Electrical engineering, how do you pursue this under strange circumstances?

Hello, I used to be an electrical engineering major. I entered my final year where they required you to do this design project. The problem was that they wanted you to make several presentations IN A SUIT AND TIE and they kept saying stuff like "the kids look like they're on Wall Street" and "you are professionals". Obviously, they wanted to focus on these lies more than the engineering program tried to teach us actual technical skills. After 3 years with a 3.5/4.0 GPA, I learned nothing in my EE program. I don't know anything about programming, I can't design anything, I don't think I can wire a circuit anymore, and I am ashamed of that. Fortunately, I did graduate as a biology major about a year before that, so I had a few opportunities open up. I would like to get back into engineering, but I want to acquire the technical skills that are expected of engineers. I just don't know how to do that. I can't get internship/co-op because my family needs me, so can I do something?

Answer:
If you find yourself with skills on paper but not in reality then its time for some self education. The art of electronics is an excellent book but really you should combine reading with practical stuff, start building things, learn to program by programming things you want. Check out sites like instructables and Make magazine for project ideas.

That's the useful everyday stuff covered but for the maths and the signal processing and control etc usually covered you could look at what the good colleges are teaching, check out the recommended texts. I think MIT actually let you download a lot of the courses.

yes, here we are:

http://ocw.mit.edu/ocwweb/electrical-eng...

Good luck.

Well, I hate to break the bad news, but you can know everything about everything, but if you can't present it in a clear, concise, believable manner so that it gets accepted and understood, you've wasted your time (and maybe lost a client for your employer). One of the biggest pains we professionals have to deal with is kids who show up with a degree but without any writing skills, presentation skills, and (as a result) no ability to communicate their ideas and understanding to colleagues, customers and clients. I could care less if you understand whatever - the question is can you explain it to everyone else so that the problem can be solved? Sorry - but that is part of what engineers are paid for.

What you need to do now, if you want to be an engineer, is start going to night school. Depending on how long you've been out, you might have to retake quite a few courses, but hopefully, the electives will be out of the way. It's a longer road, but you'll be attending school with other people who are working. Many of them will be working in engineering and related fields, and you may be able to network with them and get an interview for a paying job.

But when you get asked the inevitable question "Why did you stop after 3 years?" you'd better come up with something other than "I didn't want to make a presentation in a suit and tie."

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Electrical engineering, how do you pursue this under strange circumstances?

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