Tell me about engineering

[mominwestlake]

Inspired by the pharmacy thread, I was wondering about a career in engineering. My background is in teaching and my dh's background is in sales. We know nothing about engineering but have 2 DDs in high school who are both strong in math and science. DD#1 took tech 1 freshman year and learned the autocad program. She got an A both semesters. Both DDs have talked about majoring in engineering in college. I know there are several kinds of engineers but I really have no clue what an engineer does. Is it better to be one type over another? Are some more marketable than others? Are there personality traits that are good for an engineer? I would appreciate any insight into this career. I know some colleges have a pre-engineering program that you can start freshman year.

 

[edwardsfire]

I have a cousin that is a mechanical engineer.
I dont know too much about it other than it is "in need" and a VERY secure profession.

 

[dejr_8]

I'm a ChemE (B.S., M.S and Ph.D) so I can answer a few questions for you.

You MUST be good at Math (and that means higher math - ODEs, PDEs) to be a good engineer.

ChemE's are usually the best paid Engineers because we have the most extensive education that can be applied in many fields from Oil to Biotech to Biomed to Environmental.

My sig line "I'd rather be approximately correct than absolutely wrong" is from a ChemE prof at MIT. It sorta sums up what being an Engineer is all about. We live in the world of estimates whereas Scientists live in the world of absolutes.

If you have any specific questions you could send me a PM.

 

[tar heel]

I didn't know much about engineering when my son started talking about doing it either. We visited a couple of major programs and learned a lot about it. My DH and I were especially happy to hear that it is the highest-paying field for just a BS degree.

Our DS spent three years in mechanical engineering then switched to another major in the engineering school. He has a degree and no job -- I have no idea whether that would be the case if he had stuck with engineering.

My DS's experience was that engineering started your first day on campus, even though you technically were not a major yet. This bothered me b/c I thought he got a narrow education with almost no liberal arts. He didn't even have an English class freshman year b/c he had placed out! I know lots of people don't agree with me, but I wanted my son to have a broad university educational experience in addition to professional training.

 

[dejr_8]

Something has got to give or else Engineering programs will become five year programs.

When I was an undergrad I took 8 humanity courses: 4 in economics and 4 others that I can't remember.

Undergrad employment can vary depending on economy, when I graduated in 1986, 25% of my class had jobs, another 15% went directly to grad school and the remaining 60% were unemployed.

My senior year ChemE t-shirt was " ChemE's: The Few, The Proud, The Unemployed"

I didn't know much about engineering when my son started talking about doing it either. We visited a couple of major programs and learned a lot about it. My DH and I were especially happy to hear that it is the highest-paying field for just a BS degree.

Our DS spent three years in mechanical engineering then switched to another major in the engineering school. He has a degree and no job -- I have no idea whether that would be the case if he had stuck with engineering.

My DS's experience was that engineering started your first day on campus, even though you technically were not a major yet. This bothered me b/c I thought he got a narrow education with almost no liberal arts. He didn't even have an English class freshman year b/c he had placed out! I know lots of people don't agree with me, but I wanted my son to have a broad university educational experience in addition to professional training.

 

[okeydokey]

I used to be a academic advisor in Chemical Engineering. It is the most difficult engineering curriculum and even with retention programs in place we lost more students than we kept after the first year or so. Very strong math and science knowledge is required even to begin the program. The professors hit the ground running. I used to tell my potential students that engineering was using science to solve problems and create workable solutions. It is a great field though and pays great but you have to really love the subject matter.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Electrical Engineers with a Masters in Business don't do too shabby either

 

[JessR]

engineering pays well

 

[Shmily1]

DS18 started college in the fall of 2008. He was majoring in Computer Engineering. He had engineering classes and way harder classes than his friends had. He came home about mid way and said he was done with that after that semester. He was changing to business.

As an example of the difference in classes, he had a Math 1441 class. (the higher the number, the more advanced the class) When he went to his business advisor, he was told he had to take math 1011 or something low light that and that his highest class in business would be 1250. He then explained to the advisor that his current class is 1441 and they sent him to several other offices to see what he should do. Finally, they came back and said that they never had anyone that had already passed the number required and he could take any math classes he wanted to!!

I think he will like Business lots better!!!

 

[Galahad]

Something has got to give or else Engineering programs will become five year programs.

Many are. My son's engineering program was a 5 year program. Heck, more programs of all types are 5 year programs. There is more and more to learn. He hated the work of an engineer though and is now in grad school in Physics.

 

[Tumblwd501]

My DS's experience was that engineering started your first day on campus, even though you technically were not a major yet. This bothered me b/c I thought he got a narrow education with almost no liberal arts. He didn't even have an English class freshman year b/c he had placed out! I know lots of people don't agree with me, but I wanted my son to have a broad university educational experience in addition to professional training.

That's specific to the school and their curriculum though. As a freshman I had to declare a specific engineering major. But we were still required to take an entry level course in each of the different engineering disciplines, as well as a broad spectrum of liberal arts classes. This was of course on top of all the basic math and science classes. hehe And as a result of those different engineering classes, I actually switched my major from mechanical engineering to civil engineering.

 

[amyy]

My dad was a Chemical Engineer (he has since passed away). What I remember the most was the hours were so long. Granted he was the head person of a pulp mill. Even when the mill closed down he had no trouble finding work. He did love his work and I guess that is what matters the most.

 

[EthansMom]

I've been a SAHM for the last 7.5 years, but I was a Materials Science Engineer in the Aerospace field before that. I worked mostly in manufacturing. I have my BS in Materials Science.

My DH is an Aerospace Engineer. He has worked on a lot of big-name design projects. He has his BS and an MS in Aerospace Engineering.

Engineering is a pretty difficult program. You have to be good (and interested and dedicated) at math and science. You also have to have a good idea that you want to be going into engineering early on in your academic career in order to get started on all of the requirements and it still often takes 4.5 or 5 years to get a BS in engineering.

The good news is that most states have at least one state college with a solid engineering program. And a good hardworking student can get a quality bachelor's degree relatively affordably, IMO. For optimum career advancement, though, that student should buckle down in undergrad so he/she can go on to a top-ranked grad school.

My best advice for high school students who are good a math and science and interested in a career in engineering or science: Take all the math and science classes you can get your hands on... Ideally, your kids should take AP Calculus in high school, Physics (AP if that's something of interest), Chemistry (likewise, AP if that's something of interest), and advanced English (surprising how many engineers have a hard time with written communication). Oh, and if they can do any public speaking courses, engineers need to be able to give a lot of presentations.

Happily, none of this education will do your children any harm should they decide that engineering isn't for them. But, it will give them a leg-up if they want to take Engineering Physics (Calculus is a prerequisite) during their first semester at college.

I hope this helps!

 

[momrek06]

Inspired by the pharmacy thread, I was wondering about a career in engineering. My background is in teaching and my dh's background is in sales. We know nothing about engineering but have 2 DDs in high school who are both strong in math and science. DD#1 took tech 1 freshman year and learned the autocad program. She got an A both semesters. Both DDs have talked about majoring in engineering in college. I know there are several kinds of engineers but I really have no clue what an engineer does. Is it better to be one type over another? Are some more marketable than others? Are there personality traits that are good for an engineer? I would appreciate any insight into this career. I know some colleges have a pre-engineering program that you can start freshman year.

My DH is a civil engineer. He has degrees from UCONN and Harvard. He has always been gainfully employed. He is a PE and a PLS. The PE is very important when going into the field of engineering.

My DH (upon graduation) was hired by the railroad to do rail design, layout and construction. That was a great job, great money but he got burnt out in the early '90's (he was working night and day) and decided he would take a break from rail.
He applied as a Town Engineer/Public Works Director for our town and was hired. Great job. After 5 years, the town had to make some large budget cuts which meant DH would not be getting a raise for several years.
He looked around and got into consulting. He once again was immediately hired by a large engineering firm. Great job, great money. Then DH decided to get his land surveying license (PLS) and that was awesome from 1995-2007. The Northeast economy was hit bad around 2006. With gas prices raging, DH was contacted by the State of CA (due to his rail background) to come to CA and expand their commuter rail system to cover several counties. CA just passed Prop 1A to expand high speed rail and when the design and construction of the commuter rail is complete he will start on high speed rail.


ALL IN ALL, OP, engineering is a wonderful field to get a degree in.

 

[GreatDaneMom]

Definitely encourage your daughters to consider engineering as a career. As a female engineer I know how important it is to give girls the opportunity. Engineering is a field they don't automatically consider unless someone points them in that direction. For me that person was my Dad. He was a civil engineer and I followed in his footsteps.

It's been a great job for me because my skills have always been in demand, the pay is excellent, and I've been able to work in positions and locations that blended well with raising children.

There are many types of engineers: civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, chemical, mining, nuclear, etc. I think the choice comes down to personal preference and interests for most students. I chose civil because most civil jobs provide extremely steady work. With the crumbling and aging infrastructure in this country I expect civil will continue to be in demand.

I had to laugh when you asked about personality traits. A lot of engineers that I work with are introverted people who are good at math but lacking in social and writing skills. My worst nightmare is having to attend a luncheon with nothing but engineers. Dragging conversation out of these guys is torture! So if your DDs can combine math skills, with good writing skills and outgoing personalities they'll soar. Throw in a PE (Professional Engineer) license and they'll soon be running the world!

 

[dogcarbon]

I am a Civil Engineer. Penn State.

CE is a great field of engineering, very secure job field, lowest paid of all engineering, but I like the stability.

I have designed roadways, intersections, signalized intersections, highways, ramps and even a local driveway.

And America's roadway system need improvements, so I am the engineer needed for that job.

Other Civil engineers may opt to do water systems (public water), waster water systems (sanitary sewer), bridges, environmental stuff, structures, and the list goes on....

The biggest part of a good civil engineering career is to obtain you licensining. That starts with you EIT (or Engineer in Training), which is an 8 hr exam which you may sit for during your senior year of college. You must pass that exam, then work for 5 years, then you can sit for your PE (Professional Engineering) license.

(The EIT may now be called FE.... Fundementals in Engineering, so something like that)

Having your PE allows you to call yourself an Engineer - legally.

Having your PE also allows you to seal a set of plans. Firms love to have PE's on staff.

I think the EIT/PE is even more important than a MS degree, IMO.

any questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

[minnie56]

DD24 graduated this past May with her Honours degree in Eng CHem.
She is unemployed.
Some experienced Eng-CHems are taking entry level jobs as their positions are phased out with existing companies.
Poor kid-she worked SOOOO hard to not reap any benefit yet.

She has a European Community Passport..so other countries are possibilities but nada....

 

[momrek06]

CE is a great field of engineering, very secure job field, lowest paid of all engineering

Hmmm...not sure exactly where you live but in the Northeast and in CA the pay is

 

[GeorgeG]

To the optimist, the glass would be half full.

To the pessimist, the glass would be half empty.

To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be!

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

I am a mechanical engineer. Frankly, I HATE it. It is boring and I get little satisfaction out of it.

When I was in college, I wanted to study biotechnology, but I was scared off by the amount of chemistry I would need to take. I got a degree in mechanical engineering instead. Yes, my salary is pretty good for just a B.S. degree, but I would rather be in a field where I felt passionate about it. I want a job that I love so much that I don't even want to think about retiring. For some, that is engineering, but not for me!

But, that is me. Your child might love engineering. I work with many people (mostly the men, if truth be told) that absolutely love what they do. The guy that sits next to me is glued to his computer all day, every day. He loves what he is doing.

As for personality, I work with great people. They are all very, very funny. They have no problem making conversation. I love them!!! A good test is, that if you find the Dilbert comic strip funny, you will fit in in an engineering office! Also, most engineers I know love Monty Python's flying circus. Oh, and Seinfeld. Also, most mechanical engineers can fix just about anything. They can use every day materials to create a solution to just about anything. It is pretty funny, and of course very useful. (I am not one of those people--again, going back to a lack of passion for what I do).

I would tell your child to pursue whatever career interests them. Whatever it is that they can be passionate about, that is what they should study. Don't get stuck in engineering just because you are "good at math and science". That is EXACTLY what happened to me!! Those skills would be useful in many jobs, including medicine, another career path I was interested in but talked myself out of. Here I sit at age 40, feeling like I missed my true calling just because I could "make a lot of money" with an engineering degree. Don't let that happen to your child!!! Make sure he/she truly is interested in the field. Otherwise they could be very unfulfilled in life. Best wishes to all who are choosing a career field--it is a tough decision!!