Engineering360: "An Open Letter to an Engineering Student"

Roger, this is a heartfelt and insightful letter, addressed to no one in particular, but applicable to all who have chosen the path.

I hope you don't mind, I'm going to print this out and frame it, then hang in my office somewhere conspicuous.

Thank you.

post script: Congratulations Dad! Were I as eloquent as you, I would offer a similar letter regarding your road ahead as a father.

I appreciate the kind words. I tried to picture my daughter as the engineer as I wrote it, seemed to help!

Nailed it. The only thing I might add is that while being an engineer is almost a guarantee of a comfortable life given the motivation that gets you through school, you are not likely to become extremely wealthy but you will have riches beyond your wildest dreams.

If money is your dream, run a business and have other people earn money for you.

Thanks! Yeah, I completely agree regarding getting rich, including the part about running a business being the best way to get there.

Hmmm. Emulate Elon Musk??

Hooker

Congratulations on the tiny engineer!!!

Thanks!

Getting to know your fellow engineering peers, particularly those from different backgrounds, is excellent advice. I would add, however, that it is also good to get to know some people who are not engineering students!

Good point!

Roger (Bayes),

Thank you for this. I appreciate the content and the spirit in which it was written.

As I was reading through the pros and cons of graduate degrees, I was wondering if you were going to cover PEs - and then you did! In the end, the achievement was not in the obtaining of the license, but the path to get there.

You stressed hard work as being inevitable in our chosen field and that's true. There are many times also, when you can stop, rest, and contemplate what you do and have/can accomplish(ed). In these times, you (I) don't even consider the struggles!

I came to engineering relatively late in life - about 9 yrs after HS graduation, I decided I'd had enough of minimum-wage jobs, and start school. After I proved myself at community college, my dad made it possible financially for me to go to the university. I finished the ChE program (I did get a summer internship at Battelle for 2 years before I graduated) and was hired right out of school.

Since then, I have had several different jobs, and the most important thing I have learned is to make every effort to work as a team.

Thanks, Mikerho! That's an inspiring story and I appreciate you sharing it here. It takes a lot of work and willpower to make that kind of change, it must bring you a well-deserved sense of satisfaction.