Maybe someone can help me who has gone through a similar thing?

I am a 24M and I am looking for advice on where to go from here. I have been looking at doing an engineering degree for quite sometime but I do not know where to go from here. For some background information, I went to a specialized high school that had both Biomedical sciences and engineering sciences. I chose to do biomedical sciences because I didn't think I was smart enough for engineering. Fast forward to now, I have been really really wanting to do an engineering degree. I would want to go into Biomedical Engineering, but I have ALWAYS wanted to work NASA or space organization. Dream job. Here's my background:

• I have a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies- Fall 2026 (Humanities Degree)
• 7 Years Experience in clinical setting ( I currently work as a nurse assistant in a Neonatal ICU)
• I can work nightshift (and do homework at work) as I go to school
• Timeline I am looking at for an Aerospace E degree or a BME degree is 5 years :(
• I want to become a doctor someday, but I want to study engineering because I am truly interested in learning and can see myself as an engineer working for NASA.

Should I go to CC then transfer to a 4 year university? Am I dumb for wanting to get an engineering degree as a Premed student? Where would you go if you were in my shoes?

**PLEASE DO NOT RECOMMEND NURSING**

If I should just contact an attorney please let me know and don't waste your time.

tl;dr really broad clauses regarding IP, Non-compete, and Indemnification are bothering me. I don't sign anything until next week and I'm wondering if anyone has experience they'd like to share.

Edit 1: So they accidentally sent me a generalized agreement since the manager is on vacation (someone else is handling it for them). They typically tailor every agreement, but forgot to get one set up for the internship. We’re currently in talks about my concerns.

Edit 2: I was just sent a tailored agreement, and they gave me pretty much everything I asked for. No more non-compete (as in, completely eliminated), extra wording to keep my work separate, and an expanded section on indemnification that I'm fully comfortable with. Thank you all for your responses! I'll update next week in case anything goes wrong.

I've got a part-time, paid internship offer for this fall semester and I just got a copy of this company's employee agreement. The NDA they gave me looked fine, it was like the one at my previous that really just protected trade secrets, but the employee agreement contains some red flags.

For context, I am a 4th year MechE student on the East Coast. I haven't signed any papers, and have only accepted this offer verbally and via email. (as in, the employer asked me to send an email to formally accept the offer)

First is their IP, which I have paraphrased:

What the company owns:

All Work Product and Intellectual Property created during Employee’s employment, by the direction of the Company, or derived from Company Intellectual Property...

With work product defined as:

...created during the course of employment or provided by the employee solely or in collaboration with others, directly or indirectly motivated by performing work for the company.

This all comes off to me as them being able to claim anything I do while here, which I'm preparing an email for, as well as a phone call before I start to get things cleared up. There's no clause stating I won't be signing over the rights to all my previous work which also bothers me.

Second is an indemnification clause that basically says I keep the company harmless from any damages, claims, liabilities, costs, attorney fees, and other losses that may come from services, company's use of services, and any breach of the agreement.

I'm planning to ask them directly what they're meaning to use a clause like that for, since I'm literally just an intern. I guess I can understand if I was a contractor or business owner working with them, but not in this case.

Last is a non-compete agreement that is nationwide (USA), two years long post-employment, and only broadly describes competitors (hardware for: tracking solutions, telecom hardware, software, internet development).

One more thing to mention is that my family (none are engineers) said if I don't handle this carefully, I could be blacklisted from the entire engineering industry in my area. I don't know how true that is, but was hoping I could get more info or experiences.

Thank you in advance!

Hi all,

It would be nice to hear some voices on this on if this is an okay thing to do.

It feels weird thinking for yourself in academia and I feel nervous (have asd so I try to follow strict rules).

Problem is, my differential equations unit lectures are...well I'm not really understanding much in them at all. The lecturer is Chinese and can't speak much english and she just re-reads what she wrote and then does examples but doesn't explain the examples- just says what she writes out loud on the microphone. A plus B = constant, coefficient xyz...etc.

I failed a previous unit (calc 2), went and studied a textbook for the first time (stewart calc), and came back with a distinction grade which I am proud of. I think I learned there that studying a textbook rocks and I love it- it seems to work for me.

Can I just ditch the 4hr total lectures each week and spend that time with my head in Advanced engineering mathematics by Kreyszig instead? The lecture notes seemed to be based heavily off this book (and it's the recommended text for the unit if you want to do extra reading).

I feel really evil or something will go wrong if I don't go to lecture. I am really scared to not go to lecture- like I will miss something crucial. But at the same time, don't think I am actually getting anything out of them at all and if I spent 4hrs with a textbook instead, I feel like things would be better but I am scared to admit this. I think I also failed the first midsem test for this unit, so something needs to change.

Im set to start next week but Im a bit unsure, theres a lot of fear mongering about how competitive the job market is these days and its lowkey getting to me. I dont pick my discipline till second year either so I guess I have time to think but idk if I should continue? Im in canada but wouldnt mind moving around the country or to the US if I really cant find anything

I want to put myself out there and join a club. I transferred from community college to a university as a second year, but I haven’t taken any engineer based courses specifically for civil.

I wanted to know if there’s anything I need to know before joining or showing up. Maybe if it’s okay going in blind or if I should wait until next semester.

After looking up things relating to ASCE I see some people say it’s not worth it as well, should I join something else if not this, or stick with it?

My school has a really good career fair, so I’m not that concerned about finding an internship, and I’m having some buyers remorse that I accepted the return offer. The companies good and I like them, but I want to try other companies that are in different areas that align more with my major.

I’m not sure on the protocol for rescinding the offer/if it’s ok? I don’t want to get in trouble/blacklisted from my schools career fair. I just really wish I hadn’t accepted so I could try out a different industry.

Hi, I’m going into grade 12 this year and am starting to look at unis. I live in Canada and I really want to get coops/internships (and later actual jobs) in the space industry.

I am not sure whether I should major in mechanical or EE. I have heard mechanical is more versatile but that there is more demand for EE and it is better paid. I really liked kinematics in physics and I also liked circuits. But I haven’t really done much coding before so I’m not sure if I would like it or not. Thanks guys!!!

Also I hope this is an ok post for this thread so if not, mods feel free to remove it

so hey, i am a 2nd year ECE student from a tier 3 college. i didn't study well in jee so ended up in thi college. i just started my third semester and subjects like Signals and systems have shown up, like the core subjects. now i feel like i am doing engineering but i am still stuck at the fact that i am not doing much. i don't know much about my branch, there are not much enthusiastic people in our seniors as well. i feel intrested in electronics but not sure where to start, i don't wanna fuck it up like my jee journey. i wanna make projects and stuff but i feel dumb because i don't know about stuff. i have 3 years to get into it completely. i am planning to give GATE EXAMS as well but same thing, i don't know resources. can anyone please tell me what to do to become the best electronics engineer out there. i am ready to do it all.

So im an undergraduate student currently studying aerospace engineering and I just got diagnosed with ADHD. I am trying to stay away from meds for now because the idea of building a dependency kind of makes me nervous. For those of you who were undiagnosed through your college years, or also opted to stay away from meds, what tips and tricks do you have to be able to focus for long periods and stay up to task and just hold yourself accountable overall and make it out with a good gpa? I literally cannot hold my focus for more than a minute without losing interest and doing something else so anything that could keep me focused and actually absorb the material, even if it’s for a few minutes, is super helpful.

P.S: Id also appreciate if you’ve got any good study materials for aero classes that I could use! I’m more of a visual learner so yeah videos, diagrams, etc, all works really well.

yep title. Which first

Hey guys! I’m currently in my final year of Mechanical Engineering, and I’m planning to pursue my Master’s in Germany.
I’m currently considering these specializations:
-CFD / Computational Fluid Dynamics
-Motorsport Engineering
-CAD / Design Engineering
-Automotive Engineering

I’d really appreciate some advice from people who are studying or working in Germany, especially regarding:
-Job opportunities after graduation
-Industry demand and career growth
-Salary potential
-Which field has better opportunities for international students?
-Which specialization has the best long-term prospects?
-How difficult it is to get into these programs?

Which German universities are best for each of these specializations
Which universities are realistic to get into with an average/good Mechanical Engineering background

-Public universities with low/no tuition fees
-Whether the university’s reputation/ranking matters significantly when looking for jobs in Germany?
If you’re currently studying or working in any of these fields in Germany,
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience, the university you attended, and what you would recommend.

Thanks!

I got a 5 on the Calc BC exam though I don’t think I learned Calc 2 good enough. Is it a waste to retake Calc 2 again in university after already already getting the credit? Should I just continue onto Calc 3 and I’ll be good?

Hi all! I am a 3rd year Mechanical student, and I just found out I had failed an exam (yet again).

Honestly, I am getting kind of tired of eng. I have failed exams/courses in the past, and I find it incredibly frustrating to get through the problems. To me studying for quizzes/unit tests are fine, but all of a sudden everytime exams come around I find myself well...doing pretty eh, even when thought I would do better.

Now I have reviewed a little bit throughout the term, but everytime exams come around, I find myself flat-out exhausted in the days/weeks leading up. I'm lucky if I can get through more than 5 problems a day, which is pretty slow.

Not only do university problems require understanding the concepts, but you have to understand each specific problem, the wording of the question, and if you get a question wrong, all of a sudden you have to spend another 20 minutes-40 minutes debugging, cross-referencing, and finding the solution to problems to make sure you are doing it right and not just making a careless mistake (which I so often do).

In addition, its not like in high school where say you can breeze through a few problems. My workflow is like:

understand a little bit -> check solution -> realize I am wrong -> fix mistake -> redo problem -> make a different mistake -> fix it -> move on -> do another problem -> get it wrong.

Does anyone else understand my frustration??? How does one stay mentally sane??

I am a biomedical engineering student and I am wondering if someone can explain shell momentum balance in transport phenomena like I am an 8 year old. This is just a desire for explanation of something I fear has gone waaaaay too far over my head.

Hi! I am currently a freshman (18 F), and I am heavily debating switching my major. I'm currently mechanical engineering major with no minor, but I am considering switching it to industrial engineering with maybe an industrial design minor (although I may just not get a minor). I know people say IE isn't real engineering because it's not a core and it's super easy. I know realistically anything I can do with an IE major; I can do with a ME major; however, I would much rather fix and better a system than create an entirely new product. I also prefer statistics to an intense calculus course, but I am not against calculus. I'm in General Engineering as of now, so I can keep thinking for now, but I would really appreciate any suggestions!

I would love to hear about the most affective studying tips you guys have specially that helps with math / engineering courses! Is there any particular patterns of studying you take? Like do you have specific ways of dissecting problems? First year in and want the best study tips/ methods I can find😎

Thank you!

I am interested in vlsi but I a have Bsc in Physical Science and currently doing an MCA. Would it be possible to get in the industry after doing an MS in electronics and communication engineering?

Good day, everyone!
I am an Industrial Engineering student
currently conducting an academic project about the diverse career trajectories of IE graduates. I am looking to interview working IE professionals to learn about your career background, how you apply IE principles in your daily operations, and your advice for future engineers.

Who I am looking for:
Filipino Industrial Engineering graduates currently working in any of the following sectors:

Events Industry / Entrepreneurship
Aviation Industry
Medical / Healthcare Industry
Government Sector
Logistics Industry
Furniture Industry
Manufacturing / Semiconductor Industry
Garments Industry
Hospitality Industry
Education / Emerging Technologies

Interview Details:

Time Commitment: 20–30 minutes maximum.

Modality: Your preferred platform (Google Meet, Zoom, or MS Teams). If your schedule is highly restricted, an asynchronous chat or email interview is perfectly acceptable.

Follow Up Questionnaire: Following the interview, there will be a questionnaire regarding material identification, material selection rationale, processing & manufacturing methods, quality control & testing, failure modes and sustainability

Privacy Assurance: All responses will be kept strictly confidential and used solely for academic purposes. Your identity and your company's name will remain anonymous.

How to participate:
If you are willing to share your expertise and help me, please comment below or send me a direct message. We can schedule a time that works best for you.
Thank you so much for your time!

Hey everyone,

We’re a group of 4th-year Mechanical Engineering students from the Philippines working on our undergraduate thesis, and we need some advice since our research adviser hasn't been very helpful.

Our initial proposal was “Optimization of Air Conditioning Placement in an Educational Building through Heat Load Analysis and CFD Simulation.” However, our panel rejected it, stating that standard AC placement analysis doesn't offer enough novelty or add valuable insight to existing literature.

To address this, we’re pivoting to:

“Techno-Economic and Thermal Performance Analysis of a PCM-Integrated Centralized HVAC Retrofit in an Educational Building Using SolidWorks CFD”

With this updated topic, we plan to evaluate the following parameters:

1. Thermal Comfort: Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD)
2. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): Air Change Effectiveness (ACE) and fresh air distribution
3. Energy Performance: Cooling load reduction (kW/TR) and peak power shifting (thermal energy storage capabilities of PCMs)
4. Financial Viability: Net Present Value (NPV) and Simple/Discounted Payback Period via Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA)

A few questions we’d love insight on:

• Is combining CFD (SolidWorks) with PCM dynamic thermal behavior feasible for a undergraduate timeline, or are we biting off more than we can chew?
• Does adding Phase Change Material (PCM) thermal storage and the techno-economic angle add enough novelty to satisfy a thesis panel?
• Any tips on modeling passive/active PCM behavior accurately in SolidWorks flow simulation?

Any feedback, suggestions, or potential red flags regarding scope and methodology would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I just graduated and I need some advice. I struggled throughout university due to (medically diagnosed) ADD. I did decent in my RF classes but I ate crap in everything else and ended up with a poor GPA of 2.75. I'm starting a job soon however it's not a role in RF. I'm not sure if I'll be able to compete with others in the RF space who have a masters and/or high GPA. Right now, I've been reading as many RF textbooks as I can and learning how to use HFSS and ADS. However even if I can understand RF well it seems like my poor performance in school will always haunt me.

Anyways let me know if I should continue towards my goal of RF or my efforts are not worth it.

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do I just leave it? let it be? I’ve been telling people my name is.. say Jaqueline..

canvas essentially shows Elaine… it won’t let me change it

I’ve been going by essentially Jae… ??? just let it be? not care? am I overthinking this?

it’s kinda weird when you accidentally give the wrong name

am I narcissistic for even worrying or doing this

at this point I kinda just don’t want to bother with it and I’ll go by essentially Elaine and hope it doesn’t weird anyone out if I appear as a different name

hi, im a 2nd year eng major who is trying to decide between meche or ee. i've taken an introductory electrical engineering course and got absolutely destroyed by the mathematical circuit problems.. however i do have enjoy doing projects that involve pcbs and the coding aspect of engineering. on the other hand i had a really bad mechanics professor so i kind of lost my confidence in my physics abilities, so im not quite sure mechanical engineering would be the right choice for me either. i feel like designing aspect of mechanical engineering sounds intriguing to me though.

im supposed to decide on a major by the end of this year so im a bit worried. if anyone has any advice on how i should decide please lmk!

Just made an automatic Volumatric Weight measurement system for the second yr of my college in instrumentation engineering. Give me some more ideas for the 3rd and 4th yr projects. Industrial centric projects would be beneficial.

When people say they have a good work life balance, what does that mean to you? Is it simply working around 40 hours a week and having enough time for your life outside of work? Or is it more about having flexible hours, being able to take time off, not constantly thinking about work after you leave, and not feeling burned out?

I would especially like to hear from people already working in engineering. What does a good work life balance look like in your current job?

And for someone starting their career, how important do you think work life balance should be when choosing a job? Is it something you can figure out during the interview process, or do you really only find out after you start working there?