Unhappy studying Engineering

[FXGalvatron]

As a parent of two kids this is what I have to say.

My elder child (daughter) wanted to become a Chef. I knew it was just the fascination of watching Top Chef and other cookery contests at that age. She was around 10 years. I was willing to send her to Paris for higher levels of culinary courses so I asked her to take up French as language at her school. Even after 5 years she still wanted to become a chef. Call me cruel or realistic, I asked her to take her time to practice chopping onions finely. Eventually she had to chop 2 Kgs of Onions within a time limit. She took up the challenge and gave up chopping in 5 minutes. I told her that just because she is good at enjoying gourmet food doesn't mean she can whip up one. That is when realization struck her.

She wanted to do Engineering in Food Technology in a National Level college while she could have easily gotten CS in any good local college. I tried to drive some sense into her. (The pay package of an engineering graduate in Food Technology is much lower than what MNCs would pay for a CS graduate and that there are not many job opportunities in her line of field. The other aspect is, much like you, she too is fascinated about living abroad. She lived her first few years in USA. The opportunity to go abroad as a Computer consultant is much higher than a food technologist. I also asked her 5 to 10 years down the line what would she feel when her childhood friends post videos of their family vacations from abroad while she will be working in some small town/township at a factory making food products.) The only reason I let her pursue her choice is her answer. (She will be OK with it because it is her decision.) Today, she is employed in a small firm earning salary that is good enough for her in her nascent career. I am pretty confident that she will be very successful.

My second one, Son, is now in 12th. He loves Physics and Mathematics. Unlike his sister, he is very pragmatic. He wants to do B.Sc in Physics and Maths (either double major or a major and minor). He is still confused what he wants to do. He is very clear he is not IIT material. He probably will be able to get into some NIT but not into a good branch of engineering that he might like. He is currently thinking of doing B.Sc at Liberal Arts universities such as Ashoka University. He is very mature for his age. So, I do not interfere too much with his decision making. He comes to me with his options and asks for the pros and cons. I will have to see how things pan out for him. One thing he is very clear is that whether he does B.Sc Physics or Mathematics or even engineering, he wants to do something with either Physics or Mathematics as a career (It could be a Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Quantum Computing, AI, ML, Bio Tech etc).

While my daughter chose a very narrow stream of specialization at a very early stage, my son is looking to gain a broader scientific knowledge and narrow down on the specialization at a later stage. I, for one, strongly believe that one's education doesn't necessarily have to match with one's career. People metamorphose as their career progresses.

Having joined engineering, I suggest you complete it. Like others have stated, start learning other languages. As you already must be knowing, many words in English have roots in other languages. Learn as many foreign languages as possible. Do not make settling abroad as a goal. Ask yourself why you want to settle abroad. Are those things not achievable wherever you will be a few years down the line? If you make enough money would going abroad on vacations meet your goal?

Thank you for your insight, sir. I understand. It's great that your son has good clarity on what he wants to do. Yeah, I agree. I didn't really have anyone to help me out when it came to me choosing a particular path. Deep down, I've always loved English for as long as I can remember. I wanted to take Humanities in school but I was forced to take Science. I knew then that I'd have to take up engineering in college and family members around alreayd put my parents in a mindset that I'd be a good engineer. Whenever school teachers used to ask of anyone loved science (in my +1), I was one of the very few who didn't raise their hand. Science never really got me going. It's not a fascination, if I am going to be honest. But yeah, real life trumps dreams and stuff (mostly.) At this point, many people above (and I thank them for their suggestions) have suggested the same. Like @madara_uchiha has said, it's better to be overqualified. They made me realize that moving abroad isn't an immediate goal (obviously) and made me question a lot of things. At least now, I realize that I don't have to confine my path to the degree I earn.

 

[codelad]

Going by what you say, you are still young and a work in progress, and you don't really need to force yourself to make career choices or narrow down your options at this point (unless the situation demands). And being just in the first year, there's so much more to come in your EEE course (and life, in general), and priorities are bound to change - you never know, you may find yourself hooked to a subject in EE that you may want to pursue, or want to do something totally different.

You actually remind me of my own position as an unwilling first-year EEE student (in what now feels like a past life). As in your case, it was my own choice, and I had to go through with it. And as it turned out, I enjoyed the maths and programming courses, wanted to become a coder, briefly regretted not taking CSE instead, and eventually ended up coding for a living, and continue to love what I do. And as a bonus, I dabble in electronics once in a while, thanks to the EEE I so begrudgingly finished.

Since you are doing exceedingly well academic-wise in your EEE course, my advise would be to grit out the remaining years. And you of course have a choice to keep doing (and improving upon) what you love now - writing. The way I see it, it's a win-win for you, all over.

 

[burntwingzZz]

@skoka123 & @codelad are very much correct

the true fact if you pursue English and end up being teacher & professor at least in India you would plateau out no new things in professional life would happen and financially too teachers are not very well paid in India. that is why i supported your choice to move out to Canada get some masters over there TEFL ,than your struggle would be do you get a teachers job within Canada or not , most probably you might end up in some non English speaking countries teaching English . Countries like japan , South Korea and many more . So there your additional foreign language skills would come into play and your people interaction skill understanding the diversity of culture and beliefs and how to co-exist .

So courses like engineering, medicine, MBA and college / universities like ,IIT's IIM, and all other top foreign universities of the world apart from providing good education also provide you a very diverse set of people and if you are good with interacting with all different set of people that will help you a lot. Consider this as practice sessions. for later part of life.

BE determined but keep an open mind . Here is an interesting video for you a how he ended up doing CA & IIM and what he does for leaving ,how solid is his backup

 

[FXGalvatron]

Going by what you say, you are still young and a work in progress, and you don't really need to force yourself to make career choices or narrow down your options at this point (unless the situation demands). And being just in the first year, there's so much more to come in your EEE course (and life, in general), and priorities are bound to change - you never know, you may find yourself hooked to a subject in EE that you may want to pursue, or want to do something totally different.

You actually remind me of my own position as an unwilling first-year EEE student (in what now feels like a past life). As in your case, it was my own choice, and I had to go through with it. And as it turned out, I enjoyed the maths and programming courses, wanted to become a coder, briefly regretted not taking CSE instead, and eventually ended up coding for a living, and continue to love what I do. And as a bonus, I dabble in electronics once in a while, thanks to the EEE I so begrudgingly finished.

Since you are doing exceedingly well academic-wise in your EEE course, my advise would be to grit out the remaining years. And you of course have a choice to keep doing (and improving upon) what you love now - writing. The way I see it, it's a win-win for you, all over.

I agree. 4 years might change my perspective and I might come back here in a few years and laugh at how I was unhappy pursuing EEE. My interests keep changing but if I am going to be honest, English has been something that has been there for so many years. Like I mentioned earlier, I would have taken humanities if I wasn't forced to take science. I'd have pursued a completely different job.

But yeah, like you and many others have said, its better to finish my engineering and if I still hold the same view, I can do an MA in the future and alter my career course. Only real issue I see is what my parents would think of when I tell them that I am sick of engineering and things along those lines. Plus, I'll have to grind through for 4 years.

 

[booo]

few things at a very abstract level to either make you happy or sad based on your perception.

• whats true today may not be true in few years. before the y2k and dotcom cs wasn’t considered valuable. if you were an cs student back then would be like being an english major today.
• everyone is a failure in their life. it is better to fail early in your life. all the good stories about successful people don’t usually show their hardships or the failures they had.
• its okay to have no plan about your life. people who plan out their entire future usually get it wrong.
• i was in love with computers since i was a kid. but as of today i am interested in pursuing law and psychology. who knows what you would love in 10 years.

soooo... take it easy and try enjoying life. chase skirts and smoke weed or ride motorcycles whatever makes you happy.

 

[FXGalvatron]

few things at a very abstract level to either make you happy or sad based on your perception.

• whats true today may not be true in few years. before the y2k and dotcom cs wasn’t considered valuable. if you were an cs student back then would be like being an english major today.
• everyone is a failure in their life. it is better to fail early in your life. all the good stories about successful people don’t usually show their hardships or the failures they had.
• its okay to have no plan about your life. people who plan out their entire future usually get it wrong.
• i was in love with computers since i was a kid. but as of today i am interested in pursuing law and psychology. who knows what you would love in 10 years.

soooo... take it easy and try enjoying life. chase skirts and smoke weed or ride motorcycles whatever makes you happy.

True that. Times change and so does the rest of the world, I suppose.

 

[KunjanPSD]

Hey guys. The title is self-explanatory.

Lemme explain. And if its awfully lengthy, I am sorry. So here goes.

I am currently pursuing a BE in EEE and I am in my first year right now. My semester end exams (first sem) are a couple of weeks away and I am genuinely unhappy doing something I don't really care about. This thought has been sitting on my mind ever since my Board exam results dropped (I belong to the 19-20 batch.) I was kind of pressured to take science during my 11th and 12th and I wasn't great at it but I also wasn't terrible at it. Fast forward, I got like 82 percent on my Board exams and sometimes and I was okay with it. I am currently studying in a tier 3 college in Chennai and I have to say, I am not happy with what I am doing. Yeah, I am doing really well in my classes and even topping almost all classes. But in the long run, I can't see myself trying to climb the corporate ladder or even work as an engineer. Ffs, I dunno what an Electrical Engineer does! I did a little research and stuff but honestly speaking, my true love lies in English. I'll admit, I love kids, teaching and English (please don't judge me.) I love writing, doing some research and things like that. I also wanna travel abroad and settle in countries like Singapore or Canada. Maybe I was blinded by the fact that only if I do engineering will I be able to move abroad. I know the pay as a teacher sucks but its better than getting my life sucked by doing something I don't like. It's not even a matter of me hating engineering. Lemme make something clear as well. Choosing EEE was kind of my choice. My parents were fine with me doing whatever I wanted to but my dad spoke to my tuition teacher about my ambitions of being a journalist (at that time) and he was worried about how much of a viable job it could be. She told me about this but my dad doesn't know that. I understand where they're coming from and I know they want the best for me.

Anyways, I am trying to drop out of engineering but I know for a fact that my parents will be pissed off. They're a bit conservative and they believe that a man should take care of his family and stuff. I was speaking to my high school English teachers and I was planning to get their help to support my cause. Worst case, they (my parents and teachers) disagree and they tell me to complete 4 years of engineering. Best case, they agree to what I am trying to say and help me make a smooth transition away from Engineering. My parents are also the kind of people who cares about what their family members think (pretty sure this is common in most Indian households)(especially my Mom.) I also paid like a year's worth of tuition fees to the college but I am sure I can leave from the second year onwards. Again, I should reiterate that I am not happy doing something I don't love and that it was my own choice. (I know, I am stupid.) I've been letting this thought simmer in my head for the past year (since board results dropped)

Say things come to the worst case, is it still a good idea to pursue English in the future or is there anyway I can be an English teacher? I'd love to know what you all think. I'd appreciate any kind of help I can get. I just wanna get out of this messy situation.

Thanks for reading and I hope y'all have a great day!

TLDR; not happy doing engineering, want to pursue becoming a teacher in another country, how do I convince my parents.

From a fellow engineering student, change course as soon as you can, mate.
I do understand the point of view of your parents but it's you who will have to pursue this for the rest of your life.
Although, it's going to be next to impossible being a language teacher offshore but you can pursue language and loads of accompanying fields in India. Even fields like mass comm include this.
Just be ready to study and by that I mean, study a lot. Bachelors+Masters+PHD.
But if you love it, you will make it.
All the best!

 

[FXGalvatron]

Update

Thank you all for the replies. It means a lot that some of you guided me and I can't thank you enough. I am truly grateful that I can ask things like these to some experienced people out there. I wasn't in the right mindset over the past few months and my mind was veryfoggy.

I think I have reached a point on what I can do. I spoke to my English teachers from school and they too advised me to finish Engineering. I think I'll finish engineering and tutor school kids on the side. That way, I can somewhat fulfill my dream of teaching kids. It's not the same thing but something better than nothing. And on the side, I'll keep writing books (I've publsihed three already) and just ppatiently wait for my big break. And I can also freelance like I am doing right now.

It probably isn't a solid plan but at least now I know what I am doing.

Again, thank you all! Feel free to add whatever you'd like to this thread.

 

[rdst_1]

Update

Thank you all for the replies. It means a lot that some of you guided me and I can't thank you enough. I am truly grateful that I can ask things like these to some experienced people out there. I wasn't in the right mindset over the past few months and my mind was veryfoggy.

I think I have reached a point on what I can do. I spoke to my English teachers from school and they too advised me to finish Engineering. I think I'll finish engineering and tutor school kids on the side. That way, I can somewhat fulfill my dream of teaching kids. It's not the same thing but something better than nothing. And on the side, I'll keep writing books (I've publsihed three already) and just ppatiently wait for my big break. And I can also freelance like I am doing right now.

It probably isn't a solid plan but at least now I know what I am doing.

Again, thank you all! Feel free to add whatever you'd like to this thread.

See if you can volunteer with some NGO or even do it on your own and teach some less fortunate children for free. One of my acquaintances used to do that while employed as an engineer with BHEL and now even runs his own NGO where all donations go to provide support to kids who can't afford education.

 

[FXGalvatron]

See if you can volunteer with some NGO or even do it on your own and teach some less fortunate children for free. One of my acquaintances used to do that while employed as an engineer with BHEL and now even runs his own NGO where all donations go to provide support to kids who can't afford education.

Yes. I’ve actually come across teach for India where I get to teach people who don’t have access to good education. Basically, the underprivileged kids. I’m still looking for some in Chennai as well. I’ll probably start from my third year.