|
Epicurus posted:A friend of mine started a CS degree but switched to software engineering because they preferred coding to doing math. I also am all about programming rather than learning math, and am much better at it too. Should I try making the switch?
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2010 23:32
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 06:42 |
|
|
grover posted:"Engineering ethics" is generally more related to fraud and misrepresentation and avoiding jail than "the government is evil!!!" though. The former will even show up in the PE exam. The latter is rather restricted to niche internet forums. Engineering ethics go beyond what you need for the FE and PE exam. This is why at decent engineering schools they try to educate you on larger scale ethical issues that may arise. The way you, and other engineers with similar attitudes, approach ethics adds to the perception that engineers are heartless and amoral.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2010 02:13
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2010 02:42
|
|
|
Peyote posted:The idea that you transfer into engineering to do less maths, shows again that software "engineering" really doesn't deserve that name in its title. (yeah I went there) Just because you didn't need to use Calculus in the design phase of something doesn't mean nothing was being engineered.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2010 03:14
|
|
|
armed2010 posted:Just because you didn't need to use Calculus in the design phase of something doesn't mean nothing was being engineered. Engineers don't typically have to learn about topology and cardinality and other things, just what they need to do their jobs. What a math major learns is often times useless to an engineer. What does an engineer care of proofs, anyway?
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2010 05:09
|
|
|
luvs2Bgraded posted:Engineering ethics go beyond what you need for the FE and PE exam. This is why at decent engineering schools they try to educate you on larger scale ethical issues that may arise. The way you, and other engineers with similar attitudes, approach ethics adds to the perception that engineers are heartless and amoral. The swarming mass of FYGM's kind of help create that perception. There are also plenty of people just in it for the money. To be fair though any lucrative degree is going to have tons of FYGMs made through the wealth they get, or pushed into it by their parents, so it's not really fair to pin it on JUST engineers. I still do get a bit upset by people who are brilliant enough to use math, physics and creativity to make things but still balk at basic economics. To anecdote it up, my adviser who is a former EE and former actuary didn't get tax brackets 
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2010 05:11
|
|
|
hobbesmaster posted:Define steep entry requirements. Are these at the department, college or university level? I would dare say the former two will be overridden almost automatically for any professional engineering masters student. You can't get away from a school's base graduate entry requirements which are related to their accreditation but thats nothing a short postbacc can't take care of. Actually, I was just sort of wondering how feasible it would be to try to get a job near a very good school or one I would like to attend anyway and use it to get a very good education on the cheap. I was talking to a professor at my school and he mentioned that he regretted taking a topology course with one professor when he was in graduate school, when he could have taken it with someone who was really well-known in that field and, IIRC, an excellent teacher. That made me realize that there may actually be quality difference between schools at the graduate level.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2010 05:46
|
|
|
flux_core posted:What a math major learns is often times useless to an engineer. What does an engineer care of proofs, anyway? Academics, especially in some computer/electrical subfields. Safe and Secure! posted:I was talking to a professor at my school and he mentioned that he regretted taking a topology course with one professor when he was in graduate school, when he could have taken it with someone who was really well-known in that field and, IIRC, an excellent teacher. That made me realize that there may actually be quality difference between schools at the graduate level. Odds are every large department has a world renown expert in something. Thats why if you're looking at a PhD you should look at advisers instead of just schools.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2010 08:25
|
|
|
Epicurus posted:How bad does computer science suck job-wise compared to engineering? I'd like to get into professional programming, writing apps or working in game design, etc., and I'm working on a CS degree.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 06:40
|
|
|
I just saw "Software Architect" as a job title. How the hell do you weed through what these stupid terms mean, anyway? It seems a lot of this comes down to how good you are at talking your way into things with the interviewing manager of if they like the cut of your jib more than anything else.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 19:48
|
|
|
flux_core posted:I just saw "Software Architect" as a job title. You've never seen that before? Its supposed to be one step above "grunt" programmer and includes more design responsibilities. The logic is that you the architect designs the more abstract methods and decides on what application framework to use and such like things while a programmer does the actual implementation. Like when designing a building, an architect decides what it'll look like and an engineer figures out how to get it to actually stand up, where to run plumbing and the like. Explanation aside, its kind of a silly title, but its increasingly common.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 20:25
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 21:13
|
|
|
That seems weird to me, since designing software, not programming in accordance with someone else's design, is the focus of software-engineering as I've seen it in school. Your description of a software architect is pretty much identical to that of what software engineer "should" be doing. Are the subset of those 200 or so people acting as coders really engineering anything? I mean, it seems like calling road workers "road engineers". Is that the case (only a couple of engineers engineering things, everyone else doing something else) for all engineering fields or just software? Completely ignorant here, sorry. I mean, I'd be a bit disappointed if I studied, say, civil engineering for four years and then every job was "here's a shovel, carefully follow our directions and build this road," but that's the reality for software developers, isn't it? Actually, I've always wondered why programming isn't something taught as a trade. Is it just too new to get away from the stigma attached with going to a trade school? All the immediately-relevant things can be covered in much less than four years, can't they? Also, aren't engineering programs pretty much vocational training, too? I mean, it's basically "learn this, get job." I guess the difference is that more traditional engineering programs are much more rigorous and really do require four years of school.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 22:59
|
|
|
Even when you're writing software according to someone else's design, there's a good amount of small-scale engineering to be done.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 23:02
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:43 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 23:10
|
|
|
Ah, that makes more sense. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2010 23:15
|
|
|
I have a dilemma and was wondering if someone can help me out. I've landed an internship in Shanghai from roughly June 2011 until November 2011. This means I'll be taking of fall 2011 semester. My college has a senior design project that starts in the fall and ends in the spring which means I will also have to take off the spring 2012 semester. This is my only shot to goto China for this internship and I really want to do it. Only thing holding me back is I need something to do from the end of December/January until May 2012. I'm not trying to move back home for that time so I'm hoping for a second internship. I live right outside of New York City so I can apply for internships there. I'm also down to do a second international internship somewhere in Europe. The thing is, my mom won't approve of all of this until I have a concrete plan. Second problem is my friend who is getting me the China internship wants an answer by February 2011. How do I go about talking to companies about an internship that I won't actually do for another year is this plausible?
huhu fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Nov 29, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 02:23
|
|
|
Does anyone have a breakdown of the various titles from "architecht" to "monkey"? Bleh. I haven't been around anyone to give me a low-down of the various titles for levels of experience or responsibility.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 05:32
|
|
|
flux_core posted:Does anyone have a breakdown of the various titles from "architecht" to "monkey"? There's no standard, it varies from company to company.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 06:10
|
|
|
has anyone here done a masters in EE from a BS in CpE? If so what's the catchup like?
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 06:24
|
|
|
seo posted:has anyone here done a masters in EE from a BS in CpE? If so what's the catchup like? Computer engineering is electrical engineering. There shouldn't any at all. You'll be weak on EM, but so will everyone else That is, unless your undergrad school isn't an ABET CpE program. flux_core posted:Does anyone have a breakdown of the various titles from "architecht" to "monkey"? Titles are meaningless. Especially in small companies when you can be a CTO in charge of only yourself. hobbesmaster fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Nov 29, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 07:10
|
|
|
huhu posted:I have a dilemma and was wondering if someone can help me out. I've landed an internship in Shanghai from roughly June 2011 until November 2011. This means I'll be taking of fall 2011 semester. My college has a senior design project that starts in the fall and ends in the spring which means I will also have to take off the spring 2012 semester. This is my only shot to goto China for this internship and I really want to do it. Only thing holding me back is I need something to do from the end of December/January until May 2012. I'm not trying to move back home for that time so I'm hoping for a second internship. I live right outside of New York City so I can apply for internships there. I'm also down to do a second international internship somewhere in Europe. The thing is, my mom won't approve of all of this until I have a concrete plan. Second problem is my friend who is getting me the China internship wants an answer by February 2011. How do I go about talking to companies about an internship that I won't actually do for another year is this plausible? thats odd you can only start in fall semester? At my college you could start senior design in either fall or spring and finish in the other, it wasn't an especially big program either. Either way getting an internship is important and one in China like that would be awesome so I'd say go for it regardless of future internships as the experience, both for work experience and for the life experience of doing something like that would be worth it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 08:46
|
|
|
I guess I am coming into this thread late, but I graduated a few months ago with my BS in welding engineering, got offered a few jobs and took one for 54k/year. If anyone is looking for a tiny field where you will get snatched up by headhunters immediately, look no further. Just don't work for Lincoln Electric. They are a cult. 'Sup flux_core  I use very little math, my job doesn't even require computer modeling. Mainly what I do is process control and code conformance. ASME Sec. VIII and IX and AWS D1.1 are my bibles, along with any technical publications issued by DoD when my company does defense contracting work. I have definitely fallen on the side of management sort of work as opposed to highly technical stuff. I am thinking an MBA is going to be the next step in my career. e: roman numerals 
Meatbot fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Nov 29, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 18:00
|
|
|
seo posted:has anyone here done a masters in EE from a BS in CpE? If so what's the catchup like? Yeah um at my school computer engineering takes every required class that EE's take, they just don't get any choice in their electives.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 18:06
|
|
|
Just got my first interview for a summer internship this summer, can anyone talk about interview tactics? What are the common questions for engineering interviews, what are they really looking for, especially for someone with a limited work history (my only jobs are work-study jobs for the past year and a half with the school). I'm an EE and it's for a company that specializes in DRAM and SRAM design.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 18:08
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:43 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 18:13
|
|
|
Yeah, titles really mean nothing. According to the company I'm a T2 (Tier2) EE. (Mostly for pay scale). Although I'm sure there are T1s making more than me, and T3s making less. Based on what customer I'm talking to or what project I'm working on I'm anything from: Field Engineer, I&T Support Engineer, Flight Test Team, Electrical Engineer, Software Engineer and occasionally Lead Developer. I've basically stopped putting a title in my emails. e: Aluminum Record posted:Just got my first interview for a summer internship this summer... Ask questions about the company and what you're going to be doing. It might be a bit intimidating but ask "do you guys work on (insert technology related to whatever they do)", "do you use such and such tools", and even questions about the company in general. You'll seem much more interested instead of just sitting there listening to the interviewer and answering his questions. That is the #1 complaint I hear from people that do interviews, there have been quite a few cases where after the interview, the interviewer basically said "The dude seemed smart enough and had most of the skills that we're looking for, but just didn't seem interested in the company or want to know what we actually do. He just sat there and didn't engage. We're gunna go with Guy X because he really seemed excited to learn about the company even though his credentials weren't as good as the first guy." Also if a younger employee takes you out to lunch or something, that is still part of the interview. They might only be 2-3 years out of college, but this isn't the time to tell them about how you got wasted last night in the hotel on Jack and Cokes. So many people don't get that for some reason and think that just because the guy is 24-25 he wants to hear about the last time you banged a chick in a frat bathroom then puked on her later that night....seriously dude...wtf? (Sorry, that was a bit of a rant...true story from an interview lunch though). Plinkey fucked around with this message at 18:42 on Nov 29, 2010 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 18:32
|
|
|
Aluminum Record posted:Just got my first interview for a summer internship this summer, can anyone talk about interview tactics? What are the common questions for engineering interviews, what are they really looking for, especially for someone with a limited work history (my only jobs are work-study jobs for the past year and a half with the school). I'm an EE and it's for a company that specializes in DRAM and SRAM design. Good engineers are not only technically proficient, but also good communicators and work well in groups. Sit down and think about what you've done in school that would be a good example of how you're the kind of person that a company would want to hire. Did you join a professional society? Work on any project classes? Do anything related to DRAM or SRAM? Your goal here is to think about ways you can connect with your interviewer. You're good enough that they want to talk to you, so now it's a question of whether or not your personality and background is a good fit. An interview is just as much about you liking them as them liking you. Read up on the company and think about any questions you might have. Stuff like the expectations of an intern, typical workload, opportunities for people who come back, etc. It's very possible that you'll find that some jobs just won't be a good fit. Finally, it goes without saying but dress nice, get a haircut, and show up on time. And if you happen to drink orange soda during lunch, be sure to wipe your mouth or you'll look like the Joker for the entire afternoon. My coworkers still joke about that one.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 18:33
|
|
|
Meatbot posted:I guess I am coming into this thread late, but I graduated a few months ago with my BS in welding engineering, got offered a few jobs and took one for 54k/year. If anyone is looking for a tiny field where you will get snatched up by headhunters immediately, look no further. Just don't work for Lincoln Electric. They are a cult. 'Sup flux_core Has Lincoln Electric ever come clean about selling that self-shielding snake oil to construction companies in California or Dodge's plant that made Neon Subframes? I've looked into doing it because I loved the science and physics going on behind welding a lot more than crawling in a pit to do it, but very very few schools actually offer a BS in it. Do the headhunters grab people with other degrees who know how to weld? Working where you have experience might be good, but the industry just left me with a bad taste in my mouth after that nonsense at a shipyard I put up with. Bunch of frat boys with welding equipment running around a pier and stealing rice krispies from sculleries. Shameful. I'd have to work in a shop or a high rise. No more claustrophobia for me, thanks.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 19:02
|
|
|
RE: Welding I'm an ocean engineering major and a major things we've heard from actual design engineers from the major shipyards is the importance in knowing your welds. My favorite anecdote is hearing about a blue collar senior weldsman (welder?) being asked by his managing engineer to weld steel to carbon fiber.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 19:21
|
|
|
NomNomNom posted:RE: Welding LOL. My favorite is when people seem to think welding is "just like braising/soldering." Holy poo poo is it not.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 20:25
|
|
|
flux_core posted:Has Lincoln Electric ever come clean about selling that self-shielding snake oil to construction companies in California or Dodge's plant that made Neon Subframes? I haven't heard of that particular adventure with Lincoln but it doesn't surprise me...I deposit a thousand pounds of their sub-arc wire in a week because it meets military specs, and they can't return a god drat phone call  Anyway, you are definitely right about the scarcity of BS programs. There are some schools that offer industrial engineering, and allow you to concentrate on welding, e.g., Carnegie Mellon. But the only school that has an ABET-accredited welding engineering program is Ohio State. If it sounds like I am pimping my major, I totally am. I had absolutely no direction in college - then I found that program, and boom, I am in a sweet job. Your hands-on experience with welding would definitely be a plus if you went for that, due to granting you some familiarity with the ins and outs of different processes, as well as lending you some credibility when you get out to a job and have to direct welders, who probably give no gently caress that you have a fancy college degree.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 21:07
|
|
|
The welding industry's attitude problem is one of many reasons I ran the gently caress out. Egos and stubbornness are a big issue in the field, like many - and I really don't enjoy having to put up with it, but I suppose no matter what I do, I will have to deal with it. http://www.weldreality.com/Self%20Shielded%20Flux%20Cored.htm <- nevertheless, holy poo poo. I asked some Chrysler Engineers about that incident when they came to my CC to basically tell us about how great engineering is while we ate junk food, and they basically said "We needed guys who 'got' welding and renegades willing to stick their neck out." 
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2010 21:50
|
|
|
While out getting a haircut after classes today, the usual chitchat with the person doing the snipping took a productive turn. "Why are you always in here so late?"  "I'm in school!" "Oh, for what?" "Engineering." "Well my husband is an EE, and...  "Apparently he's a well paid contractor and tells EVERYONE about these engineering apprenticeships, but I forgot the acronym she used to describe it. Does anyone, or just Grover, know about "electrical engineering apprenticeships" with the navy or how to get in on that? I could use the experience and still have a badge to get on at least one of the bases here!
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2010 04:02
|
|
|
flux_core posted:While out getting a haircut after classes today, the usual chitchat with the person doing the snipping took a productive turn.
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2010 11:54
|
|
|
grover posted:Apply through usajobs.gov. There are coop and intern programs for engineering students. They're lottery vice competitive IIRC. There's another big federal jobs thread here in A/T you might want to check out, too, though it's mostly bitching about the pay freeze right now. I'm sure pres Romney will quietly let that change sometime in 2013  Do you know about prereqs for the apprenticeships/interns/coops? If I might as well not bother until I take calc 1/2/whatever I'd be better served sticking to tutoring here. What exactly do you mean by "lottery vice competitive?"
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2010 18:39
|
|
|
Most internships require you to be in your junior year at major companies. That means Calc, Diff Eq, Statics and Dynamics if you're a Mech E. I am in my sophomore year and have had internships at smaller companies but Lockheed basically wont talk to you if you aren't at a four year university and in your junior year.
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2010 19:27
|
|
|
AnomalousBoners posted:Most internships require you to be in your junior year at major companies. That means Calc, Diff Eq, Statics and Dynamics if you're a Mech E. I am in my sophomore year and have had internships at smaller companies but Lockheed basically wont talk to you if you aren't at a four year university and in your junior year. And on the other hand, alternating semester co-ops can take you as early as after your freshman year. It never hurts to start looking early and your college likely has a few people on staff full time to help out with this stuff.
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2010 20:34
|
|
|
.
Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:43 on Aug 10, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2010 20:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 06:42 |
|
|
hobbesmaster posted:And on the other hand, alternating semester co-ops can take you as early as after your freshman year. My CC basically says "Heh, wait until you get to the University we're joined at the hip to.", though we've started an "Engineering Student's Society." I'll just have to keep looking until someone shuts me up by giving me something
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2010 20:50
|
|