ATOT mechanical engineers

[Pollock]

What sort of industries do ATOT MEs work in? Do you have your BS, MS, or PhD? What's your work like, and how do you like it? How did you get to where you are, and what would you recommend to a current student (junior)?

I know there have been threads like this in the past, but I was looking to see what exactly people have ended up doing with the degree. Other engineers can chime in, too.

 

[nickbits]

My brother is a ME. he sells commercial hvac equipment systems. He likes it and makes a good living.

 

[Jeff7]

B.S. in Mechanical Engineer Technology here. (Similar to ME, except with less calculus/theory, and more applications work and lab time.)

I work at a company that makes LED-based signs, built mainly in extruded aluminum cabinets, but we also have some sheet metal cabinets. Some stuff I do:

- Pro/Engineer model design, and creation of manufacturing drawings for use on the shop floor.
- Development and refinement of standards for manufacture, and for our Pro/E parts library.
- Select various machines for purchase recommendations, and fix various machines as they break.
- Keep pushing for automation. (For reasons very much unknown to me, management seems to prefer to keep paying labor costs, rather than pay the money up-front to automate some of our most repetitive processes. There's not a single pick'n'place machine in the company.)
- Electronic circuit design.
- Thermal design with respect to electronic components.
- Microcontroller programming (C language).
- Getting paid to do stuff I used to do as a hobby.


How I got this job? It went pretty much as I planned: Get an internship, and make sure that I do well, and make sure that they know that I'd be interested in a permanent job there after graduation.
1 week before graduation, I had a written job offer in hand. And I'm still there, even after 5 rounds of layoffs. (Turns out I got into an industry that's not doing too well during the downturn, and has yet to show signs of recovering.)

The pay...well, I could probably be doing better, but that would be under the assumption that I possess any negotiation skills whatsoever. For someone living on his own, and who's monetarily efficient (or "cheap", whatever), it seems to be more than adequate. I should have the last of my student loans paid off by the end of 2011.
But of course, this is the sort of place where most people leave on time every day - if not, someone from management may stop by and say something to the tune of, "It's 5:00. Go home."

 

[deadlyapp]

About to finish my degree in mechanical engineering at cal poly. Currently looking into the power industry as I recently interned at a hydroelectric plant during a rebuild. Senior project is related to solar and biofuel power in a low cost package.

 

[borisvodofsky]

What sort of industries do ATOT MEs work in? Do you have your BS, MS, or PhD? What's your work like, and how do you like it? How did you get to where you are, and what would you recommend to a current student (junior)?

I know there have been threads like this in the past, but I was looking to see what exactly people have ended up doing with the degree. Other engineers can chime in, too.

My mom used to be hydro electric,, she says working for the military in the US is the best engineering job today, i'm not sure why, some stuff she says doesn't translate..

 

[deadlyapp]

My mom used to be hydro electric,, she says working for the military in the US is the best engineering job today, i'm not sure why, some stuff she says doesn't translate..

Its relatively stable in most cases, problem is that in the public sector your salary will usually be less than in the private sector or if you do consulting.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Brother is an ME with a BS and is a PE.

Works in automotive and did a nice 2yr overseas tour in europe.


what i learned from him and his friends is you either like sitting behind a computer doing design in CAD....................... or you don't.

and for advice: INTERN!!!

 

[PCMarine]

Graduated in 09 with a BSME. Did an internship at general motors manufacturing which I found fascinating. I currently work in oil and gas in houston; first in tech support and now moving towards working on bids/contracts.

ME is a definitely a good foundation and there are plenty of jobs to be had, just don't expect to get showered with money unless you are ambitious and increase your job scope past design/manufacturing/grunt engineering

 

[rcpratt]

I'm not an ME, but there are tons of jobs in energy for MEs. Coal, nuclear, wind, hydro, natural gas, whatever, tons of MEs needed for all of it.

And yes, you should absolutely get an internship. Preferably before your Junior year, actually, but definitely after Junior year.

I'm not so much into the plant lifestyle, although I'll end up there eventually for some time. I do licensing engineering behind a desk, but there are tons of different kinds of opportunities.

 

[Pollock]

My mom used to be hydro electric,, she says working for the military in the US is the best engineering job today, i'm not sure why, some stuff she says doesn't translate..

as a kid i always thought military hardware was awesome, but nowadays i cannot imagine myself working in the defense industry. too many ethical issues for me.

About to finish my degree in mechanical engineering at cal poly. Currently looking into the power industry as I recently interned at a hydroelectric plant during a rebuild. Senior project is related to solar and biofuel power in a low cost package.

so what kind of work did you do during your internship? would you say most job functions in the electric industry are similar regardless of power plant type?

 

[Pollock]

- Pro/Engineer model design, and creation of manufacturing drawings for use on the shop floor.
- Development and refinement of standards for manufacture, and for our Pro/E parts library.
- Select various machines for purchase recommendations, and fix various machines as they break.
- Keep pushing for automation. (For reasons very much unknown to me, management seems to prefer to keep paying labor costs, rather than pay the money up-front to automate some of our most repetitive processes. There's not a single pick'n'place machine in the company.)
- Electronic circuit design.
- Thermal design with respect to electronic components.
- Microcontroller programming (C language).
- Getting paid to do stuff I used to do as a hobby.

do you ever get bored or wish you had something more challenging to do? or wish you had tried something else?

I'm not an ME, but there are tons of jobs in energy for MEs. Coal, nuclear, wind, hydro, natural gas, whatever, tons of MEs needed for all of it.

And yes, you should absolutely get an internship. Preferably before your Junior year, actually, but definitely after Junior year.

i have had two internships so far (one at GE aviation, the other at NASA glenn) and while i enjoyed them and got a lot of experience out of it, i don't think either of those industries interest me all that much anymore. hence why i'm trying to get other ideas of industries and places to look at that i might like more.

 

[Howard]

BS, minored in nothing. Currently working in the packaging industry for personal care/cosmetic (sort of) products. Work on projects to reduce labor costs, increase productivity, reduce downtime, etc. Also, am helping to transition our facility to a new building next year, so I'm designing the batching and packaging layouts.

 

[iGas]

I'm not an ME, but I work with them on a daily basis. Geothermal heating and cooling, oil & gas, HAZMAT, and treatment plants.

 

[vonmises]

I'll have my BS in May, so I've only done co-ops, but in a wide range of fields. I originally wanted to be in the aerospace or defense field, but I couldn't get any co-ops in that area. I took what I could get.

Industries:
IT: Worked with enterprise level routers and switches.
Chassis design, thermal work, PC board layout, and cosmetic stuff(design pretty covers for the otherwise ugly sheet metal). This was interesting because it covered so many different aspects, but didn't have the cool toys aspect.

Process control:I did instrumentation on an oil refinery and poly silicone plant. This involved writing spec sheets for thousands of temperature sensors, pressure sensors, valves and other assorted things, as well as some safety interlock design. This had a lot of cross over with EE. It wasn't bad work, I actually like most of it, but I can't sit in front of a computer that long. This co-op really introduced me to the idea of potentially working the nuclear field. The office was shared with a bunch of nuclear industry people so I learned a bit about it. These were all engineers with MBAs who did consulting work for plants to analyze upgrades/new equipment and the like.

Research: Working in a research lab with superconducting magnets. This was fun, design and making the test fixtures or whatever else was needed in the lab, then actual making and testing the magnets. Academia seemed to move fairly slowly, as a lot of time was spent writing proposals and grant requests.

Future: Going into the Navy to be a nuclear officer. This is by far the most exciting field for me. It has cool toys, some amazing training and apparently awesome opportunities after your service time is up.

ME can be found in almost any field, really to the point where other people can't give advice. I have a lot of friends that are in or going into the medical field. It may be a regional thing, but it seems like new companies are all over the place and doing some really cool things.

 

[iGas]

do you ever get bored or wish you had something more challenging to do? or wish you had tried something else?




i have had two internships so far (one at GE aviation, the other at NASA glenn) and while i enjoyed them and got a lot of experience out of it, i don't think either of those industries interest me all that much anymore. hence why i'm trying to get other ideas of industries and places to look at that i might like more.

I'm not sure what type of work that you are looking for, but the majority of the work for ME are maintenance it you wants to stay at 1 location, other wise you have to move around to where the job take you if it is in construction or development.

IMHO, most maintenance type jobs are boring and repetitive but it is steady, and construction type jobs are challenging and at time down right stressful. It seems that there are only extreme and no middle ground for ME.

PS. A good ME is one that have good listening skills and enjoy working with others.

 

[iGas]

I'll have my BS in May, so I've only done co-ops, but in a wide range of fields. I originally wanted to be in the aerospace or defense field, but I couldn't get any co-ops in that area. I took what I could get.

Industries:
IT: Worked with enterprise level routers and switches.
Chassis design, thermal work, PC board layout, and cosmetic stuff(design pretty covers for the otherwise ugly sheet metal). This was interesting because it covered so many different aspects, but didn't have the cool toys aspect.

Process control:I did instrumentation on an oil refinery and poly silicone plant. This involved writing spec sheets for thousands of temperature sensors, pressure sensors, valves and other assorted things, as well as some safety interlock design. This had a lot of cross over with EE. It wasn't bad work, I actually like most of it, but I can't sit in front of a computer that long. This co-op really introduced me to the idea of potentially working the nuclear field. The office was shared with a bunch of nuclear industry people so I learned a bit about it. These were all engineers with MBAs who did consulting work for plants to analyze upgrades/new equipment and the like.

Research: Working in a research lab with superconducting magnets. This was fun, design and making the test fixtures or whatever else was needed in the lab, then actual making and testing the magnets. Academia seemed to move fairly slowly, as a lot of time was spent writing proposals and grant requests.

Future: Going into the Navy to be a nuclear officer. This is by far the most exciting field for me. It has cool toys, some amazing training and apparently awesome opportunities after your service time is up.

ME can be found in almost any field, really to the point where other people can't give advice. I have a lot of friends that are in or going into the medical field. It may be a regional thing, but it seems like new companies are all over the place and doing some really cool things.

ME in the med field would be absolutely awesome. I looked into that aspect a couple of decades ago, but it was difficult to get in because there weren't many school that have the program and even less work wise. Today however is a different story (Biomed E. with ME is a great combination, Robotic & Biomed E.)

 

[0roo0roo]

My mom used to be hydro electric,, she says working for the military in the US is the best engineering job today, i'm not sure why, some stuff she says doesn't translate..

massive war fundage is goin on?

 

[Gibson486]

I am an EE, but I do a job that a ME can do.

I am an Electrical (to a lesser extent) and I&C engineer.

As an I&C engineer, I pick instruments and valves for different applications. It is tough in a sense that you need to know all engineering. Valves is purely mechanical as you have to relate flow, pressure drop, and other various nuances. Picking instruments is not easy as one thinks....Just yesterday, I had to pick an instrument to measure Oxygen demand in waste water. to this, I had to measure Organic Loading. WTF? I spent 2 hours looking up what this was. I hate chemistry. The other day, I had to do some plastics engineering to make sure the material of teh instrument is compatible with the liquid.

The thing about an I&C engineer is that I have to dab into all facets off the project. I am constantly stepping on people's toes in other disciplines because I have to ensure that the application works together with all the instruments I specify.

The thing I hate about the job? Writing specs. I like the spec writing itself, but when you have to sit down and do a control narrative for an intergrator, you just want to shoot yourself. Also, MA has sub-bid law. It's teh biggest pain in the ass.

i also did coop for a big electronics company that made the chips for LCD panels, cameras, printers, DVD players....you name, they did it. I hated that one coop.

My 2nd was working working for a start up for Audio Amplifiers. I did all sorts of testing and design. I loved it, but they laid everyone off so a certain big company that began with an "I" could buy them.

My last one was at Bose. Lots of acoustics engineering going on, but most of it was working on the noise canceling stuff. This required both electronics and a mechanical background. The job itself was awesome, but the enviroment was "meh". There is so much red tape at that company. It's a great place for a retiring engineer, but if you are an aspring young engineer that cares about more than a paycheck, this place is not for you.

 

[Pollock]

I'll have my BS in May, so I've only done co-ops, but in a wide range of fields. I originally wanted to be in the aerospace or defense field, but I couldn't get any co-ops in that area. I took what I could get.

Industries:
IT: Worked with enterprise level routers and switches.
Chassis design, thermal work, PC board layout, and cosmetic stuff(design pretty covers for the otherwise ugly sheet metal). This was interesting because it covered so many different aspects, but didn't have the cool toys aspect.

Research: Working in a research lab with superconducting magnets. This was fun, design and making the test fixtures or whatever else was needed in the lab, then actual making and testing the magnets. Academia seemed to move fairly slowly, as a lot of time was spent writing proposals and grant requests.

The IT one sounds particularly interesting to me - I've looked at companies like Cisco, etc. but haven't been able to find much interest in MEs for internships. I think a company like Apple would be really cool, but like I said, just not much demand for ME and I'm sure competition for it is stiff. It's too bad, because I think I would really like a company like that.

I'm trying to check out some biomechanics research at my university, but I'm not sure how I'll like it. Medical stuff in general would be cool, but I wouldn't know where to begin searching. P.S. You a Mises fan, I take it?

i also did coop for a big electronics company that made the chips for LCD panels, cameras, printers, DVD players....you name, they did it. I hated that one coop.

My 2nd was working working for a start up for Audio Amplifiers. I did all sorts of testing and design. I loved it, but they laid everyone off so a certain big company that began with an "I" could buy them.

My last one was at Bose. Lots of acoustics engineering going on, but most of it was working on the noise canceling stuff. This required both electronics and a mechanical background. The job itself was awesome, but the enviroment was "meh". There is so much red tape at that company. It's a great place for a retiring engineer, but if you are an aspring young engineer that cares about more than a paycheck, this place is not for you.

What did you hate about the big electronics company? I've been thinking it would be interesting, if only because I love computer hardware and gadgets, etc. Audio/acoustic engineering would be interesting to me too, since I really love music. Where should I look for that?

Thanks for your input, everyone.

 

[JCH13]

I graduated in 2009 with a BEME (Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering) rather than a Bachelor of Science.

I work at an R&D startup engineering company doing basically anything that's asked of me. I do 3D/diff-eq/numerical computer modeling, some chemistry modeling and calculations, a little welding technology development, advanced materials development (specifically in automobiles), and try to commercialize anything I think has legs.

There are only 9 employees in the company that I work for, including myself, which is an interesting workplace dynamic. I really like working for a startup, but it's definitely not for everyone. You have to learn new things very quickly, work well under pressure, and take on a good amount of personal responsibility in every project. It's alos a little disconcerting having a "fudning cliff" meaning that if we don't get more funding/contracts/pass-throughs, etc, in x-number of months we don't get a paycheck.

As a Junior I would try very VERY hard to get an internship at a company where you might want to work, that's how I got my job. Take design-related classes that will force you learn something new. I did Formula SAE for 3 years and that basically kicked my ass every year, but I learned more from that program than I did from many of my classes.

Work hard, make the most of your last 3 semesters, and don't slack off on your senior/capstone project, pick something that you're excited about. You'll get out of college what you put in, so put everything in that you can. It may be annoying to skip parties to study, but you've got the rest of real life to party, and only a few semesters to learn all you can in college.

Good luck!

 

[vonmises]

The IT one sounds particularly interesting to me - I've looked at companies like Cisco, etc. but haven't been able to find much interest in MEs for internships. I think a company like Apple would be really cool, but like I said, just not much demand for ME and I'm sure competition for it is stiff. It's too bad, because I think I would really like a company like that.

I'm trying to check out some biomechanics research at my university, but I'm not sure how I'll like it. Medical stuff in general would be cool, but I wouldn't know where to begin searching. P.S. You a Mises fan, I take it?

I worked at a company called Enterasys. The whole ME dept was 4 full timers and a few co-ops and part-time contractors. Like 8 people total from a company of 600ish. There isn't a huge number of positions available, but from what I've seen, there also not highly competitive. Something like Apple on the other hand is very difficult to get into, they required a lot of product design experience.

I go to school in Boston, so we have dozens of medical companies and start ups recruiting at career fairs or through the university. I would try to go if your school has one in the spring. Even a year out, you can start researching.

All my screen names are some famous ME thing though I think von Mises sounds the best. It refers to Richard. I didn't know about his apparently more famous brother till recently, though he seems like a smart guy as well.

 

[Paratus]

BSME here. Work in mission control for the ISS, on electrical power systems.....

 

[deadlyapp]

as a kid i always thought military hardware was awesome, but nowadays i cannot imagine myself working in the defense industry. too many ethical issues for me.



so what kind of work did you do during your internship? would you say most job functions in the electric industry are similar regardless of power plant type?

As an intern I had very little to do and my main function was essentially quality control while rebuilding one of the generators. We contracted a company to do the actual engineering itself and they had a ton of new parts that had to be designed, drawn, and manufactured, which I wasn't a part of.

regardless of what kind of power it is, they all consist of pretty standard ME things. Shafts, loading, etc. The electrical components have a bit of ME design behind them as well but are majority based on EE. Any plant that is steam based, such as nuclear will fit the general thermodynamics and heat transfer that all ME's learn as well.

 

[thescreensavers]

I'm not an ME, but there are tons of jobs in energy for MEs. Coal, nuclear, wind, hydro, natural gas, whatever, tons of MEs needed for all of it.

And yes, you should absolutely get an internship. Preferably before your Junior year, actually, but definitely after Junior year.

I'm not so much into the plant lifestyle, although I'll end up there eventually for some time. I do licensing engineering behind a desk, but there are tons of different kinds of opportunities.

Hmm, I am interested in energy and still have not declared my major. This thread is turning out to be helpful.

With everyone talking about internships I am worried as I have not even looked :x

 

[Drako]

There are no limitations. Your career will take you where it will

I'm an EE by the way, but have two brothers who are MEs. Both are upper management types at this point in their careers.