Celebrities Who Come From Engineering, Physics, And Math Backgrounds

Jan 18, 2019

People who major in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields are popularly believed to have good careers lined up for them after graduation, with many job market projections showing a lot of growth in these fields.

The following celebrities, should they ever grow tired of their entertainment careers, always have a fallback in their academic backgrounds in engineering, physics, and mathematics.

Im Siwan

A truly multitalented young man, Im Siwan debuted as an idol in the group ZE:A before making a name for himself as an actor. However, he originally comes from a mechanical engineering background.

As a first-year college student, he was admitted to Busan National University’s mechanical engineering department, scoring 450 out of 500 points on the school’s entrance exam. However, he ended up dropping out of the program in second year to fulfill his dream as a singer.

Kang Dong Won

Kang Dong Won did not originally plan on an entertainment career, majoring in mechanical engineering at the ERICA Campus (Education Research Industry Cluster at Ansan) at Hanyang University and scoring 192 out of 200 on the unified entrance examination.

In his first year of college, he was spotted on the street by a modeling agent and the rest is history!

Girl’s Day’s Sojin

When it comes to STEM, there has been a lot of discussion about the lack of female and diverse representation in those fields. Girl’s Day’s Sojin has surprised more than a few broadcasters in South Korea by sharing that she comes from a mechanical engineering background.

Her choice to study mechanical engineering at Yeungnam University was influenced by her father, who operated a small automobile factory. She has talked in the past about her experience being one of a handful of girls in a 1000-student department.

Yoon So Hee

Yoon So Hee is well-known to be a student at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), a university known for its research focus in science and engineering fields. She was gifted in mathematics from an early age and attended a special science-oriented high school.

In 2011, the actress began her degree in biochemical engineering at KAIST before putting her academics on hold in order to pursue a career in acting.

Ha Seok Jin

Like Kang Dong Won, Ha Seok Jin majored in mechanical engineering at Hanyang University. During his college days, he also received a scholarship that is reserved only for students who rank in the top 10 percent.

He has appeared on the tvN variety show “Problematic Men” and in one episode, Jun Hyun Moo commented that the actor continues to apply his degree to his regular life by calculating the gravitational acceleration of new cars when they come out.

Namgoong Min

Namgoong Min is the type of actor with the kind of talent that makes you think he was born for his current career. However, he also comes from a STEM background, having graduated from a degree in mechanical engineering at Chung-Ang University. He has said that his choice of major was influenced by his parents (his father was a school principal and his mother a full-time housewife).

Lee Sang Yoon

Lee Sang Yoon is known for his intelligence as much as his good looks and acting talent. He graduated from Seoul National University, the top-ranked school in South Korea, with a degree in physics. He has shown off his brains on shows like tvN’s “Liar Game” and SBS’s “Master in the House,” on which he is currently a regular cast member.

Lee Chang Yeob

Known for his roles in “20th Century Boy and Girl” and most recently “Liver or Die,” Lee Chang Yeob previously studied engineering in college before realizing that acting was his dream. In an interview, the actor said, “I studied computers for 10 years and went into engineering after my parents told me to study what I wanted in college. But in Seoul, I realized I wanted to act and transferred to Korea National University of Arts.”