Is it okay to not be completely sure about engineering?

 

Is it okay to not be completely sure about engineering?

I decided to major in civil engineering after seeing the good job placement rate it has. I’m fair at math, but others are definitely smarter. I worry because I don’t really feel an intense passion for this major; it was more a last minute decision. Is it okay to not be sure about majoring in an engineering field? I’m taking lots of very challenging courses that I’ll have to suffer through and that may lower my gpa. Would it be easy to change majors later on (into something like actuarial science?). I just don’t wanna lock myself into something I’m not sure about.

Jobadvisor

Yes, it is completely normal to feel uncertain about engineering. In fact, a huge portion of engineering students pick their major for practical reasons like job stability or starting salary rather than a lifelong passion, and many experience the exact same hesitation during their first few semesters.

Here is a breakdown of what you're facing and your options moving forward:

Engineering Passion vs. Practicality

• You don't need "intense passion": Engineering is a profession, not a personality. Many successful engineers treat it as a stable, well-paying career that enables them to pursue their true passions outside of work.
  
  
• Academic rigor $\neq$ Career reality: Solving abstract calculus problems on paper feels very different from actual civil engineering work, which involves project management, software design, environmental impact assessments, and team collaboration.
  
  

Coursework, GPA, and Switching Majors

• The "Filter" Classes: Early semesters rely heavily on hard weed-out courses (Calculus, Physics, Statics). It gets more applied—and often more manageable—once you reach upper-level civil courses.
  
  
• Transitioning to Actuarial Science: Because civil engineering requires a heavy math foundation (Calculus I–III, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability/Statistics), shifting into actuarial science or another quantitative field is generally straightforward. Your core math and science credits will likely transfer directly, minimizing any lost time.
  
  

How to Decide Your Next Move

• Talk to upperclassmen and civil engineers: Ask them what day-to-day civil engineering actually looks like versus the academic grind.
  
  
• Evaluate after your foundational math: Give yourself through your second semester or until you take introductory engineering courses. If you genuinely dislike the analytical problem-solving process itself, changing majors early will protect your GPA.
  
  
• Keep your GPA healthy: If you do decide to switch to actuarial science or business, maintaining a strong GPA early on makes internal university transfers much easier.
  
  

Are you in your first year of college, and have you taken any non-engineering electives yet that caught your interest?

I started asking what happened to the last person in the role and it's killed two offers

I'm 34M and I've been looking since March, roughly 60 applications and 9 first rounds. Somewhere around interview four I started ending every single one with the same question and it's been more useful than everything else I've done combined.

The question is "what happened to the person who had this role before me."

That's it. Not "why is the role open," which just gets you a rehearsed line about growth and headcount. Specifically what happened to the human being who sat in that chair.

Three from the last two months.

Company one, the hiring manager said "she got promoted to team lead, she's actually on the panel for your next round so you'll meet her." That's about as clean as it gets and I'm still in process there.

Company two, the manager paused for a second and said "there's been a bit of turnover in the position, I'll be honest," and when I asked how much he said "you'd be the third this year." THE THIRD THIS YEAR. We were sitting there in July. I withdrew the same afternoon.

Company three is the one that actually got me. The recruiter said "I don't know, that was before my time," and then in the next round the hiring manager said "he decided to pursue other opportunities" in a tone I can only describe as a door closing. I asked how long he'd been in the role and she said "a few months" and moved on to the next thing. (I checked LinkedIn afterwards. Seven months, and the person before him did eleven.)

It works because it's a completely normal question so nobody can get defensive about you asking it, but it's genuinely hard to answer smoothly when the real answer is bad. Ask it every time and pay attention to how long they take to start talking.

Jobadvisor

This is a genuinely good interview tactic, and you've clearly refined it well — the pause-time detail, the "before my time" tell, the follow-up on tenure length. That's sharp pattern recognition, not paranoia.

A few things worth naming:

Why it works as well as it does: most interview questions have a rehearsed answer ready. "Why's the role open" gets you corporate copy. But almost nobody prepares a talking point for "what happened to the last person," because it sounds like small talk, not due diligence. That mismatch between how casual the question feels and how revealing the answer is — that's the whole mechanism. You're not tricking anyone, you're just asking the one thing people don't gatekeep.

Company three is the strongest data point of the three. A hiring manager not knowing (or not saying) how long someone was in the role they're actively backfilling is a bigger flag than the turnover itself. Seven and eleven months back to back, with the recruiter genuinely not briefed on it, points to either a manager problem or a role that's structurally miserable — comp, scope, workload, something. Either way, that's the kind of thing that shows up in your first 90 days, not your first year.

One caveat so the tool doesn't turn into a hammer: not every short tenure is a red flag. People leave for a spouse's relocation, a sick parent, a much better offer they couldn't have predicted, or because they were bad at the job and got moved on — none of which tells you anything about whether the role itself is fine. The signal isn't "short tenure," it's the combination of short tenure + evasiveness + hesitation. Company one is the proof of that: fast, clean, verifiable answer, and you're still in process — exactly right, because a promotion isn't a red flag no matter how quick it was.

So the refinement I'd suggest isn't to the question itself — it's already doing its job — but to keep weighting the delivery over the fact. A manager who says "honestly, three people this year, it's been a mess, here's why" and gives you a real answer is telling you something very different than one who deflects. You're already doing this (that's why company two's honesty is almost a point in his favor, situation aside) — just worth keeping explicit as you run this on interview ten, twenty, wherever this goes.

How's the pipeline looking otherwise — is company one your live front-runner right now, or are there others still moving?

Job advice

I have a quick question about jobs. I’m currently 18 going to be 19 in a few months. I have enough money and time to basically go to any school that I want. I need to find a career path or job that I work towards or get invested in as far as learning and working towards becoming better at. That makes a lot of money like 100k plus or whatever you would consider a lot. I’m pretty sure I have ADHD and I think I could hyper focus on a job if I put mind to it I need some opinions or advice or real world experience as far as finding something to pursue or go to school for or whatever the entry level qualifications might be. Thanks I appreciate any and all advice

Jobadvisor

At 18 turning 19 with full financial freedom and time on your side, you are in an extraordinary position.

Having the ability to hyperfocus is a superpower for an ADHD brain, but it comes with a major catch: an ADHD brain cannot reliably force hyperfocus on something it finds boring. If you choose a career solely for the money, you run a high risk of hitting a wall of burnout or executive dysfunction. The trick to making $100k+ with ADHD is finding a path that provides high novelty, fast feedback loops, high stakes, or complex problem-solving—the exact triggers that activate hyperfocus.

High-Paying Career Paths Built for ADHD Strengths

Career Path	Why Hyperfocus Fits	Entry Requirements	Salary Potential
Software Engineering / Cybersecurity	Coding and security offer instant feedback loops. Finding a bug or defending a network triggers deep hyperfocus "flow states".	Computer Science degree or intensive coding bootcamp + portfolio.	$100k–$200k+ (Early to mid-career)
Enterprise / Tech Sales (SaaS)	High stakes, high energy, fast-paced, and heavily reward-driven. Every deal is a new "game" to win.	Bachelor's degree (any field) or direct B2B entry-level experience.	$100k–$300k+ (Base salary + heavy commission)
Finance & Trading (Quant / Investment Banking)	Fast-paced, high-stress environments with massive amounts of changing data. Urgency keeps the brain locked in.	Degree in Finance, Economics, or Applied Math from a strong university.	$120k–$250k+ (First-year base + bonuses)
Anesthesiology / Emergency Medicine	Shift-based work, zero "take-home paperwork," high stakes, intense immediate focus required.	Pre-Med undergrad + Medical School + Residency (8–12 years total).	$300k–$500k+
Specialized Trades / Aviation (Pilot)	Highly tactical, visual, immediate physical results, strict operational structure.	Flight School (ATP certification) or specialized technical training.	$120k–$300k+ (Senior Airline Captains)

How to Find "Your Thing" Right Now

1. Test Projects Before Committing to a Degree

Since you have time and resources, don't rush into a 4-year plan on a guess. Take 1–2 months to sample different fields:

• Do a intensive 4-week coding tutorial (e.g., Python or Web Development).
  
  
• Read a book on financial markets or complete a basic modeling course.
  
  
• shadowed or talk to professionals in different fields for an afternoon.
  
  

2. Watch Out for the "Novelty Trap"

ADHD brains love starting things because novelty triggers dopamine. You might feel 100% passionate about a path for 3 weeks, then completely lose interest. Pay attention to activities where you get sucked in even when the initial excitement wears off and it gets hard.

3. Set Up Your Environment First

If you suspect you have ADHD, use your current freedom and resources to get a formal evaluation from a psychiatrist or specialist. Getting proper strategies, coaching, or treatment in place before you jump into heavy college coursework or a intense job will double your chances of success.

Grieving the career I failed to achieve and struggling to find a new path

During the pandemic I was training to become a pilot, but several things happened (loss of money, loss of confidence, isolation) and I wasn’t able to achieve it. I still think about it every day and I feel like I’ve been grieving that future ever since.

Now I’m in an engineering apprenticeship and I really struggle with it. I haven’t been in an environment where I have to sit still all day and stare at a screen/whiteboard in 10 years, and I feel trapped by how much I dislike it.

During the pandemic I also isolated myself and lost most of my friends. I’ve started going out more and meeting new people, but it doesn’t feel the same and I still feel like I’m stuck.

The hardest part is I don’t know what I actually want anymore. I know I don’t want a life where every day is the same: sitting at a desk, staying in the same place, doing the same routine. I want movement, new places, new people, experiences and a life that feels exciting, but I don’t know how to turn that into an actual career or path.

I’m also scared to leave because it took me so long to get this opportunity and I don’t want to make another mistake.

Jobadvisor

Understandably, you are feeling stuck, drained, and heavy with regret. What you are experiencing isn't just a bump in the road—it is genuine **grief**.

When you trained to be a pilot, you weren't just learning a set of technical skills; you were building an identity centered around motion, freedom, high stakes, and seeing the world from above. Losing that dream—especially while going through the isolation and financial strain of the pandemic—was a traumatic event. It makes total sense that sitting at a desk studying engineering feels suffocating. You went from preparing for the sky to staring at a whiteboard.

Here is a practical perspective on how to process the past and map out a realistic path forward without making reckless leaps.

 Understanding Why Engineering Feels Like a Trap

Your struggle right now isn't a lack of discipline—it's a fundamental mismatch of environment and stimulation:

* **Sensory Deprivation:** Flying provides constant visual inputs, rapid spatial awareness, and active physical engagement. Staring at screens for 8 hours starves your brain of the dynamic stimulus it craves.

* **Sunk Cost & Fear:** You stayed in isolation and took years to secure this apprenticeship. You are holding onto it out of fear of making "another mistake," not because you actually want the career it leads to.

* **Unresolved Loss:** Every day you spend in a desk job reminds you of the career you *didn't* get, which keeps the grieving loop active.

Immediate Steps: How to Stop Feeling Trapped

1. Separate "Quitting" from "Transitioning"

You do not need to walk into your boss's office tomorrow and quit. That is what causes panic and bad decisions. Instead, view your current engineering position as **the financial engine funding your transition**. You aren't trapped forever; you are simply on a pit stop while you assemble your next move.

2. Reframe Your Time as a Pilot

Not finishing flight training does not mean you failed; it means external circumstances derailed a specific route. The traits that drew you to aviation—spatial reasoning, quick decision-making, calm under pressure, desire for movement—are still real traits that you possess. You can deploy them in other fields.

 Career Alternatives Built for Movement & Variety

If sitting at a desk is non-negotiable "no," you need careers built around **active environments, field work, or mobile operations**:

| Career Category | Example Roles | Why It Fits |

| --- | --- | --- |

| **Aviation-Adjacent Fieldwork** | Flight Dispatcher, Air Traffic Control (ATC) Trainee, Drone Operations / Mapping Tech | Keeps you in the aviation ecosystem with high stakes and dynamic environments without the $100k flight school cost. |

| **Field Engineering & Technical Services** | Wind Turbine Technician, Marine Engineer, Field Service Engineer (Medical / Industrial Equipment) | Uses the technical skills from your current apprenticeship, but puts you on travel, on-site, using your hands, and moving constantly. |

| **Operations & Logistics Management** | Cargo/Freight Logistics Manager, Site Manager, Disaster Relief / Humanitarian Logistics | High variety, fast-paced problem solving, constantly dealing with new people and unexpected scenarios. |

| **High-Action Trades & Emergency Services** | Commercial Diver, Paramedic, Renewable Energy Specialist | Zero desk time, high camaraderie, shifts rather than a rigid 9-to-5, immediate physical purpose. |

Rebuilding Your Life Outside of Work

Your isolation during the pandemic stripped away your support network, making the loss of your dream feel twice as heavy.

* **Give new connections time:** Meeting new people feels hollow right now because you are comparing them to years-long friendships you lost. Keep showing up. Depth takes time to rebuild.

* **Reintroduce physical movement now:** Don't wait for a job change to start moving. If you spend 8 hours in a chair, force high-engagement movement before or after work (climbing, martial arts, cycling, team sports) to release the physical tension of feeling trapped.