The end of the year is here and with it my last post. It’s been rough and I know I’m waaaaayyyyyyy behind on my posts.
Apart from exams for MECHENG 211, 222 and ENGSCI 311, the main event for Mechatronics near the end of this semester was the last assignment for MECHENG 270 which was due on the last week of the semester. Compsys and Electrical, who also do this paper with us, got obliterated by that project seeing as they already had another big team project due that same week. As for Mechatronics, even with the 24-hour extension, not many of us finished it to top quality.
Though I’m late to the end-of-year “choice-of-spec” party, I’ve still got some advice to share.
If you still haven’t decided on a specialisation:
Listen to your heart, as hard as it may sound. If you don’t know what to pick, think about why you chose engineering over every other possible qualification.
If you chose engineering because there’s a certain aspect of it you’re passionate about, then think about choosing a specialisation that would best help you develop your passion. Don’t hold yourself back from what you love doing, otherwise you could end up working a job you don’t enjoy for the rest of your life.
If you chose engineering for a 9-5 job and good money, then think about picking a specialisation that is in high demand here. Really not a difficult choice there – credits to Civil and Software.
If you chose engineering because you didn’t want to take Biomed or you liked Maths and Science but you have no set direction in life as of yet, then consider a specialisation that’ll allow for exploration. Call them general specialisations, jack of all trades, whatever; as long as you get to explore what the engineering world has to offer, you’ll be right.
For those of you who’re afraid your specialisation will be too hard:
I’d like to go back to what a famous Dynamics lecturer said to the Mechanical and Mechatronics cohort at the start of the year:
“A lot of Part II students will face this thing called the ‘Part II Blues’. Everything will be difficult and you’ll regret choosing your specialisation and Part II Engineering in general. All I can say is: ‘Don’t give up.’” – Hazim Namik, 2017
Look, all specialisations are going to be difficult and that only becomes more true as you go through each year. No one specialisation is harder than the rest – it’s just a matter of perspective. Don’t complain, don’t doubt, don’t regret; just do it. Like Tom Bilyeu said, “Stop asking yourself how much you have to do, and start asking yourself how much you can bear.” If you’re not going into a specialisation with anything less than your 100%, chances are you’re going to have so many regrets when you graduate.
In summary, I just want to say thanks for reading! It’s been awesome to express my vibes on Mechatronics and the general haps. Cheers, and I hope to see some of you first years in Mechatronics next year!
Busby out.