Personal Statement - Freshman Year
In my first year at engineering school, I have already learned a lot. Aside from all of the technical development that has been showcased on my portfolio I wanted to have a section dedicated to my personal thoughts and development as well.
One thing I’ve noticed about personal development at MSOE is that I seem to have less experience and frankly, less passion about engineering related things than my peers. The peers that I have found to be most successful seem to be creators, makers, innovators, everything and anything related to engineering. They love to build things. I have tried to be like that, to commit myself to a project or something similar but struggle to find motivation then.
So, what motivates me then? Have I just been going around from club to club, job to job just getting things done? I’d argue not. I may not be too passionate about creating, but the more I work and the more experience I gain the more I realize I am passionate about people. That’s truly what motivates me. I’m definitely still motivated by the challenge a difficult problem brings and eager to learn as much as I can; however, when it comes down to it people drive my motivation. On formula hybrid, I want to contribute and help my team succeed by contributing my technical experience. At work, I am open to doing any task that is assigned to me as long as I am able to make a meaningful impact in some way that will help others.
With that being said, it makes it seem like I will be less likely to succeed at engineering because I am not as motivated to create as others in my field. The more I think about it, though, I’ve decided I’m going to work as hard as I can to make that not be the case. My goal by the end of my 4 years at MSOE is to prove to the companies and others who may feel behind that you don’t need to make engineering your life to make it your career. I am passionate about engineering, but I am also passionate about many other things in my life. To anyone reading this, including my future self, don’t forget that.