Physicist thinking of restarting with engineering
Okay, I'm currently studying physics.
To put it bluntly it isn't going well, both with the course difficultly, and currently suffering from mild depression, severe stress, with general unhappiness and lack of motivation/lack of purpose.
I've decided that it is necessary for me to take some time out, get myself sorted, do something different and do some extra reading/studying. I was initially likely to quit entirely, but now I am more focused on the idea of temporary withdrawal.
The academic staff I have spoken to have in general been supportive and very helpful. However they have bought to my attention the possibility of a restart with engineering. Now the idea had crossed my mind, but I had followed it much because ultimately physics is the subject I am most interested in (even though I feel a lack of motivation currently). However I do want a degree in the end (I think) and whilst what I find most interesting is important, being able to do a subject well is equally so.
My thoughts:
For engineering
-It is less mathematical than physics, and for me the maths aspect is the hardest.
-It could offer an interesting change from what I am doing currently.
-Those doing engineering currently seem to be having a relatively easy start (though might be slightly boring as well), however maybe they just give off this impression because they are super smart or actually just aren't bothered.
-I'd feel a bit stupid if I took time out, came back and did the same thing, then felt the need to quit again. At least with engineering I feel like I am trying something different.
For physics
-It is the subject I find more interesting
-Gender ratio is slightly less %$@!ed (obviously not a serious concern, but worth bearing in mind IMO).
-Already started it, so would have some experience to draw from as well as the materials I have picked up (this might come under the "sunken costs" fallacy though).
-Know fairly little about engineering overall (I will be sitting in on lectures, but hard to judge from just that).
-I know there is a business module, which seems irritating.
That's about everything I can think of. To any engineers out there who are interested enough to reply:
What do you think of the course with regards to difficulty/how interesting it is compared to physics?
Any good 1st year example questions/papers available online just to look at for comparison? (Searching the web yields nothing for me :| )
Any other worthwhile comments?
Thanks.
To put it bluntly it isn't going well, both with the course difficultly, and currently suffering from mild depression, severe stress, with general unhappiness and lack of motivation/lack of purpose.
I've decided that it is necessary for me to take some time out, get myself sorted, do something different and do some extra reading/studying. I was initially likely to quit entirely, but now I am more focused on the idea of temporary withdrawal.
The academic staff I have spoken to have in general been supportive and very helpful. However they have bought to my attention the possibility of a restart with engineering. Now the idea had crossed my mind, but I had followed it much because ultimately physics is the subject I am most interested in (even though I feel a lack of motivation currently). However I do want a degree in the end (I think) and whilst what I find most interesting is important, being able to do a subject well is equally so.
My thoughts:
For engineering
-It is less mathematical than physics, and for me the maths aspect is the hardest.
-It could offer an interesting change from what I am doing currently.
-Those doing engineering currently seem to be having a relatively easy start (though might be slightly boring as well), however maybe they just give off this impression because they are super smart or actually just aren't bothered.
-I'd feel a bit stupid if I took time out, came back and did the same thing, then felt the need to quit again. At least with engineering I feel like I am trying something different.
For physics
-It is the subject I find more interesting
-Gender ratio is slightly less %$@!ed (obviously not a serious concern, but worth bearing in mind IMO).
-Already started it, so would have some experience to draw from as well as the materials I have picked up (this might come under the "sunken costs" fallacy though).
-Know fairly little about engineering overall (I will be sitting in on lectures, but hard to judge from just that).
-I know there is a business module, which seems irritating.
That's about everything I can think of. To any engineers out there who are interested enough to reply:
What do you think of the course with regards to difficulty/how interesting it is compared to physics?
Any good 1st year example questions/papers available online just to look at for comparison? (Searching the web yields nothing for me :| )
Any other worthwhile comments?
Thanks.
Original post by Blackfyre585366
Okay, I'm currently studying physics.
To put it bluntly it isn't going well, both with the course difficultly, and currently suffering from mild depression, severe stress, with general unhappiness and lack of motivation/lack of purpose.
I've decided that it is necessary for me to take some time out, get myself sorted, do something different and do some extra reading/studying. I was initially likely to quit entirely, but now I am more focused on the idea of temporary withdrawal.
The academic staff I have spoken to have in general been supportive and very helpful. However they have bought to my attention the possibility of a restart with engineering. Now the idea had crossed my mind, but I had followed it much because ultimately physics is the subject I am most interested in (even though I feel a lack of motivation currently). However I do want a degree in the end (I think) and whilst what I find most interesting is important, being able to do a subject well is equally so.
My thoughts:
For engineering
-It is less mathematical than physics, and for me the maths aspect is the hardest.
-It could offer an interesting change from what I am doing currently.
-Those doing engineering currently seem to be having a relatively easy start (though might be slightly boring as well), however maybe they just give off this impression because they are super smart or actually just aren't bothered.
-I'd feel a bit stupid if I took time out, came back and did the same thing, then felt the need to quit again. At least with engineering I feel like I am trying something different.
For physics
-It is the subject I find more interesting
-Gender ratio is slightly less %$@!ed (obviously not a serious concern, but worth bearing in mind IMO).
-Already started it, so would have some experience to draw from as well as the materials I have picked up (this might come under the "sunken costs" fallacy though).
-Know fairly little about engineering overall (I will be sitting in on lectures, but hard to judge from just that).
-I know there is a business module, which seems irritating.
That's about everything I can think of. To any engineers out there who are interested enough to reply:
What do you think of the course with regards to difficulty/how interesting it is compared to physics?
Any good 1st year example questions/papers available online just to look at for comparison? (Searching the web yields nothing for me :| )
Any other worthwhile comments?
Thanks.
To put it bluntly it isn't going well, both with the course difficultly, and currently suffering from mild depression, severe stress, with general unhappiness and lack of motivation/lack of purpose.
I've decided that it is necessary for me to take some time out, get myself sorted, do something different and do some extra reading/studying. I was initially likely to quit entirely, but now I am more focused on the idea of temporary withdrawal.
The academic staff I have spoken to have in general been supportive and very helpful. However they have bought to my attention the possibility of a restart with engineering. Now the idea had crossed my mind, but I had followed it much because ultimately physics is the subject I am most interested in (even though I feel a lack of motivation currently). However I do want a degree in the end (I think) and whilst what I find most interesting is important, being able to do a subject well is equally so.
My thoughts:
For engineering
-It is less mathematical than physics, and for me the maths aspect is the hardest.
-It could offer an interesting change from what I am doing currently.
-Those doing engineering currently seem to be having a relatively easy start (though might be slightly boring as well), however maybe they just give off this impression because they are super smart or actually just aren't bothered.
-I'd feel a bit stupid if I took time out, came back and did the same thing, then felt the need to quit again. At least with engineering I feel like I am trying something different.
For physics
-It is the subject I find more interesting
-Gender ratio is slightly less %$@!ed (obviously not a serious concern, but worth bearing in mind IMO).
-Already started it, so would have some experience to draw from as well as the materials I have picked up (this might come under the "sunken costs" fallacy though).
-Know fairly little about engineering overall (I will be sitting in on lectures, but hard to judge from just that).
-I know there is a business module, which seems irritating.
That's about everything I can think of. To any engineers out there who are interested enough to reply:
What do you think of the course with regards to difficulty/how interesting it is compared to physics?
Any good 1st year example questions/papers available online just to look at for comparison? (Searching the web yields nothing for me :| )
Any other worthwhile comments?
Thanks.
I have read your post, but I don't think that you are considering it for the right reasons.
Unless you are considering a career in engineering, I wouldn't recommend studying an engineering degree. It's probably not as interesting as physics from a purely academic standpoint, and if you're purely after a degree for the sake of having a degree, there are better options out there. Although the maths in engineering isn't as hard as in physics, it's not necessarily "easier", and certainly won't be less stressful.
Original post by Blackfyre585366
That's about everything I can think of. To any engineers out there who are interested enough to reply:
What do you think of the course with regards to difficulty/how interesting it is compared to physics?
Any good 1st year example questions/papers available online just to look at for comparison? (Searching the web yields nothing for me :| )
Any other worthwhile comments?
Thanks.
What do you think of the course with regards to difficulty/how interesting it is compared to physics?
Any good 1st year example questions/papers available online just to look at for comparison? (Searching the web yields nothing for me :| )
Any other worthwhile comments?
Thanks.
Hey,
Engineering and Physics are fundamentally different, of course there is overlap, but typically Physics will be more theoretical. Also, the career paths will be significantly different, it may be worth your time to read into potential careers and see if they interest you. If Engineering still interests you, you still have a broad range of disciplines which are different in and of themselves.
One thing that caught my attention is your uncertainty to get a degree. Getting a degree is a 3/4+ year commitment which will be challenging. Are you interested in academia? Are you interested in practical/theoretical/experimental work? Getting foresight into exactly where you want to be is far more useful than getting a degree which you may not get use out of.
Engineering is certainly regarded as one of the most challenging degrees, but it's all relative. I've never heard of Engineering as being easy, so if you do pursue an Engineering degree, don't assume it will be a walk in the park. Besides, you take a course based on future potentials and opportunities, not on difficulty.
If you have any questions on something more specific, let me know!
Scott
Undergraduate Rep
School of Engineering
I think your reasons for switching to engineering are a bit off. Engineering is somewhat less mathematical yes but it's still very mathematical and what you lose in maths you gain in software, programming, maybe more hands on stuff which many people find even more problematic, so it's a risky choice. I'd say engineering is easier for getting into a subject relevant career, in terms of the degree itself you'll have to put in a lot more effort to get a 2:1 in engineering than a 2:1 in physics, but you're also surrounded by people doing the same so it doesn't seem too bad at the time.
Thanks for the responses, just to clarify a few things:
My mentioning of a "I do want a degree in the end (I think)" might not have come across the way I wanted it to, I'm not of the opinion "any degree will do" but rather I still feel that I want to complete university and will need said qualification to get me somewhere I want to be in life (not sure where that is yet! But who is?), I have been heavily drawn towards the maths/physics side of things for a few years now. Physics would be my first choice but much of the content in engineering may be interesting to me as well.
I didn't mean to imply that engineering was easy either, I know that may come across as me coming here and insulting your course, which wasn't my intention at all. I don't expect university to be easy regardless of what I chose. And I think I can cope with the Physics course with a better attitude and better preparation. However if the maths is less difficult and I would find engineering less challenging than physics I think that not considering engineering just because I think aspects of it wouldn't be interesting to me would be a mistake, and after all it isn't as if I like the entirety of the physics curriculum either.
I should point out on the careers front I don't know where I wish to end up, again plenty of 18 year olds don't, however I think there is more overlap between the potential career paths than Glasgow Uni indicates, however that being said I recognise that physics might give broader opportunities.
To clarify I am gravitating heavily to continuing with physics, however as I said previously not considering other options would be a mistake.
My mentioning of a "I do want a degree in the end (I think)" might not have come across the way I wanted it to, I'm not of the opinion "any degree will do" but rather I still feel that I want to complete university and will need said qualification to get me somewhere I want to be in life (not sure where that is yet! But who is?), I have been heavily drawn towards the maths/physics side of things for a few years now. Physics would be my first choice but much of the content in engineering may be interesting to me as well.
I didn't mean to imply that engineering was easy either, I know that may come across as me coming here and insulting your course, which wasn't my intention at all. I don't expect university to be easy regardless of what I chose. And I think I can cope with the Physics course with a better attitude and better preparation. However if the maths is less difficult and I would find engineering less challenging than physics I think that not considering engineering just because I think aspects of it wouldn't be interesting to me would be a mistake, and after all it isn't as if I like the entirety of the physics curriculum either.
I should point out on the careers front I don't know where I wish to end up, again plenty of 18 year olds don't, however I think there is more overlap between the potential career paths than Glasgow Uni indicates, however that being said I recognise that physics might give broader opportunities.
To clarify I am gravitating heavily to continuing with physics, however as I said previously not considering other options would be a mistake.
In terms of difficulty, I'll say they're both the same. Majority of the people at my uni (Southampton) who didn't pass engineering first year are now studying Mathematical/Theoretical physics. I know, I was just as surprised too. The thing that makes engineering so hard is the number of fields you have to be good at. You have to be simultaneously good at maths, programming, designing, making stuff (robotics) and of cos physics. If you think you still enjoy it then deco give it a try. Also you'll probably get a high paid job with engineering that physics on average
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