I signed my boy up to brilliant.org, which looks amazing. Also, I have the suspicion that we will simply move to Europe, as college is an incredible waste of money in the US, while the education is exactly the same as in Europe. I am still fully aware that schools give SOME added value, but I much more value real life experiences and not textbooks. So we will attend a university in Europe (most likely in the Netherlands), see how it goes, and try to go from there. Thanks for the advice, everyone!

According to my brother, and I quote: "Differential equations are solved by computers, not humans - so they are basically irrelevant. The most math-heavy things are all software-related, where people use existing tools to help them do the grunt work. Also, AI is at a level, where you can just write down an equation on Wolframalpha, and it will spit out a complete solution with worked-out steps on how its done. And the employers know all of this too, and they leverage it. Engineering now is much more about how you can generate ideas that can lead to solutions, instead of implementing the mathematics behind it. As for EM Wave Theory, it is a theory that does not get applied, unless you actually want to go into EMI / EMC research. I'd say you need mostly practical understanding of electric circuits, what electricity is and how to select components. Then, depending on if you need it - you may want to be able to program microcontrollers or chips, and, most importantly now, you want to be able to fully leverage AI tools that exist." Honestly, my brother has 2 degrees - in Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. He is now a systems engineer (basically integrates the two professions together, as he puts it), and he says that universities are just as good as any well-structured course on YouTube. The degrees don't provide any value to anyone, because none of the interviewers have ever asked him (a) anything about school - even during his first job interview he got the job by talking about his hobby projects, or (b) to even show a diploma. My brother is kind of my idol when it comes to jobs and stuff like that, so I am very much inclined to listen to him.

Yes, I've been doing this for a few days now, haha. Hearing from what my brother says, you don't need that much Maths and Physics. You only need to understand the basics - the rest is all into practice. That is why that course is so valuable - it is hands-on. I will definitely look into FIRST Robotics! Thank you!

Doing the teen years is quite the challenge, especially if one is now VEEERY interested in girls, which take up a lot of the focus. And I can't blame them. But we're managing. Yes, I totally understand how this could raise some red flags, but I am not in any way associated with Belinskis Engineering, I am just a fan of their product. Similarly to how I would recommend everyone reading "Freakonomics" if they want to learn about economics, or take the MasterClass by Garry Kasparov, if they want to learn how to play chess (I've done both myself, haha).

One is starting algebra, and the older one is about to begin with calculus. Luckily for me I am quite well versed in Math and Physics - especially on the high school level, but when it comes to engineering, that's where my brother will need to help. Do you find it difficult to create a structured curriculum for them? Or do you kind of do it on the fly?

I don't know what to think now, because Lori said: "we don't need to know the name of it". Well, please, don't ban me or whatever for this. I just want to give the course a shoutout, because it really has sparked a great interest in one of my kids. A week ago, he even built a little flashlight by himself, instead of playing some video games. So, it has really become a fun activity for him and, who knows, perhaps even a career path. The name of the course is "Electronics Engineering Basics" by Belinskis Engineering.

Thank you for all this information. Well, my brother is an engineer - not an electrical one, though, and he's prepared to help. I will look into the required credits, though. Thanks!

Hello everyone! As this is basically my first post, I don't want to step on anyone's toes or break any rules here, as I find this to be a very welcoming community. Anyways, I'm a mom of 2 boys: a 13 and a 15 year old. Both are really boys - boys. Interested in fast cars, building things, sports and whatnot. I've been homeschooling them for basically their entire lives, but at one point I kind of got mentally exhausted, as I was out of ideas what to teach. And then my youngest one asked me to teach him about electricity. Needless to say, I was completely ashamed to say that I knew nothing about it, so I turned to Google. I found an amazing course (which I would recommend to anyone, but I won't name it, unless it's explicitly allowed by the moderators here). Anyways, this course has video materials (obviously), but it also comes with this small box that has some electronics stuff in it. And the child can build what they see in the videos using those electronics thingies. I never knew a hands-on / online courses existed, so I was impressed. My youngest one got completely obsessed and now he says he will be an electrical engineer when he grows up, haha. Do you guys also use courses like that to stimulate ideas in your children?

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