Question to those who have completed their BS in Electrical Engineering

Hello, I am currently a senior working on my electrical engineering degree (I have 13 or 14 classes left). I wanted to ask a question to anyone who has finished school and is now working in the field. 


Have you ever felt like you weren't really learning anything while in school? I just feel like I've simply learned how to solve mathematical problems but not how to actually apply the knowledge or understand the subject in the big picture sort of way. If you've felt that way, how have you been able to improve your understanding, and does most of the understanding begin when you actually start working in the field? I've read a review about my school's program where someone said they learned more during the first 6 months of working than in all the years of school. I just want to know if I'm alone in this. I'm doing well in school and have a 4.09 GPA but I don't actually feel like I know "electrical engineering" as well as I should as a senior.

Don't worry -- You are not alone! But it's not as dire as you think. On the one hand I would agree that I really started learning stuff once I got out into the field. My first job was as a member of a team designing CPUs for mainframe computers. That company had a great mentor program where each new engineer was assigned to an older, more experienced engineer. My first task was to design a barrel shifter -- I won't go into details, except to say that my mentor didn't give me the entire spec at once -- he gave me a subset of the problem and guided me into solving it -- then added a bit more... and then a bit more... with me learning along the way.
Later I spend a year writing test programs for PCBs -- once again I learned a tremendous amount (I only wish I could still remember it all LOL)
But the thing is that all the stuff I'd studied at university came in useful at some stage, not the least that without those courses I wouldn't have had the fundamental knowledge required to wrap my brain around the tasks described above.
One thing I would strongly advise you to do is start building hobby projects -- you tend to learn a lot when you have a specific task in mind and problem(s) you need to solve. For examples, bounce over to my profile ( https://www.eeweb.com/profile/max-maxfield ) and look at some of my hobby projects (look for stuff with "Prognostication" or "MSGEQ7" or "Audio-Reactive" in the titles.
The main thing is not to worry -- it sounds like you are going to do fine

Hey Laura,I know exactly how you feel about your engineering degree, but like Max said, you will use nearly all of it when you start getting practical experience. I completely agree with Max on building hobby projects. Check out the Instructables or Hackaday websites for interesting projects to sink your teeth into. In my own experience, I did my Bachelors in Dublin City University and my Masters in Institute of Technology Tallaght. I'm not sure how it works in other countries, but here in Ireland it tends to hold true that the Universities focus on theory and the Institutes focus on practical learning. It was recommended to me to get a mix of both. Smith charts in University made no sense to me, but when I saw the practicalities during my Masters, it all made sense. Good luck in the rest of your modules, it might seem hard and you may not see the point of some subjects, but it'll all be worth it in the end. Believe me, you know a lot more than you actually think you do. 

Laura, I agree with Max and Mike that you should build hobby projects. It can be hard endlessly learning abstractions and tools without getting to use them. Is there something you'd really like to build, but hesitate to start on?

Laura,I also had the same feeling when finishing my BS degree. Fortunately, I had managed to get an internship or I would have had no practical experience at all. On the other hand, I do not regret the theoretical  background I got at the University since it made it much easier to understand the circuits I was building.I agree with the other commenters that building hobby projects can go a long ways to helping the understanding. If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity of an internship, that would also be valuable.

LauraThe advice given above without question is good and is coming from well respected sources.
I am going to take a different tack and ask you a question for yourself."What is it you want to do once you graduate"?You may have no interest in designing electronics or working with embedded code so therefore little interest in making an Arduino powered toilet that can be flushed over the internet (hang on I may be on to something. Anyone want to buy an iPoo?). You asked in this forum so I do suspect you have an interest, but that may not necessarily be the case.I ask as when you obtain your degree, think on it as little more than a key that will open many doors for you. As as child I'm pretty certain you probably played with "Lego bricks" (other plastic bricks are still available) and soon learned how to build a house, then a car, then a spaceship or whatever. Point being you learned how to stick them together to make what you want. That is what you are doing now as each module you finish is just another "brick" (sorely resisted the temptation to include "in the Wall" as that would just show I needed no education...ouch).
Understanding how these "bricks" work and go together at fundamental level (should that be no-fun-damental?) allows you later in your career to do whatever you want as you should have the knowledge to piece it all together.With your degree, you could realistically consider a career in Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Telecommunications, Software and this is barely scratching the surface. Each of the careers I mentioned have differing branches of such and vastly differing needs and ability. You could find yourself designing transformers for AC distribution or perhaps writing code for a door lock. How could your University possibly give you "practical skills" in every possible career path open to you?I work in a rather specialised branch of telecommunications and one company I do work for probably take on more Electrical Engineers for "field work" than any other discipline. This work covers the installation and commissioning of cutting edge technologies. None of them had any relevant experience but having their degree means that they are certainly capable of applying themselves to their new path.Make a list of career paths that you think may interest you and as Elizabeth suggested try and get an internship in that area. Not only will you find out the practical side of such but also if that is the area you wish to be involved in.
Don't get too blase about your education just now, get those grades instead.Regards

Laura, keep studying, get those grades, and finish your degree. The moment they hand you your diploma, you are free of the university's power, and the university will start begging for alumni contributions.I never went to undergraduate EE university, so you know a lot of EE that I did not know at your age.