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RealKyleH posted:I work for a small company where engineers sometimes do go out in the shop and I have never once been out in the shop despite being a better machinist. This is just where I work though. Most of what I do is testing/spec updating or writing (Like mil and SAE)
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May 29, 2010 22:16
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grover posted:IMHO, engineers absolutely need to routinely be down in the shop, on the jobsite, etc. They're going to be poor engineers if they don't see the results of their work first-hand and get direct feedback from the mechanics and technicians implementing the design. Yeah, I'm a microprocessor/circuits-oriented guy and my boss is going to train me to design big fuckoff transformers. The first part of training is to get my rear end down to the plant floor winding coils and assembling tanks until all that stuff is drilled into my head. THEN I get to design. I've been busy so haven't started that training yet, but I'm strangely looking forward to it.
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May 29, 2010 22:21
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Shalinor posted:So question on this - my sister is finally entering the Mech E part of her degree (she did her first two years at a CC) where internships become an option, and has 3 years of prior professional CNC machining experience. She also has a fully set up shop (manual mill, lathe, lots of nice tooling, etc) that she loves to fiddle with. Her eventual aim is to work with a smaller engineering company, where her hands-on experience might come in handy, doing green tech / alternative energy / etc work. First thing's first: Is your sister hot? Second thing: what Thoguh said.
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May 30, 2010 01:27
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grover posted:IMHO, engineers absolutely need to routinely be down in the shop, on the jobsite, etc. They're going to be poor engineers if they don't see the results of their work first-hand and get direct feedback from the mechanics and technicians implementing the design. This man speaks the truth. Being able to build a widget is one thing and can be done by a lot of people. Being able to build a widget that is producible, cost effective, maintainable, and easy to use requires interaction beyond your CAD software and technical data package meetings. If you're an engineer who likes field work, you should consider working for some kind of testing group.
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May 30, 2010 03:55
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Just got hired! 5 months, 80+ resumes sent out, and many grey hairs later I finally got a job. I'll be an instrument operator to start, but the pay is decent and it's a large firm so the possibility for advancement from within is very real. I'm just happy to be finally making some money, those student loan repayment dates were getting dangerously close.
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Jun 1, 2010 19:10
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Aerofallosov posted:Is it a wise idea to do EE for a BSc then move on to nuclear power for an MS? I found out that there is a Nuclear Engineering degree in my area but it's only at the Master's Level and wasn't too sure which way to go. Why would you study electrical engineering for a nuclear engineering degree? Aren't most of them just combined applied physics/mechanical engineering programs?
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Jun 1, 2010 21:39
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Does anyone have any suggestions for where to look for internships, specifically New York City? I've been searching google, government sites, and some random job websites but I seem to be looking in the wrong places. I've also looked around my school website and can't seem to find much there either. Any suggestions would be helpful.
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Jun 9, 2010 06:12
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Talk to everyone you know who knows an engineer.
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Jun 9, 2010 12:39
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RealKyleH posted:Talk to everyone you know who knows an engineer. This. Network and get them to review your resume. I got lucky and was hired straight out of school this year. My boss told me the the only reason he brought me in for an interview was because of who I knew and that my resume was such a piece of poo poo that he thought it was a joke when he looked at it. Worst part is that the University Career Centre said it was fantastic. It's only a temporary position, but in the end I'll have some experience and a solid resume.
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Jun 9, 2010 15:25
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I've had the best luck using indeed.com; you search for "engineer" and "loc" and then refine to internships. I've gotten some interviews this way, but no internships unfortunately. http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=engineer&l=new+york+city&jt=internship
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Jun 9, 2010 20:46
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dayman posted:Just got hired! 5 months, 80+ resumes sent out, and many grey hairs later I finally got a job. I'll be an instrument operator to start, but the pay is decent and it's a large firm so the possibility for advancement from within is very real. I'm just happy to be finally making some money, those student loan repayment dates were getting dangerously close. Huhu: Definitely talk to everyone that you know and mention that you are looking for an internship, that's how I got my internship.
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Jun 10, 2010 00:28
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I found out that I passed the FE exam that I took in April. The morning part was easy but the afternoon part sucked and I guessed A LOT. I only crammed the night before too.
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Jun 10, 2010 20:52
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Graduating tomorrow. Only had one interview so far, and today they are supposed to call me back. I guess I'll give them a ring tomorrow, but today: more cover letters! I hear that there was a time when engineering grads got unsolicited job offers. Har har.
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Jun 10, 2010 23:57
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Anyone have any suggestions for interesting engineering or related blogs/websites? I love reading about stuff like that and keeping up to date on what's going on in the world but I've been searching google for awhile and can't seem to find anything worthwhile. Most of what I find seems to be a lot more technical or however you'd describe it and not very interesting.
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Jun 17, 2010 01:25
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huhu posted:Anyone have any suggestions for interesting engineering or related blogs/websites? I love reading about stuff like that and keeping up to date on what's going on in the world but I've been searching google for awhile and can't seem to find anything worthwhile. Most of what I find seems to be a lot more technical or however you'd describe it and not very interesting. What field of engineering? I don't think you'll find anything that covers all of engineering.
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Jun 17, 2010 02:46
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BeefofAges posted:What field of engineering? I don't think you'll find anything that covers all of engineering. Mechanical.
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Jun 17, 2010 02:50
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At my university they offer a program where you can take classes for one major and then switch to a larger university that finishes up your courses and gives you another degree in a engineering field on top of that. The program I want to do starts me off with a BS in Computer Science, and after 3 years I switch to the larger university for 2 years and get a BS in Computer Engineering as well. So is it really worthwhile to do this? 2 degrees in 5 years sounds like a great plan, and I was thinking of going for my MA in Computer Engineering as soon as I graduate. Would it really help me to stand out to employers when finding a job with BS in CS and CE or a MA in CE. And if I do choose to get the MA in CE then decide I want to go after my PhD as well How much hell might I be going through?
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Jun 21, 2010 07:25
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Seeing all the horror stories about finding employment is making me feel a little better about my own experiences. Graduated last May from Georgia Tech with a BS in Aerospace, applied to 50-60 jobs with no response. Ended up going to UCF for a crash-course MS in Systems Engineering with a Project Engineering Certificate on the side. I was hoping that being at a school near the Space Coast might open up some job opportunities, but of course as soon as I show up Constellation gets canceled and half the engineers in Florida start updating their resumes  The whole process has left me pretty disillusioned with the aerospace industry as a whole, though, in light of their constant refrain of "we desperately need new engineers!" Just as an example, a month ago we had a Boeing safety manager from KSC come speak to our class about 'generational differences in the engineering workforce.' A big part of her lecture was on how Boeing was "always looking for new ways to attract more Gen-Y engineers" and "how important young college-graduates were to the company." Then with no recognition of the irony, she showed us the age breakdown of Boeing's 150,000 employees: 76.7% are over the age of 45. 3.3% are under the age of 30. If that was really the result of not enough new grads, we should have hiring agents fighting to the death over us instead of having to beg and scrounge for a position. I'm starting to think that in 15-20 years the US aerospace industry is going to turn into some sort of Mad Max apocalypse when three quarters of the workforce up and dies.
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Jun 23, 2010 02:10
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Dotcom656 posted:At my university they offer a program where you can take classes for one major and then switch to a larger university that finishes up your courses and gives you another degree in a engineering field on top of that. My school does a 3/2 program where you graduate in 5 years with a BS/MS in your field. If you're thinking of doing a PhD, that might be a better route. I really don't think employers will care much about your civil background if you're applying for computer jobs, though.
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Jun 23, 2010 02:31
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 23, 2010 02:32
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BTW a word about Lockheed, at least here in Orlando knowing people in the company doesn't seem to account for poo poo when it comes to getting hired. I know people in both Lockheed locations I could use as references as well as outside companies Lockheed does a good amount of business with and it didn't seem to really matter. I have heard similar things about large companies like Pratt Whitney, as well as heard this about Lockheed form others who tried to use contacts to get hired there. I have not graduated yet though this was for an internship though the person who was trying to get hired was an engineer with an MBA. This thread is making me nervous, I know a lot of people in various engineering fields and they all seem to be very optimistic about when I graduate. Anyone know how much an internship helps when it comes to getting hired? When I graduate Ill have machining certificates as well as at minimum a 1 year internship at an aerospace electrical tool company. AnomalousBoners fucked around with this message at 03:03 on Jun 23, 2010 |
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Jun 23, 2010 02:59
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 23, 2010 03:50
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Thoguh posted:**good advice** Thanks for the advice - I've been really wanting to get into Space Systems design and mission planning which unfortunately restricts my options in terms of employers. I did recently realize that I could look beyond companies that *build* spacecraft (like Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon, OSC) to companies that *own* spacecraft (GeoEye, DigitalGlobe, Intelsat, etc), which gives me a lot more options to work with. If worst comes to worst my Systems Engineering degree should be a good fallback, I can technically apply it to pretty much any field if I just start spouting Six Sigma buzzwords. Btw, for a sobering look at the slow-motion train wreck of Aerospace Baby Boomers, this report is a pretty good examination of what the space industry is going through, and it doesn't even take into account the wholesale elimination of entry-level jobs during this recession. The combination of recession, engineers wanting to stay busy and too much indispensable knowledge remaining tied to Boomer graybeards means that the AE companies simply can't get rid of their existing staff, even as it slowly chokes our up-and-coming generation  .
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Jun 23, 2010 03:56
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 23, 2010 04:28
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T.H.E. Rock posted:My school does a 3/2 program where you graduate in 5 years with a BS/MS in your field. If you're thinking of doing a PhD, that might be a better route. I really don't think employers will care much about your civil background if you're applying for computer jobs, though. When I said CS/CE is always comp sci/comp engineering. Not civil engineering. Sorry if it was vague.
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Jun 23, 2010 19:26
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Tell me if it is a good idea to get an integrated BS + MS program in EE and Computer Eng. Apparently things work a little bit different in the UK.
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Jun 25, 2010 14:22
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Jun 25, 2010 16:36
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Thoguh posted:In those fields you should be fine. The usual concern with getting a BS + MS with zero experience is that you might price yourself out of entry level jobs but not have the experience for more senior positions. Just do whatever you can to get internships, and accept that upon graduation you'll likely be competing for the same jobs you would be competing for without the MS (but hopefully with a leg up in a crowded market because of the MS). Pretty much every job I've seen that requires 2 years experience specifically says "Bachelor's with 2+ years experience or Masters with no experience." He'll be fine.
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Jun 25, 2010 16:54
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Edit : I think I answered my own question.
Anonymaus fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jul 2, 2010 |
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Jun 25, 2010 17:42
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Thanks to Thoguh for pointing me to this thread.  I graduated with a mechatronics degree and went into patents for almost a decade. I now want to go into an actual engineering job. How is the market for people with my kind of experience? I'm unsure whether my career so far will be a help or burden. I much prefer hands-on work and problem solving. Although I've not had to do it for a while, I am pretty good at maths and much prefer the mechanical side of engineering. I was taken by Dukkha's post. The risk to mental health is actually very real. What kind of things should I focus on using to sell myself to engineering companies if I don't have in-the-field experience? It also seems that the technical and engineering sectors are actually one of the first fields that are starting to recover from the recession - is this the case?
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Jul 12, 2010 16:26
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Well it seems that getting into a job in engineering is not going to be possible without some hands-on work experience with a company. I'd be happy to do it completely unpaid. Has anyone done this? What's the best way to ask a company to take you on for a while?
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Aug 5, 2010 10:49
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I've never heard of unpaid internships for degree holding professionals. What about pursuing an engineering job with a different branch of the government, like DoD or DoE? Another option would be to get a Masters and use that time to network and build up job opportunities. If you don't have a ton of design experience I would suggest emphasizing other aspects that are important to engineering. Communication, collaboration, ability to meet a schedule, flexibility, that sort of thing. Plus your experience as a patent examiner could also be your way in, since patents are critical for companies and the gov't. Once you're in the door it's a lot easier to transfer between departments.
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Aug 5, 2010 14:12
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:I've never heard of unpaid internships for degree holding professionals. What about pursuing an engineering job with a different branch of the government, like DoD or DoE? Another option would be to get a Masters and use that time to network and build up job opportunities. Unfortunately, the UK's civil service has completely shut down its recruitment, as has most of the public sector because of the government's policies. This doesn't look like it will be changing soon. The Masters idea is an interesting one. The internship idea is a way to try and show my skills to a prospective employer who might initially be put off by my (seeming) lack of practical experience. Unfortunately not many people understand what it was that I had to do and the very significant level of technical understanding that was required. As soon as I have something practical I can point to in that respect, I should be fine. quote:If you don't have a ton of design experience I would suggest emphasizing other aspects that are important to engineering. Communication, collaboration, ability to meet a schedule, flexibility, that sort of thing. Plus your experience as a patent examiner could also be your way in, since patents are critical for companies and the gov't. Once you're in the door it's a lot easier to transfer between departments. The skills you mention here are my trump card. The role I had really builds your analytical, time management and communication skills. You're completely right about getting in the door - I'm just trying to find one to jam my foot in.
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Aug 5, 2010 15:02
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I got paid $12 an hour for my mechanical engineering internship with an incomplete 2 year degree. Most juniors/seniors are getting 14-15.
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Aug 5, 2010 19:00
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atleast I'm not the only one not having any luck finding a job... Though I've only been looking for about a month and graduated in May. Been looking everyday and applying everywhere I can.
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Aug 5, 2010 20:47
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dxt posted:atleast I'm not the only one not having any luck finding a job... Though I've only been looking for about a month and graduated in May. Been looking everyday and applying everywhere I can. What's your degree and GPA?
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Aug 5, 2010 22:03
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Can I be less worried about my GPA if I have a good amount of hands on experience both in industry (Mech E internship) and a machine/weld/mechanics shop in my garage? Is a 3.0 good enough?
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Aug 5, 2010 22:32
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GestureSignalThreat posted:Unfortunately, the UK's civil service has completely shut down its recruitment, as has most of the public sector because of the government's policies. This doesn't look like it will be changing soon. The Masters idea is an interesting one. The problem I see is that when you offer to do an unpaid internship you're pretty much telling people you're not good enough to get a real job. quote:The skills you mention here are my trump card. The role I had really builds your analytical, time management and communication skills. Keep trying, and good luck! RealKyleH posted:Can I be less worried about my GPA if I have a good amount of hands on experience both in industry (Mech E internship) and a machine/weld/mechanics shop in my garage? Is a 3.0 good enough? Your shop in the garage won't count for much, but industry experience and references are always helpful.
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Aug 5, 2010 23:29
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God I love this thread, more information than I could have ever dreamed of. I graduated with a degree in advertising from the school of journalism about 5 years ago and after bouncing around doing some of the most boring and ludicrous jobs on the planet, I will be returning to university for my Civil Engineering degree. Right now I want to focus on water resources, but at this stage I can be realistic and say that might change. I have read this entire thread, and I don't recall seeing much on this topic. Is there any civil guys working with moving water around? I want DETAILS boys and girls. Everything from what your day typically consists of, who you work with/for, pay scale, etc. I'm almost 99% certain I want to work in Civil, but my focus is still somewhat up in the air. The difference between me and quite a few engineers I've spoken to and read about in this thread... is I don't mind getting my hands dirty. FILTHY dirty at least some of the week. I want to be suspended upside down in a well with testing equipment and a 2-way radio smoking a cigarette. I've done the office life and it's unbearable, at least in my current profession. The whole reason I went the Advertising route after high school is I wanted to create things as an occupation. I was the art director for an advertising firm and basically took orders like a McDonald's employee. I got idiot investors waving a check in my face saying things like "Can you make the logo a bear holding a pumpkin and I want the font to be comic sans." That's not creating anything. Granted, over time things would obviously get better but my hatred for the industry has already been written in ink. Every Civil engineer I know seems to have such variety in their work, but at the same time it's very focused. I respect everything engineers have to go through to get their title, and even more so what they accomplish after receiving said title. This is meaningful work, and I think it would be an honor to become one.  Thanks for letting me rant goons, and any information or encouragement on Civil Engineering with a focus on Water Resources would be awesome.
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Aug 5, 2010 23:39
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Beer4TheBeerGod posted:The problem I see is that when you offer to do an unpaid internship you're pretty much telling people you're not good enough to get a real job. That's true. The problem is getting the right balance so as to get that first break without going so far as to sell myself short.
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Aug 5, 2010 23:53
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