So I normally don't do posts like this.. but this has really been on my mind for the last few months. Maybe it's being in a new ward and having to introduce myself over and over again, maybe it's just people's reactions but either way, it's something that has really got me thinking a lot lately.
When I meet someone knew, people always seem to ask what I'm studying. And I tell them engineering. And then almost always I get some sort of reply of "WOW! You must be smart!" in any form. But that's not true.
Now I'm not saying I'm not intelligent, because I would like to think I am. But just because I'm an engineer doesn't mean I'm smart. But there are all sorts of people in professions like that. The teachers who think of new creative ways to instruct their students are smart people. The way business professions can increase their revenue just by changing their business style are smart people. The way anyone who can creatively express their ideas are smart people. And so many other things.
All that being an engineer means is that I had to dedicate myself to school a lot more than some people.
I'm not saying that I didn't play as an undergrad. Trust me I did. I'm also not saying I passed all my classes with flying colors, because I definitely didn't. (Just look at my transcript.) But I had to make school more of a priority. I had to outline what homework was due next because otherwise none of it would get done. I had to learn how to manage my time better. I had to learn how to teach myself materials when I wasn't getting the instruction from my professors. I had to learn to make myself get involved in other activities to make sure I wasn't only dealing with engineers. I had to make sure that the other classes I wanted to take actually educated me and weren't just fulfilling some silly requirement. (Which I wish I would have done better.) But just being an engineer isn't what has made me smart.
What's made me smart is taking the time to do those things. Taking the time to educate myself in other areas besides engineering. Throwing myself into conversations that I may not have a lot of background on but wanted to learn them for the sake of knowing them. Listening to things on NPR and TED. Reading books and searching the internet about random things that come into my mind.
Together, all those things are what make me smart.
But anyone can be an engineer...
(let me know what you think... I have another one I'm writing about engineering and math... and probably one in the future about why I personally chose to be an engineer.)
1 comment:
Amen! I get that a lot, too- "you must be so smart". While I won't complain about being called smart, I don't necessarily feel it's my choice of degree that makes me smart. Like you said, it's the ways that I have applied myself and explored new things that makes me "smart". I completely agree with you.
I actually had one of those conversations today (the ones where the person I'm talking to gets a look of "I'm impressed!" when I tell them what I studied). But this time she said, "What a marketable skill!" I hadn't thought about it that way, but I like it. I hope that studying engineering has given me some useful skills.
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