4 answers
Carson
Student
Las Vegas, Nevada
1
Question
Updated
194 views
How do I escape the world of learning about engineering and actually become an engineer?
I feel trapped in a loop of just learning and learning, never reaching the point of actually engineering anything, and I'm trying to change that and do something real.
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4 answers
Sid Srivastava
Software Engineer
2
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Sid’s Answer
Hi Carson!
I understand that engineering can feel overwhelming because there's so much to learn. But don't wait for the perfect moment or try to learn everything before you start creating. Engineering is about creativity and solving problems, no matter how small they are. When I was in middle school, I had never heard of a dishwasher, so I tried to make one myself. It’s okay to tackle problems that have already been solved in your own way, even if it’s not perfect. Just give it a try.
Start as soon as you can, even with limited knowledge. You don’t need to know everything before you begin building. Figure out what you need to learn and go for it. That’s how you’ll grow and succeed.
I understand that engineering can feel overwhelming because there's so much to learn. But don't wait for the perfect moment or try to learn everything before you start creating. Engineering is about creativity and solving problems, no matter how small they are. When I was in middle school, I had never heard of a dishwasher, so I tried to make one myself. It’s okay to tackle problems that have already been solved in your own way, even if it’s not perfect. Just give it a try.
Start as soon as you can, even with limited knowledge. You don’t need to know everything before you begin building. Figure out what you need to learn and go for it. That’s how you’ll grow and succeed.
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Electrical Engineer, Software Developer, and Career Mentor
517
Answers
Ethiopia
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
Getting stuck in learning is normal, but the key to becoming an engineer is shifting your focus from acquiring knowledge to applying it, dedicating yourself, and committing to turning what you learn into action instead of endlessly studying without doing. Start with small exercises, assignments, or personal projects, focus on completing them, and learn just enough to overcome setbacks while keeping your attention on solving real problems, because knowledge is fuel, and action is the engine. You can apply your knowledge through internships, volunteering, or shadowing professionals, and supplement your learning with online communities, virtual simulation platforms, and educational YouTube channels to gain practical insights while building skills.
Building tangible projects helps you see yourself as an engineer, and even failed attempts are valuable because engineering is as much about discovering what doesn’t work as what does. Documenting your work, what the problem was, how you solved it, the tools used, and the results, turns experience into a clear record of progress. Working with others, joining maker spaces, hackathons, open-source projects, or local engineering groups, accelerates learning by forcing real-world decisions under deadlines rather than endless research.
Simulate real-world constraints by setting budgets, timelines, or physical goals, measure success by functionality rather than perfection, and focus on tangible outcomes instead of trying to understand everything before acting. By reflecting, documenting lessons learned, embracing mistakes, and consistently applying knowledge through projects, internships, volunteering, or simulations, you break the endless learning loop and start truly acting like an engineer.
Building tangible projects helps you see yourself as an engineer, and even failed attempts are valuable because engineering is as much about discovering what doesn’t work as what does. Documenting your work, what the problem was, how you solved it, the tools used, and the results, turns experience into a clear record of progress. Working with others, joining maker spaces, hackathons, open-source projects, or local engineering groups, accelerates learning by forcing real-world decisions under deadlines rather than endless research.
Simulate real-world constraints by setting budgets, timelines, or physical goals, measure success by functionality rather than perfection, and focus on tangible outcomes instead of trying to understand everything before acting. By reflecting, documenting lessons learned, embracing mistakes, and consistently applying knowledge through projects, internships, volunteering, or simulations, you break the endless learning loop and start truly acting like an engineer.
Larry Apfel
Aircraft Mechanic
17
Answers
Stamford, Connecticut
Updated
Larry’s Answer
Carson,
My first engineering boss was very honest and direct. He told me on my first day that "school doesn't teach you how to be an engineer. It teaches you the language of engineering. You don't become an engineer until you work for a company". He was right. Until you have deadlines, budgets, and all the constraints that go along with designing something, you're not going to be an engineer. Good engineers can find solutions to tasks that make a product cheaper, lighter, efficient, faster, smaller, resistant to heat, vibration, sunlight, radiation, forces, chemicals, and a myriad of constraints that cause you to "engineer" a solution that meets the demands of your job.
School is important not only because you learn the engineering language but you learn how to think and apply the equations you learn about to solve the academic problems. In the real world, those equations are still good ones to use but you now you HAVE to consider the effects of friction and you HAVE to take into account that heat is lost and gases compress....all of those things you're asked to ignore when you solve academic problems in school.
A good boss will not throw you into the deep end. He will help you and show you how to arrive at a good engineering solution. As I was telling you about my first boss in my opening, he always had my back. If anybody had issues with a solution of mine he was always there to defend it with me. It takes a while to become a confident engineer. You just have to immerse yourself in it and you will be successful in time. Before you know it, you will be engineering things on your own.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Larry A.
My first engineering boss was very honest and direct. He told me on my first day that "school doesn't teach you how to be an engineer. It teaches you the language of engineering. You don't become an engineer until you work for a company". He was right. Until you have deadlines, budgets, and all the constraints that go along with designing something, you're not going to be an engineer. Good engineers can find solutions to tasks that make a product cheaper, lighter, efficient, faster, smaller, resistant to heat, vibration, sunlight, radiation, forces, chemicals, and a myriad of constraints that cause you to "engineer" a solution that meets the demands of your job.
School is important not only because you learn the engineering language but you learn how to think and apply the equations you learn about to solve the academic problems. In the real world, those equations are still good ones to use but you now you HAVE to consider the effects of friction and you HAVE to take into account that heat is lost and gases compress....all of those things you're asked to ignore when you solve academic problems in school.
A good boss will not throw you into the deep end. He will help you and show you how to arrive at a good engineering solution. As I was telling you about my first boss in my opening, he always had my back. If anybody had issues with a solution of mine he was always there to defend it with me. It takes a while to become a confident engineer. You just have to immerse yourself in it and you will be successful in time. Before you know it, you will be engineering things on your own.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Larry A.
William Vvuko
Retired engineer
150
Answers
Moyo, Northern Region
Updated
William’s Answer
Hi Carson,
Being uncomfortable with the status quo is a powerful factor for driving change & improvement. I guess you are in a good place in that sense.
Throughout human history, engineering has always been about meeting human needs. It's impact is evident in such areas as mobility, infrastructure, production, entertainment, learning, comfort, communication, health, safety, sports, work, commerce etc.
Taking a good look at your surroundings & community could be a good starting point. Understanding people's challenges through curiosity can trigger you to start thinking of engineering solutions to some of their challenges.
We often learn through experience. Getting involved in practical work gives you a chance to feel the difficulties people face when performing tasks and activities. Innovations for creating improvements in human experience can be life changing.
Being uncomfortable with the status quo is a powerful factor for driving change & improvement. I guess you are in a good place in that sense.
Throughout human history, engineering has always been about meeting human needs. It's impact is evident in such areas as mobility, infrastructure, production, entertainment, learning, comfort, communication, health, safety, sports, work, commerce etc.
Taking a good look at your surroundings & community could be a good starting point. Understanding people's challenges through curiosity can trigger you to start thinking of engineering solutions to some of their challenges.
We often learn through experience. Getting involved in practical work gives you a chance to feel the difficulties people face when performing tasks and activities. Innovations for creating improvements in human experience can be life changing.