Soon to be grad looking for some advice
Soon to be grad looking for some advice
(OP)
Hi, I will be graduating this December and am feeling lost as to what my should be my next step. My degree will be a bachelors in mechanical and I have been reading about and looking at the various jobs offered to mechanical engineering grads. Mostly I have been looking at the big companies that recruit at my school such as lockheed, northrop, ge, etc.
What I would really like to work on are the large structures that contribute to society like dams, bridges and buildings. I am really interested in their design and would like to contribute to this field. I know anyone reading this is probably thinking "a little late to realize this now, should have went civil", but at my school I didn't have the option of civil engineering, and wasn't really exposed to the difference between mechanical and civil until later on in my course work when it was too late to switch anyways.
I was wondering if anyone had any guidance on what I should do from here. Would it be extremely hard to switch and get a masters in civil after a bachelors in mechanical? If I did this, would it look bad or unusual to employers? The problem with this is I really need to get a job after graduation. I know some civil engineering firms hire mechanical engineers for hvac but I'm more interested in building the entire structure and would be afraid of getting stuck in hvac if I started out there. I don't really know any engineers out in the "real world", so if anyone here has any advice I would really appreciate it.
What I would really like to work on are the large structures that contribute to society like dams, bridges and buildings. I am really interested in their design and would like to contribute to this field. I know anyone reading this is probably thinking "a little late to realize this now, should have went civil", but at my school I didn't have the option of civil engineering, and wasn't really exposed to the difference between mechanical and civil until later on in my course work when it was too late to switch anyways.
I was wondering if anyone had any guidance on what I should do from here. Would it be extremely hard to switch and get a masters in civil after a bachelors in mechanical? If I did this, would it look bad or unusual to employers? The problem with this is I really need to get a job after graduation. I know some civil engineering firms hire mechanical engineers for hvac but I'm more interested in building the entire structure and would be afraid of getting stuck in hvac if I started out there. I don't really know any engineers out in the "real world", so if anyone here has any advice I would really appreciate it.





RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
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: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud. After a while you realize that them like it
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
I would definately explain your hopes of progression right off the bat (although either leaving out or being tactical in the hope helping of payment for further schooling).
I would think there are some firms out there that would love to have an HVAC guy now that will be ready to take on the strucutral engineering aspects 5-10 years from now. Most places have somebody that will be retiring or leaving, and it would be nice for them to have somebody waiting in the wings that already know the office and that they already know.
Of course, finding a job of any form in the current economy may be a challenge, and you may not have as much of a choice about your first employer.
Best of luck to you!
-- MechEng2005
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
I am guessing that if you went back and picked up 12-15 hours in structural - you might be able to get a second degree. Check it out.
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
We Aussies are not so snobish about what degree you have. After all a mechanical engineering degree proves :-
you worked damn hard for four years,
drank copies amounts of beer,
chased women and played rugby/gridiron/football..
and still survived.
Not much you learnt in university will be used anyhow (about 10%).
Get your self onto a big jobsite and start learning. teach yourself what you need in the civil engineering field by books or remote learning courses. Fundamentally pick the brains of those around you.
Determination and willingness to learn will beat study hands down in this country.
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
They also had a mechanical engineer, didn't work too well. But don't let that discourage you, this guy was a real geek. He had 10 semesters of mechanics classes under his belt and could provide a 80 page analysis for connecting 2 pieces of lumber with 3 nails. In other words, he never delivered within the budget and never met a deadline.
I can't see why you wouldn't be able to work your way into structural engineering, if you have the dedication to do so. A lot of structural work is dealing with code requirements, and you don't learn this in College or University anyway.
You might be better of with small companies, which emphasize more on getting the job done than on papers showing degrees.
Good luck
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
And as long as you have *some* kind of ABET-accredited engineering bachelor's degree, you should be able to eventually get licensed as a civil PE--but check with your state board just in case. The regulations I've seen don't get specific about the discipline in which you hold your degree, and you'll have further evidence for which test you ought to take from the master's and subsequent job experience, but ya never know, so better ask.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
i'm with our aussie friend stanier..... TRAVEL and work.... that's what i did.. us / south africa / europe.
good luck....
Thanks,
Scott
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
buildings - mechanical required to design elevators, HVAC, fire or domestic water pumps and any other mechanical equipment etc.
Bridges - most mechanicals are required to take statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials etc. did you learn any FEA? If you had any of these classes you could move into structural analysis
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
I dissagree. It depends on where you are at and the type of work you do. Bridges are always being built. That work will never stop. The company I work for dues 80% bridges and 20% other structures. The bridge work has not slowed one bit.
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
FYI - my degree is an engineering specialty in Green Construction, I am now in R&D in industrial heating equipment and love it. Sometimes life throws you a curve.
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
As has been said the specific degree does not matter as much as the skills learned and the ability to learn.
For the structures work you are interested in, do make sure that there is a PE around to oversee your work. I have not found that a PE is needed for what I do (industrial exemption), but the area you are interested in would require one.
Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services
www.infotechpr.net
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
What happened Mike?
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice
RE: Soon to be grad looking for some advice