r/Engineers

I’m sure there are a million other posts on other forums about this, but I’d rather go straight to the depression source and get some realistic answers.

Forewarning, this is going to be a very personal post asking for personal advice. To preface, I’ve always been a problem child in school, I grew up super lazy and never did my work, but I was just smart enough to not have to try to pass and get put in “advanced” classes. That being said, I’m not stupid, just an ADHD riddled undisciplined child. Eventually I ended up dropping out my 11th grade year to pay bills.

I wound up getting my GED and going community college for Comp. Sci. till I realized I was wasting my time in a subject I hated, which led me to drop out of that too.

Now all of this being said, as I have got older I really really want to go back to school and ever since a kid I have LOVED cars, math, design, chemistry, and physics. This combination of interests has pushed me to do a pretty hefty amount of individual study and for the first time in my life I have been able to read textbooks and enjoy taking notes and learning about the inner machinations of something I love.

HOWEVER… reality is harsh, and my blockade at the moment is that I have no idea if going to college at this point in my life is feasible. I have no support system, no family to live with, nobody to help me if I fall on hard times, and I will somehow have to figure out a way to pay for college while also working full time to be able to survive. As it is I barely get by, and live paycheck to paycheck in a world where its very hard to get a decent job. Another thing I’m terrified of is if I go through all of the circles of hell to get into and through college, then I fail.

Is this an attainable dream? Is it too late for me to spend 4 years full time in college with no scholarships or a family to financially support me? This is more of a scream into the void but any support would be great, thanks to anyone for reading.

Hey everyone, I am contemplating advancing my heavily mechanical technical career with a D.Eng in Systems Engineering. I have a BS in Civil Engineering and MS in Engineering Management but most of my professional time (7+ years) has been spent in mechanical technical operation roles across Nuclear Propulsion Plants and Data Centers. I also have 3-ish years of MEP Project Engineering and I've recently started to pivot to more of a commissioning role with some systems reliability while also pursuing Mechanical PE.

My main reason to pursue SE is to stay relevant in the increasingly digital and data-driven engineering landscape. Systems Engineering really interests me, but I’m struggling to evaluate the ROI of pursuing it for my industry in particular: critical facilities & engineering operations. While I am familiar with some systems principles in industry, I have mainly found formal Systems methodologies to be more prevalent in aerospace, defense and manufacturing settings.

There are a lot of high-paying roles with “Systems” in the title, but the terminology across engineering and tech feels extremely broad and sometimes inconsistent. I’m trying to figure out what paths are actually worth pursuing versus titles that just happen to include the word “systems.”

Bottomline, my primary interests are in operational analytics, critical infrastructure systems reliability, and lifecycle management. From my perspective, many of these areas seem naturally connected to Systems Engineering principles, even if the formal SE terminology aren't always used directly.

Does anyone have ideas about the relevance of SE in critical infrastructure operations such as data centers, pharma, or related operational environments? Or does anyone have insights if there is a growing need for critical operations to adopt SE methods over traditional facilities engineering and maintenance approaches?

Have anyone had any success with an Engineer Degree from the University? Any information or assistant you provide me with will be greatly appreciated.

I'm a 24 y/o engineer that finally has the money to get the sleeves I want. (Greek mythology on the one, and a more nerdy other arm) Has anyone experienced any sort of trouble with having tattoos that could be visible? As well, how has the workplace changed with tattoos becoming more popular? For context, I currently work as a Tool and Die Design Engineer.

Seeking advice for high school senior from Illinois making college decision. Committed to UIUC Grainger school of engineering May 1 with some merit scholarships, but out of pocket cost estimated around 30k for the first year. Was just offered a full ride at MSOE for 4 years and feeling very conflicted.

UIUC-
Friends and girlfriend attending
Higher ranked engineering program
Larger student body/ more social opportunities
Specific major offered (systems engineering)

MSOE-
FREE
Closer to home
In a big city
Rigorous and career focused

Having a hard time looking past the free aspect. Career opportunities are good from either university degree but I want him to have a good college experience as well. Advice from anyone who attended either of these schools would be greatly appreciated.

So I got a job that will help me break into HVAC tech industry( i can work as seasonal) meanwhile I’m studying for mechanical engineering. Will this suffice as experience like internship?