OT Question for Eng, Mechanical, Electrical, etc...

[masraum]

I am going back to college. My mind tends towards technical things (my current career is as a Network Eng). I'm thinking I might like Mechanical engineering, but since I've never been an ME I couldn't say for sure. I don't think I'd end up going the Chemical route. I'm more likely to do something like Electrical or Mechanical.

Can some of you engineers tell me a bit about your field, what you do, if you'd do it differently if you could do it again, etc. If you want to send me an email or PM instead of public that's fine.

Ultimately I'm not necessarily going for a career change, but for the journey, and hopefully to learn some stuff that I find interesting. I was an EE major for a couple of years when I was younger and remember thinking that most of the physics type classes were interesting, Phy 1 and 2, Statics, Dynamics, Materials, Thermo, etc...

Funny, I don't really have much desire to go into Computers, but I'm not a big fan of programming, and circuit design doesn't really sound much better.

Anyway, sorry for the use of bandwidth, but this is the best place I know to find a bunch of friendly engineers that would help educate me more about the various fields.

Thanks in Advance.

[IROC]

I'm a mechanical engineer and love it. If I had to do it over again I'd do the same thing. I spent a short 2 year stint in the nuclear industry and then have been in the aerospace industry for the last 16 years. I'm a design engineer and have designed hardware for everything from Space Shuttle payloads to liquid hydrogen feed systems to military hardware.

I think mechanical engineering is the best "all-around" engineering field to go into (I'm biased of course), but as a mechanical, you end up with knowledge in electrical, chemical and civil disciplines also. I also think that mechanical engineering knowledge more directly applies to the world around us (how things work), so I think it fits your "journey to learn some interesting things" requirement.

Mike
(will design for food)

[Wil Ferch]

I'm a ME....and ditto to what IROC says...it has to be a "part" of you....don't do it out of a love of money ( only) ...( ha !)... or "career stability" or whatever. You have to like this stuff and have an inquisitive mind. I find that the thinking discipline used in studying ME has served me well in other ( ex: project management) duties.

Mike(IROC)....no kidding?....in my past I designed cryogenic pumping and vaporization systems ( LN2 / L02 / LH2)...and contracted with NASA on hydrogen trans-fill station designs. We did their facility at the Stennis Space center, where I was big-time involved at one time. Also did some work for Vandenburg Air force Base, etc.....

Small world.....

Wil

[Gene-o]

Materials engineering here with a specialty in ceramics and metallurgy. I don't have a degree, but did it the hard way through experience and on the job learning. It took almost 10 years to get to the level of junior engineer. I'll never become a senior or project engineer though. My work is interesting as I work for a major defense contractor.

If I were to do it over again, obviously I would have graduated from college. I wanted to be an aerospace engineer but I quickly realized that job oppurtunities were limited.

I studied mechanical engineering while in college simply for its jack of all trades appeal. Unfortunately finances and family situations precluded my graduation. Tried night school for a while but that's really hard with a wife and kids. My advice to you: any engineering is good, JUST GRADUATE! Good Luck in the future in any endeavour.


Gene DiGennaro
Baltimore, Md.

[donstevens]

I am an ME as well allthough I have never actually had an engineering job. I got out of school 26 years ago and went right into machinery sales. The technical background helps a lot when trying to sell a technial product to a group of engineers. It provides instant credibility.

If I had to do it over again I'd definitely choose mechanical per Iroc's and Wil's comments. The only thing I'd do differently though is I'd stay in school and get an MBA as well. A BSME with an MBA would open lots of upper level management doors that seem to be reserved for finance types.

Good Luck,

Don

[vash]

if i had to do it all over again, and i may. haha. i would go ME. i am currently a registered CE. i took some ME electives and participated in college MINI baja competitions. our school placed 16th with an all CE team. just a bunch of motorheads, studying concrete, and steel. geez. i think there is more work in CE tho. especially with the decay traffic system throughout. from what i remember, the first two years we were all one big happy family. it is later that you branched off anyways.

electrical? i still cant figure out what the heck a wheatstone bridge is.

[MotoSook]

Yep..go M.E....like me

Ditto on the above comments about ME's being more rounded. I actually started out to become an Aerospace engineer! Ha! Some youthful dream of being an specialist on a shuttle mission. Can you imagine that? My tweaking something "up there" while posting on Pelican

No really, I work in an engineering consulting firm, so I see all disciplines of engineering. No offense to anyone who is not an ME, but IMO the ME's are much more capable than the EE's or CE's or Chem E's or Meterial E's (formerly acceptable to call them metallurgists!), etc,...

As an ME in my industry, I do everything from designing buildings, pipelines, pipeline facilities, electrical design for my facilities (with help from my sparky budddies and drafter some times), electrical and pneumatic controls, flow modeling, the list goes on....and I even work with LPG+LNG+N2 injection (that's for you Wil )

The EE's here? They design panels and lighting for my buildings, route conduit, calc wire gauge...make sure the NEC is met and soak up project hours

The most important thing, regardless of one's degree is YOU! How capable are you of learning new things and applying yourself? I have know EE's that were far better mechanical engineers than mechanical engineers! And I know drafters that make far better engineers than the engineers they take instructions from!

An engineering degree does not make you an engineer! You have to be an engineer at heart to be a good engineer...and you don't need an engineering degree to be a good engineer (although it's harder these days to got that route). I see a lot of engineers who would have been better off working as used car sales men. Sure they got through school, but there couldn't design a card board box!

Just like most things in life, you make of it what you want. One really good thing about engineering is that the job market is very good and steady if you have developed yourself to be capable! With what I have seen as a consultant, there will always be a demand for good engineers.

[vash]

ok no offense to be taken: what is the engineering pecking order?

[masraum]

Thanks for the info guys. What you have said is kind of what I was thinking/hoping.

[IROC]

Originally posted by vash
ok no offense to be taken: what is the engineering pecking order?

Mechanical engineers design weapons - civil engineers design targets. :>)

Mike

[masraum]

Good one. Do Electrical and Chemical provide the raw materials for the Mechanicals' weapons?

[MotoSook]

Think of ME's as the integrators and the rest sub system designers

[addictionMS]

ME as well, most of my engineering was in software, building feedback control systems, now I have given in to the dark side, and I am in sales.

Jim

[porcupine911]

mechanical engineer here.

i'm now the manager of the mechanical engineering group at an aerospace company that specializes in aircraft fire detection.

if it were 1989 all over again, i'd study aero so i could get a high power job at an f1 team. actually there are now "motorsport engineering" specialties at several universities. i'd love to have done that.

[Grady Clay]

Good thread!

I particularly like Souk’s post. He is right on.
A good ME program encompasses all the disciplines, particularly computer science and EE. Although costly, take more than minimum to broaden your perspective.

I’m an EE by education (Carnegie Mellon) and Economics, and started my MBA when I heard my Porsche calling. My education taught me how to think clearly.

For the past 15 years, I have taught a very high end high school science research class (9th grade – 14 YO) as a volunteer. This has forced me to become familiar with a remarkable variety of disciplines. Great fun.

Whatever you do, do it well for your intellectual satisfaction. Pass it on.

Best,
Grady

[Hugh R]

Make sure you like physics and math, try a statics and a dynamics course early on.

[einreb]

Originally posted by vash
ok no offense to be taken: what is the engineering pecking order?

I seem to recall the following pecking order of 'smarts', highest to lowest ...

ChemE
Mech/Electrical
Civil

if you couldn't hack that... you went to a lowly comp sci degree. this is in the early 90's before the 'internets'. who woulda thunk those dumb c.s. guys would be making mad cash in a few years.

my undergrad was in mechanical. its a good foundation for problem solving regardless of what you end up doing for a living.

bernie, P.E.

[911nut]

My degree is in Welding Engineering. WE is another "jack-of-all-trades" engineering degree with training in Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Civil Engineering.
I work in our dying manufacturing base. If I had it all to do over again I would heve gone on to Med School. Then I could afford more cool 911's.

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by masraum
Ultimately I'm not necessarily going for a career change, but for the journey, and hopefully to learn some stuff that I find interesting. I was an EE major for a couple of years when I was younger and remember thinking that most of the physics type classes were interesting, Phy 1 and 2, Statics, Dynamics, Materials, Thermo, etc...

If you don't need the degree to change careers, why spend the money? Spend the cash on stuff that you find interesting. If cars interest you, do like Soukfu and others, and do some R&D or build up some cool rides. Unless you're deep in the sh~t, Statics and Dynamics aren't going to be immensely useful. So are you looking for a four year journey, or are you looking for a real challenge?
just my opinion, jurgen

[masraum]

Thanks, I enjoyed Physics including Statics and dynamics in college the first time, and statistics was mostly interesting, and I have been through Engineering Calc 1, 2, 3, and Diff Equ. Math and Physics are familiar and interesting to me. THat's why I am gravitating towards ME, it seemed Physics heavy.

The first time I was young and didn't really know what I wanted to do, so I didn't apply myself. This time I plan on actually learning the stuff instead o just getting by. My wife and both stepkids are in College, and after working with them for the last couple of years, tutoring them through Math and some of the sciences my love of learning has been rekindled. At 18 away from home for the first time surrounded by 30,000 other college students there are many, many more interesting things than studying. This time I don't have the same kind of distractions.

I'm confident that I can Ace most of my classes this time maybe with the occasional B.

One other question, how much does the college that you get your degree from matter. I'm in Houston. The easiest 4 year for me to transfer to is the University of Houston which is a state school, then there is Rice U which is a spendy private school, and then there is Texas A&M which is more difficult because it's not really quite local to Houston.

Thanks again.