# Can I become an engineer if I hate physics?



## wolly (Aug 10, 2018)

I hate thermodynamics and electricity along with everything related to these things. Mechanics is easier but gets complicated after a while and optics is at the same level of difficulty but in optics you face more limits. I really don't understand nothing from Lorentz law,Coulomb's law,electromagnetic force,coils,capacitors and etc. I want to know if it's possible to enjoy engineering if you cheat by using sheet formulas and memorize formulas without understanding them. Can you? How hard can it be to become an engineer?


----------



## P-E (Aug 10, 2018)

Sure.  There are plenty of engineering jobs that don't require a lot of what you learned in school.   However, engineering school isn't easy for most people.


----------



## wolly (Aug 10, 2018)

P-E said:


> Sure.  There are plenty of engineering jobs that don't require a lot of what you learned in school.   However, engineering school isn't easy for most people.


That didn't answer my questions.


----------



## Dleg (Aug 10, 2018)

wolly said:


> I hate thermodynamics and electricity along with everything related to these things. Mechanics is easier but gets complicated after a while and optics is at the same level of difficulty but in optics you face more limits. I really don't understand nothing from Lorentz law,Coulomb's law,electromagnetic force,coils,capacitors and etc. I want to know if it's possible to enjoy engineering if you cheat by using sheet formulas and memorize formulas without understanding them. Can you? How hard can it be to become an engineer?


1. Civil engineers can maybe get by without a full understanding of thermodynamics, physics, and electricity, but only in certain jobs. Many civil jobs require an ability to design simple control electronics (such as water treatment systems, anything with pumps, etc.).  If you want to be a mechanical engineer you will need to understand thermo and most of physics. Understanding Einstein's theory of relativity or quantum physics is not  necessary.

2. You might be able to finish an engineering degree by using so-called "cheat sheets" to get through parts of physics, chemistry, etc. Will you enjoy it?  I doubt it - this would imply that you would be lost in those classes, and that's not fun.  But like I said, there are some engineering jobs you can get where you never really need to know those things, ever again.  But to clarify, you should never "cheat" - part of being an engineer is being ethical. It's okay to struggle, it's okay to use formula sheets (if they say it's okay). 

3. How hard can it be to become an engineer?  I guess that is very dependent on you. The coursework can be very hard for some people. Some people simply don't make it. At my school, the wash-out rate for engineering was maybe 75%. You need to evaluate what you really want to do with your life. Maybe there is another way to get into the job you are imagining. If you really, really want to be an engineer, that's a good start. Attitude is everything - a sincere desire to become an engineer, combined with a strong work ethic might be enough to get you through. Learning some of this stuff is hard!  I think most people require multiple attempts. You have to make sure your expectations include spending hours, every night, working and re-working problems, and then self-checking your answers to see if you are correct, and repeating until you understand it.  So in other words, "hard".


----------



## RBHeadge PE (Aug 10, 2018)

Yes you could probably make it through school using only equation sheets and a rudimentary understanding of the material. You probably won't have a respectable GPA either which will make finding a decent job difficult. Further if you despise physics, it might be difficult to find an engineering job you don't hate because most require a decent understanding of the underlying science.

There are engineering jobs that don't require a strong understanding of the underlying physics. These would be jobs in policy, project management, program management, corporate and business applications, legal, some basic operational jobs, some quality control and/or quality assurance, some inspections, regulatory compliance, contracting, procurement, technical writing, and a few others

But some of the above would still require a decent understanding of the material and good grades to get your foot in the door. Many of those jobs may only need an Engineering Technology degree (which is easier and requires less difficult courses) instead of an actual Engineering degree,

Environmental engineering and then civil engineering would require the _least_ physics of all the disciplines. 

*But really, why do you want to do something that you hate for a career?*


----------



## Dleg (Aug 10, 2018)

And I would not hesitate to say (as an environmental engineer) that environmental engineering does actually require a pretty good foundation in the sciences, especially chemistry, which itself relies quite a bit on thermodynamics, at least once you're past the required general chemistry for engineers course, and as an enviro you should be taking more than just the general chem class.  Physics wise, and enviro eng. will still need to understand the basic laws to be able to understand hydraulics, which is a big part of the job.


----------



## RBHeadge PE (Aug 10, 2018)

I did italicize "least". It still requires more physics and chemistry than probably 75%+ of all other college degrees.


----------



## goodal (Aug 15, 2018)

My Physics 1 prof said that if you don't like something in that course or at least find it interesting, you need to be something other than an engineer.  That probably wouldn't apply to chemical though.  Dont feel bad about not fully comprehending some courses though.  I never did understand Calc 2, electromagnetics or signals and I graduated with a 3.8 EE.


----------



## Audi Driver P.E. (Aug 15, 2018)

Why would you go into a field which you don't enjoy?  You don't go into engineering for the pay, fame, or glory I can assure you.


----------



## Jbone27 PE (Aug 15, 2018)

Yeah and you can still be a teacher if you hate kids...but you aren't going to like it.


----------



## Jbone27 PE (Aug 15, 2018)

wolly said:


> That didn't answer my questions.


Don't be rude noob.


----------



## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 16, 2018)

Audi driver said:


> Why would you go into a field which you don't enjoy?  You don't go into engineering for they* pay*, fame, or glory I can assure you.


Truth


----------



## Owism (Aug 16, 2018)

wolly said:


> I hate thermodynamics and electricity along with everything related to these things. Mechanics is easier but gets complicated after a while and optics is at the same level of difficulty but in optics you face more limits. I really don't understand nothing from Lorentz law,Coulomb's law,electromagnetic force,coils,capacitors and etc. I want to know if it's possible to enjoy engineering if you cheat by using sheet formulas and memorize formulas without understanding them. Can you? How hard can it be to become an engineer?


You love mechanical engineering. Don't hate something you don't understand. Keep pushing until you understand it.  Some topics are easier to grasp and some require a good instructor to explain it. You wont need to know the details of everything for real life engineering but as an engineer in any field its to your advantage to grasp the fundamentals of how everything in the universe works so you can design your aspect of the project with those things in mind.  If someone doesnt understand how electricity heats up metal, they will design poor HVAC for the use case. Keep learning from the cradle to grave. "Seek knowledge even if you have to travel to China" - Mohammad


----------

