Is pursuing an engineering degree worth it

I just want to know if all the hard-work you do in order to become a engineer pays off later on in my life

The first thing you should definitely be cognizant of before taking on debt is having a degree of any sort doesn't guarantee you will find success in life. Most successful professionals never stop working hard, and school is generally one of the least difficult times in a person's career.

You're young, you lack perspective, and that's completely normal. If you don't feel like you were, "born to be a ______", that is also normal. If you find yourself worried about having sufficient/ stable income, that is also normal. Don't let these normal feelings of uncertainty guide you into pursuing things for the wrong reasons; they are emotions that most everyone faces as they take their first steps into the real world.

It's easy for a young person to get tripped up on the financial prospects of a career because they are learning rather quickly that the world runs on money, and they don't have any! Money obviously matters, but it is very far from being the end-all. Both engineering and business degrees open up different doors; if your primary motivation in opening new doors is, "how will opening this door improve my life?", then the odds are good that you will soon lose your way/ not find satisfaction in the things you do. If your primary motivation in opening new doors is, "how many lives will I improve by opening this door?", then you're headed in the right direction IMO because having an impact on society really is one of the few things that makes life worth living.

I've had more money than I knew what to do with at times, and one thing I slowly and painfully learned is money does not bring life purpose. It may bring you creature comforts, and at first that may seem exciting, but as the thrill of that moment starts to die down it becomes obvious that a life spent pursuing creature comforts is no life at all.

If you haven't already, I would suggest grabbing a pad of paper and a pencil and brainstorming what doors you could possibly open with the various degree paths you're considering, and to what extent society stands to benefit by you opening those doors. It's a pretty grand thing to consider, so don't be discouraged if you draw a blank, and don't dismiss things if they seem outlandish. If you can manage to think up opportunities that not only allow you to benefit society, but also excite you, then that is an interesting prospect that might be worth developing further. IMO if you use this sort of guiding principle to make life decisions, you won't have to worry about finding success because it will naturally find you.

/r/AskEngineers Thread