It is the time of the year once again when a number of us are making choices for post-secondary, or if you are in Grade 11, thinking about what to do in university. It has already been a very gruelling task for me. I oscillated between varieties of programs like Political Science to Pure Mathematics but finally, I descended on Engineering.
What discouraged me, initially, from choosing Engineering was the fact that it was too mainstream and that the programs, as I heard, were very structured. However, attending an array of post-secondary information sessions and doing some of my own research, Engineering was the program that helped me keep my doors open and at the same time get an education that I wanted.
Some false assumptions
The common perception among students is that Engineering is a program that only suits those who are Physics and Math nerds and those that would like to pursue a career as an Engineer in the future. As I found out, these assumptions are largely false. It is ideal to have a solid foundation in Mathematics but even if you did not do particularly well in your Math courses, there is ample possibility for improvement during university, as I learned from a lot of students.
Getting a well-rounded education
In today’s diverse world, it is getting more and more important for students to have a well-rounded education. Even in the workplace, employers are looking for people who are good at more than one thing. This is something that Engineering will help you with a lot. Many Engineering programs are not very strict in their curriculum; here are some examples of well-rounded Engineering programs that I looked into:
- Biomedical Engineering (multiple universities): Fous on Biology
- Systems Design Engineering (Waterloo): Focus on entrepreneurship and business
- Integrated Engineering (UBC): A very multi-disciplinary program that allows you to focus on a field of your choice
- Engineering Science (Toronto): Also multi-disciplinary
The Unique Experience
Engineers are known to have a very tight-knit community in almost every university in the country. They have a unique sense of community about them and do events all around the year that are actually quite fun! Even the experience of solving problems that face the society is very exciting. Here is a related video:
Keeping Your Doors Open
This was probably the deal-maker for me. Engineering is one of the few programs that will allow you to go into pretty much any field that you would like to. Here is how:
- Medical School: This might sound shocking to some of you, but a lot Engineering graduates go on to medical school to become a doctor or for research. This is possible because of programs like Biomedical Engineering. I had the opportunity to talk to a few Engineering grads that went on to medical school; in general, they were very satisfied with having had a well-rounded education. A strong Engineering background helped them diversify their medical school studies.
- Graduate School: Engineering will give you a very strong foundation to go into a field that you would like to pursue in grad school. You will have the chance to explore a variety of subjects during the course of your Engineering degree and this will give you a good feel of what you would like to further pursue.
- The Workplace: With an Engineering degree, you are almost guaranteed a job provided that you have good grades, of course. As such, even if you decide not to go to grad school or medical school, you can go off work for some time and return at a later point in time. This is unlike other degrees; for example, if you do a degree in immunology, the chances of getting a job that you would like are quite slim.
That being said, Engineering is not the only post secondary choice that will get you success. In the end, go after what you love best. We are always told that we shouldn’t worry about jobs and that is true to some extent. However, you do want to have the peace of mind of knowing that you will most probably end up with a well-paying job that you will love doing.