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Frinkahedron posted:I know two people who did/are doing the ME+EE route. The guy who finished his did it in 4 years and had a large amount of job offers before graduation. The other is probably going to continue onto grad school. Both double majored, didn't do a minor. Definitely possible to do in four years if you come in with a lot of AP credit and know exactly what you want to do, and are willing to work like a dog. But for the average bear, it's pretty difficult.
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Mar 31, 2011 15:40
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Ingenium posted:Ugh, I am really torn here. I am rounding down my third year in ME and I have started to look longingly over at Cpt S, due to the high quality of the jobs software engineers have. The problem I have is I don't know if I would be happy as a programmer, OR a ME. After this long I would think I would have learned, but having never been into cars and hands on work I haven't experienced much things mechanical, and I have done little to no programming. In fact the classes I can say I really enjoyed was more mathematical analysis like dynamics/dynamic systems. Would it be worth it to switch over a little blind; or if I stuck with the ME major and worked on a Cpt S minor and got a good background in programming? I am assuming a ME that can program would probably be more useful than a Software Engineer that knows how to deal with energy and mechanical systems. When I was in school for my ME I decided I wanted to double major in software. I'd programmed some basic stuff here and there so I thought I'd be good at it and it'd make me more marketable. I took one C++ class as an elective and I almost failed it. In fact, the only lesson I learned from that class was that I absolutely suck at programming and also hate it. Definitely find out if you like it before you commit.
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Mar 31, 2011 20:12
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timtastic posted:That's assuming you could minor in EE. You'd probably have to double major. I don't imagine there is a lot of overlapping classes between ME and EE, so I hope you like the 5/6 year plus plan. grover fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Mar 31, 2011 |
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Mar 31, 2011 22:53
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grover posted:My school offered a hybrid major (on an honors-only basis) that is a combination of electrical and mechanical, with bits of aerospace, nuclear, and computer engineering thrown in for good measure. Students chose electives from all the engineering disciplines to define their focus, and had to do research and write/defend a BS thesis to graduate. IMHO, it's a really good program. Didn't go into the weeds as much as a pure ME or EE program does, but the multidisciplinary skills are just gold. Lord I wish UNL offered a program like this. I would be all over it like white on rice. Double-majoring in EE and ME sounds awesome, but sounds like a hell of a lot of work. I think I will be fine with just ME though.
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Mar 31, 2011 23:50
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would you have to do two separate senior design projects or just one that combined ME and EE elements?
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Apr 1, 2011 00:20
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dxt posted:would you have to do two separate senior design projects or just one that combined ME and EE elements? Edit: they weren't design projects, they were senior thesis. grover fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Apr 1, 2011 |
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Apr 1, 2011 01:25
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Having somebody outside of your discipline would certainly allow you to make more interesting design projects. A group full of aerospace engineers really limits the electrical elements you can add to your project, for example. Come to think of it, I don't know why they don't coordinate majors to allow this.
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Apr 1, 2011 04:08
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VT's mining department has a collaboration with Aero to create a lunar digging machine. Its pretty cool. 
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Apr 1, 2011 04:38
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When our class (aerospace engineers) was doing design projects, we had some awesome ideas, but we were usually limited to designing the orbital mechanics and some aerodynamics. When it came down to whatever hardware we wanted to actually use in our project, we either had to choose some off-the-shelf hardware or just black box it ("mechanical engineer's contribution goes here").
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Apr 1, 2011 04:53
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What's the engineering market like in NYC? I've lived in the craptacular south for long enough. I finally had something catch my eye and make me want it for the first time in years. I'm assuming COLA is a given for people working in the big apple, but honestly "just" normal starting wages are enough to live in Queens, right? I'm currently on an Enviro/Civil path, depending on what University I get into. Would I be better off getting a Master's first or just going there with a Bachelor's?
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Apr 1, 2011 05:41
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timtastic posted:When our class (aerospace engineers) was doing design projects, we had some awesome ideas, but we were usually limited to designing the orbital mechanics and some aerodynamics. When it came down to whatever hardware we wanted to actually use in our project, we either had to choose some off-the-shelf hardware or just black box it ("mechanical engineer's contribution goes here"). Is this due to budget or time or restrictions or something? All 9 of the teams in my Aerospace class built (and tested) working examples of their designs (and we all met our requirements, because we were all awesome). Don't know the budget of the Aero (plane-building) teams, but the Space teams ended up getting about $1,500 a piece, and none of us even came close to spending that much. 2banks1swap.avi posted:What's the engineering market like in NYC? This except substitute LA for NYC and you've got my situation. (I don't want to live in the south, but I don't want to go northward (and colder) to get out, which basically means southern California.) ApathyGifted fucked around with this message at 06:26 on Apr 1, 2011 |
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Apr 1, 2011 05:58
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We did two semesters for our design class (and two different projects). In the first semester we had a budget of $500 and needed to produce a prototype (and the money for the prototype came from entering a student design competition). In the second semester we could go hog wild, but didn't have any money to make anything.
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Apr 1, 2011 10:03
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Apr 1, 2011 15:16
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I just edited my post; we didn't do a senior design project in my school, we did actual masters thesis-type research, albeit on a BS level (1 year of research vice 2-3). I did characterization of thin-film silicon-nitrides on polysilicon samples, which was the first step towards fabrication of an electrostatically stable MEMS microrotor I'd designed, but proved to be a little too ambitious for an undergrad thesis and I ran out of time. The thesis work was only for this one particular multidisciplinary major, EE and ME didn't do them. We all did do design projects for various other classes, though. My favorite was a blood-powered turbine generator for running pacemakers  We decided at the end that it would probably be instantly clogged by platelets and a sort of kinetic power supply that charged from the movement of the recipient would be better.
grover fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Apr 1, 2011 |
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Apr 1, 2011 15:25
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Thoguh posted:While there are some limits, did you guys not do anything other than the aerodynamics? We only had a couple of classes of EE (learning how to write circuit equations and find voltages anywhere in the circuit, up to using oscilloscopes in a circuit) and plenty of ME stuff too. I think the reason our second semester design class had so much black-boxed stuff was because they didn't really put any restrictions on us.
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Apr 2, 2011 00:35
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I got a call yesterday from one of the places I applied to for a summer internship. I only talked with her for a few minutes on the phone but she seemed very eager to just send over my info to HR to hire me on. I opted to go in on Monday and take a tour of the facility and meet the people I would be working with first though. Should I be worried?
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Apr 2, 2011 04:42
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A Jew in Manhattan posted:I got a call yesterday from one of the places I applied to for a summer internship. I only talked with her for a few minutes on the phone but she seemed very eager to just send over my info to HR to hire me on. I opted to go in on Monday and take a tour of the facility and meet the people I would be working with first though. Opting to go in for an for a tour puts you above the guys that didn't. Try and get on with the guys that you might be working with, as they will no doubt be asked their opinion of guys at the end of the tour. Worried? No, just make sure you know what kind of facility it is your going in to see, and try and have a basic idea of what it does. So if you do get asked any questions you might have a better chance of answering.
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Apr 2, 2011 08:06
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Oodles posted:Opting to go in for an for a tour puts you above the guys that didn't. Try and get on with the guys that you might be working with, as they will no doubt be asked their opinion of guys at the end of the tour.
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Apr 2, 2011 12:41
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Also, tours are always cool, even if you don't get the job 
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Apr 2, 2011 14:10
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Apr 2, 2011 17:42
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2banks1swap.avi posted:What's the engineering market like in NYC? There aren't many big engineering companies in the five boroughs, but there is some cool engineering going on in NYC. http://blog.dansteingart.com/post/3513191423/an-open-letter-to-nyc-media Then there are big operations like IBM in Yorktown Heights, Brookhaven National Labs in Long Island, and many more in the tri-state area. If you want to work in NYC after graduation you should start making contacts now. Try applying for internships or REUs in or near NYC. Engineers tend to overlook REUs, but they're not just for hard science majors. http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&from=fund
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Apr 3, 2011 00:50
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A Jew in Manhattan posted:Right, I know that much already. I meant that it seemed really weird that this person was trying to hire me without any real interview process. I wouldn't look too much into it; you're going to be an intern, not a salaried engineer so if you can take direction and are willing to learn, you are qualified.
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Apr 3, 2011 20:14
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SeaBass posted:I wouldn't look too much into it; you're going to be an intern, not a salaried engineer so if you can take direction and are willing to learn, you are qualified. When I interned with Honeywell the interview process consisted of, "You want to be an intern?". I wouldn't worry about intern level interviews.
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Apr 4, 2011 00:26
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Is anyone here a software engineer in the valley?
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Apr 4, 2011 22:38
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I assume you mean silicon valley. I'm an engineer here but not a software engineer...
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Apr 6, 2011 03:12
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Note: I am feeling pretty pessimistic and it's going to show in this post. Is there any point in going to university to do a BE(Hons) in Electrical Engineering when:
I don't mind questions about my situation as it would help me decide.
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Apr 6, 2011 04:26
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Why do you want to be an engineer?
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Apr 6, 2011 04:35
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People have done awesome things with even worse starts than that.
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Apr 6, 2011 04:40
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Lord Gaga posted:Why do you want to be an engineer? I did a pre-trade course for electricians last year and I wasn't satisfied (read: enjoyed learning about it too much) with what I learnt. I want to learn more about electricity and electronics, and a couple of instructors at that course commented that I should be at university instead of doing that course. I also know that if I decide not to do this, I'll regret it later.
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Apr 6, 2011 04:54
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Do it and if you can't get a job do what every single other Kiwi does and move over here where there's engineering jobs galore. NZ's current economy isn't a problem when you can so easily get a visa here (especially as an engineer) and it's $150-$200 for a flight.
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Apr 6, 2011 05:49
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Odette posted:I also know that if I decide not to do this, I'll regret it later. you should probably give it a shot then.
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Apr 6, 2011 06:08
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Odette posted:Note: I am feeling pretty pessimistic and it's going to show in this post. When I started the engineering program at my university, it had been six years since I'd taken a math or physics class. I never had any trigonometry and the highest math I completed was Algebra II in high school with a C. I took a pre-calculus class to get up to speed and was on the same level as everyone else from there; at this point I've got three quarters worth of Calculus completed. I also came in when I was 23. Age and background knowledge aren't that big of a deal. If you aren't 100% sure you're prepared for a class then take one that will bring you up to speed.
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Apr 6, 2011 13:48
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Odette posted:[*]I don't know if 23 is considered as "old" ... but I'll most likely still be living at home with my parents to save cash, etc. Will most likely move out at some stage. Your social life might suffer a bit (what engineering social life  ) being a commuter, but more importantly you're going into college with far more maturity than the rest of your peers, which will help you considerably. You'll have the discipline and work ethic to get your work done and master the material.
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Apr 6, 2011 15:26
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movax posted:you're going into college with far more maturity than the rest of your peers, which will help you considerably. You'll have the discipline and work ethic to get your work done and master the material. This.
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Apr 6, 2011 15:33
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Thanks for the reassuring replies so far, guys and girls. It's been helpful. Regarding a social life, I post on these forums, so I think it's fair to assume I don't have one in the first place. 
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Apr 6, 2011 21:53
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If it makes you feel better I will be 26 when I start school for the 2nd time this fall.
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Apr 6, 2011 22:29
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movax posted:Your social life might suffer a bit (what engineering social life I never got this. Maybe you Americans are different (maybe it's to do with the 18 vs 21 thing) but here, the engineers are the biggest drinkers and always live in the pub. I spent so much time there during Uni it was criminal. We're also the guys constantly having 'social club events' (uni-funded pissups) under the guise of Uni rugby teams, etc., not to mention all the 'industry networking evenings' (industry-funded pissups). Study was relegated to a distant annoyance that had to be just barely satisfied for about 95% of us. Engineers have the best social life.
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Apr 7, 2011 00:33
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Apr 7, 2011 02:52
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Nam Taf posted:Study was relegated to a distant annoyance that had to be just barely satisfied for about 95% of us. Yeah I don't know what engineering school is like in your country, but this got you a D, max in the US. Most would (and do) fail out.
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Apr 7, 2011 03:20
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Nam Taf posted:I never got this. Maybe you Americans are different (maybe it's to do with the 18 vs 21 thing) but here, the engineers are the biggest drinkers and always live in the pub. I spent so much time there during Uni it was criminal. We're also the guys constantly having 'social club events' (uni-funded pissups) under the guise of Uni rugby teams, etc., not to mention all the 'industry networking evenings' (industry-funded pissups). Study was relegated to a distant annoyance that had to be just barely satisfied for about 95% of us. We had a guy in my class from France who'd already gotten his Bachelor's in Engineering back home. He had to completely redo his degree here because no American companies would accept his education. Now I know why.  I did less homework than anybody in my class and came out with about a B- average, but I happen to be really, really good at the math involved in engineering to the point that I was tutoring my fellow students on the side (people freaked out when I told them that I did all of our Dynamics and Controls work on paper instead of Mathcad like the teacher suggested). I still only got to drink one or two nights a week.
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Apr 7, 2011 04:36
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