“So… What’s your major?”
That is the universal awkward-conversation-with-a-stranger question we’ve all been conditioned to ask since getting to college.
No matter what answer you get, it’s basically guaranteed that you’re going to pass judgment. We’re all guilty of it. Whether it’s something small like, “Oh, look at you, smarty pants,” or something bigger and stereotypical: That’s not a real major. I bet your six-hour naps and daily binge drinking are very intellectually stimulating.
Being a mechanical engineering major, it’s clear from the reactions that my answer to, “What’s your major?” yields, people outside the college really just don’t seem to get it.
“Wow! You must be so smart!”
“How do you have time for anything but school?”
“Ew. I hate math.”
And my favorite, “But you don’t look/seem like an engineer.”
Via: Buzzerg
Whenever I meet a new human, I’m often lauded for my super-human mathematical abilities, wizard-like mastery of programming and my knowledge of physics that rivals that of Steven Hawking’s. Although I thoroughly enjoy nodding my head in gratitude, that is simply not the case.
There is a stereotype that engineering majors are super genius shut-ins that sacrifice all extracurricular and social activities to go on to do huge things on the scale of Facebook and Eos Chapstick. Although these personalities have dominated the field at one point, things have changed. With the increase in STEM education (an acronym especially designed to make science, technology, engineering and math sound trendy and cool), engineering majors have never been more diverse, and I’m not just talking about demographics.
The cool hipsters of yore would have flipped their man/lady-buns in the sky as while they proudly announced their major as history, literature, sociology, or, the mother of all hipster majors, philosophy, today’s hipsters are choosing to pave a new road. Step into a coffee shop and you’re just as likely to find a young, sinewy girl with a bob haircut and tattoos studying for organic chemistry as you would to find her reading Flaubert.
First, let’s clear up the dirty definition of what engineering actually is.
“Engineering” is an umbrella term that basically means “figuring shit out.” (#tbt: “Figure It Out” on Nickelodeon. Can I be a slime engineer?)Using bits and pieces from every discipline of math and science, and practical knowledge, engineers work together across disciplines to figure shit out.
Anything that’s ever been made has been “engineered.”
Via: Whoa
Your phone? Well, there were computer engineers developing the software, electrical engineers making the internal circuitry, mechanical engineers designing the physical features of the phone, industrial engineers making the manufacturing process as fast as possible, and probably even more types of engineers I can’t think of. The College of Engineering at UF has nine departments and offers 14 majors, all of which have very little do with each other other than the pre-requisite courses.
Each branch of engineering studies radically different fields. An electrical engineer knows bupkis about biological engineering. There’s a certain level of cross-over forced into the curriculums, but it’s just enough so we have a taste of what our colleagues are doing. Por ejemplo, to me, programming is still a lot of smoke and mirrors, but I know enough to appreciate it and pick it up need be.
With about 6,000 undergrads in 14 majors in the college, it’s pretty hard to stereotype “the engineer,” but obviously it happens. (The GainesvilleScene staff boasting not one but TWO engineers is proof that we engineers have interests beyond math and science. Remember that for the next time you try to pigeonhole.)
So why engineering?
For most of us, it boils down to one of two things: intellectual curiosity, or the creative aspect. Engineering, and solving problems basically, requires a deep understanding of the nature of a field, and the creativity and ingenuity to fix any problem. Most projects are completely open-ended and, unlike most math or science classes, there is no one solution. Whether synthesizing a chemical, writing code or building a robot, there is always more than one way to skin the cat, which is where the creative process takes over. Formulating and designing a solution is a completely creative process. While it may not be as sensational as writing or graphic design, it’s just as creative.
Engineering also has the potential to make bank and it makes people think you’re smarter than you might actually be! Is it any harder than business or English? No clue, but I don’t think of myself as part of the elite Engineering Golf & Country Club where we all meet to discuss the secrets of the universe and laugh at finance majors for not knowing string theory. In reality, you can’t pigeon hole any major. People who I’ve looked at and thought “engineering nerd” turned out to be PR majors. And, just like engineers can have interests in the humanities, a journalism major could just as easily read Stephen Hawking books on theoretical quantum physics in his or her free time.
Listen, some of the people in engineering absolutely do fit the bill of geeky library dweller that only comes up for air in between semesters or to brag about their improbable internships. But most of us are normal, functioning human beings. Most of us have lives outside of the classroom. Finding a job for us is more like season one of “Girls”, and most of our time in the library is split between procrastinating on BuzzFeed and panicking because we don’t know shit and aren’t ready for the exam.
Is engineering hard? Like any subject, it depends on who you are and what class we’re talking about. Is engineering this grand intellectual apex that we all aspire to achieve? Probably not. Should we laud all those who have bravely chosen this path?
No, but I’ll take your praise anyway.
Feature photo courtesy of: The Manufacturer
