Engineering is the science of problem solving. An engineer’s job is to solve problems which are difficult for most people to solve and find ways to make everyday life simpler to other people through the use of mathematics or technology. But to become an engineer one must first solve the issue of earning a degree in engineering and technology.
As a college freshmen with computer engineering as a major my dream is to become a software engineer and I believe the best way to achieve that goal is to go through a series of steps such as:
- Goal Setting
- Community Building
- Academic Development
- Personal Development
Goal Setting: A World Class Engineer needs to sets his goals accordingly, such as the first step should be to maintain good grades in class in order to be awarded with a degree for his engineering field and needs to make use of the time he needs to graduate. But above all that A World Class Engineer or any individual for that matter needs to be committed to the field he has chosen and be one hundred percent sure that this is the path that he wants to follow, for if he does not believe in what he is doing whole heartedly he will never truly be successful in achieving his goal. Therefore he needs to understand the term ‘engineering’ and if this is what he wants to do he should start creating and following a Road Map which will help him keep track of which step he is on and what he needs to do next in order to become a successful engineer.
As a current freshmen at Oklahoma State University my current goal is to maintain good grads in my classes and gain the knowledge needed in earning my Bachelor’s Degree in engineering. So far most of my grades have been very good but there some subjects like Geography where I am not doing so well, but after doing a lot of extra credit assignments and working hard I was able to maintain a steady grade in the subject. Ever since childhood I wanted to change the world through video games and programming hence I chose the field of computer engineering as my major. I am certain in furthering my studies in engineering and the Road Map which is use is as follows:
- Software Engineer
- Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering
- Bachelor’s Degree
Community Building: One of the most important thing an engineer need is cooperation. Working together with other from either the same field or different engineers can solve problems and come up with ideas more efficiently than he/she could do individually. Group activity is vital to all aspects of engineering as it gives different opinions and perspectives from different people which result in a wide range of solutions. Therefore a world class engineer should surround himself with a lot of different people, stay active in group assignments and activities.
In my current semester as a freshmen, at the beginning of my engineering class I was assigned to a group of about five people including myself. We varied in majors from Mechanical to Chemical and myself being a computer engineering student. We may have different majors and backgrounds but we all share the dream of being a successful world class engineer. Building relationships with your team or group is very important as together we can hope to solve the challenges with more efficiency and accuracy.
To become one step closer in becoming a world class engineer I must be more active and play more important roles during our group assignments.
Academic development: To become a great engineer one must learn how to use the resources around him to his advantage. In college there are a great many resources which are suited to guide an inspiring engineer to the path to success. Libraries, tutors, professors and even class mates can become a useful tool in gaining knowledge and experience in the field of engineering.
The library contains books, references and other sources to help learn about the tools used by an engineer and how to use them efficiently. Professors are also great help as they inspire, motivate and educate those new to the world of engineering and also to those who have already achieved their degree. A world class engineer must be able to use resources such as these to their advantage in order to become better at solving problems and overcoming difficult challenges, both their own and their customers.
As a student of Oklahoma State University I am surrounded by a vast amount of resources which can help me progress further in the path of becoming a great engineer hence I believe if I use the resources in the library more often and seek advice from my professors and tutors I can learn a great deal, not just about how to be a better engineer but a better student in general. If an instructor or professors teaching method is different from the rest or harder to grasp, I must try to adept to learn how to better utilize their methods.
If my psychology professor gives a small lecture and very few notes to take down during class, but teaches a topic which is very broad, I must try to find information about that topic through other means such as finding referrals and information about it in the library or by browsing through the internet. I can also try to suggest professors to make their teaching method more active such as more practical assignments, instead of passive teaching to better understand the topic.
