Engineering School Advice?!

[PinkElephant]

Correct me if I am posting in the wrong category, it just seems like the most logical place to post.

Little about myself...

I currently live in Canada. I am in my mid 20s, pursing education in engineering. I took a few years off after high school as I did not know what to do. Due to my low HS grades and inability to believe that I can study engineering at the university level, wasted a few years of my life. Ultimate goal is to achieve a degree in mechanical engineering.

My education started at a local technology institute. I decided to take up Electrical engineering technology, with hopes of transferring to a university down the road (didnt do much research before hand). Throughout my studies I realized that its very difficult to have any credits transfer between schools, so I begun doing research. Turned out i didnt have very many options other than Lakehead University or one of "bridging programs" which from my research that i gathered are brutal. A year into my studies i quit the tech school with hopes of attending a university.

Since then ive been broken up between pursing the degree or just finishing off the diploma. It looks like, from the research i have done lately, most people that complete the diploma arent happy down the road and try to finish off the degree. Id like to skip having to go through that down the road and get it over and done with now, while im relatively young.

I hear mixed opinions on both the degree and diploma. I know a number of people who are successful with a diploma and a few people that are currently studying engineering whom are successful as well. There are also a whole wack of people who look down on both sides, and have strong opinions about both.

Can anyone out there can give me some advice/input/suggestions, anything to reinforce my decision of going to university and potentially getting into some serious debt to receive a degree.

In the end im looking at keeping my options open, because who knows what will happen in 10 years, i might decide to go into grad studies. From my perspective it seems like the diploma limits people in professional designations and in academic side of things as well.

 

[MikeHalloran]

I'm confused; a diploma in EET does not logically lead to a BSME.

Let's assume for the moment that you have achieved your ultimate goal, and got a BSME.

When then?

Have you worked with or for enough engineers to understand what they do?

You haven't given us a clue about what will get you up in the morning, after whatever educational arc you might choose.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[oldestguy]

In order to do this the logical "engineering" way, you need a goal. However,that goal might best be found by seeing what those actually engineers do. If you have some aptitude or liking for say electronics, or machines, or building stuff, go and see what those engineers do. Many educational outfits have department that have some of that information. However, there is nothing like actually stopping in and being shown some things there. How you do that is up to you. Many professional engineering societies have web pages with information and leads. It won't hurt to see if a manufacturing company or an engineering company is contacted and explain your problem. The secretary there may not help unless you are persistent. Once you have that goal approximately set, maybe the rest will fall into place. I'd certainly not get educated in some field that later I detest.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I'm also a bit confused. You said you received low grades in HS, so you took a few years off. When you did go back to school, all of the options you found were difficult, so you left school again. Now you want to go to a university. Do you believe that university will somehow be easier? If so, you're in a for a very rude awakening. It sounds as if self-discipline is your biggest enemy right now...

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[TheTick]

If you can't hack engineering school, perhaps there's a future for you as an engineer's boss.

http://dilbert.com/strip/1999-10-28

 

[Leftwow]

I say do engineering if it interests you. If you don't think things that are completely derogative to most people are interesting like "how much force would it take to shoot an arrow to the moon" or perhaps "how much surface tension is required for a bug to float on a liquid" then do not... DO NOT... do it.