You Just Don’t Seem Like An Engineer

Posted byannievogelPosted inCollege, Engineering, Social Media PostsTags:, , ,

Shared on August 21, 2020 via Instagram

When I first chose to pursue engineering in my junior year of high school, people were shocked. How could you choose engineering when you’re so well-spoken? Aren’t you more of an outgoing “people” person? Isn’t engineering, like, really hard? But you’re such a good writer. You’re so girly. You just don’t seem like an engineer.

In some ways, they were right. I was completely in over my head. I knew nothing about engineering. Neither of my parents are engineers, and only one of my first cousins is an engineer. All I really had going for me was a passion for calculus, physics, and a whole lot of hope that this whole engineering thing would work out. And for the first two years, it was working out great! I managed to maintain a good GPA and get involved in Society of Women Engineers.

And then junior year and senior year hit. It got real. The higher level engineering courses – for lack of a better phrase – whooped my ass. YES, engineering IS, like, really hard!! The last two years of engineering school was a daily struggle, always studying, never understanding. My GPA took a hit. I had to make a conscious effort to maintain the optimism that had come so easily to me in my first two years. It was draining.

It wasn’t until the end of my senior year that I realized that while academia is extremely important (stay in school, kids – and freakin STUDY), my chatty personality is actually what pushed me through those difficult courses. I asked questions fearlessly and stayed true to my work ethic to just kept trudging along. I formed relationships with people who continue to support me when I am down and out. (S/o to my friend, Maggie, the current SWE president – Thanks for this cute clip!)

Despite everything, this former eighteen-year-old with a Pryz cup filled with hope accepted the University Research Day Award for the Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation as a part of an amazing senior design team in April of 2020.

I’ve been working for the past few months, and it has certainly been a rollercoaster. Some weeks are high productivity, some weeks feel like “um I failed please don’t fire me.” I wish I could end this on a high note, but I have no idea what I’m doing with my life. And that is okay.

Published by annievogel

I am originally from Long Island, New York. Now, I live and work in D.C. at as an acoustic consultant. I graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. with my bachelors of mechanical engineering in May of 2020. I love living in D.C. because it is smaller than New York City (where I basically grew up), so it was easy to get around. There is always something fun to do all day, every day. I have a few blog posts up about my time at Catholic University, and I plan to write a lot more! If there is one thing that you remember from reading this, it should be that I love spending quality time with friends and family. They are my support system, and I would not be the woman I am today without each and every one of them. Simply put, they mean the world to me. I am also a faithful Catholic and have a passion for music and art. I play the piano, guitar, ukulele, kalimba, and I sing! When I started this blog, I was back in New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown of my campus. My sister and I published a few episodes of our podcast called The Chirp at the beginning of the summer, but when we both started working, it become difficult to manage. I started this blog in August of 2020 because I was looking for a new recreational project that would stick. So, here’s to a new start!

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