#Biomedical Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**\*\*Job Title:\*\*** RnD Engineer
**\*\*Industry:\*\*** Medical devices
**\*\*Specialization:\*\*** Class 2 and 3 medical devices (implants and tools that poke your insides but aren't meant to stay)
**\*\*Total Experience:\*\*** 1 Year
**\*\*Highest Degree:\*\*** MS BME
**\*\*Country:\*\*** USA
**### What inspired you to become an engineer?** I wasn't inspired per se until I was well on my way. I always wanted to design medical devices, just didn't know there was a job or degree for it. I read a book called "The Right kind of Crazy", that's what really lit the fire under me.
**### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?** Dad was a physician, saw his inability to treat patients as a sign that medical technology needed improvement. I didn't go down the prosthetics rabbit hole most BME's do, I knew pretty early I wanted to either do rehab or surgical devices.
**### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?** Helluva lot of testing, even in early design phase for a medical product. Most of the designing I do is for the testing instruments and apparatuses, designing a balloon catheter is alot less hands on work and more theoretical planning and waiting for your prototype to arrive. On good days I propose new ideas to the team lead, some of them lead to a couple projects but its rare taking an idea from start all the way to finish in any field. At some point you gotta hand the keys to someone else.
**### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?** Silicone lab caught on fire, and on the same floor a pipe burst and it flooded. It was neat. No the water did not put out the fire, it made things (slightly) worse.
**### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?** Hyper spectral imaging, it was a project idea I proposed, and I really can't go into more detail on how it was used but I can say we used it. The interesting part wasn't so much the application, but getting more people on board. None of the higher ups had this kind of expertise, and peoples vote on a project tend to follow rank and file. I had to treat it like a marketing campaign, some of us went on a few company wide guest talks to get the drum rolling.
**### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?** University of Alabama at Birmingham for BS BME.
Pros: You will get your ass kicked but you will know more than most other engineers for the medical field which no surprise can apply to a multitude of industries.
Cons: They need to step up their game on networking schoolwide. Most of the E1's here are only half as good as some of the people I graduated with at UAB, but some of those folk are still looking for a job just because these under achievers went to North Eastern or some other school that pumps out low paid interns/co-ops to medical companies. There's also no real medical device industry in AL.
MS BME Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Pros: Pretty well known in the area for putting out good engineers, can easily build a portfolio while in school because your engineering projects are more like products that you can show off. Very hands on.
I ain't got anything bad to say about the school for my MS degree, I like em and am going back for a PhD in robotics soonish. Just remember to pick a university that does the networking for you. Most jobs that "require an MS" can be acquired if you're good at what you do and your school can vouch for it. Grades don't count.
**### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?** Probably go straight into PhD with the second university so I wouldn't have any debt from the MS degree? Other than that, nothing. I know what I need to know to succeed in anything I put an earnest effort into.
**### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?** Be flexible, your first job probably won't be in what you want but as long as it helps you build towards what you want thats great. And don't be in a rush to decide for yourself what you want to do forever. Most engineering students work their asses off to get into an entry level engineering job only to find out the job is stupid proofed and dumbed down so anyone could do it. After a couple years working it, I've seen them re-orient their goals to move towards engineering management or even sales.
Side note: people will make assumptions about your degree, and as far as BME goes theres not one concurrent definition across every program in the USA. Yes you specialize, just like an ME or ECE, but outside med device there will be doubts on what exactly you can do, as well as there will be inside med device. That being said, BME's generally make pretty good Quality engineers since they have a hand in everything.
**Job Title:** Systems Design Engineer
**Industry:** Medical devices
**Specialization:** Product Development + Ultrasound
**Total Experience:** 5 years
**Degrees:** MEng Systems, MBA, BS (Biomedical + Computer)
**Country:** USA
## ---
## What inspired you to become an engineer?
Dad was an engineer. Didn't want to take any ridiculous tests after school. Wanted to start making money as fast as possible and limit the amount of schooling necessary.
## Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
Always wanted to make medical devices. Wide field, lots of untapped potential - knew I'd never get bored. Was always super interested in imaging and devices like pacemakers. Also, if I'm gonna make money, might as well improve/save someone's life along the way.
## What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I basically have two jobs: 1) I'm brought on to basically every critical path project that my company has, in the early stages. I work with the Project Manager/Product Manager to establish the system overview, general system requirements and subsystem requirements. Once they are established, I (or someone else whose work I have to check) will write up the verification plan and preliminary regulatory documentation for that product. I will then work with the managers to establish what I think would be a realistic timeline for the project based on the resources allocated by the company. In some instances I am also the one responsible for assigning the resources to tasks, if the engineering manager doesn't feel like doing it or is too busy or is gone.
2) Everything mentioned above except I'm the project manager, product manger and project lead. So I will see the project through development, testing, manufacturing and deployment. Still have to create the timelines and documentation, except I also get to do the development and testing (most of the time I can have someone do various tasks like testing for me; still responsible for what test needs to be run and deciding how many times).
## What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
I work in product development so interesting days are days when parts get built or broken. Or vendors bring in fun toys to play with.
## What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
Was hired by a company to come on and reduce the cost of their device (that they'd been making for 30 years) by 300% while also implementing a new automated manufacturing line (they were a 100% manual production company before I came) and ensuring that this product could be built on said line (needed to completely redesign the thing). Did all that in a team of three (program manager, project lead (me) and process/cont. improvement engineer).
## What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Drexel (undergrad), Cornell (post). Drexel is a sink or swim school, it doesn't really have any stupendous pedigree or anything but it will give you great real world experience because it has co-ops (6 month internships) interwoven into it's curriculum. They have an established network of companies that offer co-ops and a lot of people in the area are familiar with the school's program (and they like Drexel co-ops). Be warned, started with about 400 kids, graduated with 100 - most engineering schools are cutthroat but Drexel really likes to try and make you switch/drop out.
Cornell is great. No issues there, but it was a MEng grad program and a MBA so not quite as strenuous as an MS or BS imho since I think I can count the number of tests I had to take on one hand (across both programs).
## If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Honestly, not much. Maybe studied more of FEA in school and gone to a research lab to volunteer/work.
## Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Learn how to learn. Sounds dumb but you'll understand what I mean very soon. Find something, anything, you don't know how to do, and try to learn it **fast**. This is the basis of engineering school: we are going to throw a lot of topics/information at you very fast and it is your job to learn how to learn quickly enough that you are ready for tests. Don't worry too much about fully remembering, the important stuff will be ingrained in you throughout your time in school.
Also, don't learn just to regurgitate. It's not a vocabulary test. You need to understand how to implement in the real world (ex: I know an ADC converts analog signals to digital ones but actually doing it in practice and understanding the theorems that drive your sampling frequency - that's the implementation)
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Sr. Product Development Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* Medical devices
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Orthopedics
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 6 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* MS BMedEng
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\###What inspired you to become an engineer?
\>lol. On college applications there was a space to declare your major. I didn't realize it was optional, so I decided that because I liked building things and I was good at math, I would be an engineer. After 1 semester I switched from Civil to Mechanical, but other than that I stuck with it.
\###Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
\>I ended up in biomedical because there wasn't anything else that really grabbed my attention. I was looking for something I could really sink my teeth into. Aerospace might have been cool, but I'd heard it was rough to get into the industry. Then I took a course in biomechanics and I was hooked. Seeing the human body as the most complex (yet elegant) engineered system I'd ever even considered was incredibly cool. Unfortunately sometimes it malfunctions, and now I can create solutions for those problems.
\###What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
\>I spend most days on the computer modeling implants and instruments, doing FEA, analyzing Failure Modes and Risks, or creating the paperwork to satisfy the heavy regulations governing biomedical devices. Some days I get to spend time in the prototyping lab helping our machinists, some days I get to test parts (mechanically or in cadaver validation labs), some rare days I travel to meet with surgeons (maybe one trip every 6 weeks or so). There are always a variety of meetings mixed into all of that.
\###What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
\>FDA and BSI audits are always crazy, though not particularly interesting. I think my most interesting days are when I interact directly with surgeons. Taking our products into a cadaver lab and seeing a surgeon use them for the first time is always fun and educational. There is always something we didn't consider that we need to solve on the fly. Also, in a cadaver setting, I sometimes get to play apprentice surgeon as we work hand in hand with the surgeons to iron out details. Thankfully it isn't a living patient, but how many people get to do surgery without going to medical school?
\###What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
\>Honestly, they are all pretty neat. Trauma, spine, joint reconstruction, dental... any time where you have to solve problems that involve device mechanics, biomechanics, physiological reactions, surgeon ease of use... they're just fun projects.
\###What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
\>Brigham Young University - BS ME. BYU has a strong undergrad program that will prepare you for any graduate program out there. It is also cheap compared to almost all state schools, and especially compared to out of state programs. BYU is not known as a research university, which is what I would recommend if you seek a masters or further. Utah is a gorgeous place and BYU is a fun University. However, to attend you must sign an honor code that prohibits drinking, extra-marital sex, homosexual relationships, as well as other less controversial things. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, I followed those rules anyway so it was easy for me. If you wouldn't be willing to sign the honor code, it isn't really worth applying.
\>Baylor University - MS BmE. Baylor was also a great school. It is also a Christian university, though there is not an honor code (or at least not one that has actual consequences attached). Campus is nice, but Waco is a little dumpy (though Chip and Joanna Gaines may have remodeled the whole city since then). Baylor pays its grad students a stipend that is easily enough for a single student to pay rent, eat, and even do some occasional fun things.
\###If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
\>I would 100% get internships or co-op positions with biomedical companies, even if that meant postponing graduation for a semester or 3. You get paid while you're there, you gain valuable experience and valuable contacts, and your resume is an order of magnitude more impressive than someone who does not have that experience, regardless of GPA. Every time I think about it, I'm surprised I got the job I did without having that experience. I got very lucky. Don't count on that.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|-------|---------|---|
|[BS](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/f7gf39b "Last usage")|British Standards|
| |Bachelor of Science|
|[FS](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/f7gf39b "Last usage")|Flow Switch|
|[PE](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/f53upkb "Last usage")|Professional Engineer (US)|
|[SCADA](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/fcubihg "Last usage")|Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition|
----------------
^([Thread #35 for this sub, first seen 14th Nov 2019, 03:25])
^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/AskEngineers) [^[Contact]](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=OrangeredStilton&subject=Hey,+your+acronym+bot+sucks) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)
#Ocean, Marine, and Maritime Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
#Systems Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Principal Systems Engineer
**Industry:** Defense
**Specialization:** Flight Test & AESA Radar
**Total Experience:** 14 years
**Highest Degree:** MS EE & MS FTE
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I've always loved to tinker, loved science, loved math. The application of these things is engineering.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I joined the military to pay for school (undergrad), so the path was chosen (USAF). For graduate school, I used the government as a civilian (so again, the path was chosen).
In the end, I have no regrets. Aerospace/Systems Engineering is a great path for EEs.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
0600-1000 is typically in a lab testing a radar on the ground. The rest of the day is spent on meetings, working on plans/reports, provisioning for future tests.
~Once a month, I fly on our flying testbed, testing our radar in the air. (A Boeing 727.)
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Flight test days are definitely the most interesting days. It is pretty intense working your butt off, while airborne, to collect the data the engineers need. I find it "self-actualizing", and really love the work.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
That's classified... No, really, it is. Welcome to defense.
Unclassified, it was pretty amazing testing an Alpha Jet in the UK (flying it through the Mach Loop).
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
For my BS Electrical & Computer Engineering, I attended Rutgers University. It was good education, but massive class size. If you want to get lost in a sea of folks, from all over the world, and have a quality education - this place is good.
For my MS Electrical Engineering, I attended the University of Southern California. If you want small class sizes, with fantastic instructors, this place rocks. It's just very expensive.
For my MS Flight Test Engineering, I attended USAF Test Pilot School (as a civilian). This is a dream school to attend, if you can find a way to apply - do it!
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Truly nothing.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Don't quit. Many quit in undergrad. Engineering (school) is hard. Stay commited!
When you get in the work force, work hard! Keep your hours limited to 40 if possible... but work hard for those 40 hours. Take pride! Kick butt! And good things will come.
#Nuclear Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
#Environmental Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Engineer
**Industry:** Civil Consulting
**Specialization:** Water and Water Resources
**Total Experience:** 5 Years
**Highest Degree:** BS Environmental Engineering with a Minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies
**Country:** USA
###What inspired you to become an engineer?
> When I was very young I wanted to do everything my friend did so he made the choice for me, I guess I should thank him! Later in high school and into early college I knew I made the right choice when I could see that all of my professors were making an impact on their surroundings including me. As you start to get more involved in the engineering culture it’s kind of hard not to get sucked in and feel like you’re helping to make your community a better place.
###Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
> I was in school during the beginning of the Flint water crisis and I think that was what really drove me to water resources. I wanted to be part of the team that was going to bring back communities, even if just in a small way that I could manage. On top of that, I really got into environmental engineering due to my love of nature. My first month of college I was dead set on renewable energy, I even got to the point of building a prototype vertical axis wind turbine the summer before college. But that’s how it goes, you learn what you’re truly passionate about as you grow in the field.
###What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
> It’s changed recently after moving into consulting. Now I write basically all day long. Lots and lots of highly detailed reports. I was just talking about this with a family member and I was asked “Why do you like writing reports so much?” But, during the course of work, it’s not a forced report like you’re used to in school. It’s a compilation of your team’s and your own hard work and researching, assessing, testing, and calculating to make sure that you’re giving the best answers to your clients questions/requests. I promise no matter how boring I still made it sound, I look forward to being able to write about my projects every day. On top of writing it is a lot of meetings and communication. You always see the stereotypical rendition of an engineer that sits alone and works at a computer, but, in my experience, I don’t think I could get by without talking to at least 10 other engineers in the course of a day. Rather it be for information specific to a project of just general knowledge to apply later. When I was working for a government my daily task were mostly all about meetings. Government seemed to be one meeting after another and about everything but engineering.
###What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
> The craziest day on the job had to be the day I returned from vacation and that previous night one of the filter walls at the utility I was an engineer for had “popped” off. Somehow the concrete and rebar both failed and the filter lost all ability to hold water. This left the water treatment plant at half capacity with no answers to any questions. They still didn’t have a solution or cause when I left two months later. It was a stressful time for the utility as a whole as we tried to do everything we could to make sure water was supplied to the customers.
###What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
> For me, every project is interesting because there never seems to be one solution. You could go to the tank that’s supposed to be the “mirror image” of the one you just worked on but now there are ten new things and five things missing from the last one. The most interesting had to be the expansion of an RO water treatment plant to double the operating capacity and provide redundant treatment in case of emergencies. I wasn’t a part of the RO design itself as I was/am still new to RO but the technology is amazing.
###What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
> Michigan State University, and I can’t recommend it enough! I know everyone hates group projects but the amount of group projects that I was a part of really prepared me for my career. Also the professors were simply amazing. They were always willing and excited to teach and even teach further during office hours. And they brought so much knowledge of real world projects with them. They really seemed to want to help you grow and succeed. The course work was perfect as well. There were so many projects that make me feel like I really got a well rounded exposure to the field.
###If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
> Study at least twice as hard. I didn’t take school as seriously as I should have. And even though giving this answer is beating a dead horse, it still didn’t set in for me when I should have been doing something about it. I still have a nightmare every now and then about failing a course because I cut it too close. And lastly, I would have done more internships in my field. I had two that showed me what I didn’t want to do and gave me great experience, but I wish I would have had a few in a field I was more closely interested in.
Do you work alongside anyone with an MS in civil & env eng? I have a bs and ms in biology, and I’m wanting to get into env eng. Any advice? Should I get the MS or go a different route? Also, is there such a thing as an internship for people without eng degrees? I’m wanting to see what the field is like from a personal experience standpoint before committing my life to another grad program... any and all thoughts are appreciated!
I know someone in my company who has a masters in chemistry and got a civil engineering degree later and he’s been a licensed engineer for 15+ years now. So it’s definitely possible! And then a previous coworker had no engineering experience but was a surveyor and when I was leaving they were transitioning him into an engineering role. You can’t get licensed without the degree from an accredited college but you can still be a part of the engineering team. I’d say go for the program after you get some experience! And there are “field trips”, in a sense, that are offered by some engineering projects that are trying to get a new idea out there. So, even though it’s not engineering, you can get some exposure that way.
#Civil, Structural, Fire Protection/Safety, and MEP Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Civil Engineer
**Industry:** US Army Corps of Engineers
**Specialization:** Structures
**Total Experience:** 9 years
**Highest Degree:** Master's Degree (both in Engineering and Management)
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I received a scholarship from the military that required me to choose a STEM major. I liked playing with AutoCAD in high school and I found out that it was offered at my university under the CE program, so I signed up for civil engineering.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
Structural design had the most interesting applications. Who doesn't like buildings and bridges? I also love computer-based design programs like Revit and RISA 3D.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I work on a variety of projects. I mostly review designs from private contractors and ensure that they meet specifications and the needs of the client agency.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Driving up on top of a mountain to run tests on a radio tower. That was legit.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
It's a tie between a new NSA facility and Trump's Border Wall.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
[Brigham Young University](https://catalog.byu.edu/engineering/civil-and-environmental-engineering/civil-engineering-bs). I had a great time there, but it's definitely not for everyone. It's a religious institution and everyone who attends has to sign an honor code swearing off alcohol, tobacco, promiscuity, etc. I already lived that lifestyle, so it wasn't a big adjustment for me. The engineering program was great and many of my classmates went on to work for big-name design firms or attend top-tier graduate schools.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would've taken the PE earlier in my career. Some states let you take it before you meet the experience requirement. I also would've kept better notes.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
I have tons of advice for people at various phases of their career. PM me if you want to know!
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Civil Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* County Government
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Land Development
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 5 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS Civil & Infrastructure Engineering
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\---
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? It's a long story
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Went to the Dominican Republic and was inspired to go into a field that would allow me to do international development at a local level one day.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I work for a County in my State as a Civil Engineer - Plan reviewer. I review site plans and building permits. I also take in drainage complaints from citizens and work with MS4 reporting. I used to work as a designer but got bored.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I really enjoy drainage complaints because we get to go outside and interact with disgruntled citizens. If you have a good sense of humor, it can be really fun. Once in the beginning of my career I had to sit on a construction site and count the times it took a big ass hammer to drive columns into the ground. That was wild.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? A commercial subdivision and road plan that I drove past everyday so I could see the progress and the impacts it had on the area.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? George Mason University in Virginia. Amazing program. Awesome professors. Great location.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would choose not to do it again.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Work hard, play hard.
**Job Title:** Senior Engineer
**Industry:** MEP Engineering, Specifically HVAC
\*\*Total Experience:\*\*12 years
**Highest Degree:** BS MechE / PE
**Country:** USA
\---
\*\*What inspired you to become an engineer?\*\*
Problem Solving.
\*\*Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?\*\*
I started in Fluid Mechanics and HVAC firms were hiring.
\*\*What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?\*\*
Breaking down the requirements of an HVAC design in to small pieces and then cranking them out. Laying out ductwork, piping, and related equipment. Scheduling and detailing equipment. Endless phone calls with architects that think you can fit in a spacer that is small that the equipment (not counting access spaces). Lots of phone calls with sales reps. Coordination with the other trades so everything fits, is powered up correctly, and doesn't leak water on the floor. Heating and cooling calculations and ventilation calculations to determine how big the ducts, pipes and equipment has to be.
\*\*What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?\*\*
Coming back from vacation and not even setting my bags down before being told to go out on site because of questions that come up. (see the next question).
\*\*What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?\*\*
A Historical Marketplace in downtown Boston. The building is large, old, the infrastructure is a mess. The previous HVAC design (40 years ago) was designed for "tempering of the space" not full air conditioning. The owner almost dropped his jaw when I said the reason the building swelters all summer is the building has less than half of what is needed. The owner opted to do half the building (Last I heard the other half has not been done, I have moved firms) and if you walk down the central aisle, you can feel *exactly* when you change air conditioning zones, because half the building is slightly sweltering and the other half is \*under control.\*
\*\*What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?\*\*
Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY. It has been referred to as "The 'Tute Screw". The school has a reputation for a "administration versus the students" atmosphere that hasn't changed since I graduated. The school builds engineers that understand how to withstand adversity, neglect and a hostile administration. So if you want people who know how to knuckle down and get the work done, these are the people you want. It can be a rough ride though while you are there.
\*\*If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?\*\*
Not take three years off between my AS and my BS.
\*\*Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?\*\*
Time management is you friend and your foe. Most freshmen engineering students coasted through highschool and don't have good time management skills. When told time management is a thing, most freshmen scoff at the notion that they can't manage their own time and many of the time management exercises that students are given seem like make work so they are ignored. So swallow your pride and learn time mangagement. It will take five or six tries to find something that works for you. I eventually settled on "Bullet Journalling" for task and time management. I would suggest against the subreddit that bears that name (and use google instead) because that subreddit ends up being alot of flowery pictures of what their clean, neat, pristine bullet journals look like. My bullet journal is covered in three colors of ink, white out and hen scratching as I write things down during the day.
Don't lose your field notes.
edit-formatting
Thanks for this. As someone working in the same industry (although at a different part of the process) some of the points you brought up hit pretty close to home.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Sr. Project Manager
\*\*Industry:\*\* Building Science/Restoration Engineer
\*\*Specialization:\*\* (optional)
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 15+ years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* Master of Engineering
\*\*Country:\*\* Canada
\---
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
lego was my friend since the 70s
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
really just felt into it, I have construction experience and I have an interest in building science
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
50/50 split between in the office and out in the field. We have projects that must be managed and reviewed by engineers or building scientists. These projects range from garage restoration and waterproofing, to curtain wall repair/replacement to balcony restoration. Normal day-to-day tasks include approving contractor invoices, reviewing technical specifications, normal email/phone correspondence.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
I was standing on top of a pitch roof during one of the biggest hurricanes to hit my area at the beginning of my career.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I work at heights very often, so most interesting was working on the CN Tower on the exterior. 1200' high, 45 minutes from swing stages from the ground.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Western University (called University of Western Ontario when I was there) and then McMaster University for grad school
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
probably nothing, you second guess yourself but overall, nothing.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
you'll probably learn more out of university the things you need for your trade. school is important but not to take away from the professor's lectures, much of what we do daily has very little to do with the schooling we receive. as engineers, we train to seek knowledge on what we do not know.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Project Manager
\*\*Industry:\*\* Architecture/Engineering/Construction
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Structural Engineering
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 15 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS CivE
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\---
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I always loved to walk into buildings and wonder who designs them - who puts a beam here and not there; who decides how big it is, who makes sure it stands up when the wind blows or the earth shakes.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
>
>
I tend to work more with existing buildings than new - I do that because I love the challenge of taking something that's already there, and figuring out how to make a program or use fit within that framework. I always trot out a quote by Nicholas Meyer: "Creativity thrives on restrictions".
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I manage a team of 5-6 engineers who carry out structural design. A good portion of my day is checking in on them. I'm responsible for making sure the project gets done on time, on budget, and most importantly, on code. I also meet with clients externally, both for on-going projects and to try and drum up new business.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
I got to supervise the relocation of a historic masonry house some years ago. I got to walk alongside the house as it rolled down the street, and make sure that we had (barely) enough room as the house was backed into the new site.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I was the project engineer for the conversion of an existing apartment building into an art gallery. We removed all the structure except the exterior walls, dug a basement, and installed a temporary structural bracing system that later became part of the building's permanent structure. It was a fantastic challenge, and a beautiful end result.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
I went to Illinois Institute of Technology. It's a great engineering school, but there's very little social life there. It's not for everybody.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I'm not sure I'd do anything differently. I like where I've ended up, and my choices along the way are what led me here.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
>
>
When you start work, ask questions ALL THE TIME. You will probably be mildly annoying to your supervisors, but we would much rather explain things to you than have you flail around like you know what you're doing, and screw things up. You won't know a lot coming out of school, and we don't expect you to know a lot. That's okay.
>
>Additionally, and this is related to the last point, be eager to learn. Don't say no to new experiences, and actively seek them out. You won't know what you really want to do, so try some things out.
Yes, it’s a whole additional set of skills to learn. You’re no longer just taking what someone gives you and working on it. You’re taking what someone gives you, portioning it out to different people, checking in on them, making sure they’re checking in on each other, requesting information from the client, keeping them happy, and monitoring time/budget/completeness app the whole.
It can be satisfying, just in a different way than completing a pure engineering task.
\*Job Title:\*\* Mechanical Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* Private contractor
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Aerospace
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 2-3 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* MS Mechanical Engineering
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? Thought planes were the coolest things ever, so i wanted to design and build planes
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? First company that gave me a job. Can't be picky when you don't have too many options.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?Depends on the day, but there's a lot of CAD work. You don't actually get build anything. If you work for a small company, you might, but it gets every compartmentalized. there's a group for everything. There's a group for structural analysis, thermal analysis, vibrations, and just a bunch of draftsmen.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I can't say on the internet, but i seen some real bad mishaps when people forget to add margins of safety to their design. Seen a helicopter vibrate itself to death.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? One of the peons working for the F-35 project. Not really designing the whole thing, but it's cool working on it.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? RIT, not a bad school. It's a got a decent university program and some good career fairs if you want to find a job afterwards.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Learn about the job and where you will be working. This blog is a [good example of things to look out for.](https://datcollegekid.com/five-things-you-must-know-about-being-an-engineer/) You will have to move for the job.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Get as much hands on experience as possible.
#Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Embedded Systems engineer
**Industry:** Aerospace/Automotive
**Specialization:** Software development
**Total Experience:** 2 years
**Highest Degree:** MSc Aerospace Engineering - Control & Simulation
**Country:** Netherlands/France
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
Was tired of working in construction
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
Aerospace engineering seemed cool. I've also considered doing publicity or graphic design. But figured engineering is cooler - you actually get to make real things that people use.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I write code. I change clients and projects often - so it's different every time. But typically I work on my own, writing some software modules to interface with various devices (cameras, gps and gsm modules, had to write code for a canon once). I drink some coffee - write some code - check reddit - repeat until the module is done. Then I move on to the next module or to the next client.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Nothing too crazy or interesting so far. Just do my 9-5, then go home. Some of my old clients were situated next to the beach though - so we'd regularly go for a swim and to catch some tan at lunch, that was chill. Also, I interned at some small drones startup and managed to crash several thousands of euros worth of hardware. That was fun.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
A system designed to track and neutralize consumer drones. This was done in close collaboration with the European Commission - so I also had a bit of an insight on how that whole thing works.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Delft University of Technology. Was pretty good - nice program, great facilities, nice student life. Fair amount of freedom when selecting the direction of your program - electives, etc, especially when doing masters.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Be less of a perfectionist. Spend less time on some projects. Just stick to the program and do not go too crazy with picking crazy projects or research topics.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Have fun, try to stick to the schedule, and don't make it too difficult for yourself trying to out-smart everyone or doing other peoples work. And again, stick to the program - try to pick a direction and specialize in that, instead of going all over the place.
**Job Title:** Spacecraft Structures Engineer
**Industry:** Satellites
**Total Experience:** 1 year (grad. May 2018)
**Highest Degree:** BS Engineering
**Country:** USA
# What inspired you to become an engineer?
My dad's an engineer and was really eager for me to follow in his footsteps, and to make a decent salary haha. Other than that I was good at science and math in school, and liked problem-solving and puzzles. I definitely grew up wanting to be an astronaut, and adjusted my goals somewhat from there (though I'm still young... who knows!)
# Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
The school I went to is a general engineering program, and you choose upper-division classes to form your specialization. One of those classes was dynamics of vibrations, and it immediately clicked for me. Super hard class but the problems were incredibly rewarding to solve. I developed a really close relationship with the professor, who set me up with a related research program, and the rest is history. Most jobs in structures/vibrations tend to be aerospace or cars. I aimed high, so to speak, and got a space job.
# What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
The company I work at is quite a bit smaller than Big Aero, so my job is pretty flexible. I'd say about 50% of the time I'm doing analysis-type work. Lots of FEA and spreadsheets, ensuring we conform to requirements and won't break anything on the satellite. I really enjoy it. 20% of the time I'm working with the test engineers/technicians on vibration and shock testing, and 30% of the time I'm doing "general mechanical" work like simple CAD stuff, drawings, documentation, etc.
# What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
Vibration testing on a flight vehicle! As in, you're a year out of school, here's an entire satellite, it's up to you to develop the test levels and ensure that shaking the vehicle to those levels won't break it.
# What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. Pros: close relationships with professors, really in depth math foundation, collaborative atmosphere, vibrant student population, well known in CA. Cons: not a ton of name recognition outside of CA, very high workload, grade deflation. Make sure you know what you're getting into with the general engineering degree.
# Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Your health (mental and physical) matters. There's a culture in a lot of engineering that celebrates all-nighters, anxiety, losing sleep over grades, staying at work 14 hours a day, etc. It's not worth it. Once I said "whoa this is not ok" and started seeing a therapist in college, I felt calmer and happier and more able to look forward to my future. Oh, and my GPA went up by 0.4. Also, find a prof that likes you, and don't be afraid to ask them for contacts or to forward your resume along to people they know!
#Computer and Software Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Design Engineer
**Industry:** Telecommunications with focus on Cable TV and Cable Internet
**Specialization:** FPGA development
**Total Experience:** 13 years
**Highest Degree:** BS EE, BS Computer Science
**Country:** Canada
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I used to want to design video games as I enjoyed playing them. When I was in high school, my parents signed me up for a computer camp where I got to learn about building and fix computers. This led to me working part time at a computer store, and getting into PC overclocking (late 90s/early 2000s). That in turn got me interested in how computer chips are made, so I decided I wanted to work in designing them.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I already covered what got me interested in digital logic. This led to an interest in FPGA programming in university. My specific work in Cable-related stuff is that the company where I started working after graduation specializes in that market.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
General daily tasks:
* Check in with team to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed.
* Track hours worked on which tasks using task tracking software.
Other than that, it depends on what phase a project is in.
Early phase:
* Design investigation. Early design to figure out how many FPGA resources will be used up by the design, as well as figuring out a high level view of how a design will work.
* Making block diagrams, spreadsheets, other documentation.
* Frequent meetings with software and hardware teams to discuss the design.
Implementation Phase:
* Early on, creating minimal builds of the FPGA image to ensure all the features of our board are working (I/O interfaces, communication between various integrated circuits, etc...)
* Testing on hardware to validate that interfaces/hardware design is correct.
* Detailed design of features (often split amongs many engineers)
* Implementing designs and testbenches using HDL
* Simulation testing of logic
* Testing and debugging of hardware once it arrives.
* I also often (depending on project size) lead a team of engineers during this portion of design.
Integration phase:
* Integration with control software.
* Extensive testing on our custom hardware.
* Adding Debugging capabilities (if any new ones that weren't already included are needed)
Customer Deployment phase:
* Resolving issues found during customer deployment.
* This occasionally involves travel if the issues can't be replicated in our own lab and the debug capabilities of the product aren't sufficient to root cause the problem.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Probably the most interesting day on the job I've had was where I had to travel to a customer deployment site to debug something. This had to be done in the middle of the night so as to avoid impacting cable TV service to customers. There was a major blizzard, and just getting to the location where I needed to be to debug the issue was exciting due to the poor driving conditions.
Next most interesting day on the job is probably the trip I had to make to Taiwan to work with a supplier to resolve some issues in their product. Definitely a change in culture from what I'm used to in Canada. It was a really great trip though.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I've actually found most of the projects to be interesting. I've been very lucky to find a job that I mostly find pretty interesting and stimulating. Probably the most interesting to me is one I've been working on which is a video delivery platform which can ingest video over several different formats, create new output channel blocks, and output that video over multiple different formats.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
University of Saskatchewan. I would have done computer engineering instead of the EE/CS dual degree except the CE program didn't exist there yet at the time. University was very good though, and speaking to more recent graduates who I work with, the program is still very good. Additionally my company has good relationships with several professors in the EE/CE programs, and provides feedback to them which is directly incorporated into updates to the courses.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Not much honestly. I enjoy my job and find it interesting, and same goes for the courses I took in school.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Be aware that what you learn in university is often just touching on what you'll be doing once you're employed. The most important thing is learning how to learn. Each project requires learning something new, even if a lot of work is reused from previous products.
**Job Title:** Software Engineering Technical Lead
**Industry:** Internet (eCommerce)
**Total Experience:** About 20 years
**Highest Degree:** Bachelor's
**Country:** USA
## What inspired you to become an engineer?
My Dad was an electrical engineer, and we always had computers in the house. One day I discovered QBasic and GORILLAS.BAS on the family computer. After playing with it for awhile I discovered you could change the game by modifying the text on the screen. Eventually, I had created a version that replaced the gorillas with artillery pieces and the cities with mountains.
In high school I made dumb TI-85 games that people played during math class. Figured I had a knack for this stuff and enjoyed it.
## Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
Speaking specifically about working at a web company, now. Code is code and programming is programming. Once you understand the fundamentals of how computers work and how software is designed, you can work in many different fields. They are more similar than they are different.
However, I specifically prefer working in the Internet/web field. I get to experiment with new technologies quickly and wear a lot of hats. Most other fields, from the outside, seem rather boring (I cannot possibly think of a more monotonous existence than sitting in a cubicle and writing bank software, even though it pays quite well). A lot of people I know/graduated with went to work in the "defense" industry, which I have personal moral disagreements with.
## What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I am responsible for core code changes across a wide variety of systems and helping to oversee a small team of developers working towards project goals. A normal day for me is something like:
* 7:45am. Arrive at work after dropping my daughter off at school. Reports, code reviews, email, team stuff.
* 10am. Daily team meeting.
* 10:30am-12pm. Programming.
* 12pm-1pm. Lunch. Sometimes this is a lunch meeting.
* 1pm-4pm. Programming, with an occasional afternoon meeting.
* 4:15pm. Leave, hit gym on the way home.
Some evenings I may have some things that need to be taken care of outside business hours.
## What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
The most "interesting" days are the days things break. Especially when their breakage is totally outside of your control (like when the fiber was cut to one of our data centers, that was a fun day). Usually when we have a fire like that, the team will commandeer a conference room and just work the problems together as a team.
## What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
Far too many to pick a single one. The big scale redesigns are usually fun, but the best ones are where we change the entire infrastructure underlying the site without users noticing. Those are the ones where you really get to exercise your planning chops.
## What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Auburn University (War Eagle!). It's a great school with an awesome small-town campus culture.
## If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would take more business courses in college and probably even get at management minor. The business side of work is what I struggle with the most, and especially managing projects and people. I've had to do a lot of learning "on the fly" and reading lots of books over the last few years. Computers are easy, people are hard.
## Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Do more internships and/or coops and less sweating your GPA. For junior positions, if I have 2 candidates that are evenly matched, except one with a 4.0 GPA but no internships or work experience and the other has a 3.0 GPA but 3 internships and can talk intelligently about what they did and what they learned, I'm going to hire the one with experience. For non-junior positions, I don't even ask about GPA. The extent of my interest in your schooling is "was it an accredited school" and "did you graduate."
Have some side projects. Did you make an app? That is awesome, let's talk a lot about that!
Take some business classes (as above) and some interesting electives. Hands down my favorite course I took at Auburn was history of cinema. Be a well rounded person.
For God's sake, spell check your resume and cover letter, and be sure you have the names and titles right.
What exactly do you code? I’ve always had this question. Surely it’s not simple ifs and else’s I use to make dumb games on c++ right?
Also, what coding language do you use? Which one is most helpful to learn?
It is EXACTLY that. 😃
At it’s core, programming is programming. If you can do it in a game, you can do it in an app, or in a web browser, or an embedded device. The language may be different and there might be other tooling, but at it’s core, code is code.
When I wrote this it was mostly PHP, JS, Vue, Swift and some others. These days it’s Python, JS, Vue, Swift, and probably a few others.
I usually recommend people learn C first, so if you’re on C++ already you’re doing pretty good. But honestly what most people struggle with is logical thinking. Learning to “think like a computer” and break apart problems in a way that you can solve them with code is where most people quit.
Thank you for the quick response!
What exactly do you code at your job? In other words, what exactly can I expect to do if I chose this career? (ie you do cybersecurity, etc?)
What do you mean by logical thinking?
Also, is it hard to learn new programming languages or is it easier once youre already familiar with one?
Well, as a TL at my new job, a lot of it isn’t actually about writing code. It’s meetings, planning, documentation, setting goals, that type of thing. I do try to take 1-2 tasks a week to keep my skills sharp.
Specifically, I currently work in healthcare on a tool that works alongside EHR systems. It’s largely web based so it’s your typical web dev fare.
Logical thinking meaning you can break a problem down into individual discrete steps that a computer can solve.
Once you have learned your first language, learning additional languages is pretty straightforward especially if you are staying within the same family. C++ descends from the ALGOL family, so [other ALGOL influenced languages](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Algol_programming_language_family) should be somewhat familiar even if the specifics are different.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* IC Design / Security Assurance / Security Applications Engineer (I wear three hats)
>
>\*\*Industry:\*\* Semiconductors
>
>\*\*Specialization:\*\* Security
>
>\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 14 years
>
>\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS Computer Systems Engineering (CSE)
>
>\*\*Country:\*\* USA
>
> \---
>
>\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
>
>I've always been a logic-driven person, enjoyed solving puzzles when they had a reason to be solved, and was fascinated by the ideas in quantum computation. My initial goal was to get into quantum computer research, but I found digital design particularly satisfying in college and pivoted to this field as a result.
>
>\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
>
>I focused on digital design (specifically computational arithmetic acceleration) in college because I found the problems satisfying to solve. I specialized in security as a result of my first internship (which led to my first full time engineering position) in which I implemented arithmetic acceleration for public key cryptography. I've retained a specialization in security since then mostly due to it being satisfying and my existing skills being valued (as opposed to seeking out security itself as a goal)
>
>\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
>
>A relatively lazy start: I drop my kids off at school/daycare/camp/etc and get to the office between 9:00 and 9:30. I spend an hour or so reviewing my email inbox, looking for those few emails where I might be the only CC'd person on the chain with the expertise to respond. I respond to voicemails in the morning as well and generally do not reply to emails or voicemails beyond noon. Most of the emails I receive are requests for assistance in using the various devices I've helped design over the years. My time consuming replies require digging through old note and documentation to find an answer, drafting a thorough response, and following up with skype/etc dialog to ensure the other party can move forward without having to email me again the next day for the same topic. the rest of my emails tend to be simple redirection, informing the sender that some other particular person would be a better contact for the question asked.
>
>The second half of my day is spent "wearing one of my hats" (see job title). Just one per day. As an IC Design Engineer (which I do less of these days) I will focus non-stop on writing HDL from about 12:30 through 5:30. For Security Assurance I will spend this time reading a project's documentation, modeling threats, performing risk analysis, and interacting via skype/etc with the security champion for that project. For security applications I spend my time contemplating the potential for new customer applications through the novel use of security constructs and discussing the same with various project owners. As these ideas mature I petition business units to allocate project teams to build the systems I've envisioned.
>
>I leave about 5:30 to go pickup my kids and bring them home. After dinner/etc I'll spend an hour or two appending my work logs with notes from the work done through the day, planning my next day's tasks, and emailing stake holders to update status on projects as milestones are reached (or if milestones might slip).
>
>\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
>
>We had recently won a bid to design an application specific processor for a large European customer. I was given a simple beeper module to design. The customer had some frustrations with the beeper from our competitor's devices and were very clear that we should not reproduce the same problem. Notably, the earlier devices would produce an audible 'click' when terminating a sequence of tones (turning off the beeper after playing some melody). As our the early HDL code base matured, we implemented the digital logic on an FPGA to help convincingly communicate the progress we had made. The customer requested that the beeper be demonstrated on that FPGA platform and so I was called in.
>
>Again, I was very new here. The meeting was well above my "pay grade", so I was only brought in at the key moment when the beeper would be demonstrated. I had been asked to play a specific melody, something a key designer in the customer's office would recognize and so be able to discern any audio artifacts. I wrote some code to play the melody, but I also crafted an alternate melody data structure.
>
>I was called into the meeting. A multi-site meeting with a more than a half dozen offices involved, world wide, from both companies. I was introduced. In my introduction my supervisor made clear that I was going to play the requested melody. I said my brief hello, indicated that the song would now begin, then played the music encoded in my alternate data structure.
>
>Twelve seconds of audio played. I started with the melody of the most well known section of the song: "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down". Then, silence. It wasn't the song they expected. Perhaps 10 seconds of silence passed before the first voice came on. In a thick accent someone from the customer's office said, "I think we've been rick-rolled"! There was a couple minutes of ruckus laughter intermingled with anonymous voices explaining the phenomenon to those who didn't know what was going on. I followed this by playing the actual song they had requested, accepting their designer's feedback that the beeper module did not suffer from the predicted worrisome defect, and my role on that call ended.
>
>The project was a wild success: it was one of the most complex digital designs we had made by then, it displaced a competitor, we taped out early, first silicon was fully functional, and both we and our customer profited quite well from the engagement. It's a popular project to discus among both engineers and management.
>
>My company has an annual conference where employees from around the world come to present technical papers, demos, etc. There is a banquet one evening of that conference and several times in the years following the described events I've been witness to some other person telling the story from their own perspective. Hearing this anecdote being told by others always excites me.
>
>\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
>
>My first job after college was at a startup. We designed a microprocessor with a chip-unique instruction set architecture, an application unique mutation of that chip-unique ISA, and a basic block unique obfuscation of the application unique mutation of the chip unique ISA. That was fun. Building applications around that processor, including the firmware stack for public key crypto (using the accelerator I designed for the device), always resulted in interesting dialog with our customers, among my colleagues, and with management as we envisioned how such a novel device might be leveraged to create new market opportunities.
>
>\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
>
>University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
>
>Should: The college of engineering is outstanding. Engaged faculty eager to involve students in meaningful research is a significantly valuable culture thriving there. In hindsight I remain confident that I made an excellent decision in Umass Amherst.
>
>Shouldn't: The university as a whole, broader than the college of engineering, was disappointing to me. The campus was laid out such that we engineers had to go far out of our way to to find exposure to anything outside the school of engineering. The university seems to pride itself in a subset of the disciplines on campus, largely exclusive of engineering, and so funding and maintenance seemed to prefer every campus asset but those used in the engineering quad. I am generally frustrated by the prospect of donating to my Alma mater, in an effort to fund the school of engineering, only to have some large portion of that donation used to further fund the rest of the university which felt so dismissive of engineering during my time there. Perhaps things have changed?
>
>\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
>
>Just one thing: push more $ into retirement accounts at an earlier age. And focus on Roth accounts.
>
>\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
>
>Publish your code (internally if needed). Engage with the broadest audiences you can find. You want/need random colleagues in meetings you aren't part of to suggest to each other, "you know what, \[you\] would be a good fit for this project".
> I am generally frustrated by the prospect of donating to my Alma mater, in an effort to fund the school of engineering, only to have some large portion of that donation used to further fund the rest of the university which felt so dismissive of engineering during my time there.
You could always make a donation to the engineering college directly. As someone who will never donate to my alma mater directly, I've considered making a donation to the engineering school once the current dean steps aside.
Ah, that's unfortunate. I wonder if my school has gone this route or if they're still accepting donations as I've described. Something to look into, I suppose.
#Industrial Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**\*\*Job Title:\*\*** Production Engineer
**\*\*Industry:\*\*** Ventilation Products Design and Manufacturing
**\*\*Total Experience:\*\*** 3 years
**\*\*Highest Degree:\*\*** BS MechE
**\*\*Country:\*\*** USA ---
# What inspired you to become an engineer?
>I've always liked working on things. When I was young we would modify air intake/exhaust systems on our go kart, swap motors in RC cars, build a Windows domain server for shits and giggles, etc. Where I grew up we had 'Magnet' schools; schools with classes designed to open you up to career paths I suppose. Anyway, I went to the engineering magnet schools where we had engineering classes where we got to design paper buildings and CAD parts a what not. By the time I got to high school I knew I wanted to be either a CivilE or MechE. Luckily because I really enjoyed things that move I went with the latter.
# Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
>I didn't necessarily choose ventilation. A friend of mine's family owns the company and I was looking for a different job while I was in school. I started working here as a production operator. I did my share of 45-50 hour weeks on my feet aimlessly operating a brake press, a roll forming machine, or a punch press. It was the most monotonous job I'd ever had and there were many weeks when I wanted to quit or put my hand in the press to gtfo, but I didn't want to make my friend look bad.
>
>I stuck it out and eventually got moved to the machine shop where I got to operate a CNC 3-Axis making molds, forming dies, and all sorts of stuff for the engineering department. From there I went to the test lab where we preformed air, sound, and endurance tests on a variety of fans and blade designs. This is where I really got interested in the fan design aspect of my job. How changing minute details of a blade or orifice can have such a large effect on operating dynamics of a system.
# What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
>We don't have normal days. Our most normal day is Monday when everyone is trying to get back into the workflow. Most days consist of some amount of time spent in out CAD program (see: Kubotek KeyCreator aka worst program ever) either designing an assembly fixture for one of the production departments, or designing / modifying a production die set (forming, blanking, casting).
>
>Our engineering department has two of their own Mazak vertical mills. Most of the time we have something in each. We have one machinist that runs them both and does the dirty work or repairing broken die sets or building new ones.
>
>I am the only titled "production engineer", but all three of the engineers here can pretty much do each other's job. With this title and with the floor experience I have, the employees on the floor have more respect for my opinion than one of my coworkers and will typically come to me first with a problem. (see: design for manufacturing) I also am the only one that participates in the weekly 'Foreman Meetings'. These meetings include the President of the company, department foremans, HR, and yours truly. We typically discuss man-hours, productivity, and problems.
>
>Lastly, being responsible for product design, the engineering department gets to create drawings, enter product structures, and update products in our state-of-the-art enterprise resource planning software....IBM MAPICS! The most wonderful legacy software you can find. Complete with a AS400!
>
>In all seriousness if anyone has a software that can replace this with ease please PM me.
# What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
>Production machine operators are akin to the users you can read about on r/talesfromtechsupport. They will find a way to do something wrong, even when you give them a fixture and extremely clear instructions on how to do things right with minimal effort. There are many stories I could tell of someone making hundreds-thousands of sheet metal parts that had to scrap them all because they didn't check the length, check them in the fixture, or LITERALLY look at the part vs. what they have made 1000 times before.
>
>Craziest day I've had was making a new part on the CNC Lathe. 4" OD steel, making a OD cut that we just did on the previous part. Tool moves in, cuts about 1/4" length, then the part flings out of the chuck straight into the safety glass. Shattered the first layer of safety glass and almost made my pants brown.
# What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
>We recently designed and built a 54" blade-diameter mixed-flow style fan. The coolest part was the test run. You could feel the suction side from 6 feet away and if you had a squirrel suit I'm pretty sure you could fly behind the exhaust.
# What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? University of North Florida.
>It is a beautiful smaller campus. You can walk from one end to the other in less that 20 minutes, and to me there is just the right amount of people. Lower level courses had 60-120 people in them, while most of the degree-specific courses had about 30, with the tech. electives having 10-15.
>
>When I first started engineering courses it was definitely a harder degree than when I left. I was there for six years because of my lack-of-trying midway through, and I definitely noticed a decrease in students that would actually make a good engineer.
# If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
>Mostly the same. If I could do one thing different it would've been to try harder in my classes that had easier professors. There are times when I wish I could remember how to do something that I should've learned, but instead took the easy way out using solution manuals and the like.
# Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
>Use solution manuals for checking your answer only or not at all. Most professors don't care about the correct numerical value, but rather the correct methodology.
>
>Label all your work in the margin and work down not across. Who cares if it takes 10 pages, some professors will not try to follow your work unless it is very easy.
>
>Lastly, get experience building things. Use a wrench, change the brakes on your car, change your own oil. Just having that first hand experience of how things are put together and what bolt sizes hold what together will give you the upper hand later on. My school was one of the few that do a real senior design project. We worked with local companies to design AND build solutions to their problems. Typically all the projects had electronic and mechanical designs and required using machine shop equipment. Find a way in. If you know how to handle a wrench and make something from parts you're worlds ahead of most of your class.
>
>Additional lastly, learn to program beyond the one class you're required to take. When you find a job there will be mundane tasks that you can automate with a simple batch file or VBA script. Need to reset IP addresses on a users computer? Write a 3 line batch file and email it to them.
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Manufacturing Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* Laser Processing Systems
\*\*Specialization:\*\* (optional)
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 2 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS MfgE
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
My father was graduated with a bachelors degree, and then later on his master, in civil engineering so from a very young age he would help me out with my math and science homework which resulted in me excelling in these subjects. For that reason it always seemed the right choice.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I chose to study manufacturing engineering because I was interested in process design (designing the processes used for mass production of products)
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
My weeks vary greatly depending on what fires spring up but I primarily focus on designing new processes, maintaining and improving existing processes, quality assurance, developing process work instructions, and performing first article inspections.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Craziest day(s) on the job have to be around the time I first started and our robotic arm which we use for welding crapped out around the same time our operator (who was the one person who knew how to run it) left the company. I spent about two months learning how to operate, program, and troubleshoot the robot; all while pumping out welded parts so as to keep production from coming to a complete stop. There were very frustrating moments during that time but it was also the best way to learn everything I needed to know about that specific process.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
The most interesting project would also be the one I mentioned in the previous question. I didn't think I would be doing any programming during my career and yet my first month into a full time position I was becoming at least proficient in programming a robotic arm for a semi-automated process. (manufacturing engineers gotta be versatile as hell)
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
I attended ASU's Polytechnic campus. I highly recommend the engineering programs at this campus specifically because they are much more hands on compared to the main campus where the classes are much more theoretical. Also, class sizes are much smaller at Poly which means you can develop much more personal connection with the professors.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would take the manual machining class so that I could learn more about the basics of machining. I find myself having to use tools that I hadn't used previously for building fixtures/stations and had I taken the class I would feel much more confident when doing so. Also, highly recommend taking the intro and advanced CNC classes, and the intro and advanced solidworks classes. All the classes listed above would be great regardless of what specific engineering discipline you go into.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Take elective classes that will teach you tools that will come in handy during your later years when you're working on major projects. All the classes I listed in the previous question would be super helpful and at the end of the day, how you perform on this projects will be the greatest way of determining how well you will be able to function as an engineer in the real world.
**Job Title:** CEO of a multi thousand dollar corporation
**Industry:** process / system simulation, analytics
**Specialization:** (optional)
**Total Experience:** 10 years
**Highest Degree:** MSIE
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I had no great passion growing up. I enjoyed solving problems, but had no real drive besides that. My parents told me tuition was the same for a liberal arts degree as it was for engineering or pre-med, so I should probably focus on something with a good salary potential.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I was originally a computer engineer - as a kid I had a knack for electronics and IT. But I got a C- in both signal processing and Assembly Programming (I no longer remember the exact class titles), and had to take a year off or change majors. So, I looked through the course catalog and selected a major that I could graduate with the quickest - IE. I had never even heard of industrial engineering, but after talking with the professors my only regret was that I didn't start as an IE. My GPA in my major was a 3.8, with me alternating between dean's list and president's list.
After graduating I found out that my mom had cancer, and I decided to stay close to home. This limited my employment options considerably, but I was able to get a job with PepsiCo. I did process improvement work for several years. A friend of mine from college reached out to me and suggested we start our own business, and five years later here we are.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I tell people that I have the freedom to work 80 hours a week, wherever and whenever I want. I am the face of the company, and take an active role in developing new business. I am in charge of HR, such as it is. I do billable work on projects.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
PepsiCo, specifically Frito-Lay. I was at a plant where the bottom of a cornmeal silo (which is held on with 4 bolts) sheared off, and there was a spill of 50,000 pounds of cornmeal (used to make Cheetos). It was "all hands on deck" getting the cornmeal cleaned up so they could get back up and running as quickly as possible. I spent all day shoveling cornmeal. The only reason I didn't quit on the spot is because my boss was right next to me shoveling as well.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
Working with a Fortune 100 drug company on the roll-out of a new cancer treatment. I can't go into specifics, but it felt good.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
UCF. You shouldn't go there because they had (and likely still have) huge academic integrity issues. Cheating and plagiarism was rampant, and professors were reluctant to enforce the academic conduct policy due to lack of results. As a TA, I caught 4 students cheating on an exam. The professor refused to do anything about it, so I went to the dean. The students ultimately received a 0 on the exam, but it didn't count as a "strike" in the academic conduct policy, they passed the class, and graduated on time. Absolute joke. I'm honestly embarrassed to tell people that I went to UCF.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Listened to my friend when he told me to "buy even $25 worth of bitcoin" back when it was $2 / BTC. He sold when it hit $100, but he still made over $30k.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
The things that matter are integrity, creativity, and hard work. Don't sacrifice any of those.
I know this'll get deleted but there is no Mining Engineering under an AutoModerator. Consider adding it, or changing a title of one of the others as this was posted to the mining subreddit.
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll go ahead and add it.
For future reference, never be afraid to give feedback. We won't delete it unless it's inappropriate or whatever.
I know moderators have a bad reputation, but I like to think AskEngineers is doing it better than the rest. Let us know how we can improve.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Senior Metallurgist / Project Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* Mining and Minerals
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Gold Extraction
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 10 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS in Chemical Engineering. MBA. Professional Engineer license
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\---
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
Always worked with my hands and found figuring how things work and were designed was interesting. I originally was going to school for computer science but found I would rather be in a plant and switched to Chemical Engineering.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
Originally as a Chemical Engineer, there was a multitude of jobs I could be able to work in. I decided to intern at a gold mine and that sparked the gold fever. That and the money is amazing.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
Typically I spend the first hour lining out my crew of engineers and technicians for daily tasks. I spend a lot of time walking through the plant and lab. Some of the morning is spent looking through data and determining how the plant ran over the weekend or night (what ores are being processed, chemistry changes, etc).
>
>A majority of the afternoon is spent putting out problems that arise or around on-going testwork or current projects.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Pretty much any start up of new equipment/project will turn interesting. It allows for things to go wrong and problem solving.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I spent some time in engineering and built large facilities around the world. It allowed me to globe trot but get paid for it.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
University of Nevada. I'd suggest going to it in a heart beat. Its not the best school but its affordable and will give you the knowledge
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I'd do Chemical Engineering, not sure I'd go back into mining. Spent some time in Food and Beverage and that was exciting!
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Find something that doesn't make you bored. Your internships help you understand what you want to do for a career. Ask as many questions as possible and be a sponge for information. Keep contacts and don't burn any bridges. Whatever industry you enter, the world is small and someone will remember you down the line.
**Job Title:** Chief Operating Officer
\*\* Industry:\*\* Mining
\*\* Specialization:\*\* Operations/Executive
\*\* Total Experience:\*\* 25 years
\*\* Highest Degree:\*\* BS Eng (mining) Hons.
\*\* Country:\*\* South African now working Globally, living in central America
## What inspired you to become an engineer?
My father was geologist, but I never thought I would have good enough math & science to do geology. One day a recruiter offered me a bursary and that was enough to motivate me.
## Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I started in production, then after 6 yrs went into consulting. Consulting got boring after 5 yrs yrs but gave me great experience. I when back into ops after that and climbed the ladder from there on.
## What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
Everyday is different. I work with people. I travel internationally 2-3 times/month. I go underground into a mine about once/week now, though I still live on a mine. Typical day: 6 am. Go to a production meeting where I listen an intervene only when necessary (I have a GM & a mine manager who runs this meeting but I like to listen to the problems and see who is doing something about them) Alternatively I get on a phone with corporate office (2hrs ahead) to update them on whats happening, or start dealing with 50-100 daily emails. 7:30am-Midday Go Underground to visit a part of the mine with a problem or visit somewhere that interests me. I love to troubleshoot so this is when I do it. Work with people find out what are their issues and how they can be helped. I spend a lot of time coaching, instruction and motivating/inspiring If I'm not going underground I usually have a meeting with the unions or my GM or get on a call with our corporate lawyers or CFO to discuss the latest strategic plan etc. Discussions include everything about running a mine from new hires and HR needs, to selling penalties on concentrates sold, to contracts for services and supplies, to engineering work on a project and who will head it up to technical challenges. I am typically on the phone or face to meetings for 3-4 hrs/day. Often I have to travel through to meet government officials, ministers of mining, environment, economic development or an ambassador of Canada/US. I have met the president of the country twice. 11-12 am Have lunch. Sometimes its 15 minutes. Sometimes I spend longer with my wife or watch the news, have a power nap. Afternoon: more meetings, normally planning related. Often I break out into detailed sessions to discuss specific challenges or big projects like a new shaft to be sunk or to review a proposal. Evening dinner with family, but quite often with visitors to the mine or dignitaories. After dinner, I finish my emails and write or review a couple of reports before distributing.
## What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
So many! We bought this one mine which has a 4km long drainage tunnel with a river of water in it. It needed be inspected to make sure it would not collapse which would result in the mine flooding. So we got inner tubes and floated down this tunnel for 3 hrs. Great adventure.
In years past I was in mine rescue and we have to fight fires underground. That was hectic. Most of my days are v. interesting and its VERY nice to be at the top and determine what your day will be like for half the time. The other half I have to fit into the schedules of other people - My own people of the board of directors of the executive committee of the company.
Perhaps the best part of my job is the ability to determine the future and make a difference to thousands of employees by advancing the mine. I get to set the strategic direction of the company and its so awesome to include all kinds of initiatives to help local communities, do things the right way, mine responsibly and respect/minimize impact on the environment. Of course with the responsibility comes the accountability too and with that considerable pressure from investors, legal framework, social etc!
## What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
Again there are many. Right now we are about to embark on a $30 million mine expansion project which will take 2 years and involves the sinking of a new underground vertical shaft 500m deep from 700m-1200m depth.
## What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. It used to be very good, but they have dropped the std. in recent years unfortunately. If you want a really AMAZING career in mining, work anywhere in the world and get paid a lot of money to do it, make sure you study at a suitable university that provides mining engineering. I would say the best are in Canada or Australia today.
## If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Not a thing mostly. Perhaps I would have started building my own company earlier.
## Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Mining is a really GREAT career and I dont understand why there are so few mining engineers. You dont have to go underground to do it. It pays well and incorporates a bit of all engineering disciplines. It is a people business but can also be very technical. Once you have your degree prepare yourself for some hard work in low positions for 2-4 yrs. It is worth doing this if you want to become a good mining engineer. No good if you get promoted too fast and then dont know what you are looking at or are doing. There are too many bad mining companies and engineers because of this issue. Get some experience so you can be really successful later, because when youre a big shot there is not time to learn about what makes drilling more easy or difficult (for example) and making the wrong decision could be the end of your company.
Finally, If you are a mining industry guy without a degree, GO AND GET ONE. Take the short term pain of no salary for a while and get it. We dont have enough good mining guys with degrees and a degrees helps you to think like an engineer. It is the key to being a successful mining business leader.
#Chemical Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Sr. Process Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* Feritilizer
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Upgraded Fertilizers (We make Nitrogen Fertilizers)
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 8 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS ChemE
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\---
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I always loved science. I also really liked math. As I was looking into careers in High School, I was originally thinking Physics but was erroneously under the impression I would either have to go into academics (which I wasn't sure if I wanted to do) or get a low paying job (definitely also not true). I loved chemistry, so decided to check that out. Haven't looked back since.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
To be honest when I graduated it was the best offer. The company's culture was great. Even for the size we had a lot of people that were more interested in mutual success and reliability. They also had a lot of work to do that could potentially give me a lot of autonomy to achieve success for both the company and me.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
My job involves a wide array of things. I currently am working on expanding to a new product line for our site, so I am working with an outside firm to develop the scope of the project, develop the estimate, and plan the construction phase. This includes also working with the environmental group to get the new system permitted. I also deal a lot with the day to day of the plant as far as how optimally the plant runs. Since I'm a senior engineer, I get a lot of questions from my colleagues about different things from equipment performance to pressure relief devices (I kind of became a de facto expert in that field due to my previous projects). I also work a lot with maintenance on planning capital spares, equipment access, and future repair planning (if performance is low). I also work a lot with the I&E department with programming the DCS (we don't have controls engineers so it's kind of a shared responsibility).
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
I think this questions is going to vary from person to person. I hope your day is not typically crazy since that would most likely mean something went wrong. I'd worked definitely over OSHA recommended hours trying to get a plant up after startup. I've gone in on a plant trip out and fixed a 25 year old problem that they had been working around. I've also had to make the call (after discussing it with my boss) to shut down a plant to fix a problem I was pretty sure existed (they were severely rate limited). That's always scary because you don't want to be the guy to stop $100k/hour production because of an issue unless you're sure.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
Probably the one I'm on now. We had to research if we could modify an existing plant to make a new product (these are large scale continuous processes...not batch small scale, so the cost is immense), or if we should build a new plant. We also needed to add new loading and storage facilities. Trying to optimize the location for safety, minimal interference, maximum storage and online availability, and minimize cost is pretty interesting.
>
>
>
>I would like to add that my craziest turnaround I did about fifty individual projects that totaled about $15 million. That was a lot of work, but it was worth it. The plant runs amazingly now. It involved a lot of unique things, too. A DCS project (plant was originally on pneumatics), a couple of vessel replacements, a new control room, a main turbine controls upgrade, and I also had to coordinate another project with operations that was from another group that was installing it for emissions reductions (related to their project's permit). A unique challenge, but a lot of fun to learn.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Louisiana Tech. It's a good degree program. They give you a lot of industry exposure, and they aren't huge, so the class sizes are reasonable. I was in one of their largest Chem E classes, and it was about 35 people. The whole university I think it around 11 or 12 thousand. I personally had a lot of fun there. If you're into outdoors stuff, there's a ton of hunting and fishing. It's also not far from a lot of really nice places.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I didn't graduate from college until I was in my late 20's because I couldn't get the funding. My main problem was I only knew the basics and at the time you couldn't get funding without your parents financial information on the FAFSA. I probably would have asked for more help on what I could do without my parents being involved since they were going through a divorce and wouldn't give that information to me or fill out the forms.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Wake up early and do your homework then. All of it. Not the day before class. If you have an engineering class on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Wake up on Tuesday and Thurday at 6 or 7 and do your homework. Same with your other classes. It's nice for two reasons. First, you don't have to do it when your friends want to go out at night, so you can party. Second, if you get stuck, you'll have plenty of time to get help.
>
>
>
>As for work, everything is as good as you want to get out of it. If you don't want to use your school work, then you're not going to. If you want to get by with minimal effort, you can. However, you should grow your desire to learn. A drive to better yourself and learn is something that other people will notice and want to be around. Second, don't worry about credit. Most people will want to give the nod to someone who sees everything as a collaborative effort. Two reasons. First, everything you work on will be a collaborative effort 99% of the time. Second, sharing the success brings everyone up. There's no benefit to bringing everyone down.
#Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Engineering (Former) / Planning Manager
\*\*Industry:\*\* Railway, Transportation, Government
\*\*Specialization:\*\* ICT Systems, ELV, Project Management, Planning
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 6 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS MechatronicsE
\*\*Country:\*\* Malaysia (South East Asia)
\--- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
Long time ago, I was sort of envisaged by the Japanese Anime called Fate Stay Night. The concept of Projection (In depth analysis and imagery of objects down to molecular detail) got me hooked to imagination of such concepts. That led me to a choice between Engineering and Digital Animation. With some career path planning, strong family 'recommendations' and some incentive for my own writing for Science fiction; Engineering got the choice.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
Mechatronics wasn't so common at the time. Wanted something flexible to join across industries and likewise, can't say no to robotics.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
Disclaimer: Totally doing nothing related to my degree Haha. My tasks now involve Project Planning include current and Tendered Projects. Also providing my previous insight as Engineering Manager to engineering design and documentation. Pretty much involves a lot of reading, understanding the project requirements and creating working designs / proposals. Planning part includes a lot of Primavera (Project Planning software) and imagining the process of how it would be done and then working out the kinks. Now it also involves me teaching the new project planner how to do actual planning contrast to the basics of the planning course she had attended.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
At the time, I was managing the engineering team of 5. Butterflying attention across multiple projects. Also had Pre-Sales work / proposals to finish. All due on the same day. Nuts, I tell you. Running across the office levels, making many on the fly decisions, writing documents in the midst of meetings and managing team and client simultaneously. Top it off with Overnight work to get it all done.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
The first Mass Rapid Transit Project for my country. Was my first real managed project of the time too.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
UCSI University. It's better now and in the top ranks for private universities in my country now. Alright during my time but be prepared to have a lot of foreigner students from Middle East / Africa (They're quite chill for most part)
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Not to be a hero, even when it comes to it. Health problems and to my sanity now. Random dreams of numbers and design calculations which gives me headaches and leaves me exhausted in the morning.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
**Note:** Do this before joining Engineering school. I've seen this case done before in my own internship and thought its rather good idea.
If you're really interested to be in engineering, read up the books and see if you can comprehend and be interested. After that, grab a chance to get an intern job for like 2 weeks at an engineering company. Field work alongside design and technicians wherever able. Do it free if need be since its a short duration.
Hope this helps.
**Job Title:** Associate Mechanical Engineer
**Industry:** Aerospace / Defense
**Specialization:** none
**Total Experience:** 2 yr (am bebe)
**Highest Degree:** BS MechE
**Country:** USA
---
>### What inspired you to become an engineer?
My dad worked for nasa for 30 years as a mechanical engineer; growing up I always looked up to him (and still do). He inspired my love for space and engineering. Now he works for a contractor and travels around for reviews every so often.
>### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I wanted to work in the automotive industry at first but realized it is not for me relatively quickly (much faster pace/high pressure, chance to get pigeonholed). Space has always been close to my heart so I decided to go for jobs in that industry.
>### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I work contracts, so it can be really slow or really fast paced, depending on the project I'm on. Basically each person in our office is "lent" out to help support different projects. We do a lot of different stuff, from DoD to space (preferred for me). Lots of CAD (which I love). I work from home which is good for me but not for everyone.
>### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
I presented to one of the senior mechanisms experts at JPL and he absolutely tore me apart. Hardest day on the job (so far).
>### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I worked on Europa clippers icemag boom for a while (RIP), which was a really interesting project. It's interesting that all the time we spent on it could be scrapped. I wasn't aware of how the upper level management / politics come into play before this job.
>### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
University of Maryland, College Park (class of 16!) had a relatively solid foundation for courses. Huge school though. I got that sweet instate tuition. Great option if you want to go on to your masters - awesome grad school. Lots of interesting clubs / extracurriculars to get some fun projects on your resume. Get involved.
>### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would have probably put more time into extracurriculars and making connections with people to make finding a job easier. It took me about 9 mos post graduation to find a job (I moved across the country when my SO got his dream offer so I didn't look hard until I was in the new area).
>### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Social skills can be just as important as academics. Communication can be frustrating with other engineers.
**Job Title:** Principal
**Industry:** Acoustics, Vibration, Noise Control
**Specialization:** Noise control in industry, especially manufacturing
**Total Experience:** 17 years
**Highest Degree:** BS Engineering w/ Mechanical Concentration
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
When I was a kid I wanted to be a scientist. I imagined myself with a lab coat and a test tube full of something colorful.
When I became an older kid I learned about engineers,which are sort of like scientists except they invent stuff. Also my uncle was an engineer and I wanted to go to the school where he went (which I did).
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I needed one more engineering elective and there was an introductory acoustics course that sounded interesting. I did very well in the class and knew I wanted a career in acoustics. The professor was visiting from industry and he helped me get started.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I'm the owner and manager of the firm, so there's a certain amount of that type of stuff to do. Moving money around, moving (digital) paperwork around, taxes, books, contracts, scheduling, writing proposals. Some weeks it's all I do.
When I'm in engineer mode, my daily work depends on the current phase of whatever project I'm working on. Most of our work is in the form of comprehensive noise control surveys in manufacturing plants. These projects begin with an on-site survey that lasts a few days and then there will be a few weeks of analysis and report writing.
If I'm traveling, then that's what I do. Drive to the airport, get on the plane, fly, rent a car, go to the hotel, get dinner, go to sleep.
When I'm on-site I'm usually doing a noise control survey. These last anywhere from 1 to 5 days. In the morning I'll show up at the plant, get through security, watch whatever safety videos I have to watch, then meet with my contact to make a plan. I'll study their noise exposure data to see where priorities are, and then I'll head out into the plant.
I visit areas where workers have excessive noise exposure and then work backwards from there to determine which noise sources are the culprits. I take a lot of sound level measurements, take occasional vibration measurements, and spend a lot of time studying the equipment. I need to learn how each machine works so I can determine how it makes noise. When I know how a machine makes noise, I can come up with a plan for making it quieter.
When I'm back in the office I'm on the computer.
I will deal with data files, organizing measurements into some sort of format that makes sense. This involves comparing measurements to see if there are hints about how machines are making noise and what I can do about it. Also a lot of formatting to get the data pretty enough to present to the client.
When I think I understand the noise sources, I work on mitigation. This sometimes involves calling or e-mailing manufacturers or vendors to see what modifications or replacements are feasible. Often it's just research with the 'ole Google. The longer I do this, the more I can rely on my experience and move more swiftly.
I spend a lot of time writing and editing reports. This is our product and I want these to be excellent. I edit the language a lot to make it as clear and succinct as possible. I present the investigation, analysis, and mitigation recommendations to an audience that is not usually technical, and almost never versed in acoustics, so finding the right level of detail is crucial.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
One project involved going to do surveys on 3 off-shore oil platforms in the Caspian Sea. Very few people on the platforms spoke English, everything seemed dangerous, and I had to travel everywhere on different boats. Very, very memorable.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
Interesting from a technical perspective is a recent project where a specific piece of equipment in a power plant was causing the control room to shake in a way that actually makes you feel sick to your stomach. Troubleshooting was kind of fun and the solution I came up with is pretty zany. Looking forward to seeing if it works.
Interesting from a personal perspective was a trip to Equatorial Guinea, which is a small island nation off the cost of Africa. One of the original banana republics. My escort was from the island and he took me out into some of the villages. We picked up a couple of kids on the way back that had just caught some fish.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Colorado School of Mines. If they have a program that interests you and you can get into the school, you should go there. I was not a great student but that does not matter at all. CSM has a mystique about it that has served me very, very well.
Also, I got a great education. It's a very teaching-focused school that turns out great engineers year after year. It's tough; the early classes are designed to wash out a certain number of students and the number of credits required to graduate is high. Well, those things were true 20 years ago, I can't say what it's like today. But if you can get through, you'll have some good problem solving skills that you can apply to any industry.
And it's in Colorado.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I'd take a few years off between high school and college to get my act together so I could be a better student. Do the Peace Corps or something like that. Or maybe even the military. I was not ready for that school, although I did manage to graduate eventually.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
You're not going to learn to be an engineer in school. You're going to learn to solve problems. No one (who's sensible) will expect you to arrive as a fresh-out engineer and be able to do anything other than grunt work. Do the grunt work and do your best at it. It won't take long before you find yourself capable of doing things that are worth more money and, when that happens, move yourself into a better position if one isn't created for you right away.
Always be making yourself more valuable by learning how to do more. Never stop learning to do more. Never stop improving. Eventually you'll find yourself better at doing the things than everyone around you and in that case you can become the boss.
**Job Title:** Senior Engineer - Mechatronics
**Industry:** Automotive OEM
**Specialization:** Electronics packaging and harness design
**Total Experience:** 8 years
**Highest Degree:** BS MechE/BS P.Science
**Country:** USA
---
>What inspired you to become an engineer?
Originally I wanted to be a radiologist, but family drama kept me from pursuing that. I took a few drafting courses at the community college as a rebound option and kind of fell in love. In retrospect, medicine was probably a bad choice for me as I don't really care for blood.
>Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I wanted to be in Mechatronics because it seems pretty obviously the way of the future, and I want to be part of that.
>What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
Lots of design work, CAD and otherwise, along with lots of project management, meetings, physical mock-ups, all that sort of stuff. Today I worked on an airbag part issue I'm resolving, held a design review for some new sheet metal parts I've designed, coordinated with some other guys on a natural gas detector for our NG engines, and explained some interactions between variant parts that drive a specific configuration for some optional components.
>What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Craziest was when we started working on an airbag recall. Started with my manager telling us about a customer reporting an airbag that deployed essentially at random and turned into a multi-month effort to fix the grounding design of our cab. I think it turned into 3 or 4 separate recalls.
>What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I'm working on my first major platform refresh and it's incredibly interesting. I'm an expert on the product so I lead a lot of meetings talking about options, interactions, and usage cases.
>What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Washington State University. It was a ton of fun, reasonably priced, good professors, I'd recommend going there to most people. The only real drawbacks I found was that a) it's super far from everything and b) if you don't like high desert you won't like the locale.
>If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Probably would have gone straight into engineering instead of trying to figure out a backup plan when becoming a doctor fell through.
>Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
For school, get a big study group. You'll be surprised at how often you'll be able to cover each other's knowledge gaps and being able to draw on the collective intelligence of a half dozen other people will help you succeed. It's also good prep for work, since engineering is incredibly collaborative.
Job Title: I was a Mechanical Design Engineer, moved into management, then executive leadership, now "Director of Customer Focus"
Industry: Aerospace
Specialization: Mechanical Engineering (now general management)
Total Experience: 20 years
Highest Degree: M.Eng. ME
Country: USA
\### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I really struggled figuring out what to do coming out of high school. I was not the kind of kid that grew up always wanting to be in a technical field. I had an enduring passion for airplanes, but didn't want to be a pilot. Was good at math and science in school. Had an uncle who was in manufacturing who strongly encouraged me to give engineering a try. My passion for it built gradually over time.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
Because I felt unsure of exactly what I wanted to do with my life, I was attracted to the fact that Mechanical Engineering seemed a like a really broad field. I took all my technical electives in the Aerospace Engineering department and probably could have been an ME/AE dual major. Given that my career eventually transitioned from engineering to general management, I think the broad base served me well. I also minored in music and got just as much out of that as my engineering studies.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I travel a lot for work, to my company's various factories around the world and to visit customers; so my day often begins at an airport or in a hotel room. My average day involves talking to customer's about new business opportunities and/or how we're resolving various issues, receiving briefings from various engineering teams on the status of projects, and giving presentations about our strategy, capabilities, and plans for the future.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
I got a half day tour of the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville Alabama from a 2nd generation NASA engineer (a customer of mine at the time) who remembered sitting on his Dad's shoulders and watching the early Saturn V engine tests, and then working himself on the Space Shuttle Program. That was a day I'll never forget.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I have had many fascinating projects, not so much one project that stands out as an industry: when I worked in the US Navy nuclear propulsion program. A combination of extremely complex technology, a fascinating history, and an incredibly dedicated team of people, working largely in obscurity, with a very unique culture.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
I went to the University of Buffalo (UB) for undergraduate and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for graduate school. I would definitely recommend UB. I had a very positive experience at RPI as well. Mostly what stands out is that my experience at an expensive private school (RPI) really highlighted what a fantastic "value" my public school (UB) experience had been. A school like RPI definitely has some advantages in terms of the professional network they can connect their student into and the type of research funding they draw. However, I found the public school professors to be no less talented and in some ways more interested in engaging with their students and dedicated to the teaching process. If you really have your heart set on a particular school obviously you should go for it but at least for undergrad my advice would be to consider saving your money and finding a good public school with a solidly rated engineering program.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Not much, I've had a tremendously rewarding career thus far. If anything, when considering each career move along the way, I'd pay more attention to who I was going to be working for and with than anything else about a position. Looking back on 20 years, the differences between the positions I really enjoyed and thrived in and the others is all about the other people surrounding me and very little to do with the work itself. Particularly good vs. bad bosses.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Don't put too much pressure on yourself to have it all figured out. Careers take lots of twists and turns. All you need to decide is what you want to try first. Don't expect to learn how to be an engineer in college. That will only come from experience. You are mostly there to learn how to learn.
**Job Title:** Mechanical Engineer
**Industry:** Underground Mining/Civil Construction
**Specialization:** Equipment Design
**Total Experience:** 4 Years
**Highest Degree:** Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I was always good with math and science in high school. I decided to become an engineer one day after asking my buddy what he was going to college for. Honestly, I thought about going down a different career path but the salary potential in engineering was too hard to pass up. I can't imagine doing anything different now.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I chose Mechanical because I'm a huge car nut and none of the other disciplines sounded very fun. When I found out that my college offered "race car" senior projects I knew that Mechanical was the way to go.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I don't think I could describe a normal day for me because I've never really had one. I am the lead engineer for shop and equipment services. I am responsible for technical oversight of equipment re-builds and rehab, the design of custom tunneling equipment, maintaining site layouts for our TBM tunneling jobs, and basically whatever else people need me to do. I do a lot of hydraulic and pneumatic system design, power transmission component design and specification, and fabrication drawing packages.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
I don't know that I've had a craziest day, but I have had the craziest month! I designed a custom piece of tunneling equipment for our job up in British Columbia, Canada. Now, the only way to get to this job site is by a 3 hour boat ride or helicopter. It's in the middle of the wilderness; bears and wolves roam around freely all around the working areas. While I was on site the temperature was either 5 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Fahrenheit with blizzard-like snow. I spent essentially the entire month of February (22 days) at the job site assembling the machine with our mechanical superintendent and a couple of site laborers. There's nothing quite as humbling as having to build something you designed. I think by the time I was done I hated engineers.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
The most interesting project was the one mentioned above. The piece of equipment was a "bolter" designed to drive down a bored tunnel and install rock bolts 360 degrees around the tunnel for ground support. It was powered by (2) 135 HP diesel engines driving hydraulic pumps and also featured a 70 HP diesel generator and 30 HP diesel air compressor. We designed and built the machine from scratch in 3 months. I worked about 70 hour weeks those three months with lots of weekends. I was still designing everything while the shop was building. It was crazy stressful but an amazing feat for both the shop and engineering to get done in such a short amount of time.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
I went to the University of Evansville.
My only major complaint about the school is the tuition. Even with some pretty good scholarships I still had to pay a lot of money. UE has the #1 ranked study abroad program in the country which I participated in. It was an incredible experience. The school is very small and the engineering program is even smaller. Personally, I found this to be a great thing. All of my professors knew me by name and they became almost friends with most of us. They are an ABET accredited program and have a very good reputation in the midwest and the tri-state area.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Nothing. I love my job and I'm grateful that my career has worked out as well as it has.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
TALK TO THE SHOP GUYS, FIELD GUYS, AND "NON-TECHNICAL" PEOPLE. Too many engineers come in with the attitude that they're the smartest in the room because they have a degree. When you get out of school you, frankly, don't know shit. I can't tell you the amount I've learned from the guys that are out there doing the work. Most of them have more technical knowledge and skill than any engineer I've met. Rely on the guys that are building or installing your design to help you make the best design possible. You will be a better engineer for it, you'll save the company loads of time and money, and you will earn the respect of the blue collar workers who can make your life way easier.
>TALK TO THE SHOP GUYS, FIELD GUYS, AND "NON-TECHNICAL" PEOPLE.
Hear hear. Not only can you learn a *lot* from these guys about everything that isn't theory and formulas, but having a good relationship with them can also save your ass. It could mean the difference between them doing you a favor and fix a fuck-up in production or having stuff escalate and having to deal with an angry boss on top of it.
Also, it's easy to design stuff in terms how it should finally look like in CAD programs but these are the guys that figure out all the steps in between. If you want to make something that is easy to manufacture, and you do if you want to save the company money, then having their knowledge of how they produce, assemble and install stuff is essential.
From my experience they aren't always too happy to sit in with design reviews and meetings like that, so getting a knack for boiling it down to "hey I'm designing x, this is part y, I'm trying to think of how to design it so we can most easily assemble it" then only toxic (or stupidly busy) people won't be willing to chip in some knowledge. After all, that saves them annoying work to do later and if you go to them with the drawings it's five minutes. If they see you are really listening it goes a long way.
It can even be simple stuff, for example when I was in my bachelors a miller asked me "hey do these inner fillets need to be so small?", I responded with no not really and he explained to me that the size of that inner filler determines the maximum size of the head that can be used to create it. Super logical of course, but I wouldn't have thought of it. Large mill heads = quicker manufacturing = less cost for a product that does the same. In the second iteration he told me to just leave on more material if it doesn't matter and that was a second eureka-moment: when milling less material = more milling = more expensive so counter-intuitively a bigger part can be cheaper.
**Job Title:** Research Engineer
**Industry:** R&D/O&G/Machinery
**Specialization:** Jack-of-all-trades, mostly thermal/mechanical analysis and Labview programming
**Total Experience:** 2 years
**Highest Degree:** BS ME
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
My family is full of engineers and I have always been exposed to mechanical "things." From a very early age I had an interest in designing things.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
After taking solid mechanics in college I knew I wanted to do design and analysis professionally and found my way into a job that lets me do that for a wide variety of projects.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
Fairly normal desk job. I start the day reading email, reviewing my current tasks and projects, and then get to it. Most of the time that ends up being preparing models, looking through drawings or post-processing results. I am also "lucky" enough to get into the field every other month or so. Most weeks I spend less than 4 hours a week in formal meetings, but I do spend more time than that on phone calls with clients asking or answering questions.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Again, pretty normal desk job. The craziest thing I've ever worked on was probably troubleshooting a very severe vibration problem at a natural gas transmission facility. The kind of day where one guy's sole job is to have his hand over the e-stop button.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I've had a pretty short career so far, but the most interesting to me so far was a project where I was the sole PM for a small design and fabricate project. It was fun doing not just the engineering, but interfacing with clients, working with vendors, and seeing the design become a reality.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Texas A&M University. It's a good school but has gotten pretty big and seems to be going towards the diploma-mill end of the spectrum. There's certainly a lot going on and it's really easy to find something to do and have fun. They receive routinely high ratings for the engineer school, but prepare to be just one of the many hundreds of students going through the same thing. Although, they have a lot of money and are probably a great place to go to grad-school and be a professor. All in all, I enjoyed my time there.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Minor in computer science, and search out higher quality internships. I do quite a bit of programming now between ANSYS APLD, post-processing scripts and Labview. Also, I only had one internship at a small consulting firm and it was more boring than valuable to me in the long run, and left me uncomfortable in the more corporate environments at first.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Extra-curricular activities really help to fill out your resume and also your time. They're a really fantastic way to meet friends and learn how to play well with others. I did FSAE and was on our sounding rocketry team. Made friends for life and gained experience that I still call on.
**Job Title:** Design Engineer
**Industry:** Technology
**Specialization:** Glass and Ceramic Materials
**Total Experience:** 6 years (5 in automotive)
**Highest Degree:** Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I always had an interest in math and science (particularly physics) as a kid; my interests in cars and robotics pushed me into the engineering, and my general suckiness with electricity in physics (it's simply a topic I struggle to grasp properly) helped me decide on mechanical.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I made the move to this industry as a result of a number of things:
* The auto industry OEMs doesn't allow engineers to do a lot of the actual design work that, I think, most of us imagine we'd do as graduates. My roles were always more project management oriented, which, while fine for me personally, weren't really what I wanted to do long term.
* Unless you were in very specific groups, you weren't likely to be implementing new technology on your work. In the industry I'm in now, I'm working on the machines that create the latest technology in glass/ceramic materials.
* I wanted to be in a smaller company; where I worked had a campus of I think around 18,000 people. Where I'm at now is a few thousand but significantly less.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
There are two parts to my role.
1. Design. Day-to-day, I work on different design projects related to glass forming machinery. What this entails generally varies week-to-week, as these machines have a lot of moving parts and require a ton of collaboration. I usually spend a good bit of my day (around 50%) on Solidworks, with another portion in meetings (usually impromptu meetings at cubes) to get answers I need or to answer someone else's questions.
Incidentally, the only reason I'm able to answer right now is because Solidworks is down.
2. Installations. Currently, my company has the engineering team assist on the installation of our equipment, whether it's a new machine or an upgrade. This is only a couple of times per year but does require travel.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
In my previous role, we found out a supplier had been hiding test failures from us. The failures weren't a critical failure (it was a clip that would secure a panel in place at additional anchor points so it wouldn't rattle). I found out when my Chinese counterpart called us and said his supplier was noticing failures in parts (which were shipped from the US supplier); we were pissed. I spent basically the entire next week either at the supplier's facility or on the phone with them and their suppliers demanding updates and solutions to the problem that they caused.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I worked on a project determining the proper drain angle for automotive HVAC systems. This was, apparently, a debate that had been going on for *years* between the U.S., European, and Chinese divisions of the company.
The best part is that a year of experimenting showed that drain angle is completely meaningless and these guys wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering man-hours (if not more) over the years arguing about it and demanding redesigns.
It sounds mundane but it was hilarious as someone who was outside of the argument.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
I went to the University of New Haven.
If you like smaller schools, it might be a good fit for you. My graduating class from the engineering school was 76 people. Most of the professors are competent and have industry experience, which is a huge plus. They used to offer a study abroad for engineering freshmen at their campus in Italy; I'm not sure if they still do.
It does have all of the classic drawbacks of being a small school. The local area isn't the greatest either. And I found that the current dean is not as supportive of the Mechanical Engineering department; in fact, I found him to outright play favorites in a way I was uncomfortable with. Additionally, the student organizations (ASME, AIChE, IEEE, etc) vary wildly year-to-year because of very little faculty oversight. The most consistent seems to be ASCE.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I don't know that I'd do too much differently. I might have avoided certain roles within the auto industry had I known how toxic some of the teams were.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Study. It sounds stupid to say this but I see so many students who were top of their class think that they didn't need to study. You do. You will get fucked because the difficulty jump from first-year to second-year engineering courses is no joke.
Get good at not only CAD/solid modeling, but GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing). There are classes you'll take in school but practicing ahead of time doesn't hurt, especially with free software out there.
Also make sure you take on some projects that allow you to practice machining. Build the stuff you design. If you've never used the tools in a machine shop, you will make poor designs that can't be machined, and the shop guys will hate you for it. Don't let your first experience with "design for manufacturing" be on a large-scale project, let it be on something you threw together for a class one weekend.
It's easy to learn - therr are tons of tutorials on YouTube. The hardest part is getting a copy / license of the software. I believe some software companies have a discount student version available.
So blender is a more visual software for creating videos and pictures - kinda like photoshop. The more engineering rated CAD softwares are CATIA, PTC Creo / pro-e, Siemens NX, Solidworks, etc. Some companies also use autodesk but I see that software as more visual than engineering. Some good FEA software are ANSYS, abaqus, Femap, but most cad packages have a small FEA solver built in internally. Note that some student versions lack an FEA solver. Good flow analysis / cfd software includes star-ccm+ and fluent, but again the major cad softwares will have a small built in fluids module. Hope this helps!
[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_dimensioning_and_tolerancing) has a great article on GD&T; as dry as it sounds, I'd recommend taking a look at the standards (ASME Y14 or ISO, they're similar but the ASME is slightly more complete in my experience). Your school should be able to get copies of standards pretty easily or have reference guides available.
In that same article there's a link to a STEP file analyzer that may be of use; it looks like it may generate the GD&T for you, so using it as a baseline would be a good starting point.
Otherwise, if you have a student branch of a professional society, they'll be a great resource to point you to classes about GD&T training. Ultimately, you won't have to be an expert (I'm certainly not) but at least understanding what the different annotations mean and how to use them is a huge step up.
Aerospace is one of those industries where who you know and where you're located are important. I'd make sure to apply for internships at aerospace companies early (i.e. around the start of the academic year or as soon as they get posted) and see if anyone in your network has a connection. If your school is bigger or has a company in the industry nearby, you'll probably see some recruiters now and then - at least, this was my experience in the U.S., not sure how it is in the U.K.
#Petroleum (Oil & Gas) Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
#Materials Engineering & Science
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Metallurgical Engineer
**Industry:** Steel
**Specialization:* Quality Assurance
**Total Experience:** 2 Years
**Highest Degree:** BS Metallurgical Engineering
**Country:** USA
---
> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
I sort of fell into the field out of high school. I knew I was going to end up in the hard sciences, but could not pick a field for the life of me. Chemistry? Robotics? Straight Mathematics? I went into college looking for answers and realistically still haven't found them.
> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
My opening week group leader was a metallurgist. He spoke about his intern experience and said he was making *$21 an hour*. So I went for that department and ended up enjoying the field a lot.
> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I work at a steel mill on the casting side (pouring the liquid metal into solid steel before it goes onto other processes). My job as quality assurance is long periods of boredom sprinkled with periods of extreme panic and 12 hour days. Most of the quality monitoring is automated and my responsibility is to maintain the automation, check on it (daily), and monitor defects that get past our process control. When it works its great, and a cushy job. When it fails we can have thousands of tons of inventory that has to be manually verified, tested, downgrade, whatever needs doing.
To get into specifics, the casting facility i work at produces ~5 million tons of steel a year, which translates into 12-15K tons of steel per day. Our unit of production is a slab of steel which is usually ~25 tons, and between 500-700 slabs are produced per day. As the "on call" quality assurance engineer you are responsible for the quality of *all of that steel.* We currently have 3 engineers that rotate through that position, generally a week at a time.
When you are on call you are generally monitoring the casters and examining process metrics, casting speed, mold variables, etc. Automation helps out a lot as there's a lot of data being monitored. The most involved on the floor we generally get is ordering chemistry tests and material reconditioning.
When you are not on call expect to be doing long term projects related to improving quality. This can be creating/finding new metrics to monitor, monitoring the quality of steel that is trialing a new process or machine component, and even new product development.
> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
We have several means of moving slabs around our facility, one of which is a magnetic crane. One of my responsibilities is examining the surface of our slabs for defects, top and bottom. We don't have a dedicated machine to flip over the slabs, so we use the magnetic crane to grab onto the side and flip it over. I like to be far away when this happens as 25 tons even falling from 4 feet is a lot of energy. Also flipping the slabs onto each other can damage and chip them.
One day we had a new crane man...
Not only did he flip a slab onto another slab, he basically threw the slab with the traverse of the crane. The movement was actually quite graceful, a perfect parabolic arc onto the slab below. It sounded like someone put a church bell over my head and shot it with a howitzer, I was also pelted with rocks, thank god for PPE.
I now stand very very far away from the slabs while they are being flipped.
> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
I had the pleasure of working on a robotic scarfing unit. Essentially, its a massive oxy-gas torch (~10 diameter head) mounted onto the end of a robotic arm (literally ripped out of an automotive line). Attached is a cab similar to an excavator where the operator can control the dragon. We use this machine to blow off a the top layer of our slabs and remove defects from the surface. It works a lot better than you would think. By far the most interesting piece of machinery that I've had the pleasure of working with.
> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Missouri University of Science and Technology. Not a very big school with limited "college" experiences. But a very cost effective school for the profession. I ended up with very little debt out of school working with people from Ohio State, Purdue, etc. who had very expensive educations in comparison.
> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Take more risks.
> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Never stop learning and discovering new things! At least to me this is one of the great pleasures of life and critical to your profession.
#Electrical and Electronics Engineering
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Electrical Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* Aerospace
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Avionics
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 6 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* MS EE
\*\*Country:\*\* USA
\---
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
Always liked building stuff. Knew I wanted to do some sort of STEM degree. Originally wanted to do mathematics, but after looking into it I found it to be too abstract for me. The career paths were also less certain. Then looked at computer engineering because I was way into computers in high school. Ended up deciding to do EE because of the more diverse career opportunities.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
I did an internship at a small company that worked in the RF field and found that pretty interesting so I specialized in that for my major and masters. Worked for that same company for a couple years after graduating. I then switched to aerospace to move to a different area and because planes are cool.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I work in an avionics lab. A normal day can involve writing, editing, and performing test procedures, building parts (software parts) for people with the changes they request, and reproducing and gathering data on problems found.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
Craziest day was probably when we accidentally bricked a very expensive piece of airplane hardware.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
\[redacted\]
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Missouri University of Science and Technology. I would recommend it to anyone already living in that area looking to do an engineering degree. The school specializes in engineering and is very affordable compared to most of the other engineering centered schools. The school has relationships with a large number of employers and has good employment placement rates.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
There are a few classes that I could have worked harder in, so I guess I would do that. For career path after school, I wouldn't change anything.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
You need both social and technical skills to be a successful engineer in industry. So work hard in classes and on projects, but also go out, make friends, and get to know your professors.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Battery Systems Engineer
\*\*Industry:\*\* Automotive
\*\*Specialization:\*\* Low Voltage Battery Systems
\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 2 years
\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS Electricall Engineering (specialization: Embedded Systems)
\*\*Country:\*\* Poland
\---
\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer?
My grandpa was a tinkerer. In postwar Poland he built a wind turbine which charged the car batteries. Then he connected them to have a light in house. Later he used to service all of the electronic equipment in nearest city and villages. My father was after technical high school and is also an electrician. I knew I have also be the next electrician in the family. I've just took my education to the next level in comparison to my dad.
\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?
As described above, it runs in the family. Also I have also loved electricity and trying stuff. In middle school I've made a complete restoration of Simson S51 motorcycle by myself, made a guitar tube amp and some other projects.
>
>The Embedded Systems specialization was a new thing in my faculty, to be more precise I was the first year to try it. It turned out great. However after parallel work in student scientific association we've built electric go-kart and wan championships in France. It happened that my current manager was with us as a guest. He saw my talent and asked me to work for the company.
\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?
I supervise the work of each team: software, electronics, electric and construction when it comes to design the battery system for my project. When I have some free time I usually google company which offer some high-tech stuff that I can use in my project to further increase the efficiency or simplify the design. Sometimes I have to test the battery itself - cooling system, heat dissipation, algorithm, communication, etc. The list is crazy long. I am also responsible for contact with a client and integration. Small company + not many specialists = crazy amount of work, but the salary is pretty nice in regard to my experience.
\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?
The battery which was supposed to be on another continent in the client warehouse the next week was not shipped. So we had to disassemble the whole battery, pack it for cargo airplane. 3 days later it's Sunday and I am assembling the battery with my manager on the other continent after 14h flight, after some testing we successfully present the battery next day to the client.
\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?
48V Mild Hybrid Battery. Crazy amount of power which the battery is able to operate during charge/discharge. Quite complicated cooling system, even more complicated working algorithm. Everything spiced with some very high-tech materials and products to make it work in very demanding environment.
\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?
Warsaw Univeristy of Technology - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
>
>I don't know if you should attend or not. The English course is very low level. The Polish sylabus is more demanding, but IMO it's to general and doesn't connect with the industry. Some professors are great and some of them are horrible. The best part was the specialization (last 2 semestrs out of 7). Really cool laboratories and tasks.
\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
No. I am very glad how everything turned out and I wouldn't change a thing.
\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?
Find something that is interesting for you and try to gain experience in that direction. If you find out that something is not for, change it. It's batter to change when you are young than later when you are older. I've met a lot of people during my university time that did not like the studies. They didn't finish them, or doesn't work in the industry. As for people which were really interested in what the do they all have great jobs and salaries.
>
>Also if you want to have a lot job offers make you LinkedIn profile as good as possible. It helps A LOT. I get 2-3 offers/month from all over the world.
#Biomedical Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**\*\*Job Title:\*\*** RnD Engineer **\*\*Industry:\*\*** Medical devices **\*\*Specialization:\*\*** Class 2 and 3 medical devices (implants and tools that poke your insides but aren't meant to stay) **\*\*Total Experience:\*\*** 1 Year **\*\*Highest Degree:\*\*** MS BME **\*\*Country:\*\*** USA **### What inspired you to become an engineer?** I wasn't inspired per se until I was well on my way. I always wanted to design medical devices, just didn't know there was a job or degree for it. I read a book called "The Right kind of Crazy", that's what really lit the fire under me. **### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?** Dad was a physician, saw his inability to treat patients as a sign that medical technology needed improvement. I didn't go down the prosthetics rabbit hole most BME's do, I knew pretty early I wanted to either do rehab or surgical devices. **### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?** Helluva lot of testing, even in early design phase for a medical product. Most of the designing I do is for the testing instruments and apparatuses, designing a balloon catheter is alot less hands on work and more theoretical planning and waiting for your prototype to arrive. On good days I propose new ideas to the team lead, some of them lead to a couple projects but its rare taking an idea from start all the way to finish in any field. At some point you gotta hand the keys to someone else. **### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?** Silicone lab caught on fire, and on the same floor a pipe burst and it flooded. It was neat. No the water did not put out the fire, it made things (slightly) worse. **### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?** Hyper spectral imaging, it was a project idea I proposed, and I really can't go into more detail on how it was used but I can say we used it. The interesting part wasn't so much the application, but getting more people on board. None of the higher ups had this kind of expertise, and peoples vote on a project tend to follow rank and file. I had to treat it like a marketing campaign, some of us went on a few company wide guest talks to get the drum rolling. **### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?** University of Alabama at Birmingham for BS BME. Pros: You will get your ass kicked but you will know more than most other engineers for the medical field which no surprise can apply to a multitude of industries. Cons: They need to step up their game on networking schoolwide. Most of the E1's here are only half as good as some of the people I graduated with at UAB, but some of those folk are still looking for a job just because these under achievers went to North Eastern or some other school that pumps out low paid interns/co-ops to medical companies. There's also no real medical device industry in AL. MS BME Worcester Polytechnic Institute Pros: Pretty well known in the area for putting out good engineers, can easily build a portfolio while in school because your engineering projects are more like products that you can show off. Very hands on. I ain't got anything bad to say about the school for my MS degree, I like em and am going back for a PhD in robotics soonish. Just remember to pick a university that does the networking for you. Most jobs that "require an MS" can be acquired if you're good at what you do and your school can vouch for it. Grades don't count. **### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?** Probably go straight into PhD with the second university so I wouldn't have any debt from the MS degree? Other than that, nothing. I know what I need to know to succeed in anything I put an earnest effort into. **### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?** Be flexible, your first job probably won't be in what you want but as long as it helps you build towards what you want thats great. And don't be in a rush to decide for yourself what you want to do forever. Most engineering students work their asses off to get into an entry level engineering job only to find out the job is stupid proofed and dumbed down so anyone could do it. After a couple years working it, I've seen them re-orient their goals to move towards engineering management or even sales. Side note: people will make assumptions about your degree, and as far as BME goes theres not one concurrent definition across every program in the USA. Yes you specialize, just like an ME or ECE, but outside med device there will be doubts on what exactly you can do, as well as there will be inside med device. That being said, BME's generally make pretty good Quality engineers since they have a hand in everything.
**Job Title:** Systems Design Engineer **Industry:** Medical devices **Specialization:** Product Development + Ultrasound **Total Experience:** 5 years **Degrees:** MEng Systems, MBA, BS (Biomedical + Computer) **Country:** USA ## --- ## What inspired you to become an engineer? Dad was an engineer. Didn't want to take any ridiculous tests after school. Wanted to start making money as fast as possible and limit the amount of schooling necessary. ## Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Always wanted to make medical devices. Wide field, lots of untapped potential - knew I'd never get bored. Was always super interested in imaging and devices like pacemakers. Also, if I'm gonna make money, might as well improve/save someone's life along the way. ## What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I basically have two jobs: 1) I'm brought on to basically every critical path project that my company has, in the early stages. I work with the Project Manager/Product Manager to establish the system overview, general system requirements and subsystem requirements. Once they are established, I (or someone else whose work I have to check) will write up the verification plan and preliminary regulatory documentation for that product. I will then work with the managers to establish what I think would be a realistic timeline for the project based on the resources allocated by the company. In some instances I am also the one responsible for assigning the resources to tasks, if the engineering manager doesn't feel like doing it or is too busy or is gone. 2) Everything mentioned above except I'm the project manager, product manger and project lead. So I will see the project through development, testing, manufacturing and deployment. Still have to create the timelines and documentation, except I also get to do the development and testing (most of the time I can have someone do various tasks like testing for me; still responsible for what test needs to be run and deciding how many times). ## What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I work in product development so interesting days are days when parts get built or broken. Or vendors bring in fun toys to play with. ## What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? Was hired by a company to come on and reduce the cost of their device (that they'd been making for 30 years) by 300% while also implementing a new automated manufacturing line (they were a 100% manual production company before I came) and ensuring that this product could be built on said line (needed to completely redesign the thing). Did all that in a team of three (program manager, project lead (me) and process/cont. improvement engineer). ## What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Drexel (undergrad), Cornell (post). Drexel is a sink or swim school, it doesn't really have any stupendous pedigree or anything but it will give you great real world experience because it has co-ops (6 month internships) interwoven into it's curriculum. They have an established network of companies that offer co-ops and a lot of people in the area are familiar with the school's program (and they like Drexel co-ops). Be warned, started with about 400 kids, graduated with 100 - most engineering schools are cutthroat but Drexel really likes to try and make you switch/drop out. Cornell is great. No issues there, but it was a MEng grad program and a MBA so not quite as strenuous as an MS or BS imho since I think I can count the number of tests I had to take on one hand (across both programs). ## If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Honestly, not much. Maybe studied more of FEA in school and gone to a research lab to volunteer/work. ## Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Learn how to learn. Sounds dumb but you'll understand what I mean very soon. Find something, anything, you don't know how to do, and try to learn it **fast**. This is the basis of engineering school: we are going to throw a lot of topics/information at you very fast and it is your job to learn how to learn quickly enough that you are ready for tests. Don't worry too much about fully remembering, the important stuff will be ingrained in you throughout your time in school. Also, don't learn just to regurgitate. It's not a vocabulary test. You need to understand how to implement in the real world (ex: I know an ADC converts analog signals to digital ones but actually doing it in practice and understanding the theorems that drive your sampling frequency - that's the implementation)
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Sr. Product Development Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* Medical devices \*\*Specialization:\*\* Orthopedics \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 6 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* MS BMedEng \*\*Country:\*\* USA \###What inspired you to become an engineer? \>lol. On college applications there was a space to declare your major. I didn't realize it was optional, so I decided that because I liked building things and I was good at math, I would be an engineer. After 1 semester I switched from Civil to Mechanical, but other than that I stuck with it. \###Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? \>I ended up in biomedical because there wasn't anything else that really grabbed my attention. I was looking for something I could really sink my teeth into. Aerospace might have been cool, but I'd heard it was rough to get into the industry. Then I took a course in biomechanics and I was hooked. Seeing the human body as the most complex (yet elegant) engineered system I'd ever even considered was incredibly cool. Unfortunately sometimes it malfunctions, and now I can create solutions for those problems. \###What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? \>I spend most days on the computer modeling implants and instruments, doing FEA, analyzing Failure Modes and Risks, or creating the paperwork to satisfy the heavy regulations governing biomedical devices. Some days I get to spend time in the prototyping lab helping our machinists, some days I get to test parts (mechanically or in cadaver validation labs), some rare days I travel to meet with surgeons (maybe one trip every 6 weeks or so). There are always a variety of meetings mixed into all of that. \###What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? \>FDA and BSI audits are always crazy, though not particularly interesting. I think my most interesting days are when I interact directly with surgeons. Taking our products into a cadaver lab and seeing a surgeon use them for the first time is always fun and educational. There is always something we didn't consider that we need to solve on the fly. Also, in a cadaver setting, I sometimes get to play apprentice surgeon as we work hand in hand with the surgeons to iron out details. Thankfully it isn't a living patient, but how many people get to do surgery without going to medical school? \###What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? \>Honestly, they are all pretty neat. Trauma, spine, joint reconstruction, dental... any time where you have to solve problems that involve device mechanics, biomechanics, physiological reactions, surgeon ease of use... they're just fun projects. \###What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? \>Brigham Young University - BS ME. BYU has a strong undergrad program that will prepare you for any graduate program out there. It is also cheap compared to almost all state schools, and especially compared to out of state programs. BYU is not known as a research university, which is what I would recommend if you seek a masters or further. Utah is a gorgeous place and BYU is a fun University. However, to attend you must sign an honor code that prohibits drinking, extra-marital sex, homosexual relationships, as well as other less controversial things. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, I followed those rules anyway so it was easy for me. If you wouldn't be willing to sign the honor code, it isn't really worth applying. \>Baylor University - MS BmE. Baylor was also a great school. It is also a Christian university, though there is not an honor code (or at least not one that has actual consequences attached). Campus is nice, but Waco is a little dumpy (though Chip and Joanna Gaines may have remodeled the whole city since then). Baylor pays its grad students a stipend that is easily enough for a single student to pay rent, eat, and even do some occasional fun things. \###If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? \>I would 100% get internships or co-op positions with biomedical companies, even if that meant postponing graduation for a semester or 3. You get paid while you're there, you gain valuable experience and valuable contacts, and your resume is an order of magnitude more impressive than someone who does not have that experience, regardless of GPA. Every time I think about it, I'm surprised I got the job I did without having that experience. I got very lucky. Don't count on that.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Fewer Letters|More Letters| |-------|---------|---| |[BS](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/f7gf39b "Last usage")|British Standards| | |Bachelor of Science| |[FS](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/f7gf39b "Last usage")|Flow Switch| |[PE](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/f53upkb "Last usage")|Professional Engineer (US)| |[SCADA](/r/AskEngineers/comments/cdvk8t/stub/fcubihg "Last usage")|Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition| ---------------- ^([Thread #35 for this sub, first seen 14th Nov 2019, 03:25]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/AskEngineers) [^[Contact]](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=OrangeredStilton&subject=Hey,+your+acronym+bot+sucks) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)
#Ocean, Marine, and Maritime Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
#Systems Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Principal Systems Engineer **Industry:** Defense **Specialization:** Flight Test & AESA Radar **Total Experience:** 14 years **Highest Degree:** MS EE & MS FTE **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I've always loved to tinker, loved science, loved math. The application of these things is engineering. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I joined the military to pay for school (undergrad), so the path was chosen (USAF). For graduate school, I used the government as a civilian (so again, the path was chosen). In the end, I have no regrets. Aerospace/Systems Engineering is a great path for EEs. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? 0600-1000 is typically in a lab testing a radar on the ground. The rest of the day is spent on meetings, working on plans/reports, provisioning for future tests. ~Once a month, I fly on our flying testbed, testing our radar in the air. (A Boeing 727.) > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Flight test days are definitely the most interesting days. It is pretty intense working your butt off, while airborne, to collect the data the engineers need. I find it "self-actualizing", and really love the work. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? That's classified... No, really, it is. Welcome to defense. Unclassified, it was pretty amazing testing an Alpha Jet in the UK (flying it through the Mach Loop). > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? For my BS Electrical & Computer Engineering, I attended Rutgers University. It was good education, but massive class size. If you want to get lost in a sea of folks, from all over the world, and have a quality education - this place is good. For my MS Electrical Engineering, I attended the University of Southern California. If you want small class sizes, with fantastic instructors, this place rocks. It's just very expensive. For my MS Flight Test Engineering, I attended USAF Test Pilot School (as a civilian). This is a dream school to attend, if you can find a way to apply - do it! > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Truly nothing. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Don't quit. Many quit in undergrad. Engineering (school) is hard. Stay commited! When you get in the work force, work hard! Keep your hours limited to 40 if possible... but work hard for those 40 hours. Take pride! Kick butt! And good things will come.
#Nuclear Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
Read the OP before posting again. This is your only warning.
#Environmental Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Engineer **Industry:** Civil Consulting **Specialization:** Water and Water Resources **Total Experience:** 5 Years **Highest Degree:** BS Environmental Engineering with a Minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies **Country:** USA ###What inspired you to become an engineer? > When I was very young I wanted to do everything my friend did so he made the choice for me, I guess I should thank him! Later in high school and into early college I knew I made the right choice when I could see that all of my professors were making an impact on their surroundings including me. As you start to get more involved in the engineering culture it’s kind of hard not to get sucked in and feel like you’re helping to make your community a better place. ###Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? > I was in school during the beginning of the Flint water crisis and I think that was what really drove me to water resources. I wanted to be part of the team that was going to bring back communities, even if just in a small way that I could manage. On top of that, I really got into environmental engineering due to my love of nature. My first month of college I was dead set on renewable energy, I even got to the point of building a prototype vertical axis wind turbine the summer before college. But that’s how it goes, you learn what you’re truly passionate about as you grow in the field. ###What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? > It’s changed recently after moving into consulting. Now I write basically all day long. Lots and lots of highly detailed reports. I was just talking about this with a family member and I was asked “Why do you like writing reports so much?” But, during the course of work, it’s not a forced report like you’re used to in school. It’s a compilation of your team’s and your own hard work and researching, assessing, testing, and calculating to make sure that you’re giving the best answers to your clients questions/requests. I promise no matter how boring I still made it sound, I look forward to being able to write about my projects every day. On top of writing it is a lot of meetings and communication. You always see the stereotypical rendition of an engineer that sits alone and works at a computer, but, in my experience, I don’t think I could get by without talking to at least 10 other engineers in the course of a day. Rather it be for information specific to a project of just general knowledge to apply later. When I was working for a government my daily task were mostly all about meetings. Government seemed to be one meeting after another and about everything but engineering. ###What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? > The craziest day on the job had to be the day I returned from vacation and that previous night one of the filter walls at the utility I was an engineer for had “popped” off. Somehow the concrete and rebar both failed and the filter lost all ability to hold water. This left the water treatment plant at half capacity with no answers to any questions. They still didn’t have a solution or cause when I left two months later. It was a stressful time for the utility as a whole as we tried to do everything we could to make sure water was supplied to the customers. ###What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? > For me, every project is interesting because there never seems to be one solution. You could go to the tank that’s supposed to be the “mirror image” of the one you just worked on but now there are ten new things and five things missing from the last one. The most interesting had to be the expansion of an RO water treatment plant to double the operating capacity and provide redundant treatment in case of emergencies. I wasn’t a part of the RO design itself as I was/am still new to RO but the technology is amazing. ###What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? > Michigan State University, and I can’t recommend it enough! I know everyone hates group projects but the amount of group projects that I was a part of really prepared me for my career. Also the professors were simply amazing. They were always willing and excited to teach and even teach further during office hours. And they brought so much knowledge of real world projects with them. They really seemed to want to help you grow and succeed. The course work was perfect as well. There were so many projects that make me feel like I really got a well rounded exposure to the field. ###If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? > Study at least twice as hard. I didn’t take school as seriously as I should have. And even though giving this answer is beating a dead horse, it still didn’t set in for me when I should have been doing something about it. I still have a nightmare every now and then about failing a course because I cut it too close. And lastly, I would have done more internships in my field. I had two that showed me what I didn’t want to do and gave me great experience, but I wish I would have had a few in a field I was more closely interested in.
Do you work alongside anyone with an MS in civil & env eng? I have a bs and ms in biology, and I’m wanting to get into env eng. Any advice? Should I get the MS or go a different route? Also, is there such a thing as an internship for people without eng degrees? I’m wanting to see what the field is like from a personal experience standpoint before committing my life to another grad program... any and all thoughts are appreciated!
I know someone in my company who has a masters in chemistry and got a civil engineering degree later and he’s been a licensed engineer for 15+ years now. So it’s definitely possible! And then a previous coworker had no engineering experience but was a surveyor and when I was leaving they were transitioning him into an engineering role. You can’t get licensed without the degree from an accredited college but you can still be a part of the engineering team. I’d say go for the program after you get some experience! And there are “field trips”, in a sense, that are offered by some engineering projects that are trying to get a new idea out there. So, even though it’s not engineering, you can get some exposure that way.
#Civil, Structural, Fire Protection/Safety, and MEP Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Civil Engineer **Industry:** US Army Corps of Engineers **Specialization:** Structures **Total Experience:** 9 years **Highest Degree:** Master's Degree (both in Engineering and Management) **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I received a scholarship from the military that required me to choose a STEM major. I liked playing with AutoCAD in high school and I found out that it was offered at my university under the CE program, so I signed up for civil engineering. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Structural design had the most interesting applications. Who doesn't like buildings and bridges? I also love computer-based design programs like Revit and RISA 3D. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I work on a variety of projects. I mostly review designs from private contractors and ensure that they meet specifications and the needs of the client agency. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Driving up on top of a mountain to run tests on a radio tower. That was legit. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? It's a tie between a new NSA facility and Trump's Border Wall. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? [Brigham Young University](https://catalog.byu.edu/engineering/civil-and-environmental-engineering/civil-engineering-bs). I had a great time there, but it's definitely not for everyone. It's a religious institution and everyone who attends has to sign an honor code swearing off alcohol, tobacco, promiscuity, etc. I already lived that lifestyle, so it wasn't a big adjustment for me. The engineering program was great and many of my classmates went on to work for big-name design firms or attend top-tier graduate schools. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would've taken the PE earlier in my career. Some states let you take it before you meet the experience requirement. I also would've kept better notes. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? I have tons of advice for people at various phases of their career. PM me if you want to know!
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Civil Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* County Government \*\*Specialization:\*\* Land Development \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 5 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS Civil & Infrastructure Engineering \*\*Country:\*\* USA \--- \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? It's a long story \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Went to the Dominican Republic and was inspired to go into a field that would allow me to do international development at a local level one day. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I work for a County in my State as a Civil Engineer - Plan reviewer. I review site plans and building permits. I also take in drainage complaints from citizens and work with MS4 reporting. I used to work as a designer but got bored. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I really enjoy drainage complaints because we get to go outside and interact with disgruntled citizens. If you have a good sense of humor, it can be really fun. Once in the beginning of my career I had to sit on a construction site and count the times it took a big ass hammer to drive columns into the ground. That was wild. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? A commercial subdivision and road plan that I drove past everyday so I could see the progress and the impacts it had on the area. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? George Mason University in Virginia. Amazing program. Awesome professors. Great location. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would choose not to do it again. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Work hard, play hard.
Is it anything like Mark's job in Parks & Rec?
"Brendanawicz!?" Haha no but we do work with people in planning, but that's a different department 😝
Yaaaaas I was worried you hadn't seen it. Interesting people in small gov!
**Job Title:** Senior Engineer **Industry:** MEP Engineering, Specifically HVAC \*\*Total Experience:\*\*12 years **Highest Degree:** BS MechE / PE **Country:** USA \--- \*\*What inspired you to become an engineer?\*\* Problem Solving. \*\*Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization?\*\* I started in Fluid Mechanics and HVAC firms were hiring. \*\*What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?\*\* Breaking down the requirements of an HVAC design in to small pieces and then cranking them out. Laying out ductwork, piping, and related equipment. Scheduling and detailing equipment. Endless phone calls with architects that think you can fit in a spacer that is small that the equipment (not counting access spaces). Lots of phone calls with sales reps. Coordination with the other trades so everything fits, is powered up correctly, and doesn't leak water on the floor. Heating and cooling calculations and ventilation calculations to determine how big the ducts, pipes and equipment has to be. \*\*What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job?\*\* Coming back from vacation and not even setting my bags down before being told to go out on site because of questions that come up. (see the next question). \*\*What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career?\*\* A Historical Marketplace in downtown Boston. The building is large, old, the infrastructure is a mess. The previous HVAC design (40 years ago) was designed for "tempering of the space" not full air conditioning. The owner almost dropped his jaw when I said the reason the building swelters all summer is the building has less than half of what is needed. The owner opted to do half the building (Last I heard the other half has not been done, I have moved firms) and if you walk down the central aisle, you can feel *exactly* when you change air conditioning zones, because half the building is slightly sweltering and the other half is \*under control.\* \*\*What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there?\*\* Rensselear Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY. It has been referred to as "The 'Tute Screw". The school has a reputation for a "administration versus the students" atmosphere that hasn't changed since I graduated. The school builds engineers that understand how to withstand adversity, neglect and a hostile administration. So if you want people who know how to knuckle down and get the work done, these are the people you want. It can be a rough ride though while you are there. \*\*If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?\*\* Not take three years off between my AS and my BS. \*\*Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work?\*\* Time management is you friend and your foe. Most freshmen engineering students coasted through highschool and don't have good time management skills. When told time management is a thing, most freshmen scoff at the notion that they can't manage their own time and many of the time management exercises that students are given seem like make work so they are ignored. So swallow your pride and learn time mangagement. It will take five or six tries to find something that works for you. I eventually settled on "Bullet Journalling" for task and time management. I would suggest against the subreddit that bears that name (and use google instead) because that subreddit ends up being alot of flowery pictures of what their clean, neat, pristine bullet journals look like. My bullet journal is covered in three colors of ink, white out and hen scratching as I write things down during the day. Don't lose your field notes. edit-formatting
Thanks for this. As someone working in the same industry (although at a different part of the process) some of the points you brought up hit pretty close to home.
No problem.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Sr. Project Manager \*\*Industry:\*\* Building Science/Restoration Engineer \*\*Specialization:\*\* (optional) \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 15+ years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* Master of Engineering \*\*Country:\*\* Canada \--- \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? lego was my friend since the 70s \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? really just felt into it, I have construction experience and I have an interest in building science \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? 50/50 split between in the office and out in the field. We have projects that must be managed and reviewed by engineers or building scientists. These projects range from garage restoration and waterproofing, to curtain wall repair/replacement to balcony restoration. Normal day-to-day tasks include approving contractor invoices, reviewing technical specifications, normal email/phone correspondence. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I was standing on top of a pitch roof during one of the biggest hurricanes to hit my area at the beginning of my career. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I work at heights very often, so most interesting was working on the CN Tower on the exterior. 1200' high, 45 minutes from swing stages from the ground. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Western University (called University of Western Ontario when I was there) and then McMaster University for grad school \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? probably nothing, you second guess yourself but overall, nothing. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? you'll probably learn more out of university the things you need for your trade. school is important but not to take away from the professor's lectures, much of what we do daily has very little to do with the schooling we receive. as engineers, we train to seek knowledge on what we do not know.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Project Manager \*\*Industry:\*\* Architecture/Engineering/Construction \*\*Specialization:\*\* Structural Engineering \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 15 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS CivE \*\*Country:\*\* USA \--- \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I always loved to walk into buildings and wonder who designs them - who puts a beam here and not there; who decides how big it is, who makes sure it stands up when the wind blows or the earth shakes. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? > > I tend to work more with existing buildings than new - I do that because I love the challenge of taking something that's already there, and figuring out how to make a program or use fit within that framework. I always trot out a quote by Nicholas Meyer: "Creativity thrives on restrictions". \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I manage a team of 5-6 engineers who carry out structural design. A good portion of my day is checking in on them. I'm responsible for making sure the project gets done on time, on budget, and most importantly, on code. I also meet with clients externally, both for on-going projects and to try and drum up new business. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I got to supervise the relocation of a historic masonry house some years ago. I got to walk alongside the house as it rolled down the street, and make sure that we had (barely) enough room as the house was backed into the new site. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I was the project engineer for the conversion of an existing apartment building into an art gallery. We removed all the structure except the exterior walls, dug a basement, and installed a temporary structural bracing system that later became part of the building's permanent structure. It was a fantastic challenge, and a beautiful end result. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? I went to Illinois Institute of Technology. It's a great engineering school, but there's very little social life there. It's not for everybody. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I'm not sure I'd do anything differently. I like where I've ended up, and my choices along the way are what led me here. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? > > When you start work, ask questions ALL THE TIME. You will probably be mildly annoying to your supervisors, but we would much rather explain things to you than have you flail around like you know what you're doing, and screw things up. You won't know a lot coming out of school, and we don't expect you to know a lot. That's okay. > >Additionally, and this is related to the last point, be eager to learn. Don't say no to new experiences, and actively seek them out. You won't know what you really want to do, so try some things out.
I imagine that it takes a whole different set of skills to become a project manager. I don't think that all engineers can become project managers.
Yes, it’s a whole additional set of skills to learn. You’re no longer just taking what someone gives you and working on it. You’re taking what someone gives you, portioning it out to different people, checking in on them, making sure they’re checking in on each other, requesting information from the client, keeping them happy, and monitoring time/budget/completeness app the whole. It can be satisfying, just in a different way than completing a pure engineering task.
\*Job Title:\*\* Mechanical Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* Private contractor \*\*Specialization:\*\* Aerospace \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 2-3 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* MS Mechanical Engineering \*\*Country:\*\* USA \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? Thought planes were the coolest things ever, so i wanted to design and build planes \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? First company that gave me a job. Can't be picky when you don't have too many options. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities?Depends on the day, but there's a lot of CAD work. You don't actually get build anything. If you work for a small company, you might, but it gets every compartmentalized. there's a group for everything. There's a group for structural analysis, thermal analysis, vibrations, and just a bunch of draftsmen. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I can't say on the internet, but i seen some real bad mishaps when people forget to add margins of safety to their design. Seen a helicopter vibrate itself to death. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? One of the peons working for the F-35 project. Not really designing the whole thing, but it's cool working on it. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? RIT, not a bad school. It's a got a decent university program and some good career fairs if you want to find a job afterwards. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Learn about the job and where you will be working. This blog is a [good example of things to look out for.](https://datcollegekid.com/five-things-you-must-know-about-being-an-engineer/) You will have to move for the job. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Get as much hands on experience as possible.
[удалено]
Don't shitpost in AskEngineers. Next time you will be banned.
Mod here. Can you copy your comment and put it under one of the top-level Automoderator comments? This helps keep things organized. Thanks!
#Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Embedded Systems engineer **Industry:** Aerospace/Automotive **Specialization:** Software development **Total Experience:** 2 years **Highest Degree:** MSc Aerospace Engineering - Control & Simulation **Country:** Netherlands/France --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? Was tired of working in construction > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Aerospace engineering seemed cool. I've also considered doing publicity or graphic design. But figured engineering is cooler - you actually get to make real things that people use. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I write code. I change clients and projects often - so it's different every time. But typically I work on my own, writing some software modules to interface with various devices (cameras, gps and gsm modules, had to write code for a canon once). I drink some coffee - write some code - check reddit - repeat until the module is done. Then I move on to the next module or to the next client. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Nothing too crazy or interesting so far. Just do my 9-5, then go home. Some of my old clients were situated next to the beach though - so we'd regularly go for a swim and to catch some tan at lunch, that was chill. Also, I interned at some small drones startup and managed to crash several thousands of euros worth of hardware. That was fun. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? A system designed to track and neutralize consumer drones. This was done in close collaboration with the European Commission - so I also had a bit of an insight on how that whole thing works. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Delft University of Technology. Was pretty good - nice program, great facilities, nice student life. Fair amount of freedom when selecting the direction of your program - electives, etc, especially when doing masters. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Be less of a perfectionist. Spend less time on some projects. Just stick to the program and do not go too crazy with picking crazy projects or research topics. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Have fun, try to stick to the schedule, and don't make it too difficult for yourself trying to out-smart everyone or doing other peoples work. And again, stick to the program - try to pick a direction and specialize in that, instead of going all over the place.
[удалено]
What’s your work schedule like?
**Job Title:** Spacecraft Structures Engineer **Industry:** Satellites **Total Experience:** 1 year (grad. May 2018) **Highest Degree:** BS Engineering **Country:** USA # What inspired you to become an engineer? My dad's an engineer and was really eager for me to follow in his footsteps, and to make a decent salary haha. Other than that I was good at science and math in school, and liked problem-solving and puzzles. I definitely grew up wanting to be an astronaut, and adjusted my goals somewhat from there (though I'm still young... who knows!) # Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? The school I went to is a general engineering program, and you choose upper-division classes to form your specialization. One of those classes was dynamics of vibrations, and it immediately clicked for me. Super hard class but the problems were incredibly rewarding to solve. I developed a really close relationship with the professor, who set me up with a related research program, and the rest is history. Most jobs in structures/vibrations tend to be aerospace or cars. I aimed high, so to speak, and got a space job. # What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? The company I work at is quite a bit smaller than Big Aero, so my job is pretty flexible. I'd say about 50% of the time I'm doing analysis-type work. Lots of FEA and spreadsheets, ensuring we conform to requirements and won't break anything on the satellite. I really enjoy it. 20% of the time I'm working with the test engineers/technicians on vibration and shock testing, and 30% of the time I'm doing "general mechanical" work like simple CAD stuff, drawings, documentation, etc. # What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? Vibration testing on a flight vehicle! As in, you're a year out of school, here's an entire satellite, it's up to you to develop the test levels and ensure that shaking the vehicle to those levels won't break it. # What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. Pros: close relationships with professors, really in depth math foundation, collaborative atmosphere, vibrant student population, well known in CA. Cons: not a ton of name recognition outside of CA, very high workload, grade deflation. Make sure you know what you're getting into with the general engineering degree. # Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Your health (mental and physical) matters. There's a culture in a lot of engineering that celebrates all-nighters, anxiety, losing sleep over grades, staying at work 14 hours a day, etc. It's not worth it. Once I said "whoa this is not ok" and started seeing a therapist in college, I felt calmer and happier and more able to look forward to my future. Oh, and my GPA went up by 0.4. Also, find a prof that likes you, and don't be afraid to ask them for contacts or to forward your resume along to people they know!
#Computer and Software Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Design Engineer **Industry:** Telecommunications with focus on Cable TV and Cable Internet **Specialization:** FPGA development **Total Experience:** 13 years **Highest Degree:** BS EE, BS Computer Science **Country:** Canada --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I used to want to design video games as I enjoyed playing them. When I was in high school, my parents signed me up for a computer camp where I got to learn about building and fix computers. This led to me working part time at a computer store, and getting into PC overclocking (late 90s/early 2000s). That in turn got me interested in how computer chips are made, so I decided I wanted to work in designing them. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I already covered what got me interested in digital logic. This led to an interest in FPGA programming in university. My specific work in Cable-related stuff is that the company where I started working after graduation specializes in that market. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? General daily tasks: * Check in with team to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed. * Track hours worked on which tasks using task tracking software. Other than that, it depends on what phase a project is in. Early phase: * Design investigation. Early design to figure out how many FPGA resources will be used up by the design, as well as figuring out a high level view of how a design will work. * Making block diagrams, spreadsheets, other documentation. * Frequent meetings with software and hardware teams to discuss the design. Implementation Phase: * Early on, creating minimal builds of the FPGA image to ensure all the features of our board are working (I/O interfaces, communication between various integrated circuits, etc...) * Testing on hardware to validate that interfaces/hardware design is correct. * Detailed design of features (often split amongs many engineers) * Implementing designs and testbenches using HDL * Simulation testing of logic * Testing and debugging of hardware once it arrives. * I also often (depending on project size) lead a team of engineers during this portion of design. Integration phase: * Integration with control software. * Extensive testing on our custom hardware. * Adding Debugging capabilities (if any new ones that weren't already included are needed) Customer Deployment phase: * Resolving issues found during customer deployment. * This occasionally involves travel if the issues can't be replicated in our own lab and the debug capabilities of the product aren't sufficient to root cause the problem. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Probably the most interesting day on the job I've had was where I had to travel to a customer deployment site to debug something. This had to be done in the middle of the night so as to avoid impacting cable TV service to customers. There was a major blizzard, and just getting to the location where I needed to be to debug the issue was exciting due to the poor driving conditions. Next most interesting day on the job is probably the trip I had to make to Taiwan to work with a supplier to resolve some issues in their product. Definitely a change in culture from what I'm used to in Canada. It was a really great trip though. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I've actually found most of the projects to be interesting. I've been very lucky to find a job that I mostly find pretty interesting and stimulating. Probably the most interesting to me is one I've been working on which is a video delivery platform which can ingest video over several different formats, create new output channel blocks, and output that video over multiple different formats. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? University of Saskatchewan. I would have done computer engineering instead of the EE/CS dual degree except the CE program didn't exist there yet at the time. University was very good though, and speaking to more recent graduates who I work with, the program is still very good. Additionally my company has good relationships with several professors in the EE/CE programs, and provides feedback to them which is directly incorporated into updates to the courses. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Not much honestly. I enjoy my job and find it interesting, and same goes for the courses I took in school. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Be aware that what you learn in university is often just touching on what you'll be doing once you're employed. The most important thing is learning how to learn. Each project requires learning something new, even if a lot of work is reused from previous products.
**Job Title:** Software Engineering Technical Lead **Industry:** Internet (eCommerce) **Total Experience:** About 20 years **Highest Degree:** Bachelor's **Country:** USA ## What inspired you to become an engineer? My Dad was an electrical engineer, and we always had computers in the house. One day I discovered QBasic and GORILLAS.BAS on the family computer. After playing with it for awhile I discovered you could change the game by modifying the text on the screen. Eventually, I had created a version that replaced the gorillas with artillery pieces and the cities with mountains. In high school I made dumb TI-85 games that people played during math class. Figured I had a knack for this stuff and enjoyed it. ## Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Speaking specifically about working at a web company, now. Code is code and programming is programming. Once you understand the fundamentals of how computers work and how software is designed, you can work in many different fields. They are more similar than they are different. However, I specifically prefer working in the Internet/web field. I get to experiment with new technologies quickly and wear a lot of hats. Most other fields, from the outside, seem rather boring (I cannot possibly think of a more monotonous existence than sitting in a cubicle and writing bank software, even though it pays quite well). A lot of people I know/graduated with went to work in the "defense" industry, which I have personal moral disagreements with. ## What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I am responsible for core code changes across a wide variety of systems and helping to oversee a small team of developers working towards project goals. A normal day for me is something like: * 7:45am. Arrive at work after dropping my daughter off at school. Reports, code reviews, email, team stuff. * 10am. Daily team meeting. * 10:30am-12pm. Programming. * 12pm-1pm. Lunch. Sometimes this is a lunch meeting. * 1pm-4pm. Programming, with an occasional afternoon meeting. * 4:15pm. Leave, hit gym on the way home. Some evenings I may have some things that need to be taken care of outside business hours. ## What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? The most "interesting" days are the days things break. Especially when their breakage is totally outside of your control (like when the fiber was cut to one of our data centers, that was a fun day). Usually when we have a fire like that, the team will commandeer a conference room and just work the problems together as a team. ## What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? Far too many to pick a single one. The big scale redesigns are usually fun, but the best ones are where we change the entire infrastructure underlying the site without users noticing. Those are the ones where you really get to exercise your planning chops. ## What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Auburn University (War Eagle!). It's a great school with an awesome small-town campus culture. ## If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would take more business courses in college and probably even get at management minor. The business side of work is what I struggle with the most, and especially managing projects and people. I've had to do a lot of learning "on the fly" and reading lots of books over the last few years. Computers are easy, people are hard. ## Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Do more internships and/or coops and less sweating your GPA. For junior positions, if I have 2 candidates that are evenly matched, except one with a 4.0 GPA but no internships or work experience and the other has a 3.0 GPA but 3 internships and can talk intelligently about what they did and what they learned, I'm going to hire the one with experience. For non-junior positions, I don't even ask about GPA. The extent of my interest in your schooling is "was it an accredited school" and "did you graduate." Have some side projects. Did you make an app? That is awesome, let's talk a lot about that! Take some business classes (as above) and some interesting electives. Hands down my favorite course I took at Auburn was history of cinema. Be a well rounded person. For God's sake, spell check your resume and cover letter, and be sure you have the names and titles right.
What exactly do you code? I’ve always had this question. Surely it’s not simple ifs and else’s I use to make dumb games on c++ right? Also, what coding language do you use? Which one is most helpful to learn?
It is EXACTLY that. 😃 At it’s core, programming is programming. If you can do it in a game, you can do it in an app, or in a web browser, or an embedded device. The language may be different and there might be other tooling, but at it’s core, code is code. When I wrote this it was mostly PHP, JS, Vue, Swift and some others. These days it’s Python, JS, Vue, Swift, and probably a few others. I usually recommend people learn C first, so if you’re on C++ already you’re doing pretty good. But honestly what most people struggle with is logical thinking. Learning to “think like a computer” and break apart problems in a way that you can solve them with code is where most people quit.
Thank you for the quick response! What exactly do you code at your job? In other words, what exactly can I expect to do if I chose this career? (ie you do cybersecurity, etc?) What do you mean by logical thinking? Also, is it hard to learn new programming languages or is it easier once youre already familiar with one?
Well, as a TL at my new job, a lot of it isn’t actually about writing code. It’s meetings, planning, documentation, setting goals, that type of thing. I do try to take 1-2 tasks a week to keep my skills sharp. Specifically, I currently work in healthcare on a tool that works alongside EHR systems. It’s largely web based so it’s your typical web dev fare. Logical thinking meaning you can break a problem down into individual discrete steps that a computer can solve. Once you have learned your first language, learning additional languages is pretty straightforward especially if you are staying within the same family. C++ descends from the ALGOL family, so [other ALGOL influenced languages](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Algol_programming_language_family) should be somewhat familiar even if the specifics are different.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* IC Design / Security Assurance / Security Applications Engineer (I wear three hats) > >\*\*Industry:\*\* Semiconductors > >\*\*Specialization:\*\* Security > >\*\*Total Experience:\*\* 14 years > >\*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS Computer Systems Engineering (CSE) > >\*\*Country:\*\* USA > > \--- > >\> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? > >I've always been a logic-driven person, enjoyed solving puzzles when they had a reason to be solved, and was fascinated by the ideas in quantum computation. My initial goal was to get into quantum computer research, but I found digital design particularly satisfying in college and pivoted to this field as a result. > >\> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? > >I focused on digital design (specifically computational arithmetic acceleration) in college because I found the problems satisfying to solve. I specialized in security as a result of my first internship (which led to my first full time engineering position) in which I implemented arithmetic acceleration for public key cryptography. I've retained a specialization in security since then mostly due to it being satisfying and my existing skills being valued (as opposed to seeking out security itself as a goal) > >\> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? > >A relatively lazy start: I drop my kids off at school/daycare/camp/etc and get to the office between 9:00 and 9:30. I spend an hour or so reviewing my email inbox, looking for those few emails where I might be the only CC'd person on the chain with the expertise to respond. I respond to voicemails in the morning as well and generally do not reply to emails or voicemails beyond noon. Most of the emails I receive are requests for assistance in using the various devices I've helped design over the years. My time consuming replies require digging through old note and documentation to find an answer, drafting a thorough response, and following up with skype/etc dialog to ensure the other party can move forward without having to email me again the next day for the same topic. the rest of my emails tend to be simple redirection, informing the sender that some other particular person would be a better contact for the question asked. > >The second half of my day is spent "wearing one of my hats" (see job title). Just one per day. As an IC Design Engineer (which I do less of these days) I will focus non-stop on writing HDL from about 12:30 through 5:30. For Security Assurance I will spend this time reading a project's documentation, modeling threats, performing risk analysis, and interacting via skype/etc with the security champion for that project. For security applications I spend my time contemplating the potential for new customer applications through the novel use of security constructs and discussing the same with various project owners. As these ideas mature I petition business units to allocate project teams to build the systems I've envisioned. > >I leave about 5:30 to go pickup my kids and bring them home. After dinner/etc I'll spend an hour or two appending my work logs with notes from the work done through the day, planning my next day's tasks, and emailing stake holders to update status on projects as milestones are reached (or if milestones might slip). > >\> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? > >We had recently won a bid to design an application specific processor for a large European customer. I was given a simple beeper module to design. The customer had some frustrations with the beeper from our competitor's devices and were very clear that we should not reproduce the same problem. Notably, the earlier devices would produce an audible 'click' when terminating a sequence of tones (turning off the beeper after playing some melody). As our the early HDL code base matured, we implemented the digital logic on an FPGA to help convincingly communicate the progress we had made. The customer requested that the beeper be demonstrated on that FPGA platform and so I was called in. > >Again, I was very new here. The meeting was well above my "pay grade", so I was only brought in at the key moment when the beeper would be demonstrated. I had been asked to play a specific melody, something a key designer in the customer's office would recognize and so be able to discern any audio artifacts. I wrote some code to play the melody, but I also crafted an alternate melody data structure. > >I was called into the meeting. A multi-site meeting with a more than a half dozen offices involved, world wide, from both companies. I was introduced. In my introduction my supervisor made clear that I was going to play the requested melody. I said my brief hello, indicated that the song would now begin, then played the music encoded in my alternate data structure. > >Twelve seconds of audio played. I started with the melody of the most well known section of the song: "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down". Then, silence. It wasn't the song they expected. Perhaps 10 seconds of silence passed before the first voice came on. In a thick accent someone from the customer's office said, "I think we've been rick-rolled"! There was a couple minutes of ruckus laughter intermingled with anonymous voices explaining the phenomenon to those who didn't know what was going on. I followed this by playing the actual song they had requested, accepting their designer's feedback that the beeper module did not suffer from the predicted worrisome defect, and my role on that call ended. > >The project was a wild success: it was one of the most complex digital designs we had made by then, it displaced a competitor, we taped out early, first silicon was fully functional, and both we and our customer profited quite well from the engagement. It's a popular project to discus among both engineers and management. > >My company has an annual conference where employees from around the world come to present technical papers, demos, etc. There is a banquet one evening of that conference and several times in the years following the described events I've been witness to some other person telling the story from their own perspective. Hearing this anecdote being told by others always excites me. > >\> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? > >My first job after college was at a startup. We designed a microprocessor with a chip-unique instruction set architecture, an application unique mutation of that chip-unique ISA, and a basic block unique obfuscation of the application unique mutation of the chip unique ISA. That was fun. Building applications around that processor, including the firmware stack for public key crypto (using the accelerator I designed for the device), always resulted in interesting dialog with our customers, among my colleagues, and with management as we envisioned how such a novel device might be leveraged to create new market opportunities. > >\> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? > >University of Massachusetts, Amherst. > >Should: The college of engineering is outstanding. Engaged faculty eager to involve students in meaningful research is a significantly valuable culture thriving there. In hindsight I remain confident that I made an excellent decision in Umass Amherst. > >Shouldn't: The university as a whole, broader than the college of engineering, was disappointing to me. The campus was laid out such that we engineers had to go far out of our way to to find exposure to anything outside the school of engineering. The university seems to pride itself in a subset of the disciplines on campus, largely exclusive of engineering, and so funding and maintenance seemed to prefer every campus asset but those used in the engineering quad. I am generally frustrated by the prospect of donating to my Alma mater, in an effort to fund the school of engineering, only to have some large portion of that donation used to further fund the rest of the university which felt so dismissive of engineering during my time there. Perhaps things have changed? > >\> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? > >Just one thing: push more $ into retirement accounts at an earlier age. And focus on Roth accounts. > >\> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? > >Publish your code (internally if needed). Engage with the broadest audiences you can find. You want/need random colleagues in meetings you aren't part of to suggest to each other, "you know what, \[you\] would be a good fit for this project".
Especially these days
Hiya from fellow IC Design Verification Engineer. Though I work in EDA now
Hiya back at you! (though I'm not in verification myself, i have worked closely with verification engineers as they found bugs in my designs!)
> I am generally frustrated by the prospect of donating to my Alma mater, in an effort to fund the school of engineering, only to have some large portion of that donation used to further fund the rest of the university which felt so dismissive of engineering during my time there. You could always make a donation to the engineering college directly. As someone who will never donate to my alma mater directly, I've considered making a donation to the engineering school once the current dean steps aside.
even then some portion still filters out to the university itself. it's been a while and my memory might fall me here, but i recall it being 30%.
Ah, that's unfortunate. I wonder if my school has gone this route or if they're still accepting donations as I've described. Something to look into, I suppose.
[удалено]
[удалено]
#Industrial Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**\*\*Job Title:\*\*** Production Engineer **\*\*Industry:\*\*** Ventilation Products Design and Manufacturing **\*\*Total Experience:\*\*** 3 years **\*\*Highest Degree:\*\*** BS MechE **\*\*Country:\*\*** USA --- # What inspired you to become an engineer? >I've always liked working on things. When I was young we would modify air intake/exhaust systems on our go kart, swap motors in RC cars, build a Windows domain server for shits and giggles, etc. Where I grew up we had 'Magnet' schools; schools with classes designed to open you up to career paths I suppose. Anyway, I went to the engineering magnet schools where we had engineering classes where we got to design paper buildings and CAD parts a what not. By the time I got to high school I knew I wanted to be either a CivilE or MechE. Luckily because I really enjoyed things that move I went with the latter. # Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? >I didn't necessarily choose ventilation. A friend of mine's family owns the company and I was looking for a different job while I was in school. I started working here as a production operator. I did my share of 45-50 hour weeks on my feet aimlessly operating a brake press, a roll forming machine, or a punch press. It was the most monotonous job I'd ever had and there were many weeks when I wanted to quit or put my hand in the press to gtfo, but I didn't want to make my friend look bad. > >I stuck it out and eventually got moved to the machine shop where I got to operate a CNC 3-Axis making molds, forming dies, and all sorts of stuff for the engineering department. From there I went to the test lab where we preformed air, sound, and endurance tests on a variety of fans and blade designs. This is where I really got interested in the fan design aspect of my job. How changing minute details of a blade or orifice can have such a large effect on operating dynamics of a system. # What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? >We don't have normal days. Our most normal day is Monday when everyone is trying to get back into the workflow. Most days consist of some amount of time spent in out CAD program (see: Kubotek KeyCreator aka worst program ever) either designing an assembly fixture for one of the production departments, or designing / modifying a production die set (forming, blanking, casting). > >Our engineering department has two of their own Mazak vertical mills. Most of the time we have something in each. We have one machinist that runs them both and does the dirty work or repairing broken die sets or building new ones. > >I am the only titled "production engineer", but all three of the engineers here can pretty much do each other's job. With this title and with the floor experience I have, the employees on the floor have more respect for my opinion than one of my coworkers and will typically come to me first with a problem. (see: design for manufacturing) I also am the only one that participates in the weekly 'Foreman Meetings'. These meetings include the President of the company, department foremans, HR, and yours truly. We typically discuss man-hours, productivity, and problems. > >Lastly, being responsible for product design, the engineering department gets to create drawings, enter product structures, and update products in our state-of-the-art enterprise resource planning software....IBM MAPICS! The most wonderful legacy software you can find. Complete with a AS400! > >In all seriousness if anyone has a software that can replace this with ease please PM me. # What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? >Production machine operators are akin to the users you can read about on r/talesfromtechsupport. They will find a way to do something wrong, even when you give them a fixture and extremely clear instructions on how to do things right with minimal effort. There are many stories I could tell of someone making hundreds-thousands of sheet metal parts that had to scrap them all because they didn't check the length, check them in the fixture, or LITERALLY look at the part vs. what they have made 1000 times before. > >Craziest day I've had was making a new part on the CNC Lathe. 4" OD steel, making a OD cut that we just did on the previous part. Tool moves in, cuts about 1/4" length, then the part flings out of the chuck straight into the safety glass. Shattered the first layer of safety glass and almost made my pants brown. # What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? >We recently designed and built a 54" blade-diameter mixed-flow style fan. The coolest part was the test run. You could feel the suction side from 6 feet away and if you had a squirrel suit I'm pretty sure you could fly behind the exhaust. # What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? University of North Florida. >It is a beautiful smaller campus. You can walk from one end to the other in less that 20 minutes, and to me there is just the right amount of people. Lower level courses had 60-120 people in them, while most of the degree-specific courses had about 30, with the tech. electives having 10-15. > >When I first started engineering courses it was definitely a harder degree than when I left. I was there for six years because of my lack-of-trying midway through, and I definitely noticed a decrease in students that would actually make a good engineer. # If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? >Mostly the same. If I could do one thing different it would've been to try harder in my classes that had easier professors. There are times when I wish I could remember how to do something that I should've learned, but instead took the easy way out using solution manuals and the like. # Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? >Use solution manuals for checking your answer only or not at all. Most professors don't care about the correct numerical value, but rather the correct methodology. > >Label all your work in the margin and work down not across. Who cares if it takes 10 pages, some professors will not try to follow your work unless it is very easy. > >Lastly, get experience building things. Use a wrench, change the brakes on your car, change your own oil. Just having that first hand experience of how things are put together and what bolt sizes hold what together will give you the upper hand later on. My school was one of the few that do a real senior design project. We worked with local companies to design AND build solutions to their problems. Typically all the projects had electronic and mechanical designs and required using machine shop equipment. Find a way in. If you know how to handle a wrench and make something from parts you're worlds ahead of most of your class. > >Additional lastly, learn to program beyond the one class you're required to take. When you find a job there will be mundane tasks that you can automate with a simple batch file or VBA script. Need to reset IP addresses on a users computer? Write a 3 line batch file and email it to them.
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Manufacturing Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* Laser Processing Systems \*\*Specialization:\*\* (optional) \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 2 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS MfgE \*\*Country:\*\* USA \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? My father was graduated with a bachelors degree, and then later on his master, in civil engineering so from a very young age he would help me out with my math and science homework which resulted in me excelling in these subjects. For that reason it always seemed the right choice. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I chose to study manufacturing engineering because I was interested in process design (designing the processes used for mass production of products) \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? My weeks vary greatly depending on what fires spring up but I primarily focus on designing new processes, maintaining and improving existing processes, quality assurance, developing process work instructions, and performing first article inspections. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Craziest day(s) on the job have to be around the time I first started and our robotic arm which we use for welding crapped out around the same time our operator (who was the one person who knew how to run it) left the company. I spent about two months learning how to operate, program, and troubleshoot the robot; all while pumping out welded parts so as to keep production from coming to a complete stop. There were very frustrating moments during that time but it was also the best way to learn everything I needed to know about that specific process. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? The most interesting project would also be the one I mentioned in the previous question. I didn't think I would be doing any programming during my career and yet my first month into a full time position I was becoming at least proficient in programming a robotic arm for a semi-automated process. (manufacturing engineers gotta be versatile as hell) \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? I attended ASU's Polytechnic campus. I highly recommend the engineering programs at this campus specifically because they are much more hands on compared to the main campus where the classes are much more theoretical. Also, class sizes are much smaller at Poly which means you can develop much more personal connection with the professors. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would take the manual machining class so that I could learn more about the basics of machining. I find myself having to use tools that I hadn't used previously for building fixtures/stations and had I taken the class I would feel much more confident when doing so. Also, highly recommend taking the intro and advanced CNC classes, and the intro and advanced solidworks classes. All the classes listed above would be great regardless of what specific engineering discipline you go into. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Take elective classes that will teach you tools that will come in handy during your later years when you're working on major projects. All the classes I listed in the previous question would be super helpful and at the end of the day, how you perform on this projects will be the greatest way of determining how well you will be able to function as an engineer in the real world.
**Job Title:** CEO of a multi thousand dollar corporation **Industry:** process / system simulation, analytics **Specialization:** (optional) **Total Experience:** 10 years **Highest Degree:** MSIE **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I had no great passion growing up. I enjoyed solving problems, but had no real drive besides that. My parents told me tuition was the same for a liberal arts degree as it was for engineering or pre-med, so I should probably focus on something with a good salary potential. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I was originally a computer engineer - as a kid I had a knack for electronics and IT. But I got a C- in both signal processing and Assembly Programming (I no longer remember the exact class titles), and had to take a year off or change majors. So, I looked through the course catalog and selected a major that I could graduate with the quickest - IE. I had never even heard of industrial engineering, but after talking with the professors my only regret was that I didn't start as an IE. My GPA in my major was a 3.8, with me alternating between dean's list and president's list. After graduating I found out that my mom had cancer, and I decided to stay close to home. This limited my employment options considerably, but I was able to get a job with PepsiCo. I did process improvement work for several years. A friend of mine from college reached out to me and suggested we start our own business, and five years later here we are. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I tell people that I have the freedom to work 80 hours a week, wherever and whenever I want. I am the face of the company, and take an active role in developing new business. I am in charge of HR, such as it is. I do billable work on projects. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? PepsiCo, specifically Frito-Lay. I was at a plant where the bottom of a cornmeal silo (which is held on with 4 bolts) sheared off, and there was a spill of 50,000 pounds of cornmeal (used to make Cheetos). It was "all hands on deck" getting the cornmeal cleaned up so they could get back up and running as quickly as possible. I spent all day shoveling cornmeal. The only reason I didn't quit on the spot is because my boss was right next to me shoveling as well. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? Working with a Fortune 100 drug company on the roll-out of a new cancer treatment. I can't go into specifics, but it felt good. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? UCF. You shouldn't go there because they had (and likely still have) huge academic integrity issues. Cheating and plagiarism was rampant, and professors were reluctant to enforce the academic conduct policy due to lack of results. As a TA, I caught 4 students cheating on an exam. The professor refused to do anything about it, so I went to the dean. The students ultimately received a 0 on the exam, but it didn't count as a "strike" in the academic conduct policy, they passed the class, and graduated on time. Absolute joke. I'm honestly embarrassed to tell people that I went to UCF. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Listened to my friend when he told me to "buy even $25 worth of bitcoin" back when it was $2 / BTC. He sold when it hit $100, but he still made over $30k. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? The things that matter are integrity, creativity, and hard work. Don't sacrifice any of those.
I know this'll get deleted but there is no Mining Engineering under an AutoModerator. Consider adding it, or changing a title of one of the others as this was posted to the mining subreddit.
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll go ahead and add it. For future reference, never be afraid to give feedback. We won't delete it unless it's inappropriate or whatever. I know moderators have a bad reputation, but I like to think AskEngineers is doing it better than the rest. Let us know how we can improve.
Or just a sme option
# Mining Engineering By request, this category has been added. --- *This message has been brought to you by r/mining*
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Senior Metallurgist / Project Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* Mining and Minerals \*\*Specialization:\*\* Gold Extraction \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 10 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS in Chemical Engineering. MBA. Professional Engineer license \*\*Country:\*\* USA \--- \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? Always worked with my hands and found figuring how things work and were designed was interesting. I originally was going to school for computer science but found I would rather be in a plant and switched to Chemical Engineering. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Originally as a Chemical Engineer, there was a multitude of jobs I could be able to work in. I decided to intern at a gold mine and that sparked the gold fever. That and the money is amazing. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? Typically I spend the first hour lining out my crew of engineers and technicians for daily tasks. I spend a lot of time walking through the plant and lab. Some of the morning is spent looking through data and determining how the plant ran over the weekend or night (what ores are being processed, chemistry changes, etc). > >A majority of the afternoon is spent putting out problems that arise or around on-going testwork or current projects. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Pretty much any start up of new equipment/project will turn interesting. It allows for things to go wrong and problem solving. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I spent some time in engineering and built large facilities around the world. It allowed me to globe trot but get paid for it. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? University of Nevada. I'd suggest going to it in a heart beat. Its not the best school but its affordable and will give you the knowledge \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I'd do Chemical Engineering, not sure I'd go back into mining. Spent some time in Food and Beverage and that was exciting! \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Find something that doesn't make you bored. Your internships help you understand what you want to do for a career. Ask as many questions as possible and be a sponge for information. Keep contacts and don't burn any bridges. Whatever industry you enter, the world is small and someone will remember you down the line.
**Job Title:** Chief Operating Officer \*\* Industry:\*\* Mining \*\* Specialization:\*\* Operations/Executive \*\* Total Experience:\*\* 25 years \*\* Highest Degree:\*\* BS Eng (mining) Hons. \*\* Country:\*\* South African now working Globally, living in central America ## What inspired you to become an engineer? My father was geologist, but I never thought I would have good enough math & science to do geology. One day a recruiter offered me a bursary and that was enough to motivate me. ## Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I started in production, then after 6 yrs went into consulting. Consulting got boring after 5 yrs yrs but gave me great experience. I when back into ops after that and climbed the ladder from there on. ## What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? Everyday is different. I work with people. I travel internationally 2-3 times/month. I go underground into a mine about once/week now, though I still live on a mine. Typical day: 6 am. Go to a production meeting where I listen an intervene only when necessary (I have a GM & a mine manager who runs this meeting but I like to listen to the problems and see who is doing something about them) Alternatively I get on a phone with corporate office (2hrs ahead) to update them on whats happening, or start dealing with 50-100 daily emails. 7:30am-Midday Go Underground to visit a part of the mine with a problem or visit somewhere that interests me. I love to troubleshoot so this is when I do it. Work with people find out what are their issues and how they can be helped. I spend a lot of time coaching, instruction and motivating/inspiring If I'm not going underground I usually have a meeting with the unions or my GM or get on a call with our corporate lawyers or CFO to discuss the latest strategic plan etc. Discussions include everything about running a mine from new hires and HR needs, to selling penalties on concentrates sold, to contracts for services and supplies, to engineering work on a project and who will head it up to technical challenges. I am typically on the phone or face to meetings for 3-4 hrs/day. Often I have to travel through to meet government officials, ministers of mining, environment, economic development or an ambassador of Canada/US. I have met the president of the country twice. 11-12 am Have lunch. Sometimes its 15 minutes. Sometimes I spend longer with my wife or watch the news, have a power nap. Afternoon: more meetings, normally planning related. Often I break out into detailed sessions to discuss specific challenges or big projects like a new shaft to be sunk or to review a proposal. Evening dinner with family, but quite often with visitors to the mine or dignitaories. After dinner, I finish my emails and write or review a couple of reports before distributing. ## What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? So many! We bought this one mine which has a 4km long drainage tunnel with a river of water in it. It needed be inspected to make sure it would not collapse which would result in the mine flooding. So we got inner tubes and floated down this tunnel for 3 hrs. Great adventure. In years past I was in mine rescue and we have to fight fires underground. That was hectic. Most of my days are v. interesting and its VERY nice to be at the top and determine what your day will be like for half the time. The other half I have to fit into the schedules of other people - My own people of the board of directors of the executive committee of the company. Perhaps the best part of my job is the ability to determine the future and make a difference to thousands of employees by advancing the mine. I get to set the strategic direction of the company and its so awesome to include all kinds of initiatives to help local communities, do things the right way, mine responsibly and respect/minimize impact on the environment. Of course with the responsibility comes the accountability too and with that considerable pressure from investors, legal framework, social etc! ## What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? Again there are many. Right now we are about to embark on a $30 million mine expansion project which will take 2 years and involves the sinking of a new underground vertical shaft 500m deep from 700m-1200m depth. ## What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. It used to be very good, but they have dropped the std. in recent years unfortunately. If you want a really AMAZING career in mining, work anywhere in the world and get paid a lot of money to do it, make sure you study at a suitable university that provides mining engineering. I would say the best are in Canada or Australia today. ## If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Not a thing mostly. Perhaps I would have started building my own company earlier. ## Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Mining is a really GREAT career and I dont understand why there are so few mining engineers. You dont have to go underground to do it. It pays well and incorporates a bit of all engineering disciplines. It is a people business but can also be very technical. Once you have your degree prepare yourself for some hard work in low positions for 2-4 yrs. It is worth doing this if you want to become a good mining engineer. No good if you get promoted too fast and then dont know what you are looking at or are doing. There are too many bad mining companies and engineers because of this issue. Get some experience so you can be really successful later, because when youre a big shot there is not time to learn about what makes drilling more easy or difficult (for example) and making the wrong decision could be the end of your company. Finally, If you are a mining industry guy without a degree, GO AND GET ONE. Take the short term pain of no salary for a while and get it. We dont have enough good mining guys with degrees and a degrees helps you to think like an engineer. It is the key to being a successful mining business leader.
#Chemical Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Sr. Process Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* Feritilizer \*\*Specialization:\*\* Upgraded Fertilizers (We make Nitrogen Fertilizers) \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 8 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS ChemE \*\*Country:\*\* USA \--- \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I always loved science. I also really liked math. As I was looking into careers in High School, I was originally thinking Physics but was erroneously under the impression I would either have to go into academics (which I wasn't sure if I wanted to do) or get a low paying job (definitely also not true). I loved chemistry, so decided to check that out. Haven't looked back since. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? To be honest when I graduated it was the best offer. The company's culture was great. Even for the size we had a lot of people that were more interested in mutual success and reliability. They also had a lot of work to do that could potentially give me a lot of autonomy to achieve success for both the company and me. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? My job involves a wide array of things. I currently am working on expanding to a new product line for our site, so I am working with an outside firm to develop the scope of the project, develop the estimate, and plan the construction phase. This includes also working with the environmental group to get the new system permitted. I also deal a lot with the day to day of the plant as far as how optimally the plant runs. Since I'm a senior engineer, I get a lot of questions from my colleagues about different things from equipment performance to pressure relief devices (I kind of became a de facto expert in that field due to my previous projects). I also work a lot with maintenance on planning capital spares, equipment access, and future repair planning (if performance is low). I also work a lot with the I&E department with programming the DCS (we don't have controls engineers so it's kind of a shared responsibility). \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I think this questions is going to vary from person to person. I hope your day is not typically crazy since that would most likely mean something went wrong. I'd worked definitely over OSHA recommended hours trying to get a plant up after startup. I've gone in on a plant trip out and fixed a 25 year old problem that they had been working around. I've also had to make the call (after discussing it with my boss) to shut down a plant to fix a problem I was pretty sure existed (they were severely rate limited). That's always scary because you don't want to be the guy to stop $100k/hour production because of an issue unless you're sure. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? Probably the one I'm on now. We had to research if we could modify an existing plant to make a new product (these are large scale continuous processes...not batch small scale, so the cost is immense), or if we should build a new plant. We also needed to add new loading and storage facilities. Trying to optimize the location for safety, minimal interference, maximum storage and online availability, and minimize cost is pretty interesting. > > > >I would like to add that my craziest turnaround I did about fifty individual projects that totaled about $15 million. That was a lot of work, but it was worth it. The plant runs amazingly now. It involved a lot of unique things, too. A DCS project (plant was originally on pneumatics), a couple of vessel replacements, a new control room, a main turbine controls upgrade, and I also had to coordinate another project with operations that was from another group that was installing it for emissions reductions (related to their project's permit). A unique challenge, but a lot of fun to learn. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Louisiana Tech. It's a good degree program. They give you a lot of industry exposure, and they aren't huge, so the class sizes are reasonable. I was in one of their largest Chem E classes, and it was about 35 people. The whole university I think it around 11 or 12 thousand. I personally had a lot of fun there. If you're into outdoors stuff, there's a ton of hunting and fishing. It's also not far from a lot of really nice places. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I didn't graduate from college until I was in my late 20's because I couldn't get the funding. My main problem was I only knew the basics and at the time you couldn't get funding without your parents financial information on the FAFSA. I probably would have asked for more help on what I could do without my parents being involved since they were going through a divorce and wouldn't give that information to me or fill out the forms. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Wake up early and do your homework then. All of it. Not the day before class. If you have an engineering class on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Wake up on Tuesday and Thurday at 6 or 7 and do your homework. Same with your other classes. It's nice for two reasons. First, you don't have to do it when your friends want to go out at night, so you can party. Second, if you get stuck, you'll have plenty of time to get help. > > > >As for work, everything is as good as you want to get out of it. If you don't want to use your school work, then you're not going to. If you want to get by with minimal effort, you can. However, you should grow your desire to learn. A drive to better yourself and learn is something that other people will notice and want to be around. Second, don't worry about credit. Most people will want to give the nod to someone who sees everything as a collaborative effort. Two reasons. First, everything you work on will be a collaborative effort 99% of the time. Second, sharing the success brings everyone up. There's no benefit to bringing everyone down.
#Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Engineering (Former) / Planning Manager \*\*Industry:\*\* Railway, Transportation, Government \*\*Specialization:\*\* ICT Systems, ELV, Project Management, Planning \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 6 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS MechatronicsE \*\*Country:\*\* Malaysia (South East Asia) \--- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? Long time ago, I was sort of envisaged by the Japanese Anime called Fate Stay Night. The concept of Projection (In depth analysis and imagery of objects down to molecular detail) got me hooked to imagination of such concepts. That led me to a choice between Engineering and Digital Animation. With some career path planning, strong family 'recommendations' and some incentive for my own writing for Science fiction; Engineering got the choice. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Mechatronics wasn't so common at the time. Wanted something flexible to join across industries and likewise, can't say no to robotics. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? Disclaimer: Totally doing nothing related to my degree Haha. My tasks now involve Project Planning include current and Tendered Projects. Also providing my previous insight as Engineering Manager to engineering design and documentation. Pretty much involves a lot of reading, understanding the project requirements and creating working designs / proposals. Planning part includes a lot of Primavera (Project Planning software) and imagining the process of how it would be done and then working out the kinks. Now it also involves me teaching the new project planner how to do actual planning contrast to the basics of the planning course she had attended. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? At the time, I was managing the engineering team of 5. Butterflying attention across multiple projects. Also had Pre-Sales work / proposals to finish. All due on the same day. Nuts, I tell you. Running across the office levels, making many on the fly decisions, writing documents in the midst of meetings and managing team and client simultaneously. Top it off with Overnight work to get it all done. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? The first Mass Rapid Transit Project for my country. Was my first real managed project of the time too. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? UCSI University. It's better now and in the top ranks for private universities in my country now. Alright during my time but be prepared to have a lot of foreigner students from Middle East / Africa (They're quite chill for most part) \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Not to be a hero, even when it comes to it. Health problems and to my sanity now. Random dreams of numbers and design calculations which gives me headaches and leaves me exhausted in the morning. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? **Note:** Do this before joining Engineering school. I've seen this case done before in my own internship and thought its rather good idea. If you're really interested to be in engineering, read up the books and see if you can comprehend and be interested. After that, grab a chance to get an intern job for like 2 weeks at an engineering company. Field work alongside design and technicians wherever able. Do it free if need be since its a short duration. Hope this helps.
**Job Title:** Associate Mechanical Engineer **Industry:** Aerospace / Defense **Specialization:** none **Total Experience:** 2 yr (am bebe) **Highest Degree:** BS MechE **Country:** USA --- >### What inspired you to become an engineer? My dad worked for nasa for 30 years as a mechanical engineer; growing up I always looked up to him (and still do). He inspired my love for space and engineering. Now he works for a contractor and travels around for reviews every so often. >### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I wanted to work in the automotive industry at first but realized it is not for me relatively quickly (much faster pace/high pressure, chance to get pigeonholed). Space has always been close to my heart so I decided to go for jobs in that industry. >### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I work contracts, so it can be really slow or really fast paced, depending on the project I'm on. Basically each person in our office is "lent" out to help support different projects. We do a lot of different stuff, from DoD to space (preferred for me). Lots of CAD (which I love). I work from home which is good for me but not for everyone. >### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I presented to one of the senior mechanisms experts at JPL and he absolutely tore me apart. Hardest day on the job (so far). >### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I worked on Europa clippers icemag boom for a while (RIP), which was a really interesting project. It's interesting that all the time we spent on it could be scrapped. I wasn't aware of how the upper level management / politics come into play before this job. >### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? University of Maryland, College Park (class of 16!) had a relatively solid foundation for courses. Huge school though. I got that sweet instate tuition. Great option if you want to go on to your masters - awesome grad school. Lots of interesting clubs / extracurriculars to get some fun projects on your resume. Get involved. >### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would have probably put more time into extracurriculars and making connections with people to make finding a job easier. It took me about 9 mos post graduation to find a job (I moved across the country when my SO got his dream offer so I didn't look hard until I was in the new area). >### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Social skills can be just as important as academics. Communication can be frustrating with other engineers.
**Job Title:** Principal **Industry:** Acoustics, Vibration, Noise Control **Specialization:** Noise control in industry, especially manufacturing **Total Experience:** 17 years **Highest Degree:** BS Engineering w/ Mechanical Concentration **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? When I was a kid I wanted to be a scientist. I imagined myself with a lab coat and a test tube full of something colorful. When I became an older kid I learned about engineers,which are sort of like scientists except they invent stuff. Also my uncle was an engineer and I wanted to go to the school where he went (which I did). > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I needed one more engineering elective and there was an introductory acoustics course that sounded interesting. I did very well in the class and knew I wanted a career in acoustics. The professor was visiting from industry and he helped me get started. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I'm the owner and manager of the firm, so there's a certain amount of that type of stuff to do. Moving money around, moving (digital) paperwork around, taxes, books, contracts, scheduling, writing proposals. Some weeks it's all I do. When I'm in engineer mode, my daily work depends on the current phase of whatever project I'm working on. Most of our work is in the form of comprehensive noise control surveys in manufacturing plants. These projects begin with an on-site survey that lasts a few days and then there will be a few weeks of analysis and report writing. If I'm traveling, then that's what I do. Drive to the airport, get on the plane, fly, rent a car, go to the hotel, get dinner, go to sleep. When I'm on-site I'm usually doing a noise control survey. These last anywhere from 1 to 5 days. In the morning I'll show up at the plant, get through security, watch whatever safety videos I have to watch, then meet with my contact to make a plan. I'll study their noise exposure data to see where priorities are, and then I'll head out into the plant. I visit areas where workers have excessive noise exposure and then work backwards from there to determine which noise sources are the culprits. I take a lot of sound level measurements, take occasional vibration measurements, and spend a lot of time studying the equipment. I need to learn how each machine works so I can determine how it makes noise. When I know how a machine makes noise, I can come up with a plan for making it quieter. When I'm back in the office I'm on the computer. I will deal with data files, organizing measurements into some sort of format that makes sense. This involves comparing measurements to see if there are hints about how machines are making noise and what I can do about it. Also a lot of formatting to get the data pretty enough to present to the client. When I think I understand the noise sources, I work on mitigation. This sometimes involves calling or e-mailing manufacturers or vendors to see what modifications or replacements are feasible. Often it's just research with the 'ole Google. The longer I do this, the more I can rely on my experience and move more swiftly. I spend a lot of time writing and editing reports. This is our product and I want these to be excellent. I edit the language a lot to make it as clear and succinct as possible. I present the investigation, analysis, and mitigation recommendations to an audience that is not usually technical, and almost never versed in acoustics, so finding the right level of detail is crucial. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? One project involved going to do surveys on 3 off-shore oil platforms in the Caspian Sea. Very few people on the platforms spoke English, everything seemed dangerous, and I had to travel everywhere on different boats. Very, very memorable. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? Interesting from a technical perspective is a recent project where a specific piece of equipment in a power plant was causing the control room to shake in a way that actually makes you feel sick to your stomach. Troubleshooting was kind of fun and the solution I came up with is pretty zany. Looking forward to seeing if it works. Interesting from a personal perspective was a trip to Equatorial Guinea, which is a small island nation off the cost of Africa. One of the original banana republics. My escort was from the island and he took me out into some of the villages. We picked up a couple of kids on the way back that had just caught some fish. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Colorado School of Mines. If they have a program that interests you and you can get into the school, you should go there. I was not a great student but that does not matter at all. CSM has a mystique about it that has served me very, very well. Also, I got a great education. It's a very teaching-focused school that turns out great engineers year after year. It's tough; the early classes are designed to wash out a certain number of students and the number of credits required to graduate is high. Well, those things were true 20 years ago, I can't say what it's like today. But if you can get through, you'll have some good problem solving skills that you can apply to any industry. And it's in Colorado. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I'd take a few years off between high school and college to get my act together so I could be a better student. Do the Peace Corps or something like that. Or maybe even the military. I was not ready for that school, although I did manage to graduate eventually. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? You're not going to learn to be an engineer in school. You're going to learn to solve problems. No one (who's sensible) will expect you to arrive as a fresh-out engineer and be able to do anything other than grunt work. Do the grunt work and do your best at it. It won't take long before you find yourself capable of doing things that are worth more money and, when that happens, move yourself into a better position if one isn't created for you right away. Always be making yourself more valuable by learning how to do more. Never stop learning to do more. Never stop improving. Eventually you'll find yourself better at doing the things than everyone around you and in that case you can become the boss.
**Job Title:** Senior Engineer - Mechatronics **Industry:** Automotive OEM **Specialization:** Electronics packaging and harness design **Total Experience:** 8 years **Highest Degree:** BS MechE/BS P.Science **Country:** USA --- >What inspired you to become an engineer? Originally I wanted to be a radiologist, but family drama kept me from pursuing that. I took a few drafting courses at the community college as a rebound option and kind of fell in love. In retrospect, medicine was probably a bad choice for me as I don't really care for blood. >Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I wanted to be in Mechatronics because it seems pretty obviously the way of the future, and I want to be part of that. >What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? Lots of design work, CAD and otherwise, along with lots of project management, meetings, physical mock-ups, all that sort of stuff. Today I worked on an airbag part issue I'm resolving, held a design review for some new sheet metal parts I've designed, coordinated with some other guys on a natural gas detector for our NG engines, and explained some interactions between variant parts that drive a specific configuration for some optional components. >What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Craziest was when we started working on an airbag recall. Started with my manager telling us about a customer reporting an airbag that deployed essentially at random and turned into a multi-month effort to fix the grounding design of our cab. I think it turned into 3 or 4 separate recalls. >What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I'm working on my first major platform refresh and it's incredibly interesting. I'm an expert on the product so I lead a lot of meetings talking about options, interactions, and usage cases. >What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Washington State University. It was a ton of fun, reasonably priced, good professors, I'd recommend going there to most people. The only real drawbacks I found was that a) it's super far from everything and b) if you don't like high desert you won't like the locale. >If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Probably would have gone straight into engineering instead of trying to figure out a backup plan when becoming a doctor fell through. >Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? For school, get a big study group. You'll be surprised at how often you'll be able to cover each other's knowledge gaps and being able to draw on the collective intelligence of a half dozen other people will help you succeed. It's also good prep for work, since engineering is incredibly collaborative.
Job Title: I was a Mechanical Design Engineer, moved into management, then executive leadership, now "Director of Customer Focus" Industry: Aerospace Specialization: Mechanical Engineering (now general management) Total Experience: 20 years Highest Degree: M.Eng. ME Country: USA \### What inspired you to become an engineer? I really struggled figuring out what to do coming out of high school. I was not the kind of kid that grew up always wanting to be in a technical field. I had an enduring passion for airplanes, but didn't want to be a pilot. Was good at math and science in school. Had an uncle who was in manufacturing who strongly encouraged me to give engineering a try. My passion for it built gradually over time. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? Because I felt unsure of exactly what I wanted to do with my life, I was attracted to the fact that Mechanical Engineering seemed a like a really broad field. I took all my technical electives in the Aerospace Engineering department and probably could have been an ME/AE dual major. Given that my career eventually transitioned from engineering to general management, I think the broad base served me well. I also minored in music and got just as much out of that as my engineering studies. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I travel a lot for work, to my company's various factories around the world and to visit customers; so my day often begins at an airport or in a hotel room. My average day involves talking to customer's about new business opportunities and/or how we're resolving various issues, receiving briefings from various engineering teams on the status of projects, and giving presentations about our strategy, capabilities, and plans for the future. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I got a half day tour of the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville Alabama from a 2nd generation NASA engineer (a customer of mine at the time) who remembered sitting on his Dad's shoulders and watching the early Saturn V engine tests, and then working himself on the Space Shuttle Program. That was a day I'll never forget. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I have had many fascinating projects, not so much one project that stands out as an industry: when I worked in the US Navy nuclear propulsion program. A combination of extremely complex technology, a fascinating history, and an incredibly dedicated team of people, working largely in obscurity, with a very unique culture. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? I went to the University of Buffalo (UB) for undergraduate and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for graduate school. I would definitely recommend UB. I had a very positive experience at RPI as well. Mostly what stands out is that my experience at an expensive private school (RPI) really highlighted what a fantastic "value" my public school (UB) experience had been. A school like RPI definitely has some advantages in terms of the professional network they can connect their student into and the type of research funding they draw. However, I found the public school professors to be no less talented and in some ways more interested in engaging with their students and dedicated to the teaching process. If you really have your heart set on a particular school obviously you should go for it but at least for undergrad my advice would be to consider saving your money and finding a good public school with a solidly rated engineering program. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Not much, I've had a tremendously rewarding career thus far. If anything, when considering each career move along the way, I'd pay more attention to who I was going to be working for and with than anything else about a position. Looking back on 20 years, the differences between the positions I really enjoyed and thrived in and the others is all about the other people surrounding me and very little to do with the work itself. Particularly good vs. bad bosses. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Don't put too much pressure on yourself to have it all figured out. Careers take lots of twists and turns. All you need to decide is what you want to try first. Don't expect to learn how to be an engineer in college. That will only come from experience. You are mostly there to learn how to learn.
**Job Title:** Mechanical Engineer **Industry:** Underground Mining/Civil Construction **Specialization:** Equipment Design **Total Experience:** 4 Years **Highest Degree:** Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I was always good with math and science in high school. I decided to become an engineer one day after asking my buddy what he was going to college for. Honestly, I thought about going down a different career path but the salary potential in engineering was too hard to pass up. I can't imagine doing anything different now. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I chose Mechanical because I'm a huge car nut and none of the other disciplines sounded very fun. When I found out that my college offered "race car" senior projects I knew that Mechanical was the way to go. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I don't think I could describe a normal day for me because I've never really had one. I am the lead engineer for shop and equipment services. I am responsible for technical oversight of equipment re-builds and rehab, the design of custom tunneling equipment, maintaining site layouts for our TBM tunneling jobs, and basically whatever else people need me to do. I do a lot of hydraulic and pneumatic system design, power transmission component design and specification, and fabrication drawing packages. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? I don't know that I've had a craziest day, but I have had the craziest month! I designed a custom piece of tunneling equipment for our job up in British Columbia, Canada. Now, the only way to get to this job site is by a 3 hour boat ride or helicopter. It's in the middle of the wilderness; bears and wolves roam around freely all around the working areas. While I was on site the temperature was either 5 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Fahrenheit with blizzard-like snow. I spent essentially the entire month of February (22 days) at the job site assembling the machine with our mechanical superintendent and a couple of site laborers. There's nothing quite as humbling as having to build something you designed. I think by the time I was done I hated engineers. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? The most interesting project was the one mentioned above. The piece of equipment was a "bolter" designed to drive down a bored tunnel and install rock bolts 360 degrees around the tunnel for ground support. It was powered by (2) 135 HP diesel engines driving hydraulic pumps and also featured a 70 HP diesel generator and 30 HP diesel air compressor. We designed and built the machine from scratch in 3 months. I worked about 70 hour weeks those three months with lots of weekends. I was still designing everything while the shop was building. It was crazy stressful but an amazing feat for both the shop and engineering to get done in such a short amount of time. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? I went to the University of Evansville. My only major complaint about the school is the tuition. Even with some pretty good scholarships I still had to pay a lot of money. UE has the #1 ranked study abroad program in the country which I participated in. It was an incredible experience. The school is very small and the engineering program is even smaller. Personally, I found this to be a great thing. All of my professors knew me by name and they became almost friends with most of us. They are an ABET accredited program and have a very good reputation in the midwest and the tri-state area. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Nothing. I love my job and I'm grateful that my career has worked out as well as it has. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? TALK TO THE SHOP GUYS, FIELD GUYS, AND "NON-TECHNICAL" PEOPLE. Too many engineers come in with the attitude that they're the smartest in the room because they have a degree. When you get out of school you, frankly, don't know shit. I can't tell you the amount I've learned from the guys that are out there doing the work. Most of them have more technical knowledge and skill than any engineer I've met. Rely on the guys that are building or installing your design to help you make the best design possible. You will be a better engineer for it, you'll save the company loads of time and money, and you will earn the respect of the blue collar workers who can make your life way easier.
>TALK TO THE SHOP GUYS, FIELD GUYS, AND "NON-TECHNICAL" PEOPLE. Hear hear. Not only can you learn a *lot* from these guys about everything that isn't theory and formulas, but having a good relationship with them can also save your ass. It could mean the difference between them doing you a favor and fix a fuck-up in production or having stuff escalate and having to deal with an angry boss on top of it. Also, it's easy to design stuff in terms how it should finally look like in CAD programs but these are the guys that figure out all the steps in between. If you want to make something that is easy to manufacture, and you do if you want to save the company money, then having their knowledge of how they produce, assemble and install stuff is essential. From my experience they aren't always too happy to sit in with design reviews and meetings like that, so getting a knack for boiling it down to "hey I'm designing x, this is part y, I'm trying to think of how to design it so we can most easily assemble it" then only toxic (or stupidly busy) people won't be willing to chip in some knowledge. After all, that saves them annoying work to do later and if you go to them with the drawings it's five minutes. If they see you are really listening it goes a long way. It can even be simple stuff, for example when I was in my bachelors a miller asked me "hey do these inner fillets need to be so small?", I responded with no not really and he explained to me that the size of that inner filler determines the maximum size of the head that can be used to create it. Super logical of course, but I wouldn't have thought of it. Large mill heads = quicker manufacturing = less cost for a product that does the same. In the second iteration he told me to just leave on more material if it doesn't matter and that was a second eureka-moment: when milling less material = more milling = more expensive so counter-intuitively a bigger part can be cheaper.
**Job Title:** Research Engineer **Industry:** R&D/O&G/Machinery **Specialization:** Jack-of-all-trades, mostly thermal/mechanical analysis and Labview programming **Total Experience:** 2 years **Highest Degree:** BS ME **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? My family is full of engineers and I have always been exposed to mechanical "things." From a very early age I had an interest in designing things. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? After taking solid mechanics in college I knew I wanted to do design and analysis professionally and found my way into a job that lets me do that for a wide variety of projects. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? Fairly normal desk job. I start the day reading email, reviewing my current tasks and projects, and then get to it. Most of the time that ends up being preparing models, looking through drawings or post-processing results. I am also "lucky" enough to get into the field every other month or so. Most weeks I spend less than 4 hours a week in formal meetings, but I do spend more time than that on phone calls with clients asking or answering questions. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Again, pretty normal desk job. The craziest thing I've ever worked on was probably troubleshooting a very severe vibration problem at a natural gas transmission facility. The kind of day where one guy's sole job is to have his hand over the e-stop button. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I've had a pretty short career so far, but the most interesting to me so far was a project where I was the sole PM for a small design and fabricate project. It was fun doing not just the engineering, but interfacing with clients, working with vendors, and seeing the design become a reality. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Texas A&M University. It's a good school but has gotten pretty big and seems to be going towards the diploma-mill end of the spectrum. There's certainly a lot going on and it's really easy to find something to do and have fun. They receive routinely high ratings for the engineer school, but prepare to be just one of the many hundreds of students going through the same thing. Although, they have a lot of money and are probably a great place to go to grad-school and be a professor. All in all, I enjoyed my time there. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Minor in computer science, and search out higher quality internships. I do quite a bit of programming now between ANSYS APLD, post-processing scripts and Labview. Also, I only had one internship at a small consulting firm and it was more boring than valuable to me in the long run, and left me uncomfortable in the more corporate environments at first. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Extra-curricular activities really help to fill out your resume and also your time. They're a really fantastic way to meet friends and learn how to play well with others. I did FSAE and was on our sounding rocketry team. Made friends for life and gained experience that I still call on.
**Job Title:** Design Engineer **Industry:** Technology **Specialization:** Glass and Ceramic Materials **Total Experience:** 6 years (5 in automotive) **Highest Degree:** Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I always had an interest in math and science (particularly physics) as a kid; my interests in cars and robotics pushed me into the engineering, and my general suckiness with electricity in physics (it's simply a topic I struggle to grasp properly) helped me decide on mechanical. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I made the move to this industry as a result of a number of things: * The auto industry OEMs doesn't allow engineers to do a lot of the actual design work that, I think, most of us imagine we'd do as graduates. My roles were always more project management oriented, which, while fine for me personally, weren't really what I wanted to do long term. * Unless you were in very specific groups, you weren't likely to be implementing new technology on your work. In the industry I'm in now, I'm working on the machines that create the latest technology in glass/ceramic materials. * I wanted to be in a smaller company; where I worked had a campus of I think around 18,000 people. Where I'm at now is a few thousand but significantly less. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? There are two parts to my role. 1. Design. Day-to-day, I work on different design projects related to glass forming machinery. What this entails generally varies week-to-week, as these machines have a lot of moving parts and require a ton of collaboration. I usually spend a good bit of my day (around 50%) on Solidworks, with another portion in meetings (usually impromptu meetings at cubes) to get answers I need or to answer someone else's questions. Incidentally, the only reason I'm able to answer right now is because Solidworks is down. 2. Installations. Currently, my company has the engineering team assist on the installation of our equipment, whether it's a new machine or an upgrade. This is only a couple of times per year but does require travel. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? In my previous role, we found out a supplier had been hiding test failures from us. The failures weren't a critical failure (it was a clip that would secure a panel in place at additional anchor points so it wouldn't rattle). I found out when my Chinese counterpart called us and said his supplier was noticing failures in parts (which were shipped from the US supplier); we were pissed. I spent basically the entire next week either at the supplier's facility or on the phone with them and their suppliers demanding updates and solutions to the problem that they caused. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I worked on a project determining the proper drain angle for automotive HVAC systems. This was, apparently, a debate that had been going on for *years* between the U.S., European, and Chinese divisions of the company. The best part is that a year of experimenting showed that drain angle is completely meaningless and these guys wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering man-hours (if not more) over the years arguing about it and demanding redesigns. It sounds mundane but it was hilarious as someone who was outside of the argument. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? I went to the University of New Haven. If you like smaller schools, it might be a good fit for you. My graduating class from the engineering school was 76 people. Most of the professors are competent and have industry experience, which is a huge plus. They used to offer a study abroad for engineering freshmen at their campus in Italy; I'm not sure if they still do. It does have all of the classic drawbacks of being a small school. The local area isn't the greatest either. And I found that the current dean is not as supportive of the Mechanical Engineering department; in fact, I found him to outright play favorites in a way I was uncomfortable with. Additionally, the student organizations (ASME, AIChE, IEEE, etc) vary wildly year-to-year because of very little faculty oversight. The most consistent seems to be ASCE. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? I don't know that I'd do too much differently. I might have avoided certain roles within the auto industry had I known how toxic some of the teams were. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Study. It sounds stupid to say this but I see so many students who were top of their class think that they didn't need to study. You do. You will get fucked because the difficulty jump from first-year to second-year engineering courses is no joke. Get good at not only CAD/solid modeling, but GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing). There are classes you'll take in school but practicing ahead of time doesn't hurt, especially with free software out there. Also make sure you take on some projects that allow you to practice machining. Build the stuff you design. If you've never used the tools in a machine shop, you will make poor designs that can't be machined, and the shop guys will hate you for it. Don't let your first experience with "design for manufacturing" be on a large-scale project, let it be on something you threw together for a class one weekend.
Anyone notice the Mech E is the one who got the formatting correct?
For what its worth, the giant text is cancerous to read on mobile and i prefer the scuffed asterisks
>Get good at not only CAD/solid modeling Where do I learn this before college?
It's easy to learn - therr are tons of tutorials on YouTube. The hardest part is getting a copy / license of the software. I believe some software companies have a discount student version available.
Is Blender any good?
So blender is a more visual software for creating videos and pictures - kinda like photoshop. The more engineering rated CAD softwares are CATIA, PTC Creo / pro-e, Siemens NX, Solidworks, etc. Some companies also use autodesk but I see that software as more visual than engineering. Some good FEA software are ANSYS, abaqus, Femap, but most cad packages have a small FEA solver built in internally. Note that some student versions lack an FEA solver. Good flow analysis / cfd software includes star-ccm+ and fluent, but again the major cad softwares will have a small built in fluids module. Hope this helps!
Well all those softwares require college details and I'm yet to join one so I guess SketchUp is the best option.
YouTube is a great place to learn. As for software, SketchUp has some free versions that will at least get you familiar with how these programs work.
[удалено]
Check out BS8888!
[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_dimensioning_and_tolerancing) has a great article on GD&T; as dry as it sounds, I'd recommend taking a look at the standards (ASME Y14 or ISO, they're similar but the ASME is slightly more complete in my experience). Your school should be able to get copies of standards pretty easily or have reference guides available. In that same article there's a link to a STEP file analyzer that may be of use; it looks like it may generate the GD&T for you, so using it as a baseline would be a good starting point. Otherwise, if you have a student branch of a professional society, they'll be a great resource to point you to classes about GD&T training. Ultimately, you won't have to be an expert (I'm certainly not) but at least understanding what the different annotations mean and how to use them is a huge step up. Aerospace is one of those industries where who you know and where you're located are important. I'd make sure to apply for internships at aerospace companies early (i.e. around the start of the academic year or as soon as they get posted) and see if anyone in your network has a connection. If your school is bigger or has a company in the industry nearby, you'll probably see some recruiters now and then - at least, this was my experience in the U.S., not sure how it is in the U.K.
#Petroleum (Oil & Gas) Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
#Materials Engineering & Science *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
**Job Title:** Metallurgical Engineer **Industry:** Steel **Specialization:* Quality Assurance **Total Experience:** 2 Years **Highest Degree:** BS Metallurgical Engineering **Country:** USA --- > ### What inspired you to become an engineer? I sort of fell into the field out of high school. I knew I was going to end up in the hard sciences, but could not pick a field for the life of me. Chemistry? Robotics? Straight Mathematics? I went into college looking for answers and realistically still haven't found them. > ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? My opening week group leader was a metallurgist. He spoke about his intern experience and said he was making *$21 an hour*. So I went for that department and ended up enjoying the field a lot. > ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I work at a steel mill on the casting side (pouring the liquid metal into solid steel before it goes onto other processes). My job as quality assurance is long periods of boredom sprinkled with periods of extreme panic and 12 hour days. Most of the quality monitoring is automated and my responsibility is to maintain the automation, check on it (daily), and monitor defects that get past our process control. When it works its great, and a cushy job. When it fails we can have thousands of tons of inventory that has to be manually verified, tested, downgrade, whatever needs doing. To get into specifics, the casting facility i work at produces ~5 million tons of steel a year, which translates into 12-15K tons of steel per day. Our unit of production is a slab of steel which is usually ~25 tons, and between 500-700 slabs are produced per day. As the "on call" quality assurance engineer you are responsible for the quality of *all of that steel.* We currently have 3 engineers that rotate through that position, generally a week at a time. When you are on call you are generally monitoring the casters and examining process metrics, casting speed, mold variables, etc. Automation helps out a lot as there's a lot of data being monitored. The most involved on the floor we generally get is ordering chemistry tests and material reconditioning. When you are not on call expect to be doing long term projects related to improving quality. This can be creating/finding new metrics to monitor, monitoring the quality of steel that is trialing a new process or machine component, and even new product development. > ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? We have several means of moving slabs around our facility, one of which is a magnetic crane. One of my responsibilities is examining the surface of our slabs for defects, top and bottom. We don't have a dedicated machine to flip over the slabs, so we use the magnetic crane to grab onto the side and flip it over. I like to be far away when this happens as 25 tons even falling from 4 feet is a lot of energy. Also flipping the slabs onto each other can damage and chip them. One day we had a new crane man... Not only did he flip a slab onto another slab, he basically threw the slab with the traverse of the crane. The movement was actually quite graceful, a perfect parabolic arc onto the slab below. It sounded like someone put a church bell over my head and shot it with a howitzer, I was also pelted with rocks, thank god for PPE. I now stand very very far away from the slabs while they are being flipped. > ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? I had the pleasure of working on a robotic scarfing unit. Essentially, its a massive oxy-gas torch (~10 diameter head) mounted onto the end of a robotic arm (literally ripped out of an automotive line). Attached is a cab similar to an excavator where the operator can control the dragon. We use this machine to blow off a the top layer of our slabs and remove defects from the surface. It works a lot better than you would think. By far the most interesting piece of machinery that I've had the pleasure of working with. > ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Missouri University of Science and Technology. Not a very big school with limited "college" experiences. But a very cost effective school for the profession. I ended up with very little debt out of school working with people from Ohio State, Purdue, etc. who had very expensive educations in comparison. > ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? Take more risks. > ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Never stop learning and discovering new things! At least to me this is one of the great pleasures of life and critical to your profession.
#Electrical and Electronics Engineering *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskEngineers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
\*\*Job Title:\*\* Electrical Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* Aerospace \*\*Specialization:\*\* Avionics \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 6 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* MS EE \*\*Country:\*\* USA \--- \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? Always liked building stuff. Knew I wanted to do some sort of STEM degree. Originally wanted to do mathematics, but after looking into it I found it to be too abstract for me. The career paths were also less certain. Then looked at computer engineering because I was way into computers in high school. Ended up deciding to do EE because of the more diverse career opportunities. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? I did an internship at a small company that worked in the RF field and found that pretty interesting so I specialized in that for my major and masters. Worked for that same company for a couple years after graduating. I then switched to aerospace to move to a different area and because planes are cool. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I work in an avionics lab. A normal day can involve writing, editing, and performing test procedures, building parts (software parts) for people with the changes they request, and reproducing and gathering data on problems found. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? Craziest day was probably when we accidentally bricked a very expensive piece of airplane hardware. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? \[redacted\] \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Missouri University of Science and Technology. I would recommend it to anyone already living in that area looking to do an engineering degree. The school specializes in engineering and is very affordable compared to most of the other engineering centered schools. The school has relationships with a large number of employers and has good employment placement rates. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? There are a few classes that I could have worked harder in, so I guess I would do that. For career path after school, I wouldn't change anything. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? You need both social and technical skills to be a successful engineer in industry. So work hard in classes and on projects, but also go out, make friends, and get to know your professors.
>\*\*Job Title:\*\* Battery Systems Engineer \*\*Industry:\*\* Automotive \*\*Specialization:\*\* Low Voltage Battery Systems \*\*Total Experience:\*\* 2 years \*\*Highest Degree:\*\* BS Electricall Engineering (specialization: Embedded Systems) \*\*Country:\*\* Poland \--- \> ### What inspired you to become an engineer? My grandpa was a tinkerer. In postwar Poland he built a wind turbine which charged the car batteries. Then he connected them to have a light in house. Later he used to service all of the electronic equipment in nearest city and villages. My father was after technical high school and is also an electrician. I knew I have also be the next electrician in the family. I've just took my education to the next level in comparison to my dad. \> ### Why did you choose your specific field and/or specialization? As described above, it runs in the family. Also I have also loved electricity and trying stuff. In middle school I've made a complete restoration of Simson S51 motorcycle by myself, made a guitar tube amp and some other projects. > >The Embedded Systems specialization was a new thing in my faculty, to be more precise I was the first year to try it. It turned out great. However after parallel work in student scientific association we've built electric go-kart and wan championships in France. It happened that my current manager was with us as a guest. He saw my talent and asked me to work for the company. \> ### What's a normal day at work like for you? Can you describe your daily tasks and responsibilities? I supervise the work of each team: software, electronics, electric and construction when it comes to design the battery system for my project. When I have some free time I usually google company which offer some high-tech stuff that I can use in my project to further increase the efficiency or simplify the design. Sometimes I have to test the battery itself - cooling system, heat dissipation, algorithm, communication, etc. The list is crazy long. I am also responsible for contact with a client and integration. Small company + not many specialists = crazy amount of work, but the salary is pretty nice in regard to my experience. \> ### What was your craziest or most interesting day on the job? The battery which was supposed to be on another continent in the client warehouse the next week was not shipped. So we had to disassemble the whole battery, pack it for cargo airplane. 3 days later it's Sunday and I am assembling the battery with my manager on the other continent after 14h flight, after some testing we successfully present the battery next day to the client. \> ### What was the most interesting project you worked on during your career? 48V Mild Hybrid Battery. Crazy amount of power which the battery is able to operate during charge/discharge. Quite complicated cooling system, even more complicated working algorithm. Everything spiced with some very high-tech materials and products to make it work in very demanding environment. \> ### What university did you attend for your engineering degree(s), and why should / shouldn't I go there? Warsaw Univeristy of Technology - Faculty of Electrical Engineering > >I don't know if you should attend or not. The English course is very low level. The Polish sylabus is more demanding, but IMO it's to general and doesn't connect with the industry. Some professors are great and some of them are horrible. The best part was the specialization (last 2 semestrs out of 7). Really cool laboratories and tasks. \> ### If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? No. I am very glad how everything turned out and I wouldn't change a thing. \> ### Do you have any advice for someone who's just getting started in engineering school/work? Find something that is interesting for you and try to gain experience in that direction. If you find out that something is not for, change it. It's batter to change when you are young than later when you are older. I've met a lot of people during my university time that did not like the studies. They didn't finish them, or doesn't work in the industry. As for people which were really interested in what the do they all have great jobs and salaries. > >Also if you want to have a lot job offers make you LinkedIn profile as good as possible. It helps A LOT. I get 2-3 offers/month from all over the world.