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weldon · 07-17-2007, 01:16 PM

First of all don't go into engineering just because you don't like labs. There tend to be a number of required labs in most engineering disciplines even into the upper-level years.
Your math background, apparent ability and enthusiasm seem well-suited to engineering. Just keep in mind (you already seem aware of it) that engineering is not math (would you be interested in an Applied Math or Computer Science degree instead?). Much of Engineering basically is involved with figuring out how things work, or should work so you can either design them, fix them, or make them better. Because you are often dealing with physical things, drawings are the means of communicating ideas. If by being terrible at drawing you mean using paper and pencil, you really don't have to worry anymore, most everything is done on CAD systems nowadays, and part of your education as an Engineer (at least a Design Engineer) would be to learn to use one of these applications. In actuality, in many working environments you would not even have to draw on the computer, you would work with a Designer (formerly known as a draftsman) to produce your work. What you DO need in this area in many cases is a strong sense of spacial relationships, or the ability to visualize shapes and features in 3D. This strength is not necessarily associated with good mathematical skills, so you need to ask yourself about that, but again the need for this kind of strength varies with specific specialties and types of tasks.
Then there is the issue of how "practical" you are. Are you a tinkerer? Do you like to take things apart and figure out how they work? Not all good engineers have this trait, but many do. The reason is that engineering is fundamentally a creative profession, and you can't usually come up with new ideas through mathematical exercises. You have to visualize a concept first, evaluate if it is realizable, and then think about how it could be brought to reality. Tinkering and otherwise playing with machines, devices, systems, etc. seems to provide a background for doing this kind of thing effectively. So ask your self whether you fit this description also.
I don't beleive there is any easy answer to your question, but this is some of my perspective anyway, and I hope it helps.

07-17-2007, 01:16 PM	#2
weldon Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Threads: 9 Posts: 332	First of all don't go into engineering just because you don't like labs. There tend to be a number of required labs in most engineering disciplines even into the upper-level years. Your math background, apparent ability and enthusiasm seem well-suited to engineering. Just keep in mind (you already seem aware of it) that engineering is not math (would you be interested in an Applied Math or Computer Science degree instead?). Much of Engineering basically is involved with figuring out how things work, or should work so you can either design them, fix them, or make them better. Because you are often dealing with physical things, drawings are the means of communicating ideas. If by being terrible at drawing you mean using paper and pencil, you really don't have to worry anymore, most everything is done on CAD systems nowadays, and part of your education as an Engineer (at least a Design Engineer) would be to learn to use one of these applications. In actuality, in many working environments you would not even have to draw on the computer, you would work with a Designer (formerly known as a draftsman) to produce your work. What you DO need in this area in many cases is a strong sense of spacial relationships, or the ability to visualize shapes and features in 3D. This strength is not necessarily associated with good mathematical skills, so you need to ask yourself about that, but again the need for this kind of strength varies with specific specialties and types of tasks. Then there is the issue of how "practical" you are. Are you a tinkerer? Do you like to take things apart and figure out how they work? Not all good engineers have this trait, but many do. The reason is that engineering is fundamentally a creative profession, and you can't usually come up with new ideas through mathematical exercises. You have to visualize a concept first, evaluate if it is realizable, and then think about how it could be brought to reality. Tinkering and otherwise playing with machines, devices, systems, etc. seems to provide a background for doing this kind of thing effectively. So ask your self whether you fit this description also. I don't beleive there is any easy answer to your question, but this is some of my perspective anyway, and I hope it helps.