The Daily Dose. 18 Weeks of Daily Motivation for College STEM Majors. Written and Narrated by Author Jonathan David. i no i’m write. A False Reality Publishing Production.
“The Daily Dose” is your 18-week guide to staying focused, inspired, and disciplined throughout the college grind. Designed specifically for STEM majors, this book compiles summaries and insights from over 100 motivational podcasts created to help students develop a clear mindset for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Each daily entry delivers a concise dose of perspective, discipline, and encouragement to help you push through burnout, exam stress, and self-doubt—while building the consistency and confidence required to thrive in demanding academic paths. Blending real advice, philosophical reflection, and practical lessons drawn from years of tutoring and mentoring, “The Daily Dose” turns 18 weeks of podcast wisdom into a powerful companion for every college student ready to take charge of their education and future.
Okay, boys and girls, are you ready to learn why Americans suck at STEM degrees, specifically math, physics, and engineering? Even more specifically, engineering? Let’s break this down. You can relate this to math; you can relate this to physics.
Here’s the bona fide fact: the reason why the failure rate for engineering majors is so high—50%, 60%, even 70%—is because most Americans approach education and science with beliefs instead of discipline. They think they can whine, cry, and badger their way into success, but science doesn’t care about your feelings.
Electricity doesn’t care about your political beliefs. Calculus doesn’t care if you’re a liberal or a conservative. You either know what you’re doing, or you don’t. Yet so many students fail because they refuse to do the work. They fail miserably and then think they can buy their way through.
Why Engineering Demands Integrity
Here’s why engineering is different. Engineers hold people’s lives in their hands. If you mess up a calculation, it’s not just your grade that’s at risk—real people could die. This is why professors won’t let lazy, dishonest students graduate with an engineering degree.
Professors are scientists. They’ve devoted their lives to truth, and they won’t compromise their integrity to pass a student who cheats, pirates books, or refuses to put in the effort.
I’ve seen it countless times—students who argue, complain, and expect to be handed a degree just because they’ve paid tuition or hired a private tutor. These students fail because they don’t understand that in engineering, you can’t fake it. You either know it, or you don’t.
Piracy and the Entitlement Problem
Let me address something else—pirating books. Some of you think it’s morally okay to pirate textbooks because they’re expensive. You justify stealing by saying publishers make too much money, but here’s the truth: you’re stealing from everyone involved in producing those books—from the authors to the printers to the staff managing distribution.
Pirating doesn’t just make you a criminal—it shows you lack the discipline and integrity needed to succeed in STEM. Scientists find solutions; they don’t make excuses. If you can’t afford a book, most schools have programs to help. But if your default response is to steal, you’re not engineer material.
The Mindset of Failure
This entitlement mindset—this belief that you can whine or badger your way into success—doesn’t work in STEM. Politics might bend to loud voices, but math and physics don’t. It’s black and white, right or wrong. Yet, so many of you were raised to think that never backing down, never admitting you’re wrong, is a sign of strength. It’s not. It’s why over 50% of engineering students fail. They think they can argue their way out of a mistake, but science doesn’t care about your ego.
The Path to Success
To succeed as an engineer, you must do the work. It’s that simple. You have to put in the hours, master the material, and be honest with yourself about what you don’t know. If you cheat, pirate books, or refuse to admit when you’re wrong, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Becoming an engineer is like becoming a black belt in martial arts—it requires discipline, practice, and humility. You can’t buy it, and you can’t fake it.
Final Thoughts
Look, I know some of you might feel attacked, but I’m trying to help you. The sooner you realize that engineering demands integrity and hard work, the better your chances of succeeding. So stop making excuses, stop justifying bad behavior, and start doing the work.
Because in the end, STEM doesn’t care about your beliefs or excuses—it only cares about results. You’re either ready, or you’re not. Choose to be ready.
