Engineering Q+A!

[RuiAce]

Hi guys, I really want to do the bachelor of business / bachelor of engineering at Western Sydney University. I am really confused with which majors I should select for the business degree (and if the business degree is useless as some people have told me ). Also, which discipline of engineering is the best to select in terms of job opportunities and workload  Any help would be very much appreciated.

So firstly, I just want to look at the bracketed bit. I dropped actuarial, which falls under business, but not once have I ever felt it was USELESS. It might've not been fun for me in the end, but uselessness is a different level. People who tell you that "it's useless" are usually people that just don't seem themSELVES using it. Some people just prefer engineering over business, and that's fine (in fact, that's me right now). But on the other hand, I've seen others who absolutely loved HSC physics and math who eventually ditched engineering in FAVOUR of business. For them, business was more their calling. So when people tell you it's useless, really think about if it's biased. The bias isn't unjustified, but not influential, i.e. something you should act on - at most, it's just something to know.

Alright, so with selecting your business major, think about what you want to do with it. Are you picking business because you prefer the managerial roles, or the monetary aspects of it? That can narrow things down a lot if you think about it hard enough; for me, I'd have easily chosen money. It's alright if you don't know - you can just reply back. But try to mention some of the thoughts that have been going on your head when choosing.

Once you have some idea, we'll move onto specifics

And now, the five engineering strands they offer you are civil, mechanical, electrical, mechatronics/robotics and construction. Civil and construction is generally in extreme abundance (hopefully Jacky can vouch), just because we need stuff built all the time. The one thing to remark though is that it's also more competitive as a consequence.

Which is generally not a bad thing at all, because you always have a potential to stand out. And there's always several plan B's.

The other three are quite interesting, and I can't give an absolute answer I'm afraid. But they're generally more 'specialised' (civil is quite diverse) and it's well offsetted by the fact fewer people do it.

Note, however, if you like what you're doing you're guaranteed to find a job. Job prospects is good to think about, but think about which strand you'd enjoy doing more. Because there's always going to be JOBS, at the end of the day.

Good luck!

[johnk21]

Hi guys,
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much

[RuiAce]

Hi! I'm looking at doing engineering at ANU. They don't offer the typical majors of Civil, Structural or Electrical but rather "mechanical and material systems, electronic and communication systems and biomedical systems" as examples.
Do you think there is a disadvantage for not doing a "normal" engineering course?
Cheers

Not at all. They will ultimately equip you with the same skillset you need to join the workforce, and then once you're working you'll just do what everyone else does and pick up on what's leftover. Most likely they just chose to have fancier names.

The actual name of the degree hardly matters; what matters is that you just have something relevant, which you will

[RuiAce]

Hi guys,
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much

Keen to hear what other's have to say, but this is my genuine opinion. Don't focus on the job prospects and believe ENTIRELY in your genuine passion.

It's not a bad thing at all that you're thinking about job prospects, and comparatively speaking biomedical might be on the lower end of the spectrum with it. But it doesn't have zero job prospects, right?

As a rule of thumb, if you like what you're doing, you're ultimately gonna find a job. It might be a trek to get there, but provided you try it's hardly not fruitful. Give it a try, and let your passion guide you; you'll find things far more miserable if you go for something with more job prospects but end up not liking what you're doing.

And don't restrict yourself! I can understand if you want to avoid this, but there's always the opportunity of going overseas! Just because they're low in Australia doesn't mean they're low around the world.

I'll probably leave the last bit for Jacky though, since he goes to USYD and would be more informed on that stuff.

[Jmmalic220]

Sorry, got more q's:

1. Can you please tell us the routine that you have as a student who is studying engineering at a uni?

2. Can you please tell us what type of work you currently do and how you manage it along with personal life in accordance to your schedule and studying required for engineering at uni?

3. Any tips on what to put in a resume for engineering? (i.e. a template)

4. What uni do you personally like the most in NSW? (esp. for enginering)

5. Thank you to this highly accessible, very friendly, reliable, knowledgable, really great group of people at ATARNotes. You have really helped me a lot in my HSC year as I didn't really get any help from the people around me, no tutors, friends(?) and you have definitely been super kind to be this generous; sparing time to aspiring year 12s who have almost lost hope and courage in themselves. I have attended a lot of your lectures this year and I hope many more year 12s, both present and future may experience your heartwarming service. Not everyone, honestly are well-off and your free resources are very much appreciated. These may all sound really cheesy and I am cringing at myself too but if I could meet any of you again physically, I would really like to express this great gratitude and respect for being such nice and wonderful people. Best of everything to you all at ATARNotes.

[keltingmeith]

Oh boy another one I can answer!

Hi guys,
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much

Firstly, don't let something you've done in high school be an indication of how it will be in uni - as Rui said, he knows plenty of people who went from physics and maths to business over engineering, and I nearly dropped chem after year 12 and now I've got an honours degree in it. High school is (tbh) just a bad indication of uni. I only say this in case you get to uni and realise biomedical engineering isn't what you expected it to be.

Having said that, if you enjoy it, do it. It has less job prospects because of civil, sure, but there's more to consider:

a) there are less job prospects because all of the jobs for biomedical engineering is in research, whereas civil engineers are often employed by contracting agencies, as consultants, etc. It's not that there's less jobs, there's just less variety.
b) typically, enrolment numbers tend to line up with the fact that there's less jobs - partly because the uni gets less money to fund those courses as there's less demand, but also partly because there are people that don't pick it because they're worried about job prospects
c) often in these "niche" degrees, what you study =/= what you make a career out of. Just because you have a biomedical engineering degree doesn't mean you'll become a biomedical engineer. You might instead get hired as a consultant, or work in an accounting firm (no, a bachelor of commerce is not required to be an accountant - in fact, those graduates are getting less hired every year), or in a pharmaceutical company.

If you think you'll enjoy it the most out of any other degree, do it. You need to spend the next 3-5 years doing it, if you're going to hate those 3-5 years, you're not going to do well, and what's even the point? Just ask Rui (again) about the importance of enjoying what you're studying.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi guys,
I personally have done engineering from year 8 to year 12 and i love it. I am really interested in biomedical engineering as I have a passion for both health and engineering. But, I have heard jobs are low in this industry. What should i do? I have a genuine passion in this industry, but i think the only thing holding me back is job prospects. I want to do it at Sydney Uni, is there any industry connections that can mean i get a job?
Thanks so much

If it helps too, I had a lecture on industry trends recently delivered by Professionals Australia, Biomedical I believe is expected to have great employment prospects in the coming years (though perhaps not necessarily in Australia as much as the US and other countries)

[jamonwindeyer]

Sorry, got more q's:

1. Can you please tell us the routine that you have as a student who is studying engineering at a uni?

This semester, as an example, I had uni four days a week. Monday was a big one, 11-5 (but I started at 9 and just did my own stuff in a cafe). Tuesday mornings, Wednesday afternoons, Fridays 9-3. That's in face classes  - Lectures, tutorials and labs, and then you can expect to spend about as many hours at home as you do in class if you really want to be doing everything 100% properly. I probably did just shy of 20 hours a week of work at home this semester

2. Can you please tell us what type of work you currently do and how you manage it along with personal life in accordance to your schedule and studying required for engineering at uni?

I work for ATAR Notes part time, and I also tutor part time, which probably amounts to a full time job in total. How do I manage? With great difficulty and lots of coffee - You need to be organised, I timetable my week fairly pedantically to make sure my shit gets done. Multitasking also comes in handy - I'm often scheduling emails and such for AN in lectures

3. Any tips on what to put in a resume for engineering? (i.e. a template)

They want your professional experience (starting with Maccas or equivalent first job, that shows professional development!), and your education, as well as any other experiences you've had that show you have the skills of an engineer (including things like communication and leadership). In honesty, you probably can't really develop a resume until a little bit into your degree!

4. What uni do you personally like the most in NSW? (esp. for enginering)

UNSW (biased )

5. Thank you to this highly accessible, very friendly, reliable, knowledgable, really great group of people at ATARNotes. You have really helped me a lot in my HSC year as I didn't really get any help from the people around me, no tutors, friends(?) and you have definitely been super kind to be this generous; sparing time to aspiring year 12s who have almost lost hope and courage in themselves. I have attended a lot of your lectures this year and I hope many more year 12s, both present and future may experience your heartwarming service. Not everyone, honestly are well-off and your free resources are very much appreciated. These may all sound really cheesy and I am cringing at myself too but if I could meet any of you again physically, I would really like to express this great gratitude and respect for being such nice and wonderful people. Best of everything to you all at ATARNotes.

You are so welcome!!! Really happy to have been helpful

[Happy Physics Land]

Is the workload for a bachelor of civil as much as people say it is? How does it compare to HSC? Are ext 1 math concepts completely essential in the course and are they used much?

Hey there, compared to other types of engineering, civil is perhaps one of the more chill ones. And extension I is definitely essential knowledge otherwise there may be a bit difficult 

[Zainbow]

I really want to do mechatronic engineering but I've heard that it has a lot of coding and I'm not sure how good at that I'd be. I've never tried coding before and don't know whether that would affect my performance at a mechatronic engineering degree. What's coding like? Is it hard? How do I know that I won't hate it before I enroll in a degree that has a lot of it?

Also, I've asked this before on AN but I'd like to know whether anyone has any info on space engineering at Usyd? It's taken as a major and I find it incredibly interesting. I've read over the course outline and units of study, but want to know more about the course before I take any further steps. Does anyone have any advice on this?

TIA

[a.rehan]

“Alright, so with selecting your business major, think about what you want to do with it. Are you picking business because you prefer the managerial roles, or the monetary aspects of it? That can narrow things down a lot if you think about it hard enough; for me, I'd have easily chosen money. It's alright if you don't know - you can just reply back. But try to mention some of the thoughts that have been going on your head when choosing.

Once you have some idea, we'll move onto specifics ”

I was thinking of the monetary aspects as well. I have studied hsc economics and enjoyed it throughout year 12 . It is because of this I wanted to study economics. However, I am worried that economics at uni will be much harder . That’s why I am tossing up between international business and economics. But have no idea about how they can help with engineering jobs / roles.

Regards

[Younem]

I'm thinking of studying a double degree of electrical engineering and computer science at UNSW. Such a clique question but is the maths as killer as everyone says it is? Also what are the best and worst aspects of studying engineering? Also do you actually get to learn through doing stuff eg. soldering, breadboard, programing, CAD etc. or is it more theory?

Thanks XD

[RuiAce]

I really want to do mechatronic engineering but I've heard that it has a lot of coding and I'm not sure how good at that I'd be. I've never tried coding before and don't know whether that would affect my performance at a mechatronic engineering degree. What's coding like? Is it hard? How do I know that I won't hate it before I enroll in a degree that has a lot of it?

Also, I've asked this before on AN but I'd like to know whether anyone has any info on space engineering at Usyd? It's taken as a major and I find it incredibly interesting. I've read over the course outline and units of study, but want to know more about the course before I take any further steps. Does anyone have any advice on this?

TIA

On a personal scale:
Barely coded in my life (never coded before first year second sem). Transferred into it just one semester go. Found it really easy.

But here's the thing, you just might not know. Because coding can be hard, OR it can be easy - it'll vary from person to person. Some people dive into computer science having actually never coded in their life. A half of them come to like it, and the other half don't.

So what you can do to minimise this annoyance is to try learning some over the break. Try to code only very simple things (prints, basic computations and control flow statements) and play around with it. Try solving some very small to average sized problems with the code instead of just meaningless coding (e.g as a challenge, do something that can compute 10-factorial or even n-factorial for you). Explore with some of the syntax but don't overdo it - only a tiny bit of syntax will be enough to give you an idea on how you feel about coding.

Coding is related to solutions in two ways in my opinion. The first is in actually solving the problem, and the second is figuring out an implementation. Try to think about how much you like those two things as well.

[RuiAce]

“Alright, so with selecting your business major, think about what you want to do with it. Are you picking business because you prefer the managerial roles, or the monetary aspects of it? That can narrow things down a lot if you think about it hard enough; for me, I'd have easily chosen money. It's alright if you don't know - you can just reply back. But try to mention some of the thoughts that have been going on your head when choosing.

Once you have some idea, we'll move onto specifics ”

I was thinking of the monetary aspects as well. I have studied hsc economics and enjoyed it throughout year 12 . It is because of this I wanted to study economics. However, I am worried that economics at uni will be much harder . That’s why I am tossing up between international business and economics. But have no idea about how they can help with engineering jobs / roles.

Regards

Keep in mind that a degree can also indirectly complement what you do instead of being something you directly use. Economics is a lot about decision making, but you'll gain the skills to quantify decisions by considering their relative values. International business, on the other hand, can be good for connections.

Everything gets harder at uni, but that's really not something to think a lot about. Reason being you never know how you will go unless you try. If you find you can't cope with it once you're there, then fair enough, drop it and you'd feel better. But you can't just assume that you're gonna drop it right now. You need to experiment and give things a go because you never know how you'll deal with it beforehand.

[Zainbow]

On a personal scale:
Barely coded in my life (never coded before first year second sem). Transferred into it just one semester go. Found it really easy.

But here's the thing, you just might not know. Because coding can be hard, OR it can be easy - it'll vary from person to person. Some people dive into computer science having actually never coded in their life. A half of them come to like it, and the other half don't.

So what you can do to minimise this annoyance is to try learning some over the break. Try to code only very simple things (prints, basic computations and control flow statements) and play around with it. Try solving some very small to average sized problems with the code instead of just meaningless coding (e.g as a challenge, do something that can compute 10-factorial or even n-factorial for you). Explore with some of the syntax but don't overdo it - only a tiny bit of syntax will be enough to give you an idea on how you feel about coding.

Coding is related to solutions in two ways in my opinion. The first is in actually solving the problem, and the second is figuring out an implementation. Try to think about how much you like those two things as well.

Thank you!

Do you know any resources I can use to teach myself how to code?