COLLEGE!! which one? engineering as possible major

ma71supraturbo

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Mar 30, 2005
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Figit090 said:
and he said it was cool at first but got old because once you design something you spend years after that working on the SAME part... he has a friend that's been working on "blow-out doors" for airplanes for 20 some years!!

I think boredom is a part of any job, but engineers can certainly expect more than their fair share of tedium. That said, if I was working on the same part for 20 years, I'd consider changing employers. And if I was in management, I'd want to rotate people in/out of different projects in a staggered pattern. In addition to relieving job fatigue, fresh eyes see new solutions to old problems. (that is part of the reason why I'm teaming my BS ME with the MBA -- so I can go into management)
 

Figit090

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MBA is a management bachellors? and a BS ME is a...bachellor of science in mech. engin.? brain fart.

ok, sounds better. i was suprised at this also...it doesnt seem logical to have ONE person work on ONE thing continuously... unless they were PRO and/or liked it.

personally i like the idea of designing things, i naturally see things MANY (ok, most, if not almost all) the people around me never even think about...and i can figure out explinations and ways to solve things in the physical world that stump other people.

when we did ping pong launchers in my physics class...mine was the most accurate, IMO, it was the most tunable to different angles and initial velocities...and was the only one that hit the mark EVERY time. nobody else got close to saying that. i've always loved tinkering with things, since i was little. my first rc car that didnt work, i tore apart to see what made it work. i study structures for the hell of it, and i dont see anyone else doing it.... so i figured this would probably be a good job for me.

what made you want to get into engineering? are you like me?
 

ma71supraturbo

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Mar 30, 2005
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Figit090 said:
MBA is a management bachellors? and a BS ME is a...bachellor of science in mech. engin.? brain fart.

You've got the BS ME, but MBA is master's in business administration...


personally i like the idea of designing things, i naturally see things MANY (ok, most, if not almost all) the people around me never even think about...and i can figure out explinations and ways to solve things in the physical world that stump other people.

when we did ping pong launchers in my physics class...mine was the most accurate, IMO, it was the most tunable to different angles and initial velocities...and was the only one that hit the mark EVERY time. nobody else got close to saying that. i've always loved tinkering with things, since i was little. my first rc car that didnt work, i tore apart to see what made it work. i study structures for the hell of it, and i dont see anyone else doing it.... so i figured this would probably be a good job for me.

what made you want to get into engineering? are you like me?

Pretty much the same. Ever since I was little I was always building stuff -- and my parents encouraged it with building blocks etc (even the cool ones with the troughs and marbles). When I was in the 5th grade I had an RC car that hauled ass for like 10 minutes. The batteries took hours to charge and I didn't want to buy dozens of them so I cut an extension cord and wired it to the battery terminals. I plugged it in while holding the throttle only to be rewarded with a large "pop" and a puff of smoke.

In the 7th grade I took an old lawnmower engine that smoked horribly and rigged it to a bicycle. I had no concept of the idea of a clutch so I had to hold the back wheel in the air to start it, then run up to speed before hoping on it. I think I made it around the block a few times before breaking it.

In the 8th grade I got an idea while canoing (and watching jet skis zoom by). My next trip out I took a leafblower with me and tried to propel the canoe with it... I think I made it about 100 yards in 1/2 hour and seriously pissed off the nearby fishermen... Thankfully I included the paddle and was able to return to shore.

In early highschool I learned to stick weld, but had no concept of metals. I attempted to make a 4-wheel bicycle by welding two frames together. The welds held until the quad hit the intersection of the driveway and the road.

I've had a few successful creations too, but the failures were the ones that taught me the most...
 

Figit090

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heh, i love making stuff. i think i might have my dad show me how to weld if i get time...and build something fun.

glad to hear that my career choice is at least what i thought it should be. i know i have a chance of changing (i read that 75% of students end up changing majors at least once) but at least i can go into it knowing something.

thanks for all your help. i'm going to think more about all this stuff this week along with lots of homework, i will probably come back with more questions but at least for today i'm good :D. i got a princton review book of majors to read 2-page descriptions on several majors i'm interested in so i know what i could end up doing and what schooling is involved. i looked up architecht, another thing i was midly interested in, and its prep is pretty intense!
 

Figit090

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-------EDITED--------

i'm probably definitly going to apply to berkeley but the applications for UC's are due this thursday....

can you guys help me a bit more on picking from these? i know davis has been addressed but the others seem nice, namely Berkeley because i've heard nice things:

Berkeley - 12% engineering majors - so far this one sounds nice by descriptions you guys helped with, large selection of majors in Engineering

Davis -11% engineering majors - even larger amount of engineering selections...seems to have more detail when they list mechanical engineering, including ground vehicle systems and a large selection just within M.E.

Irvine - only 5% eng. maj - smaller selection...doesnt seem to be a huge thing there

Los Angeles - only 6% eng. maj - small Eng. selection

San Diego - only 7% eng. maj. - mechanical and areospace...no civil..kinda small selection

can anybody help me out with picking? All these are fairly large schools so i guess size isnt really a determining factor, even though i'd like smaller classes. but i really liked how ma71 talked about teachers...it would be nice to be taught from one that doesnt have english as a second language. So Davis is scetchy if Berkely proves to have more english-friendly teachers.


Merced, SF, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz,all have small or non-existant engineering majors, so i left them out. I included the ones that had significant popularity in engineering.... and 6-7 percent isnt even much.
 
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