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Safe and Secure! posted:So how possible would it be to switch to an engineering field via master's degree if I have an bachelor's in math and CS? Not really interested right, just wondering if it would be a possibility for something like bioengineering, where you need the master's anyway. It is possible, I'd contact the departments you're interested in to ask them directly, though. There's a guy in my lab getting his masters in mechanical engineering when he came in with a BS in physics and another who has a masters in CS here for his PhD.
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Mar 20, 2012 19:23
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Safe and Secure! posted:So how possible would it be to switch to an engineering field via master's degree if I have an bachelor's in math and CS? Not really interested right, just wondering if it would be a possibility for something like bioengineering, where you need the master's anyway. Yes, very possible. When I was in grad school for ChemE, we had several people come in with degrees in microbiology that were getting graduate degrees in ChemE. They had to take several undergrad classes before they could take the core grad classes, but it's doable.
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Mar 20, 2012 20:52
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Mar 20, 2012 21:27
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I have an MS in bioengineering (BS in mechanical) and I'm having a bitch of a time finding work, especially interesting work. I've been applying to regular mechanical and design jobs, too, sometimes erasing my grad work from my resume so I can put in some electro-mechanical stuff I did. I think it's been stated in this thread that I'm pretty bad at finding/applying for jobs, but it's more anecdotal evidence against bioengineering hype. It seems like most places doing bio/pharma are hiring scientists, and when they need engineering stuff they just buy from another company that makes equipment with chemical and electrical engineers. Also, breaking into medical device work is hard.
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Mar 20, 2012 23:22
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Sutureself posted:I have an MS in bioengineering (BS in mechanical) and I'm having a bitch of a time finding work, especially interesting work. I've been applying to regular mechanical and design jobs, too, sometimes erasing my grad work from my resume so I can put in some electro-mechanical stuff I did. I think it's been stated in this thread that I'm pretty bad at finding/applying for jobs, but it's more anecdotal evidence against bioengineering hype. Also, think from the perspective of a company hiring for something in biotech. If you're hiring a laboratory cell-culture scientist... do you hire a bioengineer with 1/2 the biology experience of the actual bio major, or do you hire a biologist? (Total no-brainer.) If you're working in medical devices and your device is going to need electrical work and someone to design some mechanical components... do you hire the bioengineer who can do a little bit of each of those, or do you contract an EE and then hire a MechE? (Another absolute no-brainer unless the design is that loving simple, in which case it probably just because an intern project.) Many bioengineering (and biomedical engineering) programs make the mistake of assuming a jack-of-all-trades approach is going to work out for the student. It isn't. Even reactor design, the quintessential "bioengineer" thing, is better served by hiring a culture biologist to design the culture specs and then contracting out the mechanical aspects of the reactor design to another firm. All the average bioengineering program does is put applicants at a disadvantage by not giving them a relevant focus in any of the core engineering disciplines. Sure, your individual mileage may vary; I got lucky, for one, and ended up making it (so far) in pharma. However, tell that to all the bioengineers still stuck in grad school or hospital diagnostic laboratories. Edit: Actually, I didn't make it in pharma. I'm working as a process engineer in a mechanical discipline, and I was in mat-sci before that.  I never used my bioengineering background.
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Mar 21, 2012 01:14
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Sundae posted:Also, think from the perspective of a company hiring for something in biotech. As a very quick side note to this, there is room for generalist engineers in smaller companies. That's what I'm doing now and I positively love switching between a bunch of different fields. I'm still in the medical field, too, though I switched from surgical stuff to over the counter stuff. So there's that. My background is MechE.
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Mar 21, 2012 01:29
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Sundae posted:Many bioengineering (and biomedical engineering) programs make the mistake of assuming a jack-of-all-trades approach is going to work out for the student. It isn't. Even reactor design, the quintessential "bioengineer" thing, is better served by hiring a culture biologist to design the culture specs and then contracting out the mechanical aspects of the reactor design to another firm. All the average bioengineering program does is put applicants at a disadvantage by not giving them a relevant focus in any of the core engineering disciplines. This happened to me with Physics, kind of. A lot of Physics is geared to grad school so they aren't really trying to attract people looking for 4 years of school followed by 80k+ a year, but there is still a sect of old schoolers that forget it's the 21st century, electricity/science/computers aren't that much of a niche anymore, and the "You know a bit about everything, you can literally pick your career out of school!" days are over. Chances are, someone with more relevant experience already came up with the idea and they'll get someone with relevant experience to execute it. And there in lies the rub, getting the experience in whatever it is you want to do. I haven't quite figured it out yet. Edit: And the above poster contradicts. Well, I guess there is room for both.
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Mar 21, 2012 01:42
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I'm a second year Environmental Engineer. At my school (and I assume most others), it's part of the Civil Engineering department. Looking for internships, it seems there's a much larger number of civil engineering internships available. My college's job board won't even let you specify past "Civil/Environmental Engineering Jobs". Should I just apply to a bunch of "civil" engineering positions? While my curriculum does overlap a little bit (statics, autoCAD, geotech), I know almost nothing about structures, concrete, etc. Beyond that, any other EnvEs around? Care to share some experiences or stories? I've barely seen any discussion on this subject in the thread.
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Mar 21, 2012 02:05
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Crazyweasel posted:This happened to me with Physics, kind of. A lot of Physics is geared to grad school so they aren't really trying to attract people looking for 4 years of school followed by 80k+ a year, but there is still a sect of old schoolers that forget it's the 21st century, electricity/science/computers aren't that much of a niche anymore, and the "You know a bit about everything, you can literally pick your career out of school!" days are over. Chances are, someone with more relevant experience already came up with the idea and they'll get someone with relevant experience to execute it. And there in lies the rub, getting the experience in whatever it is you want to do. I haven't quite figured it out yet. Well, it's probably more common in mechanical than anything else, since a mechanical curriculum touches on a variety of fields already. I might have a unique experience, though, I've only worked for small companies.
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Mar 21, 2012 02:12
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IllIllIll posted:Should I just apply to a bunch of "civil" engineering positions? While my curriculum does overlap a little bit (statics, autoCAD, geotech), I know almost nothing about structures, concrete, etc. Apply to any and every internship that you possibly can, environmental, civil, or not. Any experience helps and getting that first bit of experience is the hardest. Don't forget mining, lot of environmental stuff to worry about there and most companies I've worked for have a dire need for help on that front and it'd be good experience...
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Mar 21, 2012 03:05
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Mar 21, 2012 04:10
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Hi, I graduated with a lib. arts degree in 2010 (music), and even got a related audio tech degree, but the industry is terrible right now and I was having a horrible time even finding an unpaid internship. I was having personal issues in my second/third year of college and resigned to that major as my other options quickly expired. I've made almost no money in my whole life (college was paid for, so no debt), but during late college I learned how to be a good student at least. I can be happy with my personal musical development, but I'd be much happier about that if I could make a living. I am a decent analytical thinker with no aversions to math, so I was considering an engineering degree path, with my first one or two years at a local community college. I have a great interest in fossil fuels, I think that they are some of if not the most important things on earth, so I was glad when I found two (somewhat) nearby schools with Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering programs, one of which seems perfectly suited for transferring into (many identical core classes at my local community college). I live on the east coast and each of these schools are near Petroleum and Gas production, so I should be in a good position for internships. I would be starting schooling two months from now, backtracking a bit in math to make certain that my fundamentals are solid. Should I contact the department heads, or someone else for input on my potential transfer-in path? Does anyone have specific advice for the PNGE field?
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Mar 21, 2012 12:32
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IllIllIll posted:Should I just apply to a bunch of "civil" engineering positions? While my curriculum does overlap a little bit (statics, autoCAD, geotech), I know almost nothing about structures, concrete, etc. As other have said, yes, apply to anything and everything. The important thing is to get that first bit of experience, even if it is unrelated to what you want to do. It's not going to hurt you, especially if you can't find anything that is specifically environmental. I'm currently working as an environmental engineer, although both my degrees are in chemical engineering. My masters work was remediation of ground water that was contaminated with explosives. I did a small stint with a state environmental agency doing water quality work. It was mostly stream modeling waste loads for dischargers. It was pretty interesting and I got to spend quite a bit of time out of the office checking creeks and rivers and doing site visits. The only bad part was that I was working for the state, so the workload was pretty thin. It got boring pretty quickly. If you do try to work for a state agency, be aware that most jobs for engineers are going to be in permitting, which actually has nothing to do with engineering. You'll read regulations all day and handle permits for dischargers. Most of the guys that work in permitting I talked to were incredibly bored and hated doing what they did. Currently I'm the environmental engineer for a manufacturing company at one of their larger plants. I've only been here 6 months but I enjoy it. Alot of what I do is handling their permits and working with the state environmental agency and EPA and making sure we don't get fined. I do sampling and handle any emergencies that occur on site. I'm often brought in for consultations regarding new equipment and processes. They've also given me some responsibility over sustainability initiatives, such as new ways to treat and handle our wastes. It's pretty much something new every day, so I really enjoy it. I'm also the only environmental engineer on site, so no one really knows what it is I do. I don't get micro-managed and can sort of do things my own way at my own pace, which is nice. As long as we don't get any nastygrams from the state, everyone is happy. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, I'll be more than happy to answer.
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Mar 21, 2012 14:38
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Fooz posted:Hi, I graduated with a lib. arts degree in 2010 (music), and even got a related audio tech degree, but the industry is terrible right now and I was having a horrible time even finding an unpaid internship. I was having personal issues in my second/third year of college and resigned to that major as my other options quickly expired. I've made almost no money in my whole life (college was paid for, so no debt), but during late college I learned how to be a good student at least. I can be happy with my personal musical development, but I'd be much happier about that if I could make a living. Pretty much all engineering is roughly equivalent the first year. A CC is only going to substitute for 1 year of engineering at a normal university. What is your math history? If you are going to a CC, confirm that your Calc 1-2 (maybe 3), Physics, Diff EQ, Chem (maybe biochem), and some gen eds will transfer. That is pretty much all you will get out of a CC that will be applicable.
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Mar 21, 2012 14:43
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resident posted:Pretty much all engineering is roughly equivalent the first year. A CC is only going to substitute for 1 year of engineering at a normal university. What is your math history? If you are going to a CC, confirm that your Calc 1-2 (maybe 3), Physics, Diff EQ, Chem (maybe biochem), and some gen eds will transfer. That is pretty much all you will get out of a CC that will be applicable. In addition to what you listed I took Statics, Eng Stats, basic EE, and Dynamics at my CC but its sort of unique in that its both pretty huge and well respected as CCs go. In my state there are articulated engineering course agreements as to what will transfer.
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Mar 21, 2012 16:46
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I know Virginia has a program where you can do your first two years at a community college, take all the entry level engineering classes (math, physics, intro engineering classes like statics, etc) and get automatically accepted to any state engineering program once you get your associates. You might want to see if your state does something similar.
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Mar 21, 2012 17:01
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Frinkahedron posted:I know Virginia has a program where you can do your first two years at a community college, take all the entry level engineering classes (math, physics, intro engineering classes like statics, etc) and get automatically accepted to any state engineering program once you get your associates. You might want to see if your state does something similar. By the second year at a university you will be taking specialized courses that will be the basis for your engineering specialty. Do your research and make absolutely certain that the CC can offer something equivalent or you will be putting yourself at a disadvantage. I could see this working for ME, EE, ChemE but PNGE might be stretch. You can also start looking for internships your second year and there will be many more options while attending a university.
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Mar 21, 2012 20:21
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resident posted:By the second year at a university you will be taking specialized courses that will be the basis for your engineering specialty. Do your research and make absolutely certain that the CC can offer something equivalent or you will be putting yourself at a disadvantage. I could see this working for ME, EE, ChemE but PNGE might be stretch. You can also start looking for internships your second year and there will be many more options while attending a university. For my Petroleum Engineering degree the "Gen Eds" were: -Calc 1,2,3 -Diff Eq -Chem 1,2 -Physics 1,2 Then of course there was statics, thermo, fluid mechanics and other basic engineering courses but they were pretty strict about transferring those in. Depending on the school you might be able to take most of those at a CC just make sure the physics is calculus based. PE is largely focused on the upstream end of the industry (from the reservoir to the sales meter) so it mostly focuses on geology, fluid dynamics, and thermo. There's also a lot of geomechanics especially with the emergence of hydraulic fracturing. There's some more mechanical engineering type stuff involved with the drilling side but it's pretty straight forward. PE is also the most fun branch of engineering. What schools are you looking at if you don't mind me asking?
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Mar 22, 2012 20:33
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ch3cooh posted:For my Petroleum Engineering degree the "Gen Eds" were: By "gen eds" I was referring to the courses outside of the core curriculum ie Economics, Psych, History, Music, etc. I had to have 15 credits of gen eds for my EE degree. 9 whatever, 3 that qualified for international perspective, and 3 that qualified for US diversity. These should be very easy to take care of at a CC. resident fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Mar 23, 2012 |
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Mar 23, 2012 01:22
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I'm looking at Penn and West Virginia University, but I'll probably be casting a wider net. I think that I will be at the CC for this summer, fall, spring, and another summer semester, so I should be able to do plenty, and hopefully some of my gen ed's can transfer from my last college. For math, I passed Calc 1, but It's been a while, so I'm going to do precalc, and calc 1 again, with 2 and 3 also in the pipeline for CC.
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Mar 23, 2012 05:34
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Fooz posted:I'm looking at Penn and West Virginia University, but I'll probably be casting a wider net. I think that I will be at the CC for this summer, fall, spring, and another summer semester, so I should be able to do plenty, and hopefully some of my gen ed's can transfer from my last college. Why are you doing pre-clac if you've already passed Calc 1?
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Mar 23, 2012 16:19
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Yeah don't bother redoing things you have already done. The first month of courses is refresher anyway. If you are really worried about it grab a calc book and do a self-refresh before the class starts. I'll send you one for free if you PM me (gently caress my university for changing every math book the semester after I got done).
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Mar 23, 2012 18:22
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I'm a SCADA 'engineer' for a nationwide industrial refrigeration company. We design and build enormous (like.. 500,000 sq ft) freezer and chiller systems. I put engineer in quotes because a bunch of people get all bent out of shape when I tell them I never graduated from university. Also the work involved doesn't require an incredible degree of hard math and science study. If anyone has any questions about refrigeration engineering, PLC programming, developing HMI interfaces, or industrial control systems in general, I'd be more than happy to answer them! First Time Caller fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Mar 23, 2012 |
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Mar 23, 2012 20:36
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I've decided not to pursue grad school at the moment, since I do not think that I can handle it immediately after graduation and need some time to figure out what it is I really want to do now that I have this degree. What are my options for now if I am not interested in grad school? Find a lab position? Work retail? Leave the country? BS in Biomedical Engineering, since it matters.
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Mar 24, 2012 04:24
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Pollyanna posted:I've decided not to pursue grad school at the moment, since I do not think that I can handle it immediately after graduation and need some time to figure out what it is I really want to do now that I have this degree. What are my options for now if I am not interested in grad school? Find a lab position? Work retail? Leave the country? BS in Biomedical Engineering, since it matters. Why is get a real job in your field not on that list? EDIT: I am going to assume the answer is because  "they all require masters degrees."Jump on Indeed and LinkedIn. I found a few here in Orlando in a couple of minutes. Lord Gaga fucked around with this message at 05:06 on Mar 24, 2012 |
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Mar 24, 2012 04:55
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Lord Gaga posted:Why is get a real job in your field not on that list? I AM on LinkedIn, and have been looking around. I'm still figuring out how it works. I'm still not entirely sure of what it is I want to do, and the field my major is in is okay, but I'm wondering what else I could do as a career. What do you mean by that masters comment? I've found quite a few good jobs on Indeed that don't require one. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 05:20 on Mar 24, 2012 |
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Mar 24, 2012 05:14
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I got the impression that you felt like it was a requirement in industry when it is not, though a lot of jobs seem to want one. I use Indeed's RSS and I'd highly recommend that to you. I feel like Indeed is better for turning leads into jobs than linkedin. The good thing about linkedin is if you're looking for basically a job, any job, in industry to get started you can hit up the recruiters. EDIT: If youre like me and you have some special feather in your cap that is popular enough that it gets mentioned in listings (mine is my machining skills/experience) Indeed's RSS is great for those targeted keywords. Lord Gaga fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Mar 24, 2012 |
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Mar 24, 2012 05:36
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Lord Gaga posted:I got the impression that you felt like it was a requirement in industry when it is not, though a lot of jobs seem to want one. I use Indeed's RSS and I'd highly recommend that to you. I feel like Indeed is better for turning leads into jobs than linkedin. The good thing about linkedin is if you're looking for basically a job, any job, in industry to get started you can hit up the recruiters. I tend to fall back on the passive-aggressive bullshit mostly because I disagree with the way the system treats grad school. It really should not be a prerequisite for entry level jobs and it should be motivated by how much you love your field, not by how much money you want. I guess I'm just bitter. I'm very interested in imaging and I think I could be very useful at even an entry-level job. Think I might mess around on Indeed more, I've already found a good few options there.
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Mar 24, 2012 05:55
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I apologize if these questions have been asked before, but it's a huge thread and I've picked through it without seeing them. Recent M.E. grad with loads of Leadership experience via ROTC and an internship with the Air Force doing QA/Maintenance stuff. GPA is a 2.8 (I have a sob story but its uninteresting and not worth discussing since it won't boost my GPA). I have a few projects under my belt (including a small undergrad research project) and a secret level security clearance (Army reserve officer in the corp of engineers). It's about two weeks into the job hunt and I've submitted my resume to GE, Lockheed Martin, Cummins, and Toyota with no callbacks on any of the 40 some odd positions I've applied for in those companies. Question is, How bad is the job market for Mechanical Engineers right now (I'm in southern Ohio for reference)? Is my GPA too low for these companies to consider me? Should I be looking more toward contract jobs at places like Addeco and Belcan or should I continue to hold out for a decent full time job? Also, Is grad school out of the question with a 2.8? I know a few professors and military officers that would write me letters of recommendation and I have some interesting projects to show off but almost every grad school requires a 3.0 for engineering. Thanks for the help!
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Mar 27, 2012 00:36
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Lockmart Lawndart posted:I apologize if these questions have been asked before, but it's a huge thread and I've picked through it without seeing them. Don't be afraid of branching out of your normal areas. I learned way more in two years of working as an engineer than I did in school. A fancy looking resume also helps. If you're having problems, contracts can build a resume AND a network. Being reliable, dedicated, and easy to work with go a long, long way, once you get that reputation.
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Mar 27, 2012 00:51
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Lockmart Lawndart posted:I apologize if these questions have been asked before, but it's a huge thread and I've picked through it without seeing them. The fact that you have a secret clearance should be front and center in everything you submit. Also I got contacted farther out that 2 weeks for some job applications when I was applying, so don't rule them out yet. Also, I got into grad school with a 2.9 overall, but I did a lot of undergrad research with my now advisor, so I'm probably a rarity.
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Mar 27, 2012 01:44
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Lockmart Lawndart posted:It's about two weeks into the job hunt and I've submitted my resume to GE, Lockheed Martin, Cummins, and Toyota with no callbacks on any of the 40 some odd positions I've applied for in those companies. Way to apply to all the other places literally every engineer applies to! Maybe try searching for a smaller company to get started with. Use Indeed, Linkedin and craigslist.
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Mar 27, 2012 01:49
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Lockmart Lawndart posted:It's about two weeks into the job hunt and I've submitted my resume to GE, Lockheed Martin, Cummins, and Toyota with no callbacks on any of the 40 some odd positions I've applied for in those companies. It can easily take more than two weeks before a large company responds to you. If you are applying at the same time as all the other recent grads, (i.e. they are being flooded with resumes) you shouldn't expect a very prompt response. That said, make sure you are applying to several positions at each company. Resume's stack up and hiring managers often won't dig too deep into the pile of general applications.
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Mar 27, 2012 02:01
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Lockmart Lawndart posted:
Are you willing to move to other locations? I'm not sure about Ohio, but there's a decent amount of jobs on the west coast for someone with an active clearance. Sell the clearance and USAF experience and you should get some interest from the defense industry. This time of year you'll have better luck if you have a friend or alumni connection that can get your resume past HR and to an actual hiring manager, a lot of the big companies have more resumes than they know what to do with now and it takes a lot of time to get through them all. I think it took 2 months for me to hear back from some of the big name companies.
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Mar 27, 2012 04:18
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Working in a large international company and occasionally dealing with HR I confirm that two weeks is nothing for the companies you mentioned - more like a month or two. Also this may be not the best time for looking for a job in engineering, because in many cases budgets and headcount are fixed for this year. New budget cycle will start in summer/fall and only then people will have better idea on what positions they need to cover. Look for small companies and keep contractor business as a backup for now.
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Mar 27, 2012 04:38
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Mar 27, 2012 15:50
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Lockmart Lawndart posted:How bad is the job market for Mechanical Engineers right now (I'm in southern Ohio for reference)? GE Aviation has been hiring a ton recently. What GE postings did you specifically apply to online? Given you are in southern Ohio (I'm going to assume you are near Cincinnati), do you know anyone that works at GE? A referral by a GE employee increases the odds of you getting a call back significantly. Your Air Force experience and secret clearance will help. Belcan is a good option for the area as well. mtr fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Mar 29, 2012 |
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Mar 28, 2012 03:09
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Are there any software engineers here? I'm just a bit curious about what sort of work they actually do, graduates in particular. I'm currently a 2nd year Mech major and I've really enjoyed what little programming stuff I've done so far, and to be honest I don't think I have much of an interest in manufacturing/materials/mechanical related stuff. My biggest fear with software is that I'll be stuck in a cubicle on a computer all day every day, with little to no travel opportunities. Is this usually the case?
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Mar 28, 2012 12:11
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Check out this thread http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3419165
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Mar 28, 2012 14:20
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msinclair posted:Are there any software engineers here? I'm just a bit curious about what sort of work they actually do, graduates in particular. I'm currently a 2nd year Mech major and I've really enjoyed what little programming stuff I've done so far, and to be honest I don't think I have much of an interest in manufacturing/materials/mechanical related stuff. I'm an EE in consumer electronics but work very closely with our programmers. You could be a low level integrated programmer and have the opportunity to travel to China/Taiwan once or twice a year. I also work with FAEs from TI, Maxim, Freescale, and other major IC manufacturers that will travel to support clients within a region. They typically have understanding of both low level software and hardware. I know one other EE/SE/CprE that travels extensively to support new software integration when his company sells to new clients in the energy industry. Typically many more engineers stay home than travel so if that is something you are looking for make sure you have it on your resume. Some engineers have no desire to travel so this can be a selling point as you are job searching. You are more likely to be traveling if you are on the "business-y" side of things. resident fucked around with this message at 14:33 on Mar 28, 2012 |
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Mar 28, 2012 14:30
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