Career in engineering

[doctor_prox]

Hi all, im after some advice, i want to do a course at uni for automotive engineering and ive just finished my first year at A level, but this second year i am really struggling at maths and i dont enjoy my lessons at all. I was talking to a tutor and he recommends i leave and do a 2 year course called a BTEC National Diploma in engineering and then go to uni. Anyone done one of these, do you recommend i do it or try my best to get a decent A2 result.

[M@rco]

Hey mate, my advice is probally useless due to me only starting me AS levels tommorow, but if you're CERTAIN you want to go into Engineering then a BTEC diploma sounds a good idea. But if you want to leave your options open so that you can choose from a variety of courses at uni i would stick your alevels out.

[TiG]

get some proper advice mate, a school careers advisor or many of the other places that have help, think BBC still has got some advice stuff up. But these are big decisions in your life, make sure you make the right one that YOU are happy with.

Remember its your life and you can live it by other peoples rules, get some opinions and go with what you feel is the best way forward.

Good Luck
TiG

[headbrace]

See if your school does the Engineering Education Scheme, it allows you to be given a proper engineering problem rom a big company, and then find a solution and present it to people from the Roal Society of engineers. THe big thing is that after that there is a chance to be sponsored, a chance to do a gap year in industry, and also gives you a chance to see if engineering really is your sort of thing.

[doctor_prox]

I will go see my careers advisor, also ill look into that thing headbrace, it sounds real sweet.

[starside]

i did a degree in mechanical engineering...now on my way to becoming chartered.

My adise is that you stick with it. You have to be able to crack the maths, since an engineering degree is pretty much 90% maths. To get good at maths, practice makes perfect. I suggest getting a text book called 'Engineering mathematics' by K A Stroud.

2nd year engineering is the hardest for maths content. You have to go and learn 1st degree and 2nd degree differentaion and integration, and know laplace transforms of the top of your head (well not quite but u know what i mean). "Its all algebra man!"

Alternativly, find a uni that does a one year foundation course in engineering, i think its similar to the BTEC, but only lasts one year and gives u a university life too (beer, where is the beer?)

[drunkenmaster]

stick with a-levels, what results did you get at as level? if you check out foundation courses at many uni's, basically there are lots of engineering/it based courses that you need fairly low a-levels to get on and lead to a degree in generally speaking it and engineering areas(depends on the school and course, have a look around at foundation course links on ucas website).

THey are 1 year full time so would take same time as your btec from now. Thats if you don't do well in maths, if you stick with it and do well you save a year, plus have better maths skills to do your degree with.

Entrance tends to be low, 2 d's, e's, something like that.

[Rave]

Basically Engineering = Maths. I thought that Engineering would be the course for me, 'cos I was very good at A-Level Physics and I loved motorbike + car design, but I just couldn't get my head around all the Laplace/Fourier Transforms, integration/differentiation, imaginary numbers etc. and I ended up flunking out. I'm pretty sure I have ADD and that's what stopped me from being able to concentrate on the maths, so you may be able to cram it into your head, but you should be aware that Engineering is essentially applied maths.

Rich :¬)

[0iD]

I have a degree in Engineering Design & the maths was mental. Also, if i'm honest I use very little of it in my day-to-day work. I mean, that's why we have computers & srubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishy FEA programs etc.
I would have thought a HNC or HND in engineering would've been sufficient & a good understanding of CAD/CAM. Experience tends to count for a lot in this business & it seems to be a declining business too.

[mark22]

Stick with it mate. You need to get through a-level maths to do a degree in engineering. I did physics and never thought I'd get there after three years out of school but a bit of hard work helped. It's mainly logic after all, please don't mention fourier transforms, the mathematical modelling course very nearly ended my degree time. Past papers always make things easy as well, but that could be looked on as cheating a bit but you are learning the answers to old questions and therefore how to do it.

[yamangman]

I had a great National Diploma scheme that allowed me to choose additional learning. I chose CAD and Mechanical Engineering along with the main course (which was Information Technology - Soft Dev). I worked for a while as an IT support assistant after completeing that course which paid reasonably well, but now i'm at Cambridge studying for a Degree in Computer Science. Choosing the ND over A levels has proven great for me, but I suggest you talk to 'Connexions' (www.connexionsyourcountyname.org.uk) or arrange a meeting with your careers advisor.

[doctor_prox]

wow so many different opinions thanks for the replies. i will try and see my careers advisor tomorrow, one thing i would like to know is, is it as good, the same or worse than 3 A-levels if i pass them?

[starside]

of course, choosing BTEC or the HND route will never get you chartered. For that you need a minimum of MEng (if its mechanical) plus a minimum of 4 years proffessional developemet.

Depends if you're happy with just being IEng rather than CEng.

[0iD]

I'm happy being neither, never held back my career none.

[doctor_prox]

I intend to go to uni straight after whichever i decide to do and get an Meng. I wanted to do the BTEC because i thought i would enjoy it more than college and have a better chance of a good grade in order to get me into uni. If a BTEC is micky mouse compared to A level i may aswell not bother.