Women in Engineering

collegemom3717
Fri, 16 Sep 2022 18:07:39 +0000

Yes…and no.

There is a lot of work in getting an engineering degree - no point sugar-coating it! How hard the work is, and how hard it feels are different questions. Some classes are likely to feel pretty brutal- but others are likely to be a lot of fun!

Figuring out more about how you work is important. For example, you have some control over your “low stress tolerance”, starting with what you consider ‘stress’. Collegedad’s job is seen by most people as extremely stressful- but he says “it’s only stressful if you aren’t having fun”. Stress-testing is a big part of all engineering- so figure out your own limits! What is the difference- for you- between something that is really challenging (which is a good thing) and something that is stressful (not so good)? Can you work on recognizing that? What can you do to move the dial from stress to challenge?

Similarly, perfectionism, in its constructive form, is a serious asset to an EE! Bringing that part of you to bear on your work will help you be better at your job. But, in its destructive form, perfectionishm undercuts your confidence and sucks the fun right out of the job. So, how do you flag for yourself when it’s constructive to be a perfectionist, and when it’s destructive- and then re-route the one to the other? Consciously working on that will make your path happier- and more successful.

From your other threads your teacher says that you are at the upper end of the class that is tormenting you. The kinds of %s you are seeing are not uncommon in engineering classes (I have seen a stat that the average GPA nationally for engineering majors is a 2.9).

You have such a great start: you have something that you find genuinely interesting, and at which you seem to be pretty adept. That puts you ahead of many, many of your peers. So, build on that strength: when your confidence starts to wobble, go do some homework on engineering programs. It will take you a while to shortlist the best ones for you (ie, ones that emphasize hands-on work from the beginning, ones who let you focus on EE right from the outset, ones whose overall program looks good to you). Engineering programs vary more than you might realize, so find the ones that look as though they are a good fit for you.

Engineering programs won’t accept you if they aren’t confident that you can go the distance. On your other thread lots of (experienced) posters here saying the same thing as your teacher: you are doing fine. Don’t give up on yourself. This is the first serious hurdle you have hit- and it won’t be the last. If I could gift you one thing right now it would be confidence!