Can you still become an engineer if your not great at math?

Question

Well im in community college bad first semester as far as math goes. Im taking a remedial course and have a C. Its not that the class is hard and i understand everything its just the grading system/the way the test is made that gets me. We only have 5 exams and 1 final. Over the summer i plan on taking college algebra. Then in fall trig and in spring pre calc, summer 2012 calc 1, fall 2012 calc 2 and finally spring 2013 calc 3 and linear algebra. I never took physics OR chemistry in high school so i will have to take remedial courses in those too. Im not a bad student... can i still become an engineer?

Answer 1

It isn't a knowledge of math that makes a good engineer. It is the mindset that one has to solve math type problems that makes an engineer.

An engineer doesn't survive because he can do calculus or algebra. An engineer survives because his mind attacks a problem from an analytical point of view, The math teaches an engineer a way of thinking. I am not saying that it is a better way of thinking only that it is different. At least my kids think that it is.

Answer 2

It all depends on you. you know your abilities much more than anyone on here. If you really want to become an engineer, you will become an engineer! The most important part is to find out what you really want to do, to get there is just a matter of time. About your math courses, yes, Engineering is all about mathematics, also physics. However, one class is not going to make you or break you. We all had this one annoying challenging professor, who was a tough grader. As long as you understand is what matters.

the good news is that you can always brush up on math as you go. I have noticed that every class you take as an engineering major only depends on a few math or calculus concepts that you can go back and touch on before the semester starts. For example, I am a ChemE major, i remember, Material and Energy balance was simple algebra. Transport phenomena used differential equations. In Chemeng Thermodynamics, we did a lot of integrations and so on.

Pay attention to your calculus and differential equation classes, It will make things much easier down the road.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

While I am not an engineer, I went to school with a lot of friends who were studying to be one, as well as having classes with engineers (I was a math/stats guy). You list the core of the math classes you have to take, but math is in A LOT of the core engineering classes as well. Physics is almost all math, and depending on which engineer you want to become (EE, CE, ME, etc.) you will have to do a great deal of math in those major-specific classes, too. I would recommend some sort of tutoring, working with classmates (as that's key in college classes), or finding other forms of study aides. Math is integral to all engineering I've seen, and if you're having issues with remedial courses prior to college algebra, you may have issue when you get to the calculus classes. Many people stumble there and have to take them more than once when they didn't have too hard a time with math prior to that. And that course set-up, of the exams and a final being your grade is how my math classes were. You got some credit for homework, but the bulk of the grade was based on 2 tests, a midterm and and final. I wish you luck in your goal, but it sounds like you need to get some help or study more if you're serious about this path. Oh, and I graduated about 2 years ago, so my expeirence is relatively current.

Answer 4

Tomjc43 got it right!



It's all about mindset, vision, creative ways of solving complex problems. Einstein, for example, nearly always created a visual model of the problem (in his mind) before he even tried to apply mathematical equations to it.



Can you become a successful engineer? Your answer is directly proportional to how much you want to be an engineer.



Here's a couple of sources that you may find helpful.



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Answer 5

Engineering is about design and design involves a lot of math. It might be better if you can strengthen the math knowledge. there are a few engg jobs that might not require a lot of maths, but you can shine if you know maths well. since you are not weak in math, you only need to take additional courses in math (and physics as well) to get a hang of engineering..

Answer 6

if you don't pass your required math classes, then you will not graduate as an engineer.

I faced the same situation. I suck big time at math, but I was able to pass the math portion of my military electronic tech school. I wanted to attain an EE degree, but math is what holds me back. I have a great radar tech job now, but if i ever do finish school, it will be for a degree in business/finance, not engineering.