.

[Shenz0r]

Well.... This is very interesting....

The main reason why I wanted to get into engineering is because I thought that due to evolving technology and incredible advancements that are being made everyday, engineers would've been in a lot of demand.

And I also read in the Unimelb handbook that "There is currently a shortage of engineers in the industry..." I guess they omitted the "outside of Australia" part -.-

While there well may be a shortage of engineers at the moment, look at how many engineering students you have to compete against when you're job hunting. People from RMIT, Monash, every other university in Australia - they're graduating thousands of other competitive job-hunters every year. University isn't a system that simply gives you a job if you pass. You still have to be the best of the best in order to get a decent one. Same applies for other career fields.

[hobbitle]

Unfortunately we are of a spoilt generation. We have not seen true recession or been through a serious depression and therefore we all have more money, more opportunity, and more means to get a good education.
This, in conjunction with the greed of the big universities, has meant a flood of graduates in all fields (not just engineering). There are very very few industries now that are booming in Australia where you are guaranteed a job, everywhere is competitive, so don't let that away you on Engineering.  The only really stable choice of career at the moment imo is clinical medicine and even that is getting outrageously competitive.
Neither of our two major governments have done much to remedy this situation, and although this isn't just a problem specific to Australia, this country is falling behind on the innovation and development and design fronts in engineering, biotechnology, health, medical research, etc. We don't even have a Science minister for goodness sake; and here I was depending on the Liberal goverment to at least mean I have a job in Science or Engineering in 4 years time. So much for that!

[hobbitle]

Sorry for the vaguely off-topic post. :-/

[ninwa]

The main reason why I wanted to get into engineering is because I thought that due to evolving technology and incredible advancements that are being made everyday, engineers would've been in a lot of demand.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-10/engineering-feature/4949360?section=wa

[ninwa]

I know another AN member with a similar story.
She spent soooo long job hunting and ended up having to move overseas just to get an eng job, and now she's unhappy and homesick.

She graduated with honours too (IIRC)

[BigAl]

I got an email from uni today saying summer scholarships are available for those interested. I check the requirements and all of them require high achievement in a specific unit, either second or third year unit. So even if you perform badly in the first year, you can always make a come back

[honey-corowa]

What the fu....

That was only posted 9 days ago as well...


Well, I guess nothing's ever certain, maybe it'll change again in another 5 years' time when I graduate haha

And it most likely will, but for better or for worse...you just can't tell!

Be wary of universities or any other body that inform you that a particular job or degree is in 'high demand,' or a 'sector for growth.' Remember a university or any other provider of tertiary education is a business, and you need to take their 'statistical evidence' with a grain of salt...they provide an exceptional service, but ultimately, their goal is to turnover a financial profit. Be careful 

[mark_alec]

And in response to everyone else, I guess I'll have to deal with studying then, maybe I'll just try taking it easy throughout the semester but then simply cram my way through SWOTVAC for next year instead of studying consistently like in VCE

Studying constantly is a much better idea than trying to cram during SWOTVAC. And seriously, there are only 24 weeks of teaching a year at university, you'll have *heaps* of time to chill out and goof off even if you are a studious student.

[Truck]

Well this is depressing.

In seriousness though uni is a genuinely fun time. I've been stuck into extra-curricular right from the word go. I probably did more stuff outside of school and that schoolwork during high school too, but I've ramped it up at uni. As a result I didn't do as well as I probably could/should have in terms of marks but it was still a very productive time, and despite even more commitment this semester my grades have gone way up. It's all a learning experience, and if you try you can really find your niche in terms of the clubs you join, people you meet, etc.

The culture is great too, if you play it right. You meet fantastic people and learn things that the classroom can't teach you. And if you pick a course you're passionate about the content itself can be so rewarding too - you're really forced out of your comfort zone but you have the freedom to study in the way you'd like, and to an extent what you'd like. So doing badly I'd say is really a matter of choice and prioritisation. It's important to think of uni as a 3-5+ year process, and what exactly you want to achieve in that time and going forward.

yeah haha i'm actually really excited for uni, now that i'm done travelling i just want to go already... it seems great. I just hate the mentality the OP is showing in this thread.

[slothpomba]

I think its relatively undebateable that doing badly (yes, even outright failing, getting like 30-40-50) in your first year, in a FEW UNITS (definitely half or under of  your enrollment, so 4 subjects) is recoverable. At Monash, i believe the academic penalties only kick in when you fail MORE than half your load in two consecutive semesters.

That said, it's obviously not a good idea. There are people who fail without even really aiming for it per se and they didn't really want it. It seems strange to almost ask for it. To answer your question without being an ass about it though, yes, its recoverable if you do poorly in a few.

I recommend (if you absolutely cannot take a gap year and are still adamant about relaxing next year) that you go 'part-time'. Only do two subjects a semester instead of four. Your workload will be greatly reduced. Just aim to do well in those two and reap the saved time.

The gap between VCE and Uni is huge. A lot of people get bored way before the end. You may come out of it much more relaxed than you anticipate.