and roads and how much it takes to let them withstand all these stress es on them.. Anyways now that im taking that AP Physics class im really starting to not like physics. We dont do homework in the class and we dont try simply because the teacher is very bad and doestn teach. Its a joke to me right now and im thinking of not becoming an engineer. Also i am not a genius in math...i love math but it takes some time and effort for me to understand it. Should i go to become an engineer or should i go find something else to do with my life?

Answer 1

If you focus on engineering make sure you take a lot of Biology chemistry Genetics and Physiology because medicine is the area of research right now. Physics, Computer Science and Civil Engineering used to be good trades but now the US is full of PHds in these fields from foreign countries and there is not so much opportunity. Focus on Biomedical Chemical or Genetic engineering. Get a Phd this is where the money will be ifor the next 20-30 years Good Luck

Answer 2

Well.... only YOU can answer that question but here are few thing to think about:

Your physics teacher has nothing to do with your future. If you don't like your teacher or he is bad, then take another class with someone else. Unfortunately, it happens. Don't let him discourage you from pursuing your goals.

If you are not good at math, that will be a major problem. Most engineering courses require you to take calc 1 though3, differential equations, and pretty much all the math classes. You also have to be very good at it, as you will be using it to solve problems, not just do the math homework. If you are not willing to put effort into learning it, engineering is not for you.

Question is.... aside from your physics teacher problem, what do YOU want to do?

Answer 3

First of all you should never let one bad teacher ruin your dreams. There are tons of horrible teachers out there and you are bound to run into a few of them, I know I have. I majored in Mechanical Engineering in college and we all had to go through the basic Physics classes whether or not you had taken them in high school. As for math, yeah we take a lot of it and you just have to get through it. But I'll let you in on a little secret, you hardly ever use it! All that fancy math was used at some point to derive all of the equations that engineers use but we hardly ever have to derive anything from scratch. Typically, as an engineer, we use a lot of algebra, trig, and geometry with an occasional differential equation. With that said, if you like bridges and buildings and roads then you are going to want to major in Civil Engineering, those are the folks that do all those types of things. Another nice thing to point out is that Physics typically involves moving objects, in Civil Engineering they typically do not like the things they build to move a lot, that is why they study Statics, the science of non-moving objects. That's a very general and over-arching statement but it gets the point across. What ever you decide to do, college is difficult and requires a lot of time and effort to do well, especially in engineering. So, I say go for the engineering and just put up with your physics teacher for now you will get to do it all over again in the future. Good luck!

Answer 4

You need to become a civil engineer like me. There are civil engineering opportunities all over the country in big towns and little towns. As far as the math goes, it is important to understand the concepts. Trodding through all the algebraic problems is just for grades.

As far as your teacher is concerned, who cares. Do the problems yourself. There are a couple of places on the web specifically for helping with physics problems. Like what was stated above, you have to become an independent learner. There is a neat website called hyper-physics. I was very impressed with it. It is calculus based, so you may have to learn some of the basics, but it will be worth your effort.

Answer 5

Don't judge your desire to be an engineer by one class that doesn't go well. In college there will be chances to take Physics and Math. Another comment. Even in college I have had bad teachers. Are you able to ignore the teacher if necessary and learn from the textbook alone? As an Engineer you will be continually learning on your own. New material and circumstances will come up and there will be no teachers or classes. Can you handle it?

Answer 6

Perhaps your high school guidance counselor can suggest an aptitude test (or evaluate such test if you have taken one already) for engineering studies. Your stated interests seem to point toward civil engineering. You will need to study hard and long and possibly will need a masters degree and a professional license too. It will help if you are greatly interested in the type subjects you will have to study in college. You may need to perform a lot of self-directed independent study regardless of how good (or bad) the Profs are. You should try to do your very best in high school regardless of a few poor teachers. The link may provide typical info. Good luck.

Answer 7

This depends, dear sir, on what you want to do. Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, etc. I prefer mechanical engineering, but it all depends on what you want. The way it sounds, you should look into civil engineering. These men design the next generation highways, byways, bridges, tunnels, buildings, office complexes, and more. Check into more on this topic by going to your local library, going to the reference table and ask for books on civil engineering. It doesn't matter concerning math. It kinda sounds like it's laziness (honestly, no offense). If you can do math, do it and work hard at it. Devote yourself and it will pay off eventually. Don't be offended, I am just sincerely wanting to help you out a little. =]

Answer 8

i say why not?? don't let that class ruin your dreams. get all that you can out of it and if necessary take it over again in college. You know your weak points so that means that you will have to put forth the extra effort in your math classes. also think about other options like city planning and architecture

also don;t be discouraged by those "simple problems" because believe me you will see them over and over again throughout your college career if you choose civil engineering as a major!

p.s i am bias to electrical engineering myself..check it out

Answer 9

THe time and effort is well worth it. I am currently in my third year (of four) on a Civil Engineering Bahelor's degree.
It's great. You learn so much and you eventually get to create things.

Answer 10

i think if you like it you should do it. if you enjoy it you can get better at the parts you find hard. i wouldn't change what yoou want because of a crap teacher. just try hard at maths do some revision and you will get better very quickly.

also i would ask your friends as well because i don't know you