Enigneers... A few questions about your work.

[About2bite]

What do you do? Specific
How do you like it?
How long have you been doing it?
Do you switch from company to company or have you been with the same company for quite a while?
Is there a different area of engineering you wish you would have gone to school for?

I'm looing into mechaincal engineering and it seems like everyone I talk to says the job is boring as well as a lot of the people, I don't agree lol but I figured I'd ask.

I've been swictching majors forever and I need to stick on track with this if I do it or I won't be done with school until I'm 40 :nonono:

Appreciate the info,

Josh

 

[Blue Blitz]

Your job depends on what you make of the degree. There are boring jobs out there but there are decent ones as well. I'm a Mechanical Engineer from Texas A&M and I graduated last May. Started working for an offshore oil/gas company and I like the work pretty well. Has boring parts writing procedures etc but I get to go offshore (good and bad). Offshore definitely breaks up the monotony of office life but it also keeps you away from everyone and can get boring out here with little more to do at times than watch movies and play on the web unless you're needed. I've been doing it for about 1 1/2 years so far. I wouldn't have gone to school for anything else personally.

As far as specifics of my job?
Project Engineering for a subsea installation company that installs everything related to field development in the Gulf of Mexico primarily but have boats currently across the globe. I help with planning of the projects and writing of the procedures. Then I watch items as they are built and tested and acquire the equipment needed to install. Clients tell us what they expect and often supply the majority of the equipment to be installed and we perform the installation of their field.

William

 

[HYBRED]

I'm an ME from Texas A&M, graduated a year ago tomorrow. I work as a design engineer for an oil field equipment manufacturer. Mechanical is by far the most diverse and versatile engineering degree you can get. My job is interesting, but not exciting. How boring it is depends on what interests you. Be sure to get into a field that does, or you will be bored.

 

[Blown_By_You]

If you're not smart enough to spell "engineer" correctly, I don't see you getting too far

 

[focussvtracer]

*removed by moderator - this isnt SD*

 

[focussvtracer]

i do critical power distribution and emergency power system's for the government
electrical/electronic
its fun. fast paced can be boring at times but i doubt you will find a job that will keep you excited day in and day out all year long

 

[HandoZiZle]

How far behind are you in your engineering core classes and etc ??? I know a bunch of people that tried to do civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical but only about 3 of them are actually on track to graduate as an engineer. Anyway, good luck with your decision.

 

[M4RK]

I graduate in December w/ a BS in mechanical engineering, 4 more classes left. I've been interning at company that manufactures fasteners for the past few years. I work in quality dept. doing testing. For the most part I enjoy doing what I do, sometimes writing test reports can be a little tedious but I enjoy visiting customers, making presentations and pitching our product. Its a bit late for me but I think it'd be nice to have a minor in alternative energy given today's economy.

 

[mustang462002]

Mechanicals have a really bad future job growth by the department of labor I believe 5%. Every other engineering field has a better prospect. Try to check out those statistics first. Because manufacturing is leaving the U.S. the job prospects are very bad and its cheaper to outsource development.

 

[harry gilbert]

I have been an industrial engineer for more than 30 years, and have also been involved in the use of computers to facilitate job estimating, plant routing and scheduling, and computer aided design. I have also worked with mechanical engineers to design and architect process ventilation and design for manufacturability systems, and have written software to simulate the movement of parts and materials in manufacturing and assembly plants. The past several years I have focused on coaching and mentoring business analysts to achieve better results in identifying enterprise problems / solutions, re-engineer business processes, and define software requirements. Also wrote medical billing software and worked with several major healthcare provider systems.

Certainly there were periods of tedium, but overall the work has been exciting and rewarding. I got into many different industries, worked in many plants, and worked with some very brilliant and interesting people to solve complicated problems.

In the beginning, I jumped from employer to employer (about every 2-3 years), but worked for one employer for the last 24 years until the company was acquired in a merger and about 27,000 positions were eliminated. Now I am an independent consultant, with my own company.

My advice is to stay flexible, and don't be afraid of change. Most of the MEs I know slogged through the tedium, and then moved into project management and supervisory positions. If you will be an ME, may I suggest you join a local SME chapter.

Society of Manufacturing Engineers

 

[Fugazied]

I think it's one of those areas that sees a lot of dropouts at college level. A lot of people half finish it, because it's not an easy path of study as I understand it. Get into if you like the idea of building interesting things and have a passion for the work (don't get into it for the money, even though the money is usually good).

 

[HandoZiZle]

I think it's one of those areas that sees a lot of dropouts at college level. A lot of people half finish it, because it's not an easy path of study as I understand it. Get into if you like the idea of building interesting things and have a passion for the work (don't get into it for the money, even though the money is usually good).

That's how some of my friends got screwed over. It takes them almost 3-4 years to finally realize that engineering is not the right way for them due to how hard it is. By then, their student loan is just piling up and they ended up taking 6 to 7 years to graduate with some other degree.

 

[Derek@Amazon]

coming from some one who started...

im a designer now. i design power tools, i get to do more cool stuff then most of the engineers. they do alot of excel work and i get to do more of the 3d mechanical stuff and the hands on stuff

 

[wals9331]

I am an EE and work as a controls engineer at GM. I literally walk around all day fixing machines that assemble V8 Heads. Pretty need crap. When the production guys arent a bunch of dicks, my job is pretty freaking sweet!

 

[piss&vinegar]

What do you do? Specific
How do you like it?
How long have you been doing it?
Do you switch from company to company or have you been with the same company for quite a while?
Is there a different area of engineering you wish you would have gone to school for?

I'm looing into mechaincal engineering and it seems like everyone I talk to says the job is boring as well as a lot of the people, I don't agree lol but I figured I'd ask.

I've been swictching majors forever and I need to stick on track with this if I do it or I won't be done with school until I'm 40 :nonono:

Appreciate the info,

Josh

I work as a Firmware Engineer writing drivers(C and assembly programming) for HVAC control modules. I enjoy it very much. Been doing it for almost 4 yrs. Began working at the same company(10yrs) since I graduated but spent the first 6 yrs as a test engineer. I currently have a BS in Electrical Engineering and an associates in Automotive Technology. I am currently working toward my masters and maybe in a few years I will be able to make the jump to the automotive world working on control systems.:rockon:

 

[PureStang]

I am an Energy Business and finance major currently and love the field. I get to do a lot of alternative energy classes and engineering classes as well. i have a few more classes in this field to get a BS in it. After i graduate i plan on getting an Energy and Mineral Engineering Degree from PSU.

 

[GodStang]

I am an instrumentation and Controls engineer at a Nuclear facility. Been one for 5 years. Its the computer side of Electrical Engineering. We design how the instruments control the whole facility. Everything is controlled by a central computer so we program that. Some is fun some is very very boring. Since its nuclear work the money is very very very good. So that makes up for all of it.

 

[speedofsound]

What do you do? Specific
Build/Test/Launch Satellites; its a mechanical position, but my degree is aerospace engineering
How do you like it?
Love it.
How long have you been doing it?
4 years
Do you switch from company to company or have you been with the same company for quite a while?
Same company
Is there a different area of engineering you wish you would have gone to school for?
No

See above.

 

[venomous99]

What do you do? Specific
How do you like it?
How long have you been doing it?
Do you switch from company to company or have you been with the same company for quite a while?
Is there a different area of engineering you wish you would have gone to school for?

I'm looing into mechaincal engineering and it seems like everyone I talk to says the job is boring as well as a lot of the people, I don't agree lol but I figured I'd ask.

I've been swictching majors forever and I need to stick on track with this if I do it or I won't be done with school until I'm 40 :nonono:

Appreciate the info,

Josh

after graduating with an EE w/ emphasis in communications/digital, i took a 2 years break then ironically landed a job at a big analog semiconductor company and have been there since, going on over 6 years as a product engineer/project manager. the pay is great for engineers and its common to be in the 6figures in only a few years at least in the valley.

to maximize growth and pay, its always good to keep your options open by testing out the market. it also can help you sharpen your interview skills and could help broaden your experience if you take on new positions. a lot of times when youre comfortable doing a certain thing time goes by fast and u end up doing that forever, which isnt bad but u just never know what else is out there and could be better suited for you.

if you have the opportunity, try to get into a co-op or internship and continue to ask around for opinions from ppl in the field and be aware of the companies that you potential could land a job at. i went straight through college w/out an good idea of what engineers do and did engineering mostly as a result of process of elimination of what classes i disliked and liked. in hindsight i couldve done something else like computer science but happend to just finish EE.

dont worry about the age thing as that could just discourage u...if it takes u much longer to decide on what field it'll be worth it than finishing it all then realizing u wish u wouldve done something else. one thing to consider is that these jobs are so specialized so if you leave college with a broad knowledge base in whatever discipline u choose, ull learn mostly everything on the job so i wouldnt rely so heavily on exactly what emphasis u choose.

i work in IC new product development where i lead teams of 5 engineers developing chips that go in power related applications such as telecom and many electronic devices such as mobile devices, computers..basically anything w/ IC's. day to day activites could be anything from holding weekly meetings w/ my teams/reporting to management, going to the bench to evaluate the Si and to trouble shoot issues seen w/ our chips as part of qualification/reliability, dealing w/ manufacturing since we eventually release these chips and much more. its a fun job and nothing like what i expected in college...engineers get a bad reputation of being anti social and not having interpersonal skills but ull soon find out that its actually a necessity in our field since you work a lot in a team environment.

anyhow, have fun w/ it and it looks like you're already taking the right steps to get there.

 

[comprepsvo]

I graduated in 1974 with a degree in BSME, worked at first testing electrostatic precipiatators, then worked in a large fossil plant, at the time the largest in the world. Went in the Maint. Dept, worked my way up to Maint. Supt, Assist.Plant Manager, Plant Manager, then went into the Central Eng. and Maint. Dept. Worked for 29 years, got a good retirement package and am still working for the same company now, 35 years later. Thru that same company I have traveled almost to every state in the USA, wrote professional papers, started up the largest AFBC boiler and plant, and have done work in India for DOE,etc. I have had a great career. Done things I couldn't even have dreamed of when I was in college. Raised 4 kids, provided for college for them and have several Mustangs in the garage, all because my Dad pushed me to get into engineering.