Engineering Philosophy

According to Merriam Webster an engineer is “a person who has scientific training and who designs and builds complicated products, machines, systems, or structures.” Although most people think of this definition (or one relatively close to it) when they hear “engineer,” I understand it to be more than that. When I think of an engineer, I tend to look at that title through the perspective of the dedication, perseverance, and overall work ethic that that person had to become an engineer. From firsthand experience I understand that engineering is more of a lifestyle than it is a profession. To even get through the education portion of being an engineer, you need to have amazing time management skills, a good work ethic, the perseverance to …show more content…
The first big reason why I thought I shouldn’t be perusing this degree is because I didn’t get into The College of Engineering. I quickly realized that although I didn’t get into it on my own, I had GoldShirt; it was the second chance that I needed and even more reason to prove myself. The second reason why I thought I shouldn’t be in engineering is because the content of all my classes was not coming easy to me like how it did in high school. After I took my first set of exams, I realized that although I had to work 10x harder and become more thoughtful about how I spent my time, it pays off and I can be successful in all my classes. The last big reason why I thought that engineering wasn’t for me was because, I saw that my peers were not struggling as much as I was to finish homework assignments and study for tests. Once I understood that the people who were always ahead in their homework were not working, I realized that it was ok that I took longer to finish assignments and that it was ok that I had to go to office hours more frequently. After debating with myself, I realized that it all came down to the angle or perspective that you looked at a certain situation with. If you are passionate about what you will do, if you get excited about the projects you work on, and if it’s something you don’t see yourself regretting when you’re older than you will find a …show more content…
Like I mentioned before its more of a lifestyle than it is a title. The internal and even external struggles I’m dealing with right now won’t last forever and I understand that. The best thing I can do it put an optimistic perspective to it all until I am finally able to reach the opportunities and rewards that engineering gives you. My experience and journey through engineering at CU Boulder and beyond, won’t be lost to stress, anger, and greed. I will make a conscious effort to explore, learn and understand what engineering truly has to offer me. I don’t think it would be fair to give a solid answer in why I want to be an engineer, because I know with time my answer will change. The best answer I can give as to why I want to be an engineer is because it’s what I’m most passionate about right now. Although I know I still have another four years ahead of me, engineering is something I know I don’t want to give up any time soon. These past eight weeks have been the most intense and extraordinary weeks of my life and I have only begun to brush the surface of what engineering actually is. All and all, I am proud to call myself an engineer and know that with time this journey can only get