r/QUTreddit

So basically I’ve already gotten an offer for the BEng/BMath, but I don’t know what to major in?

I’m not worried about how difficult it is, but rather how fun. I know I should pick whatever seems more interesting but it’s such a tie that idk what I would pick over the other. Please help me decide, even if it comes down to what companies the WIL is done with.

Hello, any update on annual scholership round

Just wanted to share my feelings on here as an outlet.

I started at QUT in Engineering in 2023. This coincides more or less exactly with the release of ChatGPT 4. Throughout my degree, AI has gone from being relatively worthless as a tool for engineering to industry standard.

I went into Engineering solely for my love of problem solving. Money was never important to me, and it has never motivated me. I also found myself in a position where I was fortunate enough not to have to work whilst studying, allowing myself to study full time. As such, university and Engineering have been the totality of my life for the last 4 years.

Last semester, I encountered a situation which shook me. I had been working on an assignment for 2 days straight, putting in maybe fourteen hours of work into getting a system designed for an embedded system. I'd brought in the system to have it marked, and as I sat in class, I began talking to the person next to me. They, surprisingly, hadn't done the assignment - they didn't even know what it was. Over the next 30 minutes, I watched them prompt a program into existence. They walked out with full marks.

What shook me wasn't the blatant academic dishonesty, but that the system the AI made was, more or less, identical to mine. The only difference is that it easily avoided the pot-holes I fell into when I developed it the first time.

So, I decided to avoid being a luddite and try to implement these tools into my own workflow.

And I've hated it. Both because the things I can develop are infinitely more robust and better designed than what I was making before, and that the process is gone - half the time I don't even know what I've made, only that it works. I've tried to stop, but several of my classes now expect (if not require) you to use it, and have increased system complexity as a result.

I feel rotted from the inside, not because of any moral quandaries but because the process I fell in love with is, essentially, defunct. I understand that for most people, this isn't world-ending, but I really need to reiterate that this was essentially my life. I'm no longer sleeping or eating properly. I have never been less motivated to do anything in my life. Yesterday I genuinely just sat at my desk and stared at my monitor, not doing anything. This post is the most amount of work I've done in at least 2 weeks.

Tl;dr: I feel like AI has replaced the Engineering / problem-solving process I fell in love with, and now I am probably severely depressed.

Apologies if this is extremely rambly. I just needed to get this off my chest.

i submitted an assignment last night and I had not realised before submitting but one of my sentences is incredibly similar to the article i got it from. Like I used the same words but just jumbled them around and the last 3 words are identical to the source. i didnt reference it for that sentence, but i referenced it for the next sentence. this might seem minor, and maybe it is, but im really freaking out, i just didnt notice how similar it was. would they pick you up for plagiarism based on one sentence? how strict are they? does this seem like a problem? i cant see my turnitin report so i cant even tell if its highligthed for similarity.

I have been going through it lately. In the middle of last month I had a close family member pass unexpectedly so wasn’t as on top of everything as I should have. I managed to get the initial 1 week extension using my access plan due to mental health difficulties and additional caring responsibilities due to my elderly grandfathers dementia and health worsening. I then developed a pretty gnarly cold/flu/who knows so I got an additional week. Despite antibiotics whatever I have will not go and has worsened into an ear infection AND I found out my eardrum ruptured today 🙃🙃🙃 luckily my local GP was open today so was able to get it checked etc. I did get an additional med cert but it’s very vague despite showing her the special circumstances guidelines 😭

I’ve been trying all day to finish up everything but I feel like total ass, I can’t hear out of my left ear and the meds are making me drowsy af 😢

I’m so annoyed that I got so sick right in the thick of everything, I literally don’t have anything else due until the 30th 😔

A question for those who are currently or were recently studying 1st year engineering at QUT.

What is the workload like in the middle of semester 1? I’d like to go overseas during the Easter lecture recess week between Weeks 5 and 6. Do you think this will be possible or is there a lot of work due at this time?