Well I can't say the same about me... Well I can agree on the fact that we overuse maths, but I'm on a physics engineering course, so I can't really complain about that... But yeah, if you ask me what can I do in the real world with my knowlege learned on this course up to now I can't really tell... I mean, it's good for computer programming (analytic programs, simulation programs, games, etc) but only in rare times I glimpse a way of turning all those numbers into real machines. 

Well as further proof of the stupidity of modern engineering courses I just spent 9hrs working on the transmission design (after a 7hr work day) changing gear teeth thicknesses by 0.0001mm
Now I would LOVE to meet the machinist that can meet these tolerances. Even more stupid, 3 of the gear pairs have to survive a minimum of 1200hrs and a max of 1200+5%. Last time I checked survivability in a transmission is a good thing....so why not accept 1200+say50%? Well because that would be logical and thus does not belong in the modern engineering curriculum.

wahubna wrote on Jun 21^st, 2012 at 5:47am:

You want useless?  Try law school.  Three years of teaching you "how to think like a lawyer", a smattering of substantive law, and you will get out with no idea how to file a lawsuit, form a corporation, write a will or do anything remotely useful.

I'll save you $100,000.  How to think like a lawyer - deny everything.

I once Designed a Paper Airplane,, does that count ?  after that sum pretty girl caught my eyes, and I liked her Engineering, she was well Engineered all over too !

wahubna wrote on Jun 24^th, 2012 at 2:12am:


Yes.  That's the point.  Lightness.  To an extreme it's unnecessary, if you are really going to 0.000001 tolerances then you are doing more than you should, but at least you are learning a process.  As I recall you are working an internship, the whole point is to learn as much as you can.

Yes, you won't use much directly from school, but you SHOULD be learning how to find answers and think like an engineer.  That's the most useful skill I learned in school.  I've used 2 equations that I learned in school since I started working a year ago, and both of them I looked up in one of my old textbooks.  That doesn't mean school didn't teach me anything, and school certainly isn't useless.  I guarantee you I couldn't do the same job I'm doing now without college, and even if I could I certainly wouldn't be very good at it.

So what I have to say is deal with it, it's reality.  Take it in stride, don't complain about school because ultimately I guarantee you will look back on it and see the significance.  Maybe not for all your classes (Vector calculus was completely worthless and never will be useful), but with the right attitude you can go far.

Also, 14 hours is nothing.  I spent 3 weeks at my internship trying to get a wind turbine blade to fail at just the right load so we could get the perfect layup that used the least material and weighed as little as possible.