Anyone with Electrical Engineering degrees?

[pickdropper]

What I DID learn is how to learn -- as much as possible, quickly.

This might be difficult to explain, but I hear this all the time from people that have been to university.  What does it mean?

It's probably a bit different for everybody, but school is about having to digest information in a reasonably timely manner and learning how to do that is one of the best skills you can pickup.  Basically, learning how to break down information to its more basic components and build it back up into things that are more complex.

It doesn't mean learning everything is easy (I struggle with certain things), but understanding the process makes it easier.

[GermanCdn]

After some thought, I'll expand on engineering as a profession as a whole to maybe give you a better idea of the potential it may or may not hold for you as a career choice, as it applies to whatever discipline you elect to pursue.

While it is it's own dedicated professional, it is far less directional than most others.  If you're going to be a doctor, you will be working in a health care facility of some sort, if you're a teacher, you'll be instructing in a learning facility, if you're a lawyer, you'll be practicing law in either a firm or integrated as a part of a legal team within a larger company (I am drastically oversimplifying things, I know, but I am trying to contrast the structure of other professions, so bear with me).

Engineering is not structured like that.  You might go into research and development within a manufacturing firm, you might be a maintenance/reliability within an operating plant, you might end up working as a consulting engineer within a much larger firm, you might end up as a sales/applications engineer for firms with developed product line, etc, so it's not like you can say "I'm going to school for five years, then I'm going to work for ACME Engineering."  The technical part of your career, for the most part, will be limited to the first 10 years after you graduate, most guys with upward mobility at that point move into project management or sales after that and mentor the younger engineers.  Of course, this is not absolute, but it is the industry trend.

What you will learn in school will have very little bearing on what you use once you graduate.  Point in case, for the field I specialize, there is not a dedicated program of study for in North America; there's one at the University of Hanover, and a couple in Australia, that's it.  But as previously stated, it will teach you how to break down problems quickly and get to a solution.

I take a different approach to the "doing what you love" philosophy.  I do not love my job, most days I like it, and when I don't, I change companies.  BUt I do love the lifestyle it affords me and my wife, and as such I can survive anything it throws at me.

Anyway, don't know if any of that helps, but it gives a little bit of perspective. 

[midwayfair]

What I DID learn is how to learn -- as much as possible, quickly.

This might be difficult to explain, but I hear this all the time from people that have been to university.  What does it mean?

It is kind of difficult to explain, and not everyone gets the same thing out of college for sure. And by no means does anyone need to go to college to be driven to do independent research, self-teach, be interested in learning, etc. My grandmother had an 8th grade education, worked as a waitress all her life, and is the only person in my family besides me who has actually read The Name of the Rose cover to cover.

But I think the reason so many people get that out of higher education has to do with being surrounded by more people who, at all levels, like school enough to pay for the privilege of continuing beyond what is legal required of them, want to do well at something they're interested in, and thus foster a culture of learning. Some people certainly get that earlier than college (I knew high school students who were like this), but I think in college you're more likely to be exposed to an attitude that considers learning for its own sake a good thing.

[jkokura]

What I DID learn is how to learn -- as much as possible, quickly.

This might be difficult to explain, but I hear this all the time from people that have been to university.  What does it mean?

I think a simple way of stating it is: "In High School I learned how to repeat back information. In University, I learned how to acquire useful knowledge."

Jacob

[slimtriggers]

What I DID learn is how to learn -- as much as possible, quickly.

This might be difficult to explain, but I hear this all the time from people that have been to university.  What does it mean?

Lots of "cramming".  After 4 years of this you become pretty adept at quickly skimming information to extract what's really important.   You have to apply this skill during class time also.  Often times professors will assemble their exams from lectures only.  Frequently those are the profs who enjoy hearing themselves talk

[sonarchotic]

I'll chip in from the perspective of someone who didn't go to college and instead chased a career in music. I played extensively in bands in high school and wanted to go after that dream. I came home one day my senior year, told my dad not too worry about helping me pay for college cause I was gonna be a rockstar After a slow start I finally hooked up with a great band that had a hard working leader I learned how to hustle from. I spent the next six to eight years living on the road for the most part until I felt I could read the writing on the wall which was that the odds of making a decent living playing your original music are slim. It's one of the most crowded fields out there and I'm sure you know why. I eventually got off the road and started a landscape biz. which I do enjoy for the most part. I also started a small farm and still play and write music.
I am now interested in music electronics and the curriculum looks daunting at my age/responsibility level. Not to mention I have no interest in working for someone else so the degree itself isn't a big benefit. I am learning what I want to know for pedal/amp/guitar building and repair via the DIY community, books and hands on. I hope to make at least a part time biz. of it at some point. It's easy for me to think 'what if' when it comes to going to college but I probably would have majored in English or History since that was what interested me at that time outside of rawk.
My advice is to major in something practical that will likely get you a job should you need it. You are paying a lot for school so make it count. While you are there also take advantage and indulge your passions and interests. You may find a marriage of the practical and passion at some point. As Jon said, learn to learn. Every new venture has a steep learning curve and developing the discipline to meet it is invaluable. Good Luck! 

[ChrisM]

3 months away from getting my EE degree

As mentioned already, an EE degree will not help you design pedals. It will however allow you to better understand, designs, critique them while giving you a totally different mindset than most professions will give you.

Being a EE is a great career choice though. Opens up many doors for you.

[chromesphere]

Thanks for the explanation guys!  I was brought up in a family that focuses, probably more on 'charisma' then learning (although I am without a doubt the nerd of the family and the least charismatic for sure).  I used really dislike learning.  Being taught.  I disliked being bombarded with information and expected to remember "useless information". That changed somewhere, early 20's maybe, when I started to self-teach and learn at my own pace and will.  Having a problem, or a goal.  Finding the information I need to solve / achieve it is quite rewarding!  I guess this is similar to what you guys are saying, but just at a much slower pace.