Studying electronic engineering has been one of the most enjoyable and challenging missions to pursue. If you are looking into studying any design course at university, you should beware that engineering is not an easy subject and there is a lot of work ranging from labs to class assessments. To study engineering, you should be a hard-working, determined, passionate student.
If you like problem-solving and thinking creatively to find solutions to exertions, and you are willing to study 3-4 hours a day after university; then engineering is for you. Electrical Engineering is mainly about being good with numbers (Mathematics) and more importantly understanding A-level Physics.
As engineering is such a practical and exciting course, there is an option of doing a placement year in your third year. Placement years are for students that are high achieving and are willing to spend a year in industry to work for a company and put their hands on experience. Doing a placement year is usually the best option for getting a job after you graduate.
I was planning to study engineering but was not sure which branch I should go into, during the completion of my A-levels. At first, I wanted to study Chemical engineering because I enjoyed Physical Chemistry and thought that this course is very similar to Chemistry. However, my assumption was wrong, after researching online and asking others who do my course; I found out that Chemical engineering is pure physics based and has limited Chemistry studies involved.
On the other hand, I had applied for Chemical Engineering to all the universities. So during summer (end of year 13), I decided to do a one-month paid work experience as an electronic engineer in a company. My job experience involved learning how to do coding on different software’s, communicating with other engineers regarding their job and going through a typical day of an electronic engineer.
What made me choose Electronic Engineering from other branches of engineering was the work experience I had (end of year 13) before my A-level grades were released. I could see myself working as an electrical engineer in my office. If you like working long days in an office, doing calculations and enjoy presenting and communicating your ideas to your peers, engineering is for you. The main reason why I picked Electronic Engineering was that I like programming and find it exciting to code circuits to do certain jobs. Outside my university life, I am part of the robotics society which I attend once every week.
Attending the group meetings made me learn how to work with new electronic equipment and components; hence I started making machines at home (for instance a radar). What makes Electronic Engineering more interesting than other engineering branches, is the fact that most of the electronics lab equipment and components are cheap and hence any student can buy them and practice with it at home.
Most electronic engineering students are expected to attend lectures at least four days a week; this is due to the high level of work. All engineering students are expected to complete at least one lab every week and become familiar with the content they learn.
Some labs are assessed and usually done in pairs. I have learnt a lot from my lab partners regarding how to follow maps for connecting components together. The key to being successful at university is to organise your notes in separate folders. Group studying has also proved to be a very effective way for me to learn a lot from my peers but also allows you to track your revision progress with others.
By Mohammad E, Engineering Tutor in London. Interested in arranging private home or online private tuition? Contact us today to arrange a 1 to 1 lesson for all your educational needs.