[flojor10]

Hi, I'm a freshman in hs and I'm planning on becoming a me, I have a few questions about the career. What do you spend most of your time doing? What softwares do you use? How easy is it to find a job and what industries have the most me's? Do you actually build things or just design?

Thanks, Curious George

[txcncman]

Some mechanical engineers actually design things. Some of them actually get to use hands on and build things. Many mechanical engineers end up being management type people that have other people working for them doing the designs and building. The job really depends on what company the mechanical engineer ends up working for, and not the job title. Many machinists actually do the job of mechanical engineers due to years of experience. They just do not have the job title. A mechanical engineering degree from a college or university will not mean you really know how to be a good mechanical engineer. Good mechanical engineers need real life experience. Good design engineers have real life experience in building things. They know the limits of manufacturing methods.

As a machinist, I like to eat bad mechanical engineers for breakfast.

Remember when it comes to purchasing components or services: You can have it good, fast, cheap - pick only two.

[taiden]

I'm a non traditional student in Mech E. I have no career experience. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

A machinist with a whole brain can definitely "eat a bad mechanical engineer for breakfast." But an engineer with a whole brain could walk all over a bad machinist just the same.

In school I feel as if you can tell who is going to be a good engineer and who isn't. There are people in my major who are overachievers and only go for the grade. They don't care about how things work, they just want to be able to answer the professors questions quickly and accurately. When they graduate they will be CAD monkeys.

Engineering as a major is no joke. If you want to have as much fun as possible in college don't be an engineering student. You must be prepared to learn a lot of science and math. As an engineering student you will go further in math alone than any other major except physics and mathematics. When you graduate as an engineer, you are immediately first pick for a lot of non engineering related jobs because you have proved that you can complete the program... not at all an easy feat in itself. And you will be in the top 0.01% in the world for mathematics ability.

"Mathematics is the great equalizer," you can be a minority from the slums with one eye no legs and three arms, and if you can show up to class and find directional derivatives of three dimensional functions, you will be able to find a decent job when you graduate.

That said, I have no plans on going into an engineering career. I plan on using all the skills I will learn to be a hyper-successful entrepreneur.

If you want my opinion on how to be a successful engineer, I would start by:

Learn how operate a manual lathe and mill
Learn how to do carpentry
Learn how to TIG weld and stick weld
Use khan academy to blow through math and aim to complete Calc 2 your senior year. Take the AP exam
Save up $500 and use it to start a business (and fail)
Don't ask your parents to buy you a new car, buy an old junker and get it going
Drive this car 1000 miles in one direction and then turn around

If you can do this all before your freshman year as an engineering student I will personally guarantee that you will be more successful in life than 98% of your graduating class.

[txcncman]

I'm a non traditional student in Mech E. I have no career experience. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

A machinist with a whole brain can definitely "eat a bad mechanical engineer for breakfast." But an engineer with a whole brain could walk all over a bad machinist just the same.

In school I feel as if you can tell who is going to be a good engineer and who isn't. There are people in my major who are overachievers and only go for the grade. They don't care about how things work, they just want to be able to answer the professors questions quickly and accurately. When they graduate they will be CAD monkeys.

Engineering as a major is no joke. If you want to have as much fun as possible in college don't be an engineering student. You must be prepared to learn a lot of science and math. As an engineering student you will go further in math alone than any other major except physics and mathematics. When you graduate as an engineer, you are immediately first pick for a lot of non engineering related jobs because you have proved that you can complete the program... not at all an easy feat in itself. And you will be in the top 0.01% in the world for mathematics ability.

"Mathematics is the great equalizer," you can be a minority from the slums with one eye no legs and three arms, and if you can show up to class and find directional derivatives of three dimensional functions, you will be able to find a decent job when you graduate.

That said, I have no plans on going into an engineering career. I plan on using all the skills I will learn to be a hyper-successful entrepreneur.

If you want my opinion on how to be a successful engineer, I would start by:

Learn how operate a manual lathe and mill
Learn how to do carpentry
Learn how to TIG weld and stick weld
Use khan academy to blow through math and aim to complete Calc 2 your senior year. Take the AP exam
Save up $500 and use it to start a business (and fail)
Don't ask your parents to buy you a new car, buy an old junker and get it going
Drive this car 1000 miles in one direction and then turn around

If you can do this all before your freshman year as an engineering student I will personally guarantee that you will be more successful in life than 98% of your graduating class.

+1

[Caprirs]

ME is an incredibly broad field. They design missiles, cars, machines, buildings, and pretty much everything that must be made in this world (and for other worlds ).

MEs are human like everyone else. Some are arrogant jerks who are sure they're smarter than anyone else :argue: just because they have completed a difficult program and cannot possibly learn a damned thing from someone with less education. On the other hand, the education makes an excellent bullstuff filter :bs: for seeing through the old wives tales and mythology of those jerks who rely entirely on experience as the only valid teacher in life and think all that book lernin' is a waste o' time.

Some MEs are very hands on in manufacturing. Others sit behind desks and only manage others. The world needs engineers who can make things and also needs engineers who can theorize about new ideas and do ground breaking research.

As far as software is concerned, this forum will show a heavy bias towards manufacturing. However, MEs also design HVAC for buildings, specialize in heat transfer, thermodynamics, power sources, fluid dynamics, vibration analysis, materials science, metallurgy, and a myriad of other disciplines that have nothing to do with manufacturing.

[flojor10]

I'm a non traditional student in Mech E. I have no career experience. So take what I say with a grain of salt.

A machinist with a whole brain can definitely "eat a bad mechanical engineer for breakfast." But an engineer with a whole brain could walk all over a bad machinist just the same.

In school I feel as if you can tell who is going to be a good engineer and who isn't. There are people in my major who are overachievers and only go for the grade. They don't care about how things work, they just want to be able to answer the professors questions quickly and accurately. When they graduate they will be CAD monkeys.

Engineering as a major is no joke. If you want to have as much fun as possible in college don't be an engineering student. You must be prepared to learn a lot of science and math. As an engineering student you will go further in math alone than any other major except physics and mathematics. When you graduate as an engineer, you are immediately first pick for a lot of non engineering related jobs because you have proved that you can complete the program... not at all an easy feat in itself. And you will be in the top 0.01% in the world for mathematics ability.

"Mathematics is the great equalizer," you can be a minority from the slums with one eye no legs and three arms, and if you can show up to class and find directional derivatives of three dimensional functions, you will be able to find a decent job when you graduate.

That said, I have no plans on going into an engineering career. I plan on using all the skills I will learn to be a hyper-successful entrepreneur.

If you want my opinion on how to be a successful engineer, I would start by:

Learn how operate a manual lathe and mill
Learn how to do carpentry
Learn how to TIG weld and stick weld
Use khan academy to blow through math and aim to complete Calc 2 your senior year. Take the AP exam
Save up $500 and use it to start a business (and fail)
Don't ask your parents to buy you a new car, buy an old junker and get it going
Drive this car 1000 miles in one direction and then turn around

If you can do this all before your freshman year as an engineering student I will personally guarantee that you will be more successful in life than 98% of your graduating class.

Thanks for your response, this has really given me a feel for what I'm up against. I took a look at khan academy and want to use it during the summer to test out of algebra 2, then go straight to calculus as a sophmore. What sciences would be best for me to take by my senior year, I go to an engineering magnet school so they offer up to physics 3. As far as practical skills I'm pretty advanced, I can MIG, tig, and stick weld, and with my Cnc router experienced my fair share of carpentry. This summer I've been selected to go to a month long internship/design program at my local college, so hopefully I can get my hands on a lathe or mill this summer! My last question is how important is what college you go to?

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[RICHARD ZASTROW]

You might be able to get into some type of co-op arrangement with a manufacturing company in your chosen field. You can get paid for practical experience on the shop floor during your off-time from school.

Back in the day, co-op was very common. But then, so was state indentured apprenticeships.

Beware of the fly by night on-line "colleges". If their credits can not be accepted/transferred by a top level university, they're worthless. If some of those so-called "degrees" appear on your resume, the HR "gatekeepers" immediately file your resume in the shredder.

Dick Z

[TomB]

Most are replying based on what they think an engineer will do. Perhaps the perspective of someone still working as a ME after almost 50 years would add value. I can and still do calculus. But calc is not just differentiating or integrating, it really is about developing the Diff Eq for some ‘situation’ then moving to its solution or solution estimate. Further the ‘situation’ can be mechanical, virtual, economic, …. and you will still be doing engineering. Last Saturday evening I had dinner with two economics professors and asked about auditing some of their courses. To assess my qualifications they asked about my undergraduate degree and I said ME. The immediate response was you’re qualified, even though the degree was 48 years old. – They went on to say that students that have learned to count like an engineer never lose the skill. Generally they are successful in economics and that 50% of the Economics PhD’s are issued to individuals with an engineering undergrad degree. There is no path that is not open to an engineering graduate.

Personally I spent the first few years designing manufacturing tooling and in doing so learned a great deal about metal and plastic machining and usage. At the same time I did some programming in support of testing and from that got into simulation and orbital trajectory optimization. When that ended the optimization skills were applied to CNC program generation (what we now call CAM and CNC software) and then to diagnostic programming for computers and what we then called Sonar Signal Processors. After a stint in management I went back to the technical side and ended up in petroleum exploration modeling (the processing of the acoustic echoes to map the ground strata or well flow rates to optimize tirchinary(sic) recovery methods). The connection was a good understanding of math and what was then the modern techniques related to FFT and Kalman Filtering. What makes the ‘connection’ important to a note on what an ME does, is that the Fast Fourier Transforms and Kalman Filters were both invented after I graduated. The ME must not only do what he/she learned in college - he/she must, because inventions happen, learn new skills then utilize those skills as the resident expert. Changed jobs and did some technical marketing. Discovered a need for better target tracking with scanning type radar and invented a technique based upon n-dimensional relaxation and optimization. It took nearly a decade to develop and market successfully. Another few years spent reviewing what young engineers were doing and I retired from industry. But I did not stop being an ME. I bought a broken down ski mountain and have been involved in the repair of it and the machines it uses for 3 years. Repairing ski lifts, snowmaking systems, snow groomers and trail mowers as well as planning the future developments is also ME’ing and I expect to be doing it for many more years.

As an old man, I’m probably a bit too far removed from high school to comment on the merits of Physics III, but I don’t think high school is the time to focus on advanced calculus and physics. In high school one should learn to write and speak persuasively, to learn civics and to understand how to sort BS from insight. Take a few AP Calc or Physics courses if you must, but don’t let them crowd out Biology, Earth Science or History. In an ME undergraduate program you will learn calculus and physics but there will be no time for the non-mechanical stuff so get exposed before you have to specialize.

Tom B

[taiden]

Tom, you must have some fantastic stories.

I agree with Tom that you shouldn't focus too hard on science during high school. If you complete calc 2 in high school you will be ahead but not as much as you may think. My reason for telling to do this was because you will have a better idea of what lies ahead in an engineering degree.

Tom also alluded to something I wanted to bring up. You'll notice he uses the term "optimization" several times in his post. It is my (non-professional) opinion that this is the true strength of the engineer. The ability to look at a problem and to ignore the first solution in favor of the most optimized solution is what separates good engineers from everyone else.

Most people can find the solution to a problem, but the good engineer will find the best solution.

Say you're in charge of the manufacturing of 1,000,000 units of product. If you can cut $0.07 from the cost of each unit you have just generated $70,000 out of thin air! The different between an engineer and a good engineer can be millions of dollars on a single decision. (Or millions of lives!)

My plans for school are to hone my optimization skills to a sharp point and then use this skill as an entrepreneur.

[flojor10]

Well then guys I guess I'll try not to burn myself out in High School and hit it hard in college. I'll still try at the many "fun" engineering opportunities my school offers, because you guys make college seem like its all math and physics. At my HS (SciTech) they seem to portray engineering more as a Trial and Error type of thing where engineers spend all of their time using CAD. For that reason they teach us Autodesk Inventor, Solidworks, and Master CAM. How important is knowing this software or am I learning the wrong software? BTW: I got to use the school's 3D printer today to print a model (It's probably still printing now), but I'll try to get pics up tommorow.

Thank You Everyone who has responded, Jorge Flores

[taiden]

One of my professors said the most terrifying thing to me. It was a Mechanics of Materials class (some call it Strengths of Materials).

He said, "You don't really need to learn this, because you will all just use SolidWorks anyway."

I'm afraid that careers like Toms are no more. Everything is so heavily computer based now that lots of engineers just punch in drawings and numbers and take the computers word as gospel.

The story goes that the 1992 3 series was BMW's first vehicle that was designed using CAD. This car was manufactured with sheet metal too thin around the rear subframe bushings. After about 150,000 miles these tend to tear out of the unibody. All because the engineers took the CAD's output as gospel.



Make sure you talk to your teachers about the difference between Mechanical Engineers and Mechanical Engineer Technicians. Your engineering related stuff at your highschool might be a feeder for METs, which is a much different thing from ME.

I don't really want to get into that at the risk of offending MET's on this forum. Here's a thread I found about it http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=366103

[mcrLABS]

I graduated with a BSME in 2007 from Wichita State University. I have been working as a Mechanical Engineer since then (plus some co-ops and internships since 2005). I have worked in the Automotive industry and the Aerospace Industry. Mostly in Research and Development, testing and product development.

If you are interested in becoming an mechanical engineer simply because Engineers have a reputation of making good $$$ I would advise against making this career choice for that one reason alone. Although the cash is good, I have personally found that if you hate what you do, the extra cash DOES NOT make any difference....The best advice I can provide to you is to follow your passion...Whatever that may be...Don't subjugate yourself to this unless you really love exotic mathematics. (Every single engineering class is really an applied mathematics class). While your friends are taking elective classes like bowling and beer drinking, you will be relegating yourself to science electives such as Computational Fluid Dynamics, Advanced Engineering Mathematics, and my personal fav....Finite Element Analysis. Your University life will suck, and it will continue to suck once you get a job because this is the type of stuff you will do everyday.

Engineering school is hardwork, but I do believe most people could get through it as long as you are willing to put in the work by studying hard. Alot of knuckle heads make it through engineering school. I think most people drop out only because they do not want to put in the late nights and weekends of doing math problems for 5 years...(Most Engineering programs take 5 years unless you are willing to take 15 to 18 credits per semester, including 4-6 credits every summer semester). Most of your non engineering friends will leisurely take 12-15 credits per semester and have every summer off.

The best thing you can do for yourself if you really want to have a good career in engineering can be summed up as follows.

1. Learn any 3D CAD program...(They are pretty much all the same, once you learn one you will find that they all pretty much follow the same philosophy and just have differnt names for the same tools)

2. Become a novice programmer of Visual Basic, Python or C++ (VB is the easiest in my opinion). You don't have to make hyper advanced software packages, but being able to make small programs for all of your super annoying, repetitious tasks will make your life more enjoyable. (I didn't learn this until my 3rd year as an engineer).

3. Learning basic welding and or maching is good to do so that you can design things with some sensiblility. Expert level is not required, just put your hands on it so you can ask good questions when you have to while protecting yourself from BS.

4. Really take ownership of the math you will study...There is no way you can know it all, but if you can master calc 1 2 and 3 as well as differential equations you can get around anything else.

5. Learn how to use a micro controller, This will help you solve alot a little problems for low cost which your boss will love. (basic stamp, Arduino, PIC micro)

6. Learn a Chinese language or French, or German...Russian will probably become popular in the next 10 years. Spanish is good to know, but you will likely get sent to Mexico all the time to fix manufactring problems

[johnohara]

flojor10~

Alg 1 --> Alg 2/College Alg, Trig --> AP Calculus AB/BC.

In college, Calc 2, Calc3.

Learn to program.

Learn physics and chemistry.

Work hard.

~john

[taiden]

I would suggest learning python as I believe it is the fastest language to become proficient at and is extremely powerful. Not only is it powerful but the included library is so extensive most of the complicated stuff has already been done for you. The same could be said about C++ but python is like reading plain english. C++ is much faster though but with the computers we have these days that will almost never be a factor for you except maybe if you're using the finite element method at which point you will probably already be using MatLab in your classes

[keebler303]

Lots of good advice here. I'll add my thoughts.

Learn how to write well. How many technical reports do I see that look like a middle school book report. Start now with your chemistry lab or whatever. Write reports that make sense, follow an outline and convey the intended ideas clearly. It's probably not the favorite thing for an ME to do but it's almost a given you will be writing some type of reports.

You MUST do a co-op. I learned tons there. I had a job offer from them my junior year. Some peers who never did a co-op were hurt when it came time to find a job.

When it comes time to interview for a co-op or a job, take a portfolio of your work. CAD models you made, cars you worked on, go karts you built, CNC machines you have in your garage, parts you welded/machined/designed. This will prove you are not just a talker but you can deliver.

Hands on experience is vital.
Know what a chuck key is, how to put threads in a hole, how to solder wires, connect switches, know how an engine works, etc. etc. The number one thing an employer wants is hands on experience. It is severely lacking in our suburban, playstation 3, facebook world.

Programming is good, teaches you a lot about logical thinking. A lot of things are done "the hard way" for years and you can spend 1 day to write a program that will save weeks of time analyzing data, importing data, blah blah blah.

Strength of materials is good, anyone who truly knows FEA knows not to trust a 5 minute calculation. A good FEA model may take months to develop, you can make some informed assumptions, do a calculation, apply a factor of safety and be done in less time.

Pay attention in all your classes, they are important. I didn't figure that out until halfway through adn had to play catch up. Save all your text books. The money is tempting but you are getting pennies on the dollar to sell them back and they will be an invaluable reference in the future.

Go to a legitimate school. The name of the school might get you in the door, but you still have to prove yourself. As mentioned earlier avoid any fly by night, online, distance learning BS. Go to a conventional school known to have a solid engineering program. ABET accreditation is one thing to look at.

Right now you can get involved in hobbies which will develop your engineering skills. Small engine repair, go karts, rocketry, rc cars, real cars, guns etc. If you want to see true engineering, look at a 1911 pistol. It has been the standard for over 100 years and was designed and built before your grandparents were born. You think J.M. Browning had CAD and FEA? Even without those tools, he still designed a machine which is as useful today as it was 100 years ago.

Software is a tool, not a crutch. Learn how to do everything by hand, use the software to make yourself faster, not smarter.

Don't rely on a calculator 24/7. I am embarassed when I see an ME student who cannot do simple multiplication and division. 1/8 in decimal should be a no brainer, 1/16 should only take a second or two in your head, why does everyone reach for their smart phone?

Starting out, you want your skillset to be versatile. Once you settle into a career, you can specialize.

Basic Electronics
Process Control (temperature, motion, etc)
hydraulics, pneumatics, etc.
gears, bearings, pullies, etc.
composites
mechanical testing

WOW, that got long fast

Have fun
Matt

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

A little humor here. There is a poll somewhere here that asks if "you" would pass on your knowledge to others. My reply was like "yes, if you can find somebody to do it."

I'm 71 years old and would be happy to be replaced. I do the mechanical designing for gear cutting machines. A much younger guy does the electronics stuff.

This is like rubbing circles on your head and stomach simultaneously times 4.

I still enjoy doing this stuff. In fact, I retired at 62. That lasted almost 2 weeks and then I was bored stiff so I started my own company (consulting on MY terms).

Still doing it !!!

Dick Z

[txcncman]

One thing to add, learn to write purchase orders and requests for quotes correctly and completely. I have met 100's of people in the machining industry and only 2 of them know how to do this, myself and the person that taught me. When you write a PO or RFQ incorrectly, you might get something you did not want and it will cost lots more money to correct it than just taking the time to do it right the first time.

[flojor10]

Ok first off Is like to thank everyone who responded for taking their time and sharing your knowledge. One thing I should have told you guys is that I'm in the schools solar car team, today I recieved a order (35 lines 257parts) from mcmaster Carr for the cars chain drive, front suspension, steering r&p, and back suspension parts. Btw: I designed them to, I checked the parts and not a single messed up item or wrong thread size, but that's probably because I made a parts list in inventor. I also received the machined components from a machine shop earlier this week, I messed up the technical drawings by leaving out a dimension:banghead:, but other wise ok. Anyways ill try using python. Also does anyone have advice on motivating other people in a team to work harder (solar car). It seems like the other members are motivated but as soon as it comes to the dirty work (welding, wiring, or assembling) they go inside or just stand by and watch me and my friend work. Those people who have had interns have you ever experienced this?

Btw: I said I would get pics,of my 3d printed parts, but I didn't know you have to put them in a chemical bath to dissolve the support material so ill post them Monday

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[txcncman]

Motivation? You mean the judicious application of high explosives?

[flojor10]

Motivation? You mean the judicious application of high explosives?

Well that's one way to do it, probably would work well.

Hey txcncman where in tx are you from?
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