I’ve got an odd question. Do you think anyone who is diligent, persistent, patient, and have a good work ethic can be an engineer? And of course be reasonably intelligent. Isn’t math and physics something you can become good at with practice?
Just something that I wondered…
Anyone is such a broad word.
For instance, if you applied this to an activity like dunking a basketball, I doubt I would ever be able to do it no matter how hard I worked.
So I’m going to go out on a limb and say in many cases it may be possible, but not in all cases.
So are you really asking “Do you have to be a genius to be an engineer?”
Because if we’re ruling out the people who are not diligent, persistent, patient, hardworking, and smart…that leaves a much smaller group.
Short answer: Yes.
I’m not sure, actually. Trying hard, or just finding a good mentor might be enough for a lot of people who are otherwise not succeeding, but I have seen people who have legitimately tried their best in engineering weeder classes, and still ended up having to drop out. It’s unfortunate, but hard work seems to only be half of the story, in the same way that I don’t think I could ever become an NBA player no matter how hard I tried.
No. Absolutely not. There is a minimum amount of cognitive ability necessary for the concepts involved in most engineering.
I’m going to say no. I have all those qualities (at least I did at one time in my life) but no way would I have made it in engineering. My dad was basically a “rocket scientist” (in the literal sense of the word) and I have his genes, science leaning but no interest in that particular discipline. And thankfully he never pushed it.
Short answer: No. Being diligent, persistent, patient, and having a good work ethic helps. But it depends upon whether your “reasonably intelligent” description includes strong math skills. If not, you won’t survive the rigorous academics.
Yes anyone but some may take a bit longer than others to gain some sort of degree (just think of the time to make up failed classes)
Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean you can do it. We see lots of programmers and engineers who don’t appear to be able to do the work.
I think a big part of it depends on how the professors approach the exams; some basically copy the questions from the homeworks, while others make it a point to give problem types that they never covered in class to test your critical thinking skills. You could probably theoretically brute force your way through the former, but the latter is going to cut off anyone below a certain threshold.
Umm, no. Some people just don’t have the math aptitude. I have a good friend who needed to pass a math test to get her teaching certificate. She is a talented pianist, but she can’t do math to save herself. I tried to tutor her, but it was hopeless! Even algebra was just too much for her. She is intelligent, but not math-minded. She would never have been able to get an engineering degree.
@MaineLonghorn that’s really an injustice in the schooling system, IMO, that people are barred from certain professions for their want of mathematical ability, even when said ability has nothing whatsoever to do with the job.
No, not everyone can do it. But the bar for minimum competence is lower than posts here would lead you to believe.
Most of the people of my graduating class were of average intelligence, more or less. Some were definitely below average, as evidenced by the fact that even the simple concepts were too difficult for them to do without tutors. As long as you get passing marks on all the coursework, you get the degree. Overall, most engineering majors are more tedious than academically difficult.
You will absolutely need math and physics. But how much of either depends on what type of engineer and what school you go to. Chances are, with enough persistence, you can survive the math and physics curriculum required for engineering at most colleges, particularly at schools where professors have small enough classes to give the individualized attention that a student who previously has not done as well in such subjects needs.
I must agree with the “No” crowd. I think the math just gets too advanced for some to comprehend. Since it’s the foundation for virtually everything else, it really is a litmus test. I don’t think you need to be a brilliant mathematician, just strong enough to get through.
I also agree with the no’s on this. Husband and daughter are engineers. They have an innate knack for math and problem-solving. Both had classmates who were diligent and tough students, but the lack of math intuitiveness just wasn’t there and many of these students had to drop the major.
@RMIBstudent An injustice? Where is it written that people have the “right” to practice any profession?
Why is it automatically the fault of the school system? Is it possible that math limitations are inborn?
It depends on your question. Since there is no licensing required to call oneself an engineer (as long as it is not in your company name), anyone can call themselves an engineer. There are “field service engineers” and “test engineers” and “support engineers” who have the title within a company and on the business card. These people are engineers. Some do not have college degrees.
So, absent the protection of something equivalent to the American Medical Association or the American Bar Association protecting the profession, yes, anyone can be an engineer.
@JustOneDad I see we have an exceptional case here, so let me explain this to you in an exceptional manner:
“where is it written that people have the ‘right’ to practice any profession?”
-completely ignores my argument, which was that the entrance criteria for doing the profession had no causal link to one’s actual ability to perform in it.
“Why is it automatically the fault of the school system? Is it possible that math limitations are inborn?”
-this is just embarrassing. Nowhere do I make the argument that the school system failed her because they didn’t teach her math well enough. Let’s parse my sentence a little more intelligently:
that’s really an injustice in the schooling system, IMO, that
** people are barred from certain professions for their want of mathematical ability, even when said ability has nothing whatsoever to do with the job.**
“that” implies that I am leading into what my justification is going to be - and then I isolated the justification for you, which is an argument that has nothing to do with anything you just responded with. Indeed, if anything your point about math ability being inborn just strengthens my point - you are weeding out music teachers for a skill that has nothing to do with teaching music, and therefore cutting off talented ones, for no rational reason.
Your condescension merits some analysis of your SAT verbal score.