calling all mechanical engineers

[patrickg]

Gee so much good advice I am almost afraid to try to add... NAHHH!!!!

The PE designation can be more lucrative if not as prestigious in unknowlegeable circles as the PhD. I have friends with PhD's but they all used them in academia save one. He is a PhD civil engineer and PE. The USAF paid for his PhD and that artificial environment (uniformed service) is not typical of the engineer's workaday world.

In general, outside of academia, the MS has a good payback and the PE is good in many areas of specialization. Business admin, accounting, econ, etc are all good things to know. Often I was able to "sell" my technical ideas by wrapping them in appropriate business terms rather than engineering terms because often the manager with the up/down vote either is either not an engineer or has been away from real engineering so long he hasn't a clue, technically.

It is ULTRA important to not be one of those engineers who is a one trick pony, only able to engineer but not communicate with anyone or understand the economic principals which drive successful decision making. Communications is a vital attribute of success in today's environment.

Oh, by the way, I am not an ME but I know several. My design work and consulting was mostly electronic oriented and later got degrees in computer science, S/W Engineering, and Instructional technology. My observation is that when done right, engineering is engineering... a structured process that responds to a need. I was amazed my last time in grad school (1994) that although I thought I was out of my element doing master's work in instructional technology, surrounded by education types, it was just engineering! We were engineering training solutions. The application of the scientific method and structured processes controlled by appropriate feedback to analyze, design, develop, install, and evaluate solutions to training problems. Same stuff, different buzzwords. Learn the PROCESS and it will serve you well in many more things than just your engineering job.

Now in many areas with a dollar bill and all of our advice, you may be able to get a vending machine to dispense a soda.

Absolute best of luck to you,

Patrick

 

[Egon]

Patrick:
In all this verbosity are you trying to say there are people who know how and people who know how to use those that know how and those who do know how receive much less renumeration than those who do not know how???

Egon

 

[RoyJackson]

"In all this verbosity are you trying to say there are people who know how and people who know how to use those that know how and those who do know how receive much less renumeration than those who do not know how???
"

Egon...ever thought about going into management? I think you've got the jargon down pat...

 

[BigDave]

Shhh!! Saying things like that could ruin a guy's reputation. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif Just Big Dave will do. Many friends, neighbors and even some coworkers have no idea. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif Back in July, I hosted a picnic for some neighbors & my wife's family. Before the end of the picnic all of my neighbors knew my sister-in-law had a Ph.D. Chemistry; none of them know my little academic secret. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif I guess we have different approaches to life, she wouldn't be caught dead on a tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[cstocks]

I hear you, Big Dave! Your secret is safe with us./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[patrickg]

Egon, In your quest for excessive terseness you have reduced your encapsulation to the extreme, to near riddle like fortune cookiesque brevity, but I LIKE IT!!! Why hadn't I heard that before, is that an original, tell me true, man? It ranks right up there with, "Those who can, do. - Those who can't, teach. - Those who can't teach, teach teachers.

Patrick

 

[Egon]

Patrick:
It's an original. Now please use words that are slightly shorter as my life was spent at the bottom of the food chain and anything much over two sylables gets confusing.

Egon

 

[Egon]

Roy:
Many years ago there was a brief formative interlude. Fortunetly I was able to notice that the prestige of moving every two years and putting in 60/70 hr. work week without proper renumeration was not conducive to my perception of what life style should be.
Living at the bottom of the food chain meant no fighting for the caviar, just wait and get all you want as it falls down from the upper fight. Lots of time off for the high country and recreational activities without a pager. And best of all, being able to stay in one location near a school of higher education so the children could stay at home while obtaining degrees.
Egon

 

[Kelvin]

qwerty15,
Here is my condensed bio:
I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering. I completed the Engineering-In-Training (EIT) exam but do not have the Professional Engineering (PE) rating. I enlisted in the Air Force out of high school and after completing my four years I joined the Air National Guard (ANG) and went to school full-time year-round using the GI Bill and the ANG paycheck to pay for it. The ANG sent me to pilot training and I flew part time for the ANG while I worked my full time job as a Mechanical Engineer. It was great having two professions that I enjoyed. That lasted 4 years until a full time pilot position opened up at nearly the same time that my full time employer was "right-sizing" and laying everyone off. Since then my engineering skills have been collecting dust but I've been having a blast.


My comments:
The most important comment that I can make is that the answers to your questions will vary from person to person. For example, a working atmosphere that is stressful to one person may be enjoyable to another.

In my opinion, Mechanical Engineering is sort of the "jack of all trades" when it comes to engineers.
<font color=blue>What should i expect for an average salary</font color=blue> As a "worker-bee" engineer, the engineering profession is similiar to being a military officer; you'll make enough money to live comfortably but won't ever get rich. I would recommend tasting the waters using the BSME before you go for the advanced degrees (that will give you a better outlook on what the focus of the advanced degree should be). You seem to have a focus on a particular area of engineering (equipment design) that you are interested in, which can be a good thing. Keep in mind that the BSME will require study in a lot of other areas as well.
<font color=blue>Is the job stressful and does it require traveling? </font color=blue> The answer to these questions vary greatly between the various employers that you may be exposed to. Some require frequent travel while others require none. The most irritating issue to me was that a lot of companies expected "free overtime" from their engineers.
<font color=blue>What do you like and hate about being an engineer? </font color=blue> When I was an engineer, I really enjoyed a good challenge that required an engineering solution. I don't think I ever "disliked" the work and the challenge of the work; when my employer started the massive layoffs the working atmosphere was terrible.
<font color=blue>I enjoy math and science. </font color=blue> That is a good start. I wanted a degree so that I could become an Air Force pilot, but didn't have a clue which degree to go for (I did want a degree that I could use in case the pilot training didn't work out...). I was advised to go for an engineering degree since I enjoyed math. I now consider that to have been very good advice.

This ended up being longed than I intended but hopefully it will help you.
Kelvin

 

[qwerty15]

Well youve all given me much to think about and i thank you. Now im going to look into colleges and see what they have to offer.