To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
(OP)
Hello All,
I am a young Engineer with BSME and one year experience in designing pressure vessel parts. My goal is to learn and apply specific skills to become a successful engineer. I have a lot of different options. For example, Autodesk inventor modeling, GD&T and checking drawings, manufacturing processes, Stress Analysis of different solid shapes. Please suggest me more if you can.
I want to invest on myself early in my career so I can be successful in future. I have two questions here.
1) Is it better to be an expert(spending thousand of hours ) on one or just know all of them to some extent?
2) In Mechanical Engineering, people with what kind of skills are getting paid the most?
I have also thought of getting a MS degree in Engineering Management. I will wait for your reply. Thank you All.
I am a young Engineer with BSME and one year experience in designing pressure vessel parts. My goal is to learn and apply specific skills to become a successful engineer. I have a lot of different options. For example, Autodesk inventor modeling, GD&T and checking drawings, manufacturing processes, Stress Analysis of different solid shapes. Please suggest me more if you can.
I want to invest on myself early in my career so I can be successful in future. I have two questions here.
1) Is it better to be an expert(spending thousand of hours ) on one or just know all of them to some extent?
2) In Mechanical Engineering, people with what kind of skills are getting paid the most?
I have also thought of getting a MS degree in Engineering Management. I will wait for your reply. Thank you All.





RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
So, as it's all about the money for you I suggest either looking at more lucrative fields you can peddle your skills in or else management route.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Funny money targets aside, at this stage in your career you need to do a bit of both, you need to become an expert in your day job, but you should also be taking an interest elsewhere. I got pigeonholed to some extent in my second year out of uni, and for the following 20 years found it very difficult to move out of that lucrative if rather repetitive field into other areas that interested me.
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
You'll need to either become the ultimate authority on some subject, who is called upon by numerous, deep-pocketed companies to come in and consult, or go the management route. Even if you were to get your MBA though, you'd still be hard-pressed to rise up to $200k/yr in ten years.
Jeff Mirisola, CSWE
My Blog
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Got a BSEE from Lehigh University some 50 years ago.
Ended up my career as a software engineer, for the last 20 years doing what I really really enjoyed getting out of bed for nearly every day, for much less than I would have made in my original discipline.
Although money is important, it is not the most important factor in a meaningful, rewarding, purposeful life. Notice life is not equivalent to career. "The love of money is the root of all evil."
Skip,
Primarily posting in Tek-Tips.
Skip,
Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance!
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
You're obviously one of those young bull types, but those that burn the brightest tend to burn out sooner. Sarcastic remarks about the dark side not withstanding, a management path typically leads to higher pay, but that potentially comes at a price. I knew someone who was on track to be general manager of a major aerospace division by age 35, but even he turned down the first chance he got because it required him to uproot his family. Management typically demands an unbalanced family life, so if you are willing to take that on, then that's OK. Regardless, taking the management path means that you must sever your engineering ties. You cannot realistically wear those two hats at the same time.
TTFN

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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
As for your question, I prefer to be specific in my area of interest, that way you know the path you are going to.
Big paycheck is not the measure of success.
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
TTFN

FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
That actually has quite bizarre implications. That's why multinationals
Cheers
Greg Locock
New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
"Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless."
and
"Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."
Couldn't help it. :)
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Now to the basic question.
I know a lot of people who dug themselves into a very narrow niche for an entire career. Pipe modelers. Stress Engineers. Code Compliance. Rotating Equipment. etc. I went the other way. I can talk to all those guys about their specialties and I see a lot of them that do not really have 30 years experience as a Rotating Equipment engineer, but instead they have about a year of experience 30 times. Mostly they seem happy (if incredibly pedantic) and more of them are satisfied with their pay than not. It would drive me up a wall to think that every day for a career I would be limited to doing what I did the day before. That is just me.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Thanks to everyone who replied. I think I made a mistake by including the last three lines of this thread because most of you decided to comment on that but not the main questions.
Usually in our life time, we can either be an expert in one field or know all of them to some limit.
TheTick:
Because most likely you can be the only one who knows the subject from real depth.
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
thread731-195603: Specialist vs. Generalist
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
One characteristic that often distinguishes experts from posers is that they know the limits of their own knowledge and understanding. And they tend not to venture beyond it when dispensing advice without making it VERY clear that anything beyond what they already gave you is mere speculation.
Maui
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
As for what you were trying to ask about; it depends, and your mileage may vary. It's flippant, but that's the nature of the subject you're asking about. There are those that succeed very well as experts, and there are those experts that get laid off because they're too specialized and can't have enough work to justify their existence. In my arena, we've had a chronic shortage of one particular expertise; twice, the person left because they got bored, and one, we laid the person off. In other words, feel free to specialize, but don't give up your day job. Likewise, generalists can be useful; being that I'm one, I'd like to think that. That said, not all generalists are created equal. I've survived a number of layoffs that took my fellow generalists and I'd like to attribute that to a combination of being able to pick up enough knowledge to be dangerous, and being a reasonably good presenter/communicator.
The best suggestion that I can offer is that you should do what interests you the most, assuming that's a viable career choice, since that's where you're mostly like to be successful at your job. If you're a success, then most everything else will fall in line.
TTFN

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Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Being able to communicate in writing, in tech presentations, in management presentations, and to the public (and knowing the difference) is crucial in either a management or a technical ladder. You need to know enough MicroSoft Word to know why it is important that you think about and use styles every time. You need to know enough PowerPoint that you never ever ever skip over the right format for a slide because you don't know how to do a table or a smart graphic (and you know enough to know that flashy by itself is a negative). You need to know enough Excel to hate it (if you love it you are going down a serious dead end where you become everyone's Excel Bitch). Learn Access so you can dazzle everyone around you (the ones using Excel) with your ability to turn tons of data into the relevant information.
Engineering is truly about communication. I've seen generalists that have had IRstuff's career (I'm one of them) and I've seen specialists that have become indispensable (and highly compensated if that matters to you) by communicating effectively. The first people out the door in a downturn are those engineers that personify the old joke "How to you identify an extrovert engineer?" "He looks at your shoes when talking to you instead of his own" it doesn't matter if they are generalists or specialists, if they can't communicate they are of less value than they should be.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
It doesn't matter what you do. All paths to that destination are equally miserable.
There is no security in such a position. If anything, such a mindset breeds fear and brings much negative attention, which helps advance one toward the top of the list when it's time to cut headcount.
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Sure, there are some things that I can do where I am considered as a "go to" resource, but in truth, I'm better off being a "Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None". In this stage of my career, I have seen and done things that I like, and things that I absolutely hate (like running projects, which, sadly, is what I do best...). Now I just do whatever I want.
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
When I'm in that state of mind, I'll retire.
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
If you want your experience to be called upon, you will have to specialize to at least some extent. Personally, I hope that retirement coincides with my area of specialty becoming redundant.
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
"If you want to acquire a knowledge or skill, read a book and practice the skill".
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
Steve
RE: To be an expert in one specific engineering course/subject VS know all of them a little?
They have the power to make or break a project. Without expert knowledge they have to rely directly on others' word, which is not ideal for a good leader.
Thus, you can specialize in something you like early in your career while at the same time enhancing communication skills and leadership skills. This will leave more doors open later on.