The electrical engineering degree, this degree is usually branded as being one of the most difficult engineering degrees one can enroll in, if not one of the most difficult degrees in the entire university. Well, this is true, and you should be commended on undertaking such a degree. But don't worry, when you do manage to finally complete your degree, you will be paid very nicely.

You, like many others, have enrolled with many ideas about what you want to do in this degree or what the degree is all about. In all honesty, it is whatever you want it to be, you can turn it into a telecommunications degree, power degree, computer degree, software degree, or some weird hybrid of all those. But don't stress about what you want to do, because you don't start heavily specialising in your degree until 3rd year. But whatever area you choose to specialise in, you will be well equipped with the skills necessary to learn and work in a variety of fields within electrical engineering, from creating small-scale to big-scale electronics, managing huge wireless communication systems, coding artificial intelligence programs, being in charge of big electricity distribution networks, and to creating essential embedded computer systems hardware.

1st year of electrical engineering can be reasonably summed up in three words: computers, electronics, mathematics. You will learn the basics of electrical engineering, computer systems, programming, and mathematics. And in this degree, mathematics is going to be your new best friend, so you better get well acquainted with it.

But whatever you decide is best for you, the main thing to remember while at uni is to have a fun time. Because this is probably the only time you'll have left to actually be reckless and full of alcohol. You will meet your best mates here and discover what you have been missing out on when you have spent all those hours studying in high school. If you are anything like me when I started uni, a complete social hermit living under their computer motherboard, then your time at uni will turn you into a drunken socialite that no one wants to see too often, and for good reason. But here at uni, this is going to be the last time in your life you are going to have the opportunity to do whatever you want, and have fun doing it. So don't hesitate to do something you have never done before, because in the end, you are going to thank yourself for it and also wonder what on earth happened after the rum was consumed.

And remember: fun is directly proportional to effort put in, and work is inversely proportional to the amount of fun you are having. And no one likes to do work.

Chris