The professional exams have started again – why do they seem so difficult? Confidence has been severely damaged.
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The original poster is quite stupid to begin with; they’ve never been good at subjects like math and physics. Unfortunately, due to my ignorance in my youth, I chose a science and engineering major; through tremendous effort, I was finally able to graduate successfully. I took the foundation exam for the certification back then, and it took me 3 attempts to pass it. I didn’t take the exam for that major in 2015; I heard it might be offered again in 2016. Since I have quite a bit of free time now with no much work to do, I plan to take it again. Opening the association’s thick textbook and looking at the table of contents, it doesn’t seem difficult at first; it feels like I’ve already learned all of it. But in practice, when I started working on it again, the first chapter on the constant calculation of materials and heat gave me a tough start. Every example problem is so complicated; it covers so many aspects, and the solution processes given in the book are extremely long! Just taking a look at it – it’s already difficult to understand it properly, let alone solve problems using it. I still haven’t finished Chapter 1 yet; I’m exhausted – so many brain cells have been used up. And it’s hard to understand, plus I feel sleepy… For a single example problem, even if I don’t try to solve it on my own but just follow the solution steps given in the book, it still takes half an hour. At this rate, if I were to do it myself, it might take an hour just to solve one problem. It really feels too difficult! There are a few more questions that I simply couldn’t understand; I got Example 1.3.4-1 right away. There are also unsteady-state processes, setting up differential equations – it’s absolutely overwhelming. It feels like it’s already good to be able to finish one chapter per month; for 10 chapters, that would take 10 months. It would be very difficult to even finish the textbook, let alone find time to do exercises If I have to spend 3-4 years studying for a professional degree as well, I’ll be old by then – what’s the point? Looking for comfort? Give up instead? :L
It’s a bit difficult at first to get things running properly, but things will improve a lot after making the corrections – so it’s important to stay confident. Additionally, it is recommended to make appropriate choices by focusing on the most important aspects and ignoring the less significant ones; in other words, concentrate on the key points and give up on those individual issues that are difficult and carry little weight in terms of scoring
Start over from the basics, clarify the fundamental definitions and concepts; don’t try to tackle difficult topics right away, as this can easily demoralize you. Usually, the first time you read it, you can hardly understand it; the second time, you’re unlikely to be able to solve it; the third time, you’ll probably get it wrong. But there’s a fourth time, and by then you can usually solve it correctly. Learning is a process; since it’s a process, it needs to be carried out step by step – one must avoid rushing through it carelessly!
Never give up. By the way, where did the original poster buy those professional textbooks? Could you tell me? I haven’t looked for them carefully yet. . .
I used the textbooks from Tianda University to prepare for the professional exam; it seems that the difficulty level of those textbooks isn’t very high. However, they are from 2004, so I wonder if they are already outdated. I’m unsure what to do
Enlightening moment: handshake
I have a textbook from Tianjin University published by a colleague; it’s also the 04 edition, and it’s a bit thinner than the one published by the association. For the same example problem, namely that on the heat of dissolution of HCl, I find that the solution approach used in the Tianda edition to be simpler, with a clearer logic and easier to understand. But the baselines for the two versions are different. Now, I plan to follow a book first. It’s fine as long as one can understand it.
Well, I’m also preparing for the exam. I took a look at the score distribution – physics, chemistry, and principles of chemical engineering carry high weights, and those two subjects related to design standards also have significant scores. I’ll focus my preparation on these areas. As for project management and things related to economics, I’ll deal with them later; there’s no way around it – I’m not very smart, and even so I feel I don’t have enough time to prepare properly
It’s easier to achieve success when one does things they like and are good at; in the case of the person who posted this, it’s recommended to try doing other things. The market is like this again now... Even if you pass the exam, there isn’t much future ahead. It’s not that I want to dampen spirits, but as someone who’s been through it somewhat, I feel that too much effort is put into this field, yet the rewards are minimal! It’s best not to jump into that pit.
Well, I’ve thought about doing other things as well. Due to professional limitations, the options available are still quite limited. 1. Study *pipeline materials and stress analysis. Since the company is small and has few operations, the boss is reluctant to let employees go for training. I’m currently self-studying things related to pipeline materials, not in great depth, just to get a basic understanding. I plan to learn stress analysis next. We haven’t reached that stage yet, but I have a feeling that mechanics-related topics will be quite difficult. 2. Take the exam to become a registered environmental impact assessment engineer. A friend told me that for the environmental impact assessment registration exam, it mainly tests knowledge of various laws and regulations as well as things that require memorization; calculations aren’t very difficult. I also considered whether to give it a try. I have the idea, but it’s not part of the plans yet; after all, chemical engineering is my major, and I want to give injection molding a try first. Perhaps the slower thinkers find it harder to make decisive choices; after all, I’ve passed the foundational exams, and it’s my own major, so I want to give it a try. There are also some concerns regarding the input-output of injection molding. Indeed, compared to other certificates, the certificate for registered chemical professionals is not very valuable either. With the economy declining and the industry in a downturn, company business volume has dropped sharply; it is said that many small design firms will go bankrupt as a result of this situation. I just think that having a certificate might serve as an extra advantage if I change jobs in the future Or maybe the compound isn’t short of this brick? I am indeed a bit lost. Regarding this situation, it’s best not to jump in, but some things are like a besieged city – those inside want to get out, while those outside want to get in. There’s not much work to do right now, so it’s just a way to recharge myself.