Any Engineers on Here

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RyanNJ

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Well I think it is time I start thinking about what i want to be, I am going to have to start applying to colleges soon as i am entering my senior year.

Right now i am leaning toward civil engineering but i would like to hear from the engineers as what discipline their degree is in and what they do/ did on a daily basis as well as any suggestions for college
 
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I went for mechanical engineering. I make wedding rings in my shop now. I used to design paper towel dispensers. Mechanical engineering is neat in that it teaches you how to make stuff. There's always a need to make stuff, and making your own stuff can be rewarding and profitable.
 
Mechnical, currently working as a designer in the aviation industry, oregon institute of technology.
 
EE

I was an EE...actually a Test Equipment/Test Engineer. I designed Test Equipment and developed Tests for Electronic Equipment. Most of my career it was military. Mainly Airborne Computers for such weapons systmes as EA-6B, A7-D & E, B52C, D, G, H, F14, F117, F111, E3 A & C. And a little stuff for the AN/BQQ-5/6 submarine sonar systems and the LAMPS helicopter. Last job I worked on was digital test developement for the B-2 Stealth Bomber.

EDIT: Actually I should have mentioned....I do not have an engineering degree. I went to USN ET (Electronic's Technician) school in the mid 1950's then went to work as a Technician. The company I worked for sent me to more hours of schooling and training than you can imagine and I also took courses at Marist College and the State University of New York at Binghamton. I completed 75% of the course work required for a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics (Which included experience credits) but by that time I had been making my living as an Engineer for 10 years.

I finally got my degree from Excelsior College in 1982 at age 44 in Political science....I have 148 (Semester hours not quarters) credits on my BS transcript and took an additional 12 credits of undergrad accounting courses. In addition, I took 13 weeks of graduate level Manufacturing Techology courses provided by my company using mostly college professors from top level engineering schools (i.e. MIT). Education is a life long thing....consider college as a step along the way.
 
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Associate degree in tool design. Currently a modelmaker for Caterpillar. That school was a waste of time (was bought by ITT Tech/money trap) except I started at Cat as a layout drafter instead of a draftsman. That was 38 years ago. My son is a licensed civil engineer in Il and Ca, studied at University of IL. He now works at Parsons Brinckerhoff. Started at the Chicago office, now at the Los Angeles office. He started with surface hydraulics, I liked to tease him about designing ditches. He now is more a project follower/"trouble fixer". He is not the field follow type of guy, so loves grinding away in the office. At the Chicago office, they had him in the field a lot more. My advice to him was study civil since the mechanical guys live in a cubicle. Turns out that is what he likes! I think both fields are great, but there are a ton of mechanical guys out of work with manufacturing slow downs. Infrastructure upgrades will keep the civil guys going for a while.
 
low_48 said:
Associate degree in tool design. Currently a modelmaker for Caterpillar. That school was a waste of time (was bought by ITT Tech/money trap) except I started at Cat as a layout drafter instead of a draftsman. That was 38 years ago. My son is a licensed civil engineer in Il and Ca, studied at University of IL. He now works at Parsons Brinckerhoff. Started at the Chicago office, now at the Los Angeles office. He started with surface hydraulics, I liked to tease him about designing ditches. He now is more a project follower/"trouble fixer". He is not the field follow type of guy, so loves grinding away in the office. At the Chicago office, they had him in the field a lot more. My advice to him was study civil since the mechanical guys live in a cubicle. Turns out that is what he likes! I think both fields are great, but there are a ton of mechanical guys out of work with manufacturing slow downs. Infrastructure upgrades will keep the civil guys going for a while.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Info. Working for CAT seems like it would fun (really like heavy equip)
 
Civil - Environmental - Industrial engineering -- I obviously spent too much time in Grad School. Most of my work the last several years has been political engineering.

There is an underlying current in the comments above --

Engineering gives you a foundation in how stuff works and how to build/fix it. How you want to use it is open ended. It gives you the tool box to go lots of ways.

do not get too excited about a committment to the version you want -- that will come with some time and experience.
 
I started out in EE, went into medical instrumentation in the USAF. Got out and went to work for a company that contracted me to a hospital managing their equipment. That company got bought by a company that spun us off to another company that eventually got bought by GE. Another couple of years and I transfered from the inhouse program into the Ultrasound division as a field engineer. 10 years of that and I got offered this online Engineer gig I'm in now. Sit in my office and talk to other engineers on the phone 90 percent of the time. Turn the occasional pen between calls.

Medical is a good gig so far. People always get sick, and the older they get, the more they need us. Of course, if the current europhile administration get's their way, I may end up just another civil servant, fighting to maintain my pension and increase my GS rating despite spending most of my time doing nothing more productive than filling out useless paperwork and figuring out ways to avoid actually helping people get the medical care they need. (sorry Curtis, I just couldn't help myself). If that's what you want, maybe you should skip college, and just get a job at the DMV.

But all that aside, ee work is almost all computer based now, not many boots and overalls type projects. So, you could end up in a cubicle as a corporate drone, or you could end up like me sitting in my shop in my flip flops and cutoffs flying a computer from home. Ya pays your money, and ya takes your chances.
 
Engineers

I, too, am an engineer. I majored in electrical and electronics and graduated in 1972. Since then, I've worked in industrial, instrumentation, and impact dynamics. Then a career change and went to seminary and was a pastor for about 7 years, got sick and had to go back to engineering. Worked as a standards development engineer, then got an MBA on a part time program and while I was working on that, did a stint as the manager of Accounts Payable at a billion dollar corporation, then moved to purchasing for a year or so, then moved to internal audit, where I've now been for 12 years! All that to say that I agree with Ken...engineering prepares you for just about anything you want to do...regardless of the specialty.
 
Don't rule out a railroad engineer... you get to blow the horn and everything, and you'll always be going places!
 
I'm a civil engineer. Work for a private consulting firm. I'm about 2 1/2 years in. Right now (the way the firm I work as does things), I am outside during the summer about 80% of the time; come winter it will be 100% design. I do mainly transportation, hydraulics, and some site layout. It's hard to say what a "typical" day looks like because there is so much variation on how individual firms work. If you want a more detailed explanation of my day I would be glad to give it, but I don't think you should base too much off of that.

As far as schools go, anything accredited will be just fine. For the most part if you can make it through, that's all that matters. I started on day one with 55 people and of that 55, 4 of us graduated.

If your leaning towards civil, then take a look at mechanical too. They are along the same line and I think some of the others have made some good points about the two.

If you have anymore questions or want something explained better, feel free to shoot me a PM
 
I went to RIT as a mechanical Engineering Technologist and graduated with a double degree as Mechanical Technologist with Emergency Management Services degree. I graduated in 2007 and it is very hard finding work right now in NY and PA. By the time you graduate things will turn around I am sure. I love my degree and love it when I can work in my field. I have worked in the firearms, aircraft, automotive, composite decking fastener industry, and several others. I had a blast at each one.

Any engineering field that you go into, keep an open mind for what is just outside of what you are studying since there are aways new markets. Solar, wind, and natural gas are big growing markets right now. Electronics are starting to expand as well.

If anyone is looking for a graduated engineer, send me an email. I am aways open to new contacts. I'd also be happy to send a resume.

Thanks!

Mike

mlepelstat@gmail.com
 
In the aviation field it always seems like electrical engineers are always in demand. I have taken a couple classes and do some electrical design work. The main thing with a mechanical degree you can usually find work in just about any field, structural, hydraulic, systems, engines. I am lucky as I get to work on LARGE heavy lift skycrane helicopters.
 
Electrical Engineer (UC Berkeley) but I do almost all software. I started out developing software used to help design integrated circuits, but since I've also worked on:
Software Development Tools
Internet Music software
Early mobile e-mail
Voice Recognition applications
and other things.

-Barry
 
Electrical here - with a focus on electric power. Thoroughly enjoyed my career in engineering (mostly technical consulting in power generation, transmission and distribution, with a side interest in project support work).

I learned to important things in engineering school - you have to be prepared to work your butt off, and you need to find a way to enjoy doing it. Probably applies in any field - the only way to achieve success is to work for it, and hard work is a good thing. And you have to be passionate about whatever it is that you do.

Now I'm retired, and as I look back over my career, I have no regrets, and lots of fond memories.
 
Electrical and Computer Engineer here... Would have loved to go into the hardware side, but ended up on software side. Sometimes the EE degree seems a little overkill, but I also find that I pick up on complicated systems and solutions much faster than those just with computer science degrees.

If you're prepared for the hard work of an engineering degree, it will definately give you a leg up no matter what you go into.
 
Grad School

KenV said:
Civil - Environmental - Industrial engineering -- I obviously spent too much time in Grad School. Most of my work the last several years has been political engineering.

There is an underlying current in the comments above --

Engineering gives you a foundation in how stuff works and how to build/fix it. How you want to use it is open ended. It gives you the tool box to go lots of ways.

do not get too excited about a committment to the version you want -- that will come with some time and experience.
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You put me to mind of an instructor I had at a corporate school back in the 80's. He had Master's degrees in just about every field of engineering there was...Thing was he got most of them while working full time too. Started with a BS Electrical Engineering then added the Masters. I know he had Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Chemical and if I'm not mistaken two others.
 
I'm an Engineer.

RyanNJ said:
Thanks for the Info. Working for CAT seems like it would fun (really like heavy equip)
Click to expand...

I work at Cat also, just down the road from Low_48. (need to meet him) I am a mechanical engineer designing engine components from engines ranging from 275 hp 9L engines to 7000 hp 296L engines. I think one of the parts I am resposible for, Low_48's group is making it look stylish.

Mechanical engineering is a very broad field. You learn a little about alot of areas. I would say with an ME degree you could work in about any field you wanted to.
 
After reading all the accomplishments, I'm feeling somewhat inadequate now.....

CDL Class "A" truck driver. Good money, seen a LOT of the country, and I'm partically responsible for everything you ever brought.... But being an Over-The-Road driver has a LOT of downside too, never home, miss the family, and you never get to go hunting and fishing when you want to!

I now deliver lumber used in making homes locally, bad money, long hours, and a crappy employer. But I'm home at night!




Scott (go for the education) B
 
what's wrong with that?

SDB777 said:
After reading all the accomplishments, I'm feeling somewhat inadequate now.....

CDL Class "A" truck driver. Good money, seen a LOT of the country, and I'm partically responsible for everything you ever brought.... But being an Over-The-Road driver has a LOT of downside too, never home, miss the family, and you never get to go hunting and fishing when you want to!

I now deliver lumber used in making homes locally, bad money, long hours, and a crappy employer. But I'm home at night!




Scott (go for the education) B
Click to expand...

Well that's nothing to be ashamed of....my Dad was a house painter and my mother cleaned houses for other people....we ate regular, enjoyed life, and slept good at night. In the end thats what we need.
 
Scott, don't be, I was an instructor at Dartmouths Eng School machineshop, boy could I tell you stories about engineering students.
 
Materials engineer with a mechanical minor. The options coming out of school were electronic packaging (TI), electronic QA (IBM), aerospace (Harris), and metal manufacturing (Reynolds). I went with metal manufacturing (why, I have no idea). I have worked strictly with aluminum from household foil to space shuttle fuel tanks. Biomedical seems to be pretty hot right now. My daughter has a degree in that field.

Good luck.
 
Well I currently am heading into my senior year of college in mechanical engineering, so I have some first hand knowledge on what an engineering degree requires and the rigors of each degree. I personally chose mech-e because it is broad and allows you to try many different fields, I have had an internship in energy and will have one during the next semester that allows me to work with university inventors to bring their product to market. If you have any questions feel free to pm me, I mentor freshman students in engineering at OU (Oklahoma).
 
Mech Eng by education with summer jobs at civil and electrical engineering firms. After my graduation, I started with civil/architectural on survey crew then moved to road/bridge construction and material testing engineer, then field engineer for water treatment plant construction projects, then jack-of-all-trades with environmental engineering/consulting firm where I've been for 17 yrs. Although I use very little of my formal education anymore, logic and versatility acquired from schooling, on-the-job training, and miscellaneous tinkering has helped progress me through my career.

Good luck making your decision.
 
I went with mechanical engineering.

After many years of school, I now teach others how to be mechanical engineers. I have been associated with universities, either as a student or a professor, since 1975.
 
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