What kind of engineer am I??
What kind of engineer am I??
(OP)
Hi all,
I have a strange engineering degree and an even more strange set of professional experiences. I am finally in the process of finding a 'real job,' and am having trouble convincing people that I am worth their while and trouble finding where I fit in.
- I have Bachelor of Arts in Engineering; engineering fundamentals, with a breadth of other coursework like policy, economics, project management, etc.
- I have experience with a civil engineering company
- I have learned electronics in the past few years; have developed hardware, firmware, software, and have had experience in a wide range of 'product' development
- I work really well with people and am exceedingly good at educating non-technical folks about technical stuff I've been working on, and love doing that.
What kind of engineer can I be? How do I market myself to employers?
Can I be an Applications Engineer? Client Engagement Engineer? Would someone hire me to be a hardware engineer without a BS in Electrical Engineering?
Any advice would be very appreciated. Thanks everyone.
Cheers,
DHD
I have a strange engineering degree and an even more strange set of professional experiences. I am finally in the process of finding a 'real job,' and am having trouble convincing people that I am worth their while and trouble finding where I fit in.
- I have Bachelor of Arts in Engineering; engineering fundamentals, with a breadth of other coursework like policy, economics, project management, etc.
- I have experience with a civil engineering company
- I have learned electronics in the past few years; have developed hardware, firmware, software, and have had experience in a wide range of 'product' development
- I work really well with people and am exceedingly good at educating non-technical folks about technical stuff I've been working on, and love doing that.
What kind of engineer can I be? How do I market myself to employers?
Can I be an Applications Engineer? Client Engagement Engineer? Would someone hire me to be a hardware engineer without a BS in Electrical Engineering?
Any advice would be very appreciated. Thanks everyone.
Cheers,
DHD





RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Maybe some type of aircraft ground/flight testing.
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
The one thing I could somewhat easily do is move into some kind of Construction Project Management position, but I have really grown to like the electronics hardware stuff I've been working on. I don't need to work at a very specific function on hardware, but I'd like to work generally with 'products'. That's kind of vague, but the only way I can describe my goals.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
that's news to me: Mechatronics
nice.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
KENAT,
Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at posting policies: http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Tunalover
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I've gained such an appreciation for product development and more design oriented stuff since then, however.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
(winky smiley face here)
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
( very kidding. haha )
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
He didn't really have the interpersonel skills though, surprisingly given his supposed major.
KENAT,
Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at posting policies: http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I would first try to find what professional afiliations your degree would get you. I can't believe that you have the qualifications to jump between civil engineering and electronics - professional codes of conduct prohibit practicing outside your own field.
Regards,
Bill
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I've got a BA in engineering, from a university that is older than your country, so it's not exactly a new one on me.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
As I said it's a new one on me. It's also makes me wonder why someone would want a not-so-scientific degree program. Did you have trouble finding employers who saw the degree program as one that produces engineers? Just asking. No offense.
Tunalover
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Greglocok,
He did say he had a strange engineering degree. No need to come across so arrogantly.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying " Damn that was fun!" - Unknown>>
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I have a friend who went to Cambridge and got an MA MEng. They get the MA part just because they went to Cambridge. The degree they did was civil and was very theoretical with very little practical application, well compared to mine at least.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I took all the typical core engineering courses that anyone would who is pursuing a ChemE, EE, ME, whatever, then took a few electives in different specialties. Then last year or two consists of taking economics, business, management, and policy courses, but within the engineering department, as those topics pertain directly to engineering in general.
While I was in school, I never thought of myself as someone who would end up being a design engineer, but had a technical mind, so went with the BA.
Now that I've had experience designing a bunch of cool products, I have a greater appreciation for the 'design' side of engineering, but still have no desire to strictly specialize.
I am not 'qualified' as a Civil, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineer in the sense of having professional certifications. I taught myself electronics over that last two years, so there are certainly holes in my knowledge.
Anyway, I guess what I'm getting at is that I've never ended up taking a typical path with respect to Engineering as a discipline, and have no intention of doing so now, but have a huge desire to find out about atypical paths and how I might market myself to employers that could provide those paths.
Thanks for all the comments and advice.
Cheers.
DHD
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying " Damn that was fun!" - Unknown>>
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
The MA comes after a few years working (can't remember how many), you don't need any more study. You just have to pay some admin charge (again, can't remember how much) and pick up your gong.
This is all based on tradition, of course.
Degree names apart, the odd thing is that the degree courses on offer at Oxbridge (in my time) were simply called "Engineering Science".
- Steve
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Or are you just talking about he OP's degree?
Anyway, to the OP, the point of my earlier post was that in 'new' technological fields etc they tend to be less hung up on paper qualifications and more interested in ability/results.
So, I'd maybe consider looking in those kind of fields.
KENAT,
Have you reminded yourself of FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies recently, or taken a look at posting policies: http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Any preferred resources on keeping up with what engineering fields are emerging, or are 'new'? I have a general idea of the newer technologies and applicable industries, but I wouldn't mind some reference.
Any ideas?
DHD
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I studied all the usual stuff that a mechanical engineer does, did labs/workshop 4 or 5 afternoons a week, and had lectures all morning 6 days a week for the first year. Every week I had a two on one tutorial with a lecturer or a professor (not a teaching assistant). We did not waste any time on ethics, writing, or all the other things you Americans pad your courses out with.
We had compulsory industrial experience in at least one vacation (I didn't do that since I was already employed).
It is easily in the top 5 engineering courses in the UK, Imperial and Southhampton are the two that would give stiff competition for the top spot.
It's not a perfect engineering course - far too much maths, and the intake, when I was there, was partly of people who wanted to do pure science but didn't have the grades so were recommended to do engineering as it was 'easier'. Haha. Not surprisingly the dropout rate was high.
Cheers
Greg Locock
SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Yeah, that whole 'ethics' thing is a real waste of time.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
If the latter, why is it OK to have a society in which only those who go to university learn about ethics?
Cheers
Greg Locock
SIG:Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
- Steve
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
It's not a waist of time, only for those that have something to hide.
In general, ethics should be followed by ALL human beings, not just Americans.
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Yes indeedy....the rest of the world can learn a lot from Enron and the people selling sub-prime mortgages
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Yes, they did, hence: http:/
TTFN
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Bart Brejcha Chicago
DESIGN-ENGINE|EDUCATION
http://www.proetools.com
surfacing and Pro/CABLE training
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Yes, I am definitely a generalist. For better or worse, I will always be, but I think of myself more as a "Jack of All Trade, Master of Some"
Eventually, I will operate my own business, whether it's strictly engineering related or not, but before then I would like to get some experience in the corporate world. Then I'll start hiring the "Masters" of the specific trades I need.
To proetools:
What are the benefits/drawbacks of SolidWorks and Pro/E?
I have had some experience working on site plans in AutoCAD with a Civil design firm. Now I'm more interested in drawing in 3D for more 'product development' related stuff. Would that be Solid Works?
Thanks again, all.
Cheers,
DHD
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I suggest you educate yourself with the product design firms with website such as core77.com
If you know Pro/E (and contact the correct contract agencies) your phone will ring a lot.
Bart Brejcha Chicago
DESIGN-ENGINE|EDUCATION
http://www.proetools.com
surfacing and Pro/CABLE training
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
SolidWOrks, Pro/E, Inventor, Catia...Etc are similar for basic uses and are used for product development. I have used Pro/E, Inventor, and Catia for 3D and you can cross training pritty easily. Everyone has their personal favorite.
The only thing with learning drafting stuff is that you can getting grouped in the Drafter/Designer category. Although hopefully a good boss with know the difference and make a separation between drafter/designer and Design Engineer. I could rant on about the dynamics of this relationship, since i an in a cubical with two drafters and 4 design engineers, but i will spire you.
As noted in some of the other posts, you dont seem to be from the US or CAN, however, would you have the equivalent of an Professional Engineering Exam you could take so give you that extra star on your resume?
Where are you looking for jobs that your having such a hard time with your resume? Sadly Location and Demand are everything.
Official DIPPED Member -
Drank in PP Every Day
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Cheers
Official DIPPED Member -
Drank in PP Every Day
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I think he is from the US. His degree is from Lafayette in Pennsylvania.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
got confused by all the talk of BA's at English Uni's
that being settled...
Can you take your FE?
Official DIPPED Member -
Drank in PP Every Day
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
I wouldn't have thought engineering management was a likely first port of call (except, perhaps, on the civil engineering side) without some 'producing' experience (say, a couple of years) - if you've got management potential then most half-way decent employers should recognize that and come up with a 'development' program that heads in that direction.
Project Management is another option. Some companies will insist that PMs come from a discipline background, whereas others tend to regard it a different specialization and prefer people with a business background who are capable of getting to grips with the issues (or at least get to know who the techies to trust are).
I also wouldn't worry too much about what your degree is called. The major point is to work out your strengths and sell them. For example, my degree is in Astrophysics; not an obvious choice for an engineer maybe, but when I went through what I'd learned (computing, electronics, mechanical engineering, RF, optics, thermodynamics, solid-state theory, maths, etc) and how it could apply to both present and future engineering work, I didn't have any problems getting job offers. Attitude, particularly flexibility of thought, is a key factor.
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
To Gymmeh: I actually had never realized you could just go ahead and take the FE. I thought you had to already sort of be apprenticing with a firm. I believe I am qualified to take it, now that I've looked at the info. Seems like a good idea no matter what route I take.
As for the Solidworks / Pro/E thing... I do feel a bit like I might be pigeon-holed if I tried that path. I've looked at some demos and both programs seem very cool, but I think I would get bored with that kind of work after only a year or two. At that point, I might not be in a position to move up. That being said, maybe it is a good idea to pursue the management track directly. I am thinking I want to be involved with product design on a macro-level, and managers definitely are on that level, so why not try that? It has seemed to me in the past, though, that typically I would need some 'corporate' experience before moving into a management position.
There are Engineering Management programs at the local University. Any opinions on something like that?
To excognito: I think you might have it right with the Systems Engineering approach. I can still be more of a generalist, but get some hands-on experience, as well. Then, I would be poised for a move into managing.
Wow. I never thought I would get some many responses.
Thanks to everyone.
DHD
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Could also link into the systems engineering that someone suggested earlier. Have a look at INCOSE as they are starting to generate the basis for professional standing in systems engeineering.
Cheers, HM
No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary - William of Occam
RE: What kind of engineer am I??
Depending on the company if you are in engineering you can be placed in management positions, for example commissioning.
But instead of managing office staff you would be managing, welders/techs/machinists/etc.
Not sure about the engineering management classes... I have never had a boss that did that,