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How did you decide to be in your specific feild as an engineer?

I know there are many options in being an engineer however i'm one of those people that are still confused on what i'll want to major in. I don't have a clear mind on what I want to be. #engineer #confused

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Drew’s Answer

Engineering is a great profession. Your first two years will be general engineering subjects that will give you a taste of mechanical, chemical, electrical, and civil engineering, and mathematics. During my first year I showed how water hyacinths could be used as tertiary treatment for waste water. That led me into environmental engineering which was taught through the chemical and environmental engineering department. I was in the Navy (active and reserve) at the time. When I graduated I went to work for U.S. EPA for twelve years as a project engineer in air and enforcement engineer in water. I also became a Commissioned Engineering Duty Officer where I worked in shipyards and industrial activities. While at EPA I earned my MBA and began a consulting practice. After I left EPA, working as a consultant for manufacturers, I soon learned that Industrial Hygiene and Safety Engineering would be necessary compliments to my environmental engineering practice. With my enforcement experience I gradually became a forensic engineer. What I learned in those first two years has served me well. I first learned how to apply those skills to solve problems in the next three years of environmental engineering (MEng). I have always had an insatiable appetite for learning which has let to an impressive array of credentials. In addition to two Master's Degrees, I'm a licensed Professional Engineer in several states and Board Certifications in Environmental Engineering, Forensic Engineering, Industrial Hygiene and Safety Engineering. I retired from the Navy as a Captain. In Georgia, as in most states, at 62 college tuition is free. Now I am working on a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering to better understand what I learned in shipyards and industrial activities, and to complement my Forensic Engineering Practice. Engineering is a wonderful adventure no matter where you start.

The rest of my life has been equally rich and rewarding, but you didn't ask about that. There has been plenty of time for fun and family.

Drew recommends the following next steps:

If you are in high school, study math and science.
If you have started engineering school, pick what you like. Any field will be as rewarding as you want. Just keep you eye out for the next challenging opportunity.
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pranab’s Answer

Engineering is a profession where you can build and design things .There are various branches like mechanical, chemical, electrical, and civil engineering , aeronautical engineering which lets you harness your inner creativity to create and design and build things .If you are good at some subject say mathematics and love planes , then subjects like aeronautical engineering will equip you to build new planes.

If you love houses and big apartments around you then subjects like civil engineering can help you.

Similarly all the new chemicals and good things that you see all round you, all the new electrical gadgets you see around may have a chemical engineer or a electrical engineer behind it

where as an computer or it engineer will help you build new software's and also advance in new fields like artificial engineering and robotics,

Besides along the way , if you can excel in one of the subjects , You’ll Take Home A Big Paycheck Right Out Of School and also have a opportunity to change the world

Regards,
Pranab Ghosh

pranab recommends the following next steps:

1.check your score in exams like SAT etc and choose the subject where you are good at ,prepare well and get enrolled in engineering school after giving exams
2. try to excel and build on your strengths and pass out with intention of learning things whole heartedly and passionately , all things will fall in place
3.graduate ,be competetive and win-let school have job guidance and school will advise you based on your skills which will be suitable trade for you.
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Dominique’s Answer

I went into engineering as "undecided" and for the first two years I did all the general courses. I had an idea going in that I wanted to be a chemical engineer but after taking some courses I knew it wasn't for me.

My advice when you are at school seek out panels/student forums that have upper level classmates that have done some internships tell you about your experiences. You will get an idea as to what they did. Also, it doesn't hurt to try and job shadow or go to career fairs and talk to employers and ask them what is a day in the life for their job.

Also, think about what interests you. Mechanical engineers that I have worked work really enjoy working with their hands, designing in CAD/Solidworks, and building their designs. Electrical engineers in my experience have been more automation and work with the mechanical engineers to make equipment move. These are just same examples.

You can look into industries as well. I wanted to do something that would help people and that lead me to the medical device industry. I didn't start there as an electrical engineer but I gained experiences that got me into the industry eventually. I wish I would have thought about the industry I wanted to get into when I was in school. I probably would have studied biomedical engineering but that is the nice thing about getting an engineering degree you can always gain experiences to get you to a career that is right for you.
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