Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
(OP)
This is my "problem"-
I have a mechanical engineering degree and graduated about five years ago. I graduated with an A average. I couldn't find a job even though I had 6 months of pre-graduate work experience. From that 6 months I knew what I wanted to do. Design automation machines. And with no job offers after a long year, I went to a college that offered course work specializing in this and got a technical diploma with more work experience. I have been working as a "designer." I want to advance in machine design, but I find that most people I work with don't have a degree, and don't understand why I'm there. Recently, someone said I was in the bottom end of the mechanical design industry.? It is very depressing when the co-op is studying for a technical diploma in NC programming. I mean, could I have spent only two years post High School in school, which would mean, by now, I would be at the top of this field?
How do I know that the job I have is giving me the right skills, or any skills at all that would help me? I want to use more of my engineering. What field of automation machine design requires this? What can I do to become a better designer?
Am I to old to obtain a job in the leading edge of this industry? How can I get an edge on the competition?
I've become certifiably fluent in German. Could this help me in this industry?
I have a mechanical engineering degree and graduated about five years ago. I graduated with an A average. I couldn't find a job even though I had 6 months of pre-graduate work experience. From that 6 months I knew what I wanted to do. Design automation machines. And with no job offers after a long year, I went to a college that offered course work specializing in this and got a technical diploma with more work experience. I have been working as a "designer." I want to advance in machine design, but I find that most people I work with don't have a degree, and don't understand why I'm there. Recently, someone said I was in the bottom end of the mechanical design industry.? It is very depressing when the co-op is studying for a technical diploma in NC programming. I mean, could I have spent only two years post High School in school, which would mean, by now, I would be at the top of this field?
How do I know that the job I have is giving me the right skills, or any skills at all that would help me? I want to use more of my engineering. What field of automation machine design requires this? What can I do to become a better designer?
Am I to old to obtain a job in the leading edge of this industry? How can I get an edge on the competition?
I've become certifiably fluent in German. Could this help me in this industry?





RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
Chris
SolidWorks 06 5.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 02-10-07)
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
Maui
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
Id rather not say where I graduated from, though it wasn't in the US. And where I live, which is where I have been looking for a job. I have the equivalent of the American BSME and MET.
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
TTFN
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
-Shaggy
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
Have you tried any side jobs?
The majority of our machines are custom built, the market seems quite large.
Location could be a key.
Charlie
www.facsco.com
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
1) When I graduated University with an Engineering degree, I looked for over a year, everywhere, for any kind of mechanical engineering job. And worked two jobs at the same time. Of course, not having a computer, or a car (for a while) didn't help. My last job, which was design, but unrelated was over an hour's travel by highway and I worked in shifts. Boo hoo!
2)When I studied for my MET, I moved into a good location for assembly automation.
3)I realize that the way I stated my problem has left me open to criticism about my past and my decisions. When all I wanted were various opinions about the importance of an engineering degree in machine design. And in which field of machine design an enginnering degree would be valued?
Furthermore-
Which field in machine design would keep me interested for twenty years? And where I'm gaining skills that are usable across the spectrum of the machine design industry? What qualities make-up a good machine design company? What are the qualities that make-up a good designer?
FACS, what do you mean by side jobs?
If I design without applying or applying very little engineering analysis, then can I, in the future, do more complex jobs? (At work, I don't think I can work outside my box, when all my hours are pre-booked, though, outside of work I always can, of course.)
Thanks again, for all your comments. Both good and not so good.
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
You seem, to me, to be falling into a mental trap that a lot of mech engineers have experienced.
Being a design engineer requires far more than the ability to use 'engineering skills'. The office envoirnment/industry norm now requires engineers to have a much broader involvement in projects (even more of a Jack-of-all-trades attitude). Automation design is exactly like this as well. You need to see that there is more than just the drawings that you produce. If you want to make yourself more complete, and to add value to your position, learn what the other engineers and accountants and administrators etc do, so that you can work your designs to include/help them to do their end of your projects more efficently.
The other bonus of this approach is that when you are 20 years older and (potentially) in another industry, the fact that you started out in machine design will be part of the engineer that you have become, not the only thing you have becom.
Kevin Hammond
Mechanical Design Engineer
Derbyshire, UK
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
You choose not to say where you are in the world but this is unfortunate as it makes a difference.
From what I've seen there is a much bigger distinction between 'Engineers' and 'Designers/Draftsmen' in the US than in the UK for example.
In the UK I, as a degreed engineer, was given the same title (once I had some experience) as other more senior design guys who had taken the apprenticeship route back in the 60s, 70s and even 80s. In fact the 'chief stress engineer' and both senior project manager types had apprenticeships not degrees, and this was aerospace defense!
From what I've seen so far I doubt this would occur in the US but I'd be happy to be proved wrong. Except when they wanted to impress the customer by proving they had degreed engineers it didn’t really make much difference on what jobs I got etc.
I did do maybe a little more analysis than the non-degreed Designers did but not by much.
Also for some employers in the US non US degrees aren’t as attractive plus non North American degrees don’t necessarily count as credit toward EIT/PE, this is one of the problems I’ve encountered.
From my (admittedly limited) experience, the job is pretty much what you make of it. I try to be proactive, do things because I see the need not always wait to be told to do it. However, I have to back this up by making sure the things I am explicitly asked to do still get done on time, sometimes this means working an extra hour or two.
Perhaps you can come up with some analysis tools which improve your process, or maybe formalize some ‘word of mouth’ design guides etc. Maybe look at some of the non core engineering skills as others point out. Project management or preparing company procedures etc.
Sorry the above is a bit disjointed.
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?
Sure you can be rich without going to college.
A red neck with a lot of money will always be a red neck, an Engineer with no money will always be an Engineer.
Morality: It is one thing to be rich, another to be an aristocrat.
RE: Was an Engineering Degree Worth it?