Post #34 Why you Should be Proud
Your engineering semester is over. What a relief! Now you can get on with summer plans. Perhaps that includes catching up on sleep, going away for an internship or eating some home cooked meals with your family. It is easy to get into a routine where you forget how fantastic you are. I want you to know that engineering students are special and I am going to tell you why.
Work Ethic
Obviously, many college students have a great work ethic. I am in no way taking away from other majors. But I will state that engineering has got to be one of the hardest and most demanding majors. The engineering curriculum is full of challenging laboratories, projects and professors on top of the routine material and homework. The engineering environment, of course, becomes your norm. You conform to the engineering world and the engineering friends around you, forgetting all the ways in which life used to be normal. The new normal for you is constant studying, weekend homework, and getting projects done over holidays and spring break. Congrats to you for sticking with it, especially when other people don’t understand your work ethic (see Post #24).
Long Term Gratification
Four years sounds like forever when you’re a freshman. And many engineering students do not complete their degrees in four years anyhow, there are tons of reasons why. No matter the duration, you are choosing to put yourself under constant stress and pressure with every passing semester. Why? You own the skill of delaying instant gratification in exchange for a strong foundation to your future. You are willing to sacrifice now for later. It sounds basic and menial, but I will tell you that this is a major life skill not everybody understands. Many people wouldn’t endure the daily challenges you face as an engineering student. You need to know that your sacrifices in the present require a high level of skill. This skill will propel your life forward if you can apply it habitually.
Endurance
Another reason why engineering students are special? Because not everyone can handle it. Not everybody knows how to fall down, get back up and try again. Some people want to take the easy route, that is perfectly fine for them. Other people will decide it’s not the right fit after trying an engineering curriculum. Again, there is nothing wrong with walking away from engineering. As I mentioned in Post #2, both your head and your heart must be all in. Engineering students know what it means to be dedicated and committed despite the roller coaster ride. You embrace every semester knowing it is going to be a grueling, exhausting, time-consuming challenge. Engineering students possess a certain kind of stamina that helps you through each and every painful semester. You have the skill to endure!
Don’t take my post out of context. In no way am I stating that engineering students are superior, better or smarter. My message is that it takes a certain, unique kind of person to stick with an engineering program. Engineering students are special, plain and simple.
