College Options

[bojangles_8686]

Alright so I have been taking gen ed classes and now I am taking engineering classes but dont think I want to do engineering anymore. It is hard for me to keep up with all the formulas and conversions and equations because Im not much of a math guy. I was talking to a friend who is going to goto Art Institue of Washington for Graphic Desgn, and really got into it. I have always had a thing for drawing and editing pictures on the computer, but never thought of making a career out of it. Now heres the decision...

Do you think I should really take a look at this Graphic Design and stop trying for engineering? Also, this Art Institute costs around the same as the college I was planning on for engineering.

Any input would be appreciated..

[DamDirtyApes]

im an engineering major and i hate math to. Its all about what you like to do. If u like engineering just tough it through the math, its what im doing. Im going for a dual major in aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering

[DamDirtyApes]

dble post

This post has been edited by DamDirtyApes: Oct 12, 2005 - 10:43 PM

[soulshadow]

Yah I went that route too, but now 3rd year I find that engineering and technology field isn't what I really wanted too do. I wanted a job where I was more in touch with nature and have less hardship of figuring things out. It pays more to be an engineer, but if you look at them it seems that they never have a day off. Its always rushing in to fill dead liines and come up with new plans for more money making designs. I am now an Earth, soil, water and enrviomental major. I plan to become an Envriomentalist someday and help out the planet we live on. Just make sure that whatever major you pick isn't for the money, or what someone else like your parents say. You are yourself and you must create your own path in life, not the path that leads to money or what someone says. Take some religon of asia classes. You learn a lot about why were suffering so much today even tho some people are rich.
I was planning to go to Automotive repair, but after a while I found that I've been in college for a while now and I didn't want to leave my friends and the memories I had behind. Otherwise it would look like I was a coward and just running away, because college was hard. Automotive is great, but I do it already everyday to my celica, so having a career in it would be too much of a hassel everyday.

I think that you have the right path, but remember that your career is something you never have thought of doing, something that you really enjoy doing regardless of the situation, or what somebody tells you. Do not be a fool and become so intrested cause someone said it was really easy, or great, or has good pay. It might be all that great for them, but it ain't great for you, just wait untill you have a go at it! You will understand, cause I've been in this situation a lot of times.

I'm the type of guy who would lay down and stare at the clouds all day and the stars all night. The true meaning in life that I have found out is to live happily without any worries, hardships and suffering. There may be times when you cry, but these times will come from Joy and happinnes. (WAT THE HECK AM I SAYING???)

[blu94gt]

Yeah I started college as a mechanical engineer, then after about a year and a half decided that wasnt what I wanted to do so I'm now in General Business Management. I really wanted to go to UTI but it was way too expensive, so I'm going to get my degree in this then possibly open my own shop or something and have the bachelor's degree as a fallback plan.

Does anyone else here hate college and how our society demands a college degree to do just about anything other than work at McDonalds?

[mjmsoccer]

I'm an engineering major as well, but I think if you don't really enjoy what you are doing then you should try something else. I think thats part of college, I was torn between engineering and business and I decided I'd rather be out messing around with things and interacting with more than just a computer and a cubicle. I'd say go for what you're interested in. I mean, if you have a passion for art and such, it would be great to make a career out of doing something you love.

[blu94gt]

I'm an engineering major as well, but I think if you don't really enjoy what you are doing then you should try something else.  I think thats part of college, I was torn between engineering and business and I decided I'd rather be out messing around with things and interacting with more than just a computer and a cubicle.  I'd say go for what you're interested in.  I mean, if you have a passion for art and such, it would be great to make a career out of doing something you love.
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See the problem is, a lot of engineering isn't actually out messing around with things and interacting with them. I wanted to be an automotive mechanical engineer, and like 90% of that is sitting at a desk pumping out drawings all day, it's not the glorified building and testing and all that they make it out to be. Sure, some engineers get a lot of test time like that but the majority of any engineering field is going to be sitting at a desk all day.

The reason I'm doing my business degree is that my particular degree is General Management and Entrepeneurship. I've done management stuff before with AMC Theatres (I was an assistant manager at a 30-plex theatre in town), and I think when I'm done with college if I don't have a job lined up or have my own business that I'm going to apply to work at AMC's Home Office in Kansas City. The theatre business is awesome, definitely something I could do for a long time.

[wuhukf]

Yea, I was an electrical engineering major who wanted a minor in business. After taking some engineering courses, it just wasn't what I expected. I like to work with people and go around and be in charge of things. I got a co-op position with NASA to help build one of their ground control systems and I thought it was going to be cool, but it was so insanely boring and took up so much of my time. But that's just my opinion, I know people who love doing it too. My major is now business, either general business, finance, or accounting, can't quite decide yet. My suggestion is just find out what you really like to do by trying it out. I wasted a year's worth of money and time by going to an engineering college, but at least now I know what I want to do. Just like how you took some engineering courses, take some graphic design courses too and see how you like them. However, take them at a community college or general university first because that way if you don't like it, you won't be stuck at a school focusing on that subject. It might not seem so bad because you can always transfer out, but generally people don't try hard or care about something they end up not liking. This means you might get bad grades and when you want to transfer, of course you need to boost up your GPA. However, you can only do that by taking the same/similar courses over again and pretty much you waste more time/money. Trust me, don't jump right in, test the water first .

[celicaST]

im in mechanical engineering now, and i know how you feel. i already have all my math done so thats nice, but im still getting my ass kicked. my shop class is horrible, i mean its fun but its overload. we have 3 projects, a clock, a marker/chisel/center punch, and a group project. we have to make 4 copies of the group project, and have to find out where to buy the materials ourselves. we werent even allowed to go into the shop and use the machines for awhile. i still can only go in there during supervised hours since im not certified, which is hard to fit in with all the other classes. no help in there either, i guess they think its common knowledge how to operate a lathe or milling machine. i dont see how he expects to get all this done, all dimensions have to be within 2/1000 of an inch, kind of hard to do on your first try using machines youve never used before. sorry had to vent. so, i know how you feel. i mean i think it would be fun to design video games or something, i just dont think i could dedicate my career to that. o well, i just hope all this pain pays off in spades when im done.

[Digndoug]

If you like the idea of engineering, and the design factor, you might want to look into Architecture. I wanted to be an engineer, I liked the idea of it, and the pay. But I decided i wanted to design more. I lalso love drawing and creating things. Architecture has always intrested me and also my pops is an architect. So Thats what im doing.

Def worth some research.

[blu94gt]

If you like the idea of engineering, and the design factor, you might want to look into Architecture. I wanted to be an engineer, I liked the idea of it, and the pay. But I decided i wanted to design more. I lalso love drawing and creating things. Architecture has always intrested me and also my pops is an architect. So Thats what im doing.

Def worth some research.
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I like architecture, I was technically an Architectural Engineer when I enrolled in college. In high school I worked for a construction company doing CAD drawings and all for them, and it was pretty cool. Just something I don't want to do for a living though. Plus in college you have to really want to be an architect because they work your ass off to get that degree. My friend is in architecture (well I don't see much of him any more, they are required to be in studio so much of the time). He is usually awake for about 70-80 hours at a time because he has so much work to do it's just rediculous. Every architcture student I know is that way, even at other colleges. Why do they work them so hard? When in the job world are they ever going to need to be awake for 72 hours straight rush-designing like 5 different buildings? Oh yeah, never...

That's why I dropped Arch-Engineering and went to Mechanical lol

[Sh0gunkid8721]

i was an architecture major..now im a graphic design major. its a lot of fun.

[Terzin1]

Im in graphic design and all I have to say is that it is competitive. Alot of people think that design is not your typical art so they dont need drawing skills or original thinking but i know that with these skills, you are way ahead of the game. If you are serious about switching from engineering I would consider how you look at the world. Do you see logos, websites, other designs and think "how could i make that bettter" than perhaps this is your field. You cannot force creativity though.

[ghostdog]

Im in graphic design and all I have to say is that it is competitive.  Alot of people think that design is not your typical art so they dont need drawing skills or original thinking but i know that with these skills, you are  way ahead of the game.  If you are serious about switching from engineering I would consider how you look at the world.  Do you see logos, websites, other designs and think "how could i make that bettter" than perhaps this is your field.  You cannot force creativity though.
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actually you can, and you have to. thats what any creative profession is about, learning to coax creativity out of you to meet deadlines. yeah it kind of sucks to force it, but when you consider the alternative of marketing, business, engineering, etc I'm willing to deal with it

bojangles its great you are considering design but don't do it for the wrong reasons. its work, hard work at that, and while it can be fun and rewarding its just as difficult and tedious as anything else.

[Shigexile]

man, everybody is a ME here...
so am i!

college wise, i just hate the environment here. Thats it. Classes arn't that bad and can't wait to start ME classes.