You were the best in high school. You easily aced exams without putting too much effort in studying. No sleepless nights for assignments and projects because you could easily finish them before nine in the evening. Need a tutor? Well, not exactly. If you had one, you were only forced to have help because your parents wanted you to learn things in advance. You did and it was just easily done. Basically, high school was so easy for you. It was just high school and chill for you.
Enter engineering school.
You decided you wanted to pursue a career in engineering. You thought, “Oh hey, math and science were easy for me back in high school. I guess I’ll do well in engineering.” You ignore all the warnings from your seniors – those who came before you, the people who are regretting their decisions of pursuing engineering. It’s a new life for you and engineering school will be exciting and maybe easy.
But to your surprise, everything is just the total opposite to what you expected. Nothing is easy here. The lessons are difficult, the professors are scary and your classmates are better than you. You found yourself lost and confused and mentally exhausted with everything you’re doing to survive. You’re thinking of giving up and just shift to an easier course. You start hating yourself for thinking that it will just be parties and easy exams in college. You start losing hope. You thought you don’t need to put in too much effort in engineering. You thought reading a few chapters before the night of the exam would be enough to ace an exam.
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Here’s the reality check you need:
Engineering is not easy. Where did you even get the idea that you’d manage to survive in engineering without working your ass off? You have to realize that engineering involves not just math but other fields as well – more complicated ones! Your professors will test you to make sure that anyone who graduates with the degree really deserves it. Your classmates will compete with you so copying from them is absolutely a big no-no to them. So yes, as early as now, you have to know the value of hard work.
You have to work hard for that A+ mark on your exam papers.Or even just a passing grade. You have to spend sleepless nights working on projects for professors who do not accept mediocre work. You have to deny yourself the pleasure of drinking the nights away with friends so that you can pass a crucial subject. Forget Netflix and chill. Sometimes, you have to spend every waking hour focused on your subjects so that you won’t fall apart once you receive your grades by the end of every semester. Nope, engineering is never easy but if you work hard enough, you may survive it.
Remember that famous line, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”? It’s true for almost everyone. You may not be the smartest in class but you could still beat the class genius. It’s possible.
I learned this the hard way. I know I wasn’t the sharpest knife in the kitchen and I regret not working hard to improve my performance in class. But I eventually learned to work my ass off during my last semester in college. It eventually paid off. So, I’m telling you – I’m warning you – that if you don’t start working hard as early as now in school, you’ll have a hard time surviving. Yep, work your ass off to be the engineer you’ve always wanted to be. You can do it. Good luck!
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Oh, don’t even get me started with the preparations for the licensure exam.
