9 answers
Yasmin
Student
Mission, Texas
1
Question
Updated
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What habits or mindsets should I develop now to succeed in a rigorous field like engineering #Spring26?
I am interested in pursuing a career in engineering but want to make sure I am building the correct habits early on. I am especially curious about the mindset and discipline needed to succeed in a challenging field, like engineering. I would also like to know ways to stay motivated and manage difficult coursework. As a first generation student in this field, I don't have much guidance at home, so I want to make sure I'm preparing myself efficiently. I would really appreciate any advice.
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9 answers
Jezlea Ortega
Tech Architecture
36
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jezlea’s Answer
Hi Yasmin! To succeed in engineering, it's important to have a growth mindset. You'll face tough classes, missed job opportunities, and moments of self-doubt or criticism. The best engineers don't let these challenges stop them. They keep learning through certifications, studying, networking, and putting in continuous effort. To stay motivated, find reminders of why you love this field. It could be the joy of solving a problem or seeing how others appreciate your work. In tough times, remember your passion and the positive impact your work can have on society.
Marisol Mena Bonilla
Project Manager
15
Answers
San José, Costa Rica
Updated
Marisol’s Answer
One of the best mindsets for engineering is understanding that struggling with difficult material is normal — it doesn’t mean you’re not capable. Engineering requires patience, consistency, and problem-solving more than “natural talent.”
Some helpful habits to build early are:
Staying organized and managing your time well
Practicing consistently instead of cramming
Asking for help when you need it
Learning how to handle setbacks without giving up
Working with classmates and building a support system
Since you’re a first-generation student, remember that not having guidance at home does not put a limit on your potential. Being proactive, curious, and willing to learn already gives you a strong advantage. Motivation will come and go, so discipline and consistency are what really carry people through challenging programs. You absolutely do not need to have everything figured out right now — just keep taking steady steps forward.
Some helpful habits to build early are:
Staying organized and managing your time well
Practicing consistently instead of cramming
Asking for help when you need it
Learning how to handle setbacks without giving up
Working with classmates and building a support system
Since you’re a first-generation student, remember that not having guidance at home does not put a limit on your potential. Being proactive, curious, and willing to learn already gives you a strong advantage. Motivation will come and go, so discipline and consistency are what really carry people through challenging programs. You absolutely do not need to have everything figured out right now — just keep taking steady steps forward.
Alexa Peruffo
Consulting
4
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Alexa’s Answer
Great question! As someone who recently finished college, I now see things differently than when I started. You're right that this degree needs a lot of discipline. What really helped me succeed was learning about the resources available from the start and using them wisely.
Every school offers help like tutors, office hours with professors, and support from classmates. Even though I prefer to study alone, I would plan my week in advance and try to solve problems on my own first. Then, I'd bring questions to others, starting with my peers and moving up if needed.
It's important to balance discipline by setting aside time for studying and figuring out which study methods work best for you. Remember, working with others is a key part of learning. If you can teach something to someone else, it means you understand it well. Building these skills early will benefit you in the future.
Every school offers help like tutors, office hours with professors, and support from classmates. Even though I prefer to study alone, I would plan my week in advance and try to solve problems on my own first. Then, I'd bring questions to others, starting with my peers and moving up if needed.
It's important to balance discipline by setting aside time for studying and figuring out which study methods work best for you. Remember, working with others is a key part of learning. If you can teach something to someone else, it means you understand it well. Building these skills early will benefit you in the future.
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Software Engineer and Career Mentor
654
Answers
Ethiopia
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
To succeed in engineering, it's important to stay disciplined and have a good grasp of math and physics. Regular practice and study habits are key. Break tasks into smaller steps, plan ahead, and make sure your solutions make sense in the real world. Go beyond formulas by staying curious about how things work. Treat setbacks as chances to learn, and don't hesitate to ask for help when things get tough.
Keep your motivation up by being persistent and patient with your progress. Use support systems like office hours, study groups, and classmates to boost your understanding and confidence. Explain concepts in your own words, and try solving problems without notes to deepen your learning. Ask clear questions, manage your time well, and review your mistakes to see where you can improve. Focus on your own progress rather than comparing yourself to others, and aim for continuous improvement. This approach will help you build a strong foundation for success in engineering.
Keep your motivation up by being persistent and patient with your progress. Use support systems like office hours, study groups, and classmates to boost your understanding and confidence. Explain concepts in your own words, and try solving problems without notes to deepen your learning. Ask clear questions, manage your time well, and review your mistakes to see where you can improve. Focus on your own progress rather than comparing yourself to others, and aim for continuous improvement. This approach will help you build a strong foundation for success in engineering.
Steve Akilan
Software Architecture
20
Answers
Cincinnati, Ohio
Updated
Steve’s Answer
I would say, be curious, ask questions to make sure you have a good understnading of the topics being discussed. Always look for opportunties to improve and learn.
Helga Királycsik
Global ISR
4
Answers
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Updated
Helga’s Answer
Achieving success in engineering relies more on being consistent than on having natural talent. Keep showing up, even when motivation is low, and aim to truly understand your work, not just complete it. It's normal to encounter difficulties, but what's important is learning to tackle them instead of giving up.
Stay engaged by actively solving problems and ensuring you grasp the concepts. Embrace your mistakes as valuable lessons, as both failures and successes help you grow.
If you lack guidance at home, remember you’re not alone. Seeking help early is a smart step towards success, not a sign of falling behind.
Stay engaged by actively solving problems and ensuring you grasp the concepts. Embrace your mistakes as valuable lessons, as both failures and successes help you grow.
If you lack guidance at home, remember you’re not alone. Seeking help early is a smart step towards success, not a sign of falling behind.
William Vvuko
Retired engineer
234
Answers
Moyo, Northern Region
Updated
William’s Answer
Hi Yasmin,
You raise important issues. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Your interest in engineering is a great starting point. It's a vast field of study. In exploring the available options, you need to choose what you will love and enjoy doing. Potential, talent, special gifts by nature are excellent opportunities for building successful careers. Focusing on fulfilling human needs makes your career enduring. This is what engineering has done throughout the ages.
Success, however, requires you to develop sufficient competence in what you do. Three key areas of competence are crucial. Knowledge is the foundation for competence. Formal education largely empowers us with theoretical knowledge. Practical knowledge, acquired through experience, however tends to set us apart from the crowd. Internships, mentorships and apprenticeships are excellent opportunities for building practical competence in the course of your studies.
The second aspect of competence is skills. We need them to put knowledge and other resources at our disposal to good use so we can achieve our desired results and performance. We need to be able to plan, schedule & execute our work/activities on time in full and to the required standard. We also need to be able to identify and resolve problems so we can create improvements - this involves the identification & resolution of underlying root causes. Ability to organize ourselves, our activities & resources is equally important. Modern decision making is data driven. Ability to collect, analyze and critically evaluate information helps us in this regard. Effective communication is at the very heart of human relations and activities. Effective communication is a two-way street - our ability to express ourselves clearly & logically is just as important as our ability to listen to others. Teamwork improves our chances of success besides giving us the opportunity to learn from one another. Being able to effectively work in teams is therefore very important. The other critical skills is time management. How well we do this influences how much we achieve each day. Balancing the time we spend working, resting, recreating, traveling, being with family, relatives and friends etc. serves us well. Optimization only comes with time and through experience. Focusing on spending our time on important things is good practice - important things are those that contribute significantly to the achievement of our goals. If urgent things are not important, we need to defer them to a convenient later time/date.
The third aspect of competence is about our willingnesss to get things done on time in full and to the required standard. To do this, we need to internalize a set of important personal qualities. These qualities include passion, commitment, diligence, attention to detail, assertiveness, curiosity, perseverance positive mindset, willingnesss to take risks, empathy, self-control, self-drive etc. Exhibiting these qualities in our daily routines makes us emotionally more intelligent - success at the place of work largely depends on this.
A mindset of excellence is paramount. We need to be our very best selves every day. Sometimes our best is not enough - it's an opportunity to improve.
A culture of continuous improvement allows us to create progress.
Best of luck in your studies.
You raise important issues. I appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Your interest in engineering is a great starting point. It's a vast field of study. In exploring the available options, you need to choose what you will love and enjoy doing. Potential, talent, special gifts by nature are excellent opportunities for building successful careers. Focusing on fulfilling human needs makes your career enduring. This is what engineering has done throughout the ages.
Success, however, requires you to develop sufficient competence in what you do. Three key areas of competence are crucial. Knowledge is the foundation for competence. Formal education largely empowers us with theoretical knowledge. Practical knowledge, acquired through experience, however tends to set us apart from the crowd. Internships, mentorships and apprenticeships are excellent opportunities for building practical competence in the course of your studies.
The second aspect of competence is skills. We need them to put knowledge and other resources at our disposal to good use so we can achieve our desired results and performance. We need to be able to plan, schedule & execute our work/activities on time in full and to the required standard. We also need to be able to identify and resolve problems so we can create improvements - this involves the identification & resolution of underlying root causes. Ability to organize ourselves, our activities & resources is equally important. Modern decision making is data driven. Ability to collect, analyze and critically evaluate information helps us in this regard. Effective communication is at the very heart of human relations and activities. Effective communication is a two-way street - our ability to express ourselves clearly & logically is just as important as our ability to listen to others. Teamwork improves our chances of success besides giving us the opportunity to learn from one another. Being able to effectively work in teams is therefore very important. The other critical skills is time management. How well we do this influences how much we achieve each day. Balancing the time we spend working, resting, recreating, traveling, being with family, relatives and friends etc. serves us well. Optimization only comes with time and through experience. Focusing on spending our time on important things is good practice - important things are those that contribute significantly to the achievement of our goals. If urgent things are not important, we need to defer them to a convenient later time/date.
The third aspect of competence is about our willingnesss to get things done on time in full and to the required standard. To do this, we need to internalize a set of important personal qualities. These qualities include passion, commitment, diligence, attention to detail, assertiveness, curiosity, perseverance positive mindset, willingnesss to take risks, empathy, self-control, self-drive etc. Exhibiting these qualities in our daily routines makes us emotionally more intelligent - success at the place of work largely depends on this.
A mindset of excellence is paramount. We need to be our very best selves every day. Sometimes our best is not enough - it's an opportunity to improve.
A culture of continuous improvement allows us to create progress.
Best of luck in your studies.
Jordi Monne
Business strategy and planning
2
Answers
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Updated
Jordi’s Answer
Hi Yasmin
I know exactly what you're going through because I was the first in my family to go to university too. I can share what helped me, but you'll find your own way that works best for you.
Remember, persistence and planning are really important for success.
Most importantly, always keep your goal in mind. There will be hard times, lots of work, and some subjects might not be exciting. But imagine yourself as a graduate and let that vision guide you through any challenges. You can do this!
I know exactly what you're going through because I was the first in my family to go to university too. I can share what helped me, but you'll find your own way that works best for you.
Remember, persistence and planning are really important for success.
Most importantly, always keep your goal in mind. There will be hard times, lots of work, and some subjects might not be exciting. But imagine yourself as a graduate and let that vision guide you through any challenges. You can do this!
Rob Coslett
Infrastructure and Capital Projects Consultant
2
Answers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Updated
Rob’s Answer
Hi Yasmin,
Based on your question it is already clear that you have the correct mindset to be successful. I was also a first generation engineering student and was not very good at studying when I first began. I think the best advice I could give is to ask for help when you need it. One of the biggest things that helped me was getting a tutor for my intensive math courses early. Even if it is something you are good at from prior to college, having a tutor who knows the ins and outs of the material is extremely useful in developing proper studying skills that can be taken across your coursework.
The other piece of advice I would give is to always keep moving forward. There will be something that challenges you and you may at times feel like you are not cut out for it. Keep studying, keep trying, and ultimately you will succeed. You either succeed or you learn. I think that is a skill that most successful engineers I know have. In the end of the day, engineering is finding a solution to a problem. If you can build that mindset into your coursework, you will set yourself up for success in the profession.
Best of luck!
Based on your question it is already clear that you have the correct mindset to be successful. I was also a first generation engineering student and was not very good at studying when I first began. I think the best advice I could give is to ask for help when you need it. One of the biggest things that helped me was getting a tutor for my intensive math courses early. Even if it is something you are good at from prior to college, having a tutor who knows the ins and outs of the material is extremely useful in developing proper studying skills that can be taken across your coursework.
The other piece of advice I would give is to always keep moving forward. There will be something that challenges you and you may at times feel like you are not cut out for it. Keep studying, keep trying, and ultimately you will succeed. You either succeed or you learn. I think that is a skill that most successful engineers I know have. In the end of the day, engineering is finding a solution to a problem. If you can build that mindset into your coursework, you will set yourself up for success in the profession.
Best of luck!