Engineering Majors?

[sco cuddie1]

Originally Posted by pookieman

Originally Posted by ThrowedInDaGame

Originally Posted by Wr

engineers go to technicians for help. You can get into that a lot faster than EE and you get hands on experience while in school. Diversity as well. Being able to link all systems together makes you more useful in the job market than being specialized in one field. Engineering fields lack uniformity across the board as well. not knocking EE at a 4 yr school. There are other options out there though.

   I've got friends making 80-105k in silicon valley with EE degrees....right out of school.

How many years will it take you to get that kind of money as a technician? Probably never?

Moving up in an established engineering company without a degree? Getting into an MBA program to lead an engineering company as a technician? C'mon dude

Buddy, the dude is right....the engineering system/field is a joke.  To be honest, a lot of the stuff you learn in school is pointless for possibly 1/3 of the jobs that require an engineering degree....most of the learning you do is on the job....and then there are some specialized fields, some schools get you ready for those fields and some don't get you ready. Many schools have accredited programs, but these accreditations are falsely earned. 

Pookie is absolutely right with this. I took a ton of classes in college to earn a Civil Engineering degree and I think I only use what I learned from maybe, 3-4 classes. Engineering is a hands-on-learn-as-you-go field, whether you are working on the design side of engineering or the construction management side, you need to be hands on. What you read in a book and the formulas you use in class will only get you so far in the field.

 

[bballkingsrule]

^^^ What does an average day as a Civil Engineer look like? What kind of things do you do daily and does the job outlook look good for it? Same with your experiences (friends maybe) with mechanical engineering?

 

[sco cuddie1]

Originally Posted by Bballkingsrule

^^^ What does an average day as a Civil Engineer look like? What kind of things do you do daily and does the job outlook look good for it? Same with your experiences (friends maybe) with mechanical engineering?

Well, although I have a Civil Engineering Degree, I'm working in the Mechanical field as a Plumbing Engineering for a plumbing contractor. I'm currently in the pre-construction stage of a Kaiser Hospital - what I do is I'm giving a set of preliminary drawings (Architectural drawing, structural drawings, MEP drawings, etc). From there, I started designing the plumbing system. As the process continues and we begin designing, we run into constructability problems, which need to be coordinate it between the General Contractor, Architect, Structural engineer, etc. I'm acting as Project Manager on the job also, so my company gives me a budget to work with, and I need to distribute money accordingly in order to not exceed out budget.

As the Architect changes things around on the drawings, I need to go back, review the changes, determine how it effects us, update our design and attached a cost to the changes that I will bill them for. Typically, Pre-construction has to do with getting the design perfect before construction starts.

Once on-site, I'll be the Project Engineer and acting Project Manager. I took this from Wikipedia, it sums up what my responsibilities will be once on-site: "responsibilities may include: daily operations of field work activities and organization of subcontractors; coordination of the implementation of a project, ensuring it is being built correctly; project schedules and forecasts; interpretation of drawings for tradesmen; review of engineering deliverables; redlining drawings; regular project status reports; budget monitoring and trend tracking; bill of materials creation and maintenance; effective communications between engineering, technical, construction, and project controls groups; and assistance to the project manager."

As far as the outlook on jobs, it mostly depends on the company you work for. Luckily for me, I work for a company that has made itself known as a major player in the So Cal construction scene. Their Nor Cal branch, which I currently work for, is relatively small but we are growing at a rapid pace and have work locked in until the end of 2017. Every weeks we get act to bid on new jobs, and we're making a good name for ourselves in Nor Cal. It looks like we'll be busy for quite awhile.

On the other hand, I have a buddy who works for another construction contractor, and they can't seem to be granted any type of work, so for him, it looks very sketchy. As far as Mechanical side, there are a TON of hospitals currently being built in Nor Cal. Hospitals require a large amount of Mechanical work, so the Mechanical field out here looks good, but again, you have to be in the right company. One Mechanical company out here is making a killing, doing great work, while other big Mechanical companies don't have any work at the moment...

Hope that helped a bit. 

 

[sstutter]

I'm currently double majoring in a technical Information Science/Systems major that my university offers in the engineering school along with Economics. I've had internships within the finance sphere (asset management, investment banking, and hedge fund) and am looking to work at a hedge fund straight out of school. Big pro (and I can't stress this enough): even if you don't end up using your engineering degree for an engineering career, almost every other industry, especially within the financial services, definitely values the quantitative training you receive as an engineering/math/physics/etc. major. Just something to think about

 

[bballkingsrule]

Originally Posted by Sco cuddie1

Originally Posted by Bballkingsrule

^^^ What does an average day as a Civil Engineer look like? What kind of things do you do daily and does the job outlook look good for it? Same with your experiences (friends maybe) with mechanical engineering?

Well, although I have a Civil Engineering Degree, I'm working in the Mechanical field as a Plumbing Engineering for a plumbing contractor. I'm currently in the pre-construction stage of a Kaiser Hospital - what I do is I'm giving a set of preliminary drawings (Architectural drawing, structural drawings, MEP drawings, etc). From there, I started designing the plumbing system. As the process continues and we begin designing, we run into constructability problems, which need to be coordinate it between the General Contractor, Architect, Structural engineer, etc. I'm acting as Project Manager on the job also, so my company gives me a budget to work with, and I need to distribute money accordingly in order to not exceed out budget.

As the Architect changes things around on the drawings, I need to go back, review the changes, determine how it effects us, update our design and attached a cost to the changes that I will bill them for. Typically, Pre-construction has to do with getting the design perfect before construction starts.

Once on-site, I'll be the Project Engineer and acting Project Manager. I took this from Wikipedia, it sums up what my responsibilities will be once on-site: "responsibilities may include: daily operations of field work activities and organization of subcontractors; coordination of the implementation of a project, ensuring it is being built correctly; project schedules and forecasts; interpretation of drawings for tradesmen; review of engineering deliverables; redlining drawings; regular project status reports; budget monitoring and trend tracking; bill of materials creation and maintenance; effective communications between engineering, technical, construction, and project controls groups; and assistance to the project manager."

As far as the outlook on jobs, it mostly depends on the company you work for. Luckily for me, I work for a company that has made itself known as a major player in the So Cal construction scene. Their Nor Cal branch, which I currently work for, is relatively small but we are growing at a rapid pace and have work locked in until the end of 2017. Every weeks we get act to bid on new jobs, and we're making a good name for ourselves in Nor Cal. It looks like we'll be busy for quite awhile.

On the other hand, I have a buddy who works for another construction contractor, and they can't seem to be granted any type of work, so for him, it looks very sketchy. As far as Mechanical side, there are a TON of hospitals currently being built in Nor Cal. Hospitals require a large amount of Mechanical work, so the Mechanical field out here looks good, but again, you have to be in the right company. One Mechanical company out here is making a killing, doing great work, while other big Mechanical companies don't have any work at the moment...

Hope that helped a bit. 

Thanks man, that was a lot of help. I am actually debating between majoring in mechanical and civil engineering. I heard mechanical is much harder but I want to know if it is worth going through the roughness but with a really good job outlook or going with civil, a little easier, with a solid job outlook. 

 

[acidicality]

Originally Posted by Bballkingsrule

Anybody graduate with mechanical or evil engineering lately? What is the job outlook for both in the next 5 years?

I graduated last year in mechE...I had two temp jobs for the past year or so, and am just starting to receive offers for full-time positions (just got my first offer yesterday actually

).

The job market sucks for all jobs right now; that is the reality. But there will be opportunities available in engineering, and mechanical is very versatile. You could work on cell phones, medical devices, airplanes, shoes, you name it. I think there will be a transition toward more clean energy jobs in the future, and a lot of manufacturing is going to disappear more and more (if it hasn't already).

This goes for anyone who's currently in an engineering program or anyone who wants to do one (for a Bachelor's)...be sure to get internships during your summers, and if not, be willing to take them after you graduate. I feel that a lot of companies won't hire people who don't have any internship experience if you're a new grad, since if you don't have any, there will be 5 other people that do.

 

[sco cuddie1]

Originally Posted by acidicality

Originally Posted by Bballkingsrule

Anybody graduate with mechanical or evil engineering lately? What is the job outlook for both in the next 5 years?

This goes for anyone who's currently in an engineering program or anyone who wants to do one (for a Bachelor's)...be sure to get internships during your summers, and if not, be willing to take them after you graduate. I feel that a lot of companies won't hire people who don't have any internship experience if you're a new grad, since if you don't have any, there will be 5 other people that do.

This is key! I'm part of the hiring group here at my company for the NorCal division, and I can't tell you how many times I have passed on a person because of a lack of experience. I had this girl apply, her resume looked great - graduated from a great engineering school, had a masters degree, great grades, etc but no experience at all. I asked her a few questions regarding mechanical engineering and how she would deal with on-site issues and she replied with "I'm not sure, but I have a book that I can look at which might tell me the answer." Sure you can be book smart, but book smart does not always turn into real world situation smart. Instead, we hired another girl who had her BS in Engineering, decent grades from a decent school, but interned every summer of college. She understood the construction process, how the construction process worked, and how to deal with real-world situations. 

It is VERY essential for gain experience in this field.
  

 

[bballkingsrule]

^^^^ I feel like mechanical engineering is more interesting than civil engineering. What college you go to?

 

[sco cuddie1]

Originally Posted by Bballkingsrule

^^^^ I feel like mechanical engineering is more interesting than civil engineering. What college you go to?

I was a Concrete Engineer before, working for a general contractor that performed concrete work to create the structure - all of the building elements would be concrete (each slab, walls, core, etc). I had a blast doing it..everyday was a challenge and so much fun.

What I'm doing now in the Mecanical field is more relaxed, not as stressful, fun but not as much fun as my last job....this is all personal opinion tho.

I went to San Francisco State University for my BS in Civil Engineering, then UC Berkeley for a Construct Management Program, and currently taking a Plumbing Design Program.

 

[pianoman52]

@Sco you guys hiring? lol

 

[bballkingsrule]

Originally Posted by Sco cuddie1

Originally Posted by Bballkingsrule

^^^^ I feel like mechanical engineering is more interesting than civil engineering. What college you go to?

I was a Concrete Engineer before, working for a general contractor that performed concrete work to create the structure - all of the building elements would be concrete (each slab, walls, core, etc). I had a blast doing it..everyday was a challenge and so much fun.

What I'm doing now in the Mecanical field is more relaxed, not as stressful, fun but not as much fun as my last job....this is all personal opinion tho.

I went to San Francisco State University for my BS in Civil Engineering, then UC Berkeley for a Construct Management Program, and currently taking a Plumbing Design Program.

Sounds cool man. So what did you do on a daily basis as a concrete engineer and what are you doing now with mechanical engineering job? I feel like mechanical is more interesting to me just cause there are so many fields you can work with like cell phones, machines, ipods, shoes, airplanes etc. But it is a much harder field. 

 

[mandown91]

Doing IE.... man i swear right now sucks stats, physics, & linear

 

[bchimcuter]

Originally Posted by acidicality

I graduated in Mechanical Engineering last year.


That being said, I interned after graduation for a couple months but I've been looking for work ever since.

me too

but if i had to do it over again id still be a mechanical engineer.  the subject material isn't too difficult you just gotta make sure you stay on top of the material and don't fall behind.

 

[jhobson5]

Originally Posted by bchimcuter

Originally Posted by acidicality

I graduated in Mechanical Engineering last year.


That being said, I interned after graduation for a couple months but I've been looking for work ever since.

me too

but if i had to do it over again id still be a mechanical engineer.  the subject material isn't too difficult you just gotta make sure you stay on top of the material and don't fall behind.

Yes I been a Mechanical Engineer now for 3 years and I wouldnt have it any other way. Keep looking for work it will come, its just hard to get your foot in the door as a new grad in this economy, but it will come I promise just be patient and dont confine yourself to one local area. Make sure you are flexible in moving around the country and it will make your searches a lot easier. If any of you guys need a lead on possible work let me know, I have had a lot of contact with recruiters and they are always looking for engineers (PM me). Once you get a year or two under your belt you wont ever have to look for a job again, companies will seek you out.

 

[sreggie101]

im a recent ee grad and never interned during college unfortunately. now that i graduated, finding work is hard. but honestly i don't think its because of lack of internship experience. i've been searching for a long time now and the experience requested is generally specific for that company's business. even in terms of software, there such a big variety out there and so many companies use different things (orcad, autocad, labview, etc) much of which i never used because i never needed to during undergrad. my undergrad consisted of (matlab and a splash of multisim) autocad was generally for civil and mechanical.

internships now usually require proof of active enrollment in a school so thats not really an option for me. also, specifically for EEs, i feel that its hard because you have to find a job thats willing to train. its wrong to assume a grad is good to go to throw into the mix already without any guidance and %+$@ and some jobs don't seem willing to train

all i can say for sure is that im going to grad school after i get a job...that masters degree is going to be the love

 

[bballkingsrule]

Interesting information guys, looks like mechanical is the more interesting field? Civil looks decent too i guess?

 

[mrswagtastic]

currently doing CE right now. How long did it take all you guys to graduate?(For BS)

 

[bballkingsrule]

Any updates with people with their engineering experiences?

 

[brettthejett]

I didn't do Engineering at a University, I did it at a technical college. I'm a Construction Engineering Tech... took me two years as opposed to four. It's more management and technical intensive. I'd day it had 1/10th the math that you can expect at University. 
I received a job offer 5 months prior to graduating. Base hourly rate of $31, uplifted to $40 when I work out of town.

Maybe it was luck that I chose this cheaper and easier route, but my Engineering friends cannot find jobs because the industry demands a more practical and technical knowledge base out of grads.

If there is a technical college in your area it might be worth it to look into how grads of the programs made out.

 

[illwill8710]

Originally Posted by brettTHEjett

I didn't do Engineering at a University, I did it at a technical college. I'm a Construction Engineering Tech... took me two years as opposed to four. It's more management and technical intensive. I'd day it had 1/10th the math that you can expect at University. 
I received a job offer 5 months prior to graduating. Base hourly rate of $31, uplifted to $40 when I work out of town.

Maybe it was luck that I chose this cheaper and easier route, but my Engineering friends cannot find jobs because the industry demands a more practical and technical knowledge base out of grads.

If there is a technical college in your area it might be worth it to look into how grads of the programs made out.

Somewhat true. If you have intern or co-op experience you are more likely to find a job. GPA is also key to nowadays. You did pick the best time to go for the technical college and i was thinking about getting some field training as well instead of grad school.

 

[jfmartimcdandruff]

are there more jobs available outside of California??? i'd like to stay in CA...but if i have to

 

[pookieman]

Originally Posted by brettTHEjett

I didn't do Engineering at a University, I did it at a technical college. I'm a Construction Engineering Tech... took me two years as opposed to four. It's more management and technical intensive. I'd day it had 1/10th the math that you can expect at University. 
I received a job offer 5 months prior to graduating. Base hourly rate of $31, uplifted to $40 when I work out of town.

Maybe it was luck that I chose this cheaper and easier route, but my Engineering friends cannot find jobs because the industry demands a more practical and technical knowledge base out of grads.

If there is a technical college in your area it might be worth it to look into how grads of the programs made out.

I would go this route if you don't have the necessary math skills...as it isn't based so much on theory.  And to make 30/$ is lucky as hell man.  Most engineering firms will not hire you off the bat w/o a 4 yr degree from an accredited school.  



With mechanical, there are so many different aspects that you can get into....they are starting to separate many of these disciplines in schools now and are coming up different programs to fit the growing technological needs.  




I'm typing this from my job - which I ______ stand. I'm working for a manufacture doing engineering sales. Currently looking to go play poker as a pro....screw this @@%!.




Oh and anyone looking for a job in HVAC sales...entry position or intermediate PM me; I can direct you to my former employer. 

 

[sneakerreaper]

I was Electrical Engineering undergrad and am currently getting my Master's in Electrical Engineering as well.  There are plenty of jobs in engineering but you have to go where the jobs are.  I'm in the Washington, DC area and defense contractors as well as defense agencies are always hiring.  Plus I think Northrop Grumman finished their move to northern VA in the past couple weeks and they have been hiring as well. 

A couple tips for those looking for work:
1. Internships are key.  Use your professors for contacts and also your career services office at your school.  I was in there constantly as an undergrad and was able to get 3 internships through my undergrad career even though my gpa was under 3.0. My gpa is better now though. Can't go under 3.0 in grad school.  Even if you didn't have internships, still use your professors and career services office for contacts and job leads.

2. Join a professional organization.  Each discipline has a professional organization for networking, workshops, etc.  I am in the alumni chapters of NSBE and IEEE in the DC area.  The older people in these organizations can give you real knowledge on how the job market is, info on what aspect of engineering you want to focus in, and provide you with info that only experience in the field can give you.  These people are always looking to help out young folks trying to master their craft. Pick their brains and keep in contact.  The amount of contacts that people with many years in the field have is extensive.  Use them.

3. Stay active.  Even if you are unemployed, make sure you don't have any idle time on your resume.  Make sure you are involved in organizations, volunteering, interning (even if its for free), etc.  Anything is better than nothing. 

Engineering is a technical field and there is a point that when you start applying for jobs, everyone is qualified.  I have never heard of a business or communications major going out and applying for a job as a power engineer.  Only power engineers apply for power engineering jobs.  This is your competition.  You have to set yourself apart.  Good luck out there in this recession.

 

[bballkingsrule]

Any updates with peoples careers in engineering? Any more info on mechanical engineering future and details?

 

[sco cuddie1]

Originally Posted by Bballkingsrule

Any updates with peoples careers in engineering? Any more info on mechanical engineering future and details?

What else would you like to know?