I Went To School Today

"Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW!" (theduckduck) 01/08/2018 at 18:23 • Filed to: None

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I went back to school today for the first time in 10.5 years. I finally think I know what I want to be and that’s a mechanical engineer. Unfortunately, that requires all the math I deemed unimportant and forgettable from high school. God damn it. So I am taking Intermediate Algebra and I remember nothing! I already have homework! This is bullshit! Ugh, heres my salty Subaru for your time.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:36

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Good luck to you!

E90M3 > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:36

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What kind of nerd would get an engineering degree?

ttyymmnn > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:39

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Good luck. I’m having a hell of a time helping my middle schoolers with their math, let alone my high schooler. Thank god their uncle is a math teacher. We use the Phone A Friend lifeline often.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:40

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Good Luck and stay strong! My brother went back for civil engineering in his late 20's. He did part time while working full time so he wouldn’t need to take out student loans on top of the debt he acquired on his first bachelor degree. He had a few rough semesters but graduates in May!

ttyymmnn > E90M3 01/08/2018 at 18:43

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Nerds like these 7 guys.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:48

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I’m a mechanical engineer. No need to sugarcoat it, the process of getting to the end is grueling and at times seemingly impossible. But as long as you stay interested and engaged, anyone can put in the effort to pull it off. Any colleagues I have seen fail out just werent that into it. So as long as its for you, and you dont mind dedicating your time to it, it will work out. I hate hard math and made it through four years of calculus without killing myself. There are plenty of other aspects of Engineering that are far more exciting and worth the struggle!

BIGBLOCK472 - wide and bizarre > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:55

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Good on ya! I start back for a masters in nursing informatics next month. Kinda nervous!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:56

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I’ve been thinking about going back as well. The biggest hinderence in my mind is that I don’t want to go to school and work full time. I didn’t work 9 years ago don’t seem why it would work now that I also have being a Dad on my plate.

If I go back it’ll either be for welding/fabricating, or certified electrician. either is in my skill set and something I’d love to do. I originally thought I wanted to be an automotive tech but a few years of working on my Galant has taught me I was wrong. I love driving cars but I can live with out working non them, and certainly wouldnt want to do it 40 hours a week.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 18:56

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The irony is that the hardest math you will ever do is volume calcs. and I’ve been an engineer for dang near 20 years. I have set up some pretty bad ass excel spreadsheets tho.

TorqueToYield > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/08/2018 at 18:59

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I solve differential equations (or more specifically, plug them into computer software that solves them). So yea some mechanical engineers use more math than others.

TorqueToYield > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 19:02

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Wolfram Alpha will be your best friend for many years.

Also, think of math as a tool to solve problems - not as an end all be all into itself. Math (and different types of math equations) are like those crazy shaped retaining ring pliers that only fit that one type of retaining ring - there’s no use for it if you don’t need it, but when you need it you damn well better know how it works.

Differential equations, calculus, and statistics are some extremely powerful, specialized tools to a good engineer.

facw > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 19:05

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I had one of these dreams last night:

I assume actually being in school works better.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 19:38

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Today was the first day of work for my new hire, who went back to school a few years ago (early-mid-life-ish) to change careers from teaching to engineering. You can do it.

shop-teacher > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 19:40

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Good luck dude!

As for the homework, I suggest you suck it up buttercup, and get used to it! :)

Cash Rewards > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 20:43

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Why algebra? I needed 3 years of calculus, one of differential equations, and one of mathematical modeling.

functionoverfashion > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/08/2018 at 21:43

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Good luck! I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, and I’m 36 with two kids.

Spoon II > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/09/2018 at 01:49

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It’s not a bad degree to have! Good luck with the studies, I’m sure the math will click before you know it!

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > Cash Rewards 01/09/2018 at 11:41

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Because I forgot everything, I am nowhere near prepared to start taking calculus.

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > shop-teacher 01/09/2018 at 11:44

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I know it’s a fact of life for right now, it’s just the way it felt like the teacher assumed everyone knew whet she was talking about and that the brief notes she gave in class were all we needed. I just have to tough this week out and will dedicate my weekends to doing the homework in advance for the next weeks lessons so I will know what the hell she is talking about.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > TorqueToYield 01/09/2018 at 11:52

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Thankfully you need to use diffy-q’s or straight up calculus to figure out the volume and area of strange shapes.

Cash Rewards > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/09/2018 at 14:37

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Fair enough. Good luck!

shop-teacher > Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! 01/09/2018 at 15:32

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College is a very mixed bag when it comes to professors. Some of them are amazing, and some of them are frankly garbage. It comes with the territory, unfortunately.