Has anyone else blown their chances of ever achieving anything intellectually worthwhile?

Has anyone else blown their chances of ever achieving anything intellectually worthwhile?

I liked my subjects at school but thoughtlessly picked a chemical engineering degree. Even at its best, a chemical engineering degree is just introductory maths / physics / chemistry courses along with a load of job training-esque stamp collecting courses. A fourth year physics student could easily learn any part of the equivalent chemical engineering student's curriculum, but vice versa is obviously not true. I feel really sickened to have wasted my time in a glorified job training degree. I have my entire life to waste on pointless "professional" BS, so to have a university degree that is glorified job training is depressing.

In addition, I picked my nearest university instead of the best possible for my grades and realised halfway through that the courses have much less content and depth than other universities and employers consider me dumb. My courses were a huge joke compared to what I've seen from other universities. As an example, I got to fourth year without knowing what dev, grad, eigenvectors, or curl were, and I didn't know the difference between a model and a theory, (and this is the UK, so I took zero phsyics courses).

Sometimes I feel like an unwarranted snob to criticise my university so harshly, but it deserves criticism when it skips entire topics that other universities teach to all STEM students. And it got government money because I chose it. What a fucking joke, they have almost no incentive to offer courses with proper content. It loves advertising its old age but it offers shallow shit.

I remember one really stamp collecty course in fourth year that I really fucking hated and realising that other fourth year students at a good university, doing maths or physics, would be learning almost cutting edge secrets of the universe stuff. I knew that it made no difference whether I did well or not, I would still have achieved literally fucking nothing.

Some more depressing randomly picked highlights):

Putting in literally zero effort in the last 1.5 years (3 terms), where, apart from attending lectures, I probably did less than 2 weeks worth of 9 to 5 on weekdays work.

My senior thesis where I quickly realised that a maths or physics degree would have given me 50 times better preparation, my lack of mathematical maturity left me as a type of illiterate (which was a brutal feeling), I didn't give a shit about the topic and procrastinated like a madman.

Being "that guy" in a major group project in my final year. I never thought it would come to that but I really was. I remember there was another all nighter but I actually couldn't stay up all night due to a lack of interest / willpower, even with tonnes of coffee.

Being at a job interview at canary wharf (that I failed and was surrounded by people from actually good universities) and then in my university the next day. It was like a brief jolt in everyday life where I could look around and see that everything was shit.

The old library that was too small yet always half empty, being knocked down for a shiny new library constantly filled with normies that opened after my first year. In my first year I literally overheard two people talking and one girl saying that only weirdos go to the library. These are the types of people that people like me are supposed to go to university to get away from (not that I thought that, but it should be true).

I could go on but I won't.

sick blog post

>The old library that was too small yet always half empty, being knocked down for a shiny new library constantly filled with normies that opened after my first year. In my first year I literally overheard two people talking and one girl saying that only weirdos go to the library. These are the types of people that people like me are supposed to go to university to get away from (not that I thought that, but it should be true).
Holy shit. This. Especially:
> These are the types of people that people like me are supposed to go to university to get away from (not that I thought that, but it should be true).

However, life is harsh. I have realized a long time ago that if I want to know something then I need to learn it myself. I need to auto-didactically learn, teach myself (constantly) if I want to achieve something and not to give a shit.
At least, that's my ideal and I'm trying to do everything (at least a little bit every now and then) to reach it.

Still, the same thoughts you wrote cross my mind from time to time. Such is life... :(

>2147▶
>Has anyone else blown their chances of ever ac


As a fellow chemical engineering major who honestly would rather go for graduate school for physics.

I feel sorry for you. But it's not entirely up to the universe to teach you everything academically, all that extra stuff that you want to learn you can learn on your own. I managed to sabotage myself the same training as if I were triple majoring in pure mathematics, chemistry and physics along with chem eng degree. (Alot of it is not really rehashed since these there fields often have different perspectives of treating the same concept).


Your school is still a piece of shit for not even treating you what div, grad and eigenvectors are, that's literally second year stuff arguably freshman year chem eng. Sorry, user.


Oh you fucked yourself over too then, man.

pic related: books that I'm reading to prepare for my fourth semester at U.S.

You forgot the books, dude.

>A fourth year physics student could easily learn any part of the equivalent chemical engineering student's curriculum, but vice versa is obviously not true.
naw have some faith in your field m8

chemE is breddy gud tbqh

t. mechE

Wannabe ChemE here.

What more should I know before going into the field?

I'm so glad I left MechEng for Math. Never looked back and life is awesome now. I'm sorry you didn't do something similar OP.

Who gives a shit, be happy you got an education and could land a job, because real problems are relatives dying, sickness and injury and femine. Faggot.

Anyways, choosing different degree wouldn't have helped you, because you don't really realise how much potential to invent/improve something is in every field.
And, whoah, boy, chemical engineer has so much potential to create something worthwhile that is unimaginable. Of course it is going to take a long time and hard work to become an expert in your field.
Do you think physics students come out pro-scientists? Most of them will end up working "unworthy" jobs. Some of them will become scientists and will publish sub-par papers, just to hang on to academia.
Very few will do something "worthwhile".
So, next year grow some balls and do something worthwhile.

Random people of the past wanting to improve the future have done enormous amounts for me. I'd like to respect them by trying to improve the future myself. Not saying that other stuff doesn't matter, but trying to add to humanity is something I think everyone should "give a shit" about.

How old are you OP? 22? You still have plenty of time to learn.

Also sunk cost fallacy - what's done is done; you can only affect the future.

that sucks. i met a compsci person who was never taught basic algorithms or complexity stuff. personally, i wish my undergraduate program had been a bit different too.

Just be glad you're not me. I could be doing a maths degree, for that sweet intellectual stimulation, but chose economics instead and now want to switch after first semester.

>After first semester

Switch. Switch now. Its only one semester. I just finished my degree in economics degree...the only reason I stuck with it is that after 2 years in it I didn't have the courage to switch to math.

I'm now studying mathematics. So, I more or less wasted 4 years and I'm starting fresh.

Switch NOW.

Just be better than average. But seriously get out, I need a job.

My bad. It was a screenshot of a bunch of titles anyways. I don't have a golden route but if you know as much physics than your physics buddies and if you know more mathematics than the mathematics major and more chemistry than the pre-meds, you are going to do just fine in chem eng.

If you want to know what specific books, you're gonna have to ask for a particular topic and hope I revisit the thread, lol. I get most of my recommendations from specialized major threads or quora.

>but vice versa is obviously not true

I wouldn't be so sure senpai, despite Veeky Forums shitposting there's not a huge amount separating physics and engineering. If you can do one you can probably do the other with a bit of effort.

Mathematics is a bit different and requires much more effort to go from mathematics to science/engineering and via versa since there's quite a difference in the skill sets. But even then it's doable.

>t.physfag

wew you should upload those books

I have exams in January. How do I switch midway through?

Unless you mean after my first year of economics, then possibly yes.

Are you from a country with free education? It must be because you I can't casually switch majors without financial implications, aka debt.

So how's math? Do you feel more challenged and are you naturally autistic in the field?

Civil Engineer here.

Was thinking of going back to school for business or something. My plan is to get rich, then when I don't have to work I can spend my free time/disposable income on building myself property on Mars.

>be better at math than math students
>be better at physics than physics students
>be better at chem than chem students
why don't you be better at killing yourself than dead people. another dumbass from pleb uni who thinks self studying can actually teach you shit.

Mate, most of the things you're gonna learn you're going to have to teach yourself. Especially math, if you're doing biology or chemistry related degrees: most courses don't do more than differential equations and group theory, which is fucking retarded.
On top of that, how the fuck do you think people in academia learn new shit after finishing uni? If you think they never learn anything new, you have no idea how science works, if you think they go on courses every time they wanna learn something new, you're fucking retarded.

Kek. I've led all my classes for the past two years. I've got scholarships literally from self education and doing the education that I already get from class. If you can get double the amount in, it's even better.

Do the math

Will the increase in wages be worth the debt incurred by one additional year of uni? Also factor in any contacts you may already have in econ.

Got em' LMAO

>I liked my subjects at school but thoughtlessly picked a chemical engineering degree
> a load of job training-esque stamp collecting courses
>the courses have much less content and depth than other universities and employers consider me dumb. My courses were a huge joke compared to what I've seen from other universities
>As an example, I got to fourth year without knowing what dev, grad, eigenvectors, or curl were

So you majored in Chemical Engineering [math]\bf { TECHNOLOGY } [/math], not Chemical Engineering

Physics undergrad now doing Nuclear Engineering grad school. Probably doing better than I should as a brainlet but I'm still kinda disappointed in myself.

Got rejected from basically everywhere I applied for Physics since I didn't do the Physics GRE and I kinda shit the bed my last two semesters (basically ran straight B's with a couple C+'s)

There were two things that really fucked me though.

The first was my math portion of the GRE. I scored low for physics students (155). But I had a weirdass experience going through algebra in middle/high school due to moving and changing programs frequently. When I got to uni I did a 2-year associate's program that had me do an algebra-based electronics math class. It counted as a pre-req for Calc 1 despite not doing anything more complex than V = IR and some entry level trig. As a result I went through physics undergrad learning Trig and Calculus. Some of the algebra and trig on the GRE I had NEVER seen before as a student. I'm like someone who went through a block of swiss cheese because every single hole managed to line up.

The second thing was taking the second half off introductory physics over the summer so I could be on the fast track to graduate a year earlier. Modern Physics was only taught in the fall, so if you didn't have both under your belt you'd have to wait until next year. The chair fucked up and told me to take biology (entirely unnecessary for my degree) and start physics in the spring(which I did, then finished over the summer). I regret not asking other students but I was a new to uni, still a social retard who didn't know who to talk to for advice. My C+ and B- in upper level E&M are scars from that. Or at least I'd like to blame it on the chair, if it weren't for the fact my closest friend in undergrad got a C+ in 2nd semester physics and got straight A's in upper level E&M. I know it's entirely my fault for not putting in the effort.

That's my fuckup, OP

This is literally me, I chose chemical engineering at the nearest university (UK also) and probably could have gone somewhere better. I am constantly fearing what you have just posted and now I'm reading it in front of me. Fuck! The only thing that gives me hope reading this is that we learnt basic vector calculus and eigenvectors in the first year so maybe my uni isn't too bad.

Yes. I joined the military, because with a 120 IQ(I struggled through differentials) I would never have made it to the cutting edge.

It's horrible being surrounded by 100IQ people (and the rare full tard) but I do have lots of time to spend as a casual autodidact.

I suppose this is what living on UBI or welfare must be like, except with more shooting and marching in the woods.

>mad cuck somebody who is self educated is on a whole different level above him

Sad...

Honestly, the physical stuff probably keeps your buddy in good shape and helps with thinking.
Most basement dwellers don't do any kind of exercise.

Why? The material is literally in a book. Where do you think professors get their material from? All they do is read you the book and grade you. Most of them at least.