Any Engineers Here?

Off Topic
101

[quote]redsol1 wrote:
Testy1 wrote:
redsol1 wrote:
Testy1 wrote:
While I agree the lines may be blurred,it seems to me that Facilities or industrial design are closer to the scope of a CE than an ME.

When you say CE are you refering to Civil?

La’
Redsol1

Yes

Well, not in my experience but perhaps things are done a little differently in your part of the world :wink:

La’
Redsol1

[/quote]

Apparently so, when we added our fuel lab and test cells we gave the job to a civil engineering firm. It would have been far out of scope for an ME, not that they couldn’t have managed.

102

[quote]GhostOfYourMind wrote:
Hey ya’ll. Next year I’ll be a senior in highschool, and am already pretty sure I want to go into engineering (electrical, mechanical, or aeronautical to kinda narrow it down a bit) or, if I change my mind (always that small possibility) exercise kinesiology and sports performance, or something of that nature.

Anyways, just want to know what kind of engineers are here, what you do, what you did for college, how college courses were, etc. Can’t hurt to scope stuff out in advance ya know?

Thanks in advance ya’ll!

-Joe[/quote]

B.S,M.S and PhD in M.E but my research is more Aerospace related.

103

[quote]pja wrote:
GhostOfYourMind wrote:
Hey ya’ll. Next year I’ll be a senior in highschool, and am already pretty sure I want to go into engineering (electrical, mechanical, or aeronautical to kinda narrow it down a bit) or, if I change my mind (always that small possibility) exercise kinesiology and sports performance, or something of that nature.

Anyways, just want to know what kind of engineers are here, what you do, what you did for college, how college courses were, etc. Can’t hurt to scope stuff out in advance ya know?

Thanks in advance ya’ll!

-Joe

B.S,M.S and PhD in M.E but my research is more Aerospace related. [/quote]

Oh yeah gold star to anyone who guesses correctly at who it is in my avatar…

104

EE from RIT. It was a pain in the ass. If you like math and are good at it, do EE. If not, you’ll have hell to pay. Anyway, I got a good job easy.

105

[quote]pja wrote:
pja wrote:
GhostOfYourMind wrote:

Oh yeah gold star to anyone who guesses correctly at who it is in my avatar…[/quote]

The REAL 40-year-old virgin?

106

my guess is Teddy Von Karman

one of the smartest dudes ever.

known as the father of supersonic flight, also, I think I remember reading about how helped prandtl with the boundary layer theory and airfoil theory… just to name a few things

107

[quote]CU AeroStallion wrote:
my guess is Teddy Von Karman

one of the smartest dudes ever.

known as the father of supersonic flight, also, I think I remember reading about how helped prandtl with the boundary layer theory and airfoil theory… just to name a few things[/quote]

Yup…good job!!! Founder of Aerojet,made signficant contributions to fluid and structural mechanics.

108

[quote]pja wrote:
CU AeroStallion wrote:
my guess is Teddy Von Karman

one of the smartest dudes ever.

known as the father of supersonic flight, also, I think I remember reading about how helped prandtl with the boundary layer theory and airfoil theory… just to name a few things

Yup…good job!!! Founder of Aerojet,made signficant contributions to fluid and structural mechanics.[/quote]

where’s my fucking gold star?

109

[quote]CU AeroStallion wrote:
where’s my fucking gold star?
[/quote]

Alright, since we’re playing geek-erty, who’s this (I know it’s easy, but he’s one of my fav’s)

La’
Redsol1

110

[quote]redsol1 wrote:
CU AeroStallion wrote:
where’s my fucking gold star?

Alright, since we’re playing geek-erty, who’s this (I know it’s easy, but he’s one of my fav’s)

La’
Redsol1[/quote]

Neil Diamond

111

[quote]Testy1 wrote:
Neil Diamond[/quote]

If that wasn’t so insulting i’d say it was funny!!

Nope, try again.

La’
REdsol1

112

[quote]redsol1 wrote:
Alright, since we’re playing geek-erty, who’s this (I know it’s easy, but he’s one of my fav’s)[/quote]

surely you must be joking you faggot …

it’s Feynman

113

[quote]JOG wrote:
redsol1 wrote:
Alright, since we’re playing geek-erty, who’s this (I know it’s easy, but he’s one of my fav’s)

surely you must be joking you faggot …

it’s Feynman[/quote]

Is there a reference here i’m missing?

La’
Redsol1

114

Aerospace Engineer here… Got my M.S. a few years ago… I’ve been doing research at a university since then.

Lots of good points in this thread… definitely find a group to study with, and try to get an internship if at all possible.

My biggest point of advice as you’re going through the major is to stick with it. Its gonna be hard at times, and there are going to be classes that are going to kick your butt, but its worth it. There are a ton of things you can do with an engineering degree. Take patent law, for example. To be a good patent lawyer, you pretty much need an engineering background. While its an extra 3 years of school, you can easily make six figures starting salary if you work for a big firm.

115

I’m a little late in this thread. I have a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and a M.S. in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Ohio State.

Since I got my B.S. via an Air Force ROTC scholarship, when I graduated and became an officer, I did more Engineering Management and Project Management than “real engineering.” The Air Force also sent me to get my Masters degree because they needed more Manufacturing Engineers, but shortly after I graduated (back in 1992), the AF offered an early out program that I took advantage of. I’ve been doing various kinds of Consulting work since then - mostly with the Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center, the organization that purchases all the aircraft for the AF.

I think others have mentioned the benefits of co-op programs and that engineers do quite well in Law School, often becoming excellent Patent Attorneys. The problem-solving skills that engineers have can be applied to a variety of careers.

Best of luck! And go Boilermakers and Buckeyes!

116

i garduated with a bs in me and took classes towrds my masters while working in the field for several years. i then decided to go to law school and have been a patent attorney for several years now. the world is full of opportunities.

117

[quote]Tokyoo wrote:
Wow, this thread is really interesting… I’ve just started thinking about going into engineering when I’m older, and this has opened my eyes to the reality. Is it really that hard? I mean, I’m good in school right now, but I’m a pretty bad procrastinator. I’m really into all aspects of engineering, but I don’t know if I really want to get that serious with it from what I’ve read… If you guys don’t mind, could some of you engineers answer a few questions for an eighth grader really interested in pursuing engineering?

If you could go back to high school and change what courses you took, what would you change?

Which type of engineering(in your opinion) is most interesting/fun to learn about?

Is it just four years of college to become an engineer, or how many is it? Which colleges are known for their engineering courses?

Thanks in advance if anyone answers these questions… I’m just really trying to get something to work towards in high school.[/quote]

I think it’s great that you’re already thinking ahead.

  1. Re: high school classes, I treated high school as a stepping stone towards college. I took a full load of classes every year - that meant English, Science, Math, Foriegn Language (German), Social Studies and Gym (back in my day, everyone HAD to take gym EVERY semester). I also worked part-time to save money.

It really paid off for me because it forced me to develop some good study habits. I also tested out of 3 semesters of College German classes, which offset the ROTC courses that didn’t count towards my Engineering degree (but I had to take). My only regret is that I didn’t have much of a social life in high school, so when I got to college I went a little wild and it negatively effected my grades.

  1. Re: which type of engineering is most fun? That depends on you. The most important aspect is that you like to solve problems. Where a scientist generally likes to investigate and research, engineers like to apply the science to accomplish something. There are so many fields of engineering and more will develop over time.

I remember when I was in college and Computer Engineering was a new field (I’m dating myself - my freshman year we did programming via punchcards). Ohio State has Welding Engineering and before you laugh and joke about it, there are all kinds of welding developments being made in manufacturing, metal and plastic, that it can support a whole new field of study.

Within a major field, like Electrical Engineering, there are a variety of specialties, like Power Engineering (design of electrical power distribution) and Microelectronics Engineering (the design of circuit boards). Some schools will allow you to develop a multidisciplinary degree of your own. Industrial Engineering has a lot of man-and-machine specialties where you can choose to focus on the “man” side or the “machine” side or the interaction between the two.

  1. Re: how many years and which colleges? I think most engineering programs are 4 years, but if you take advantage of one of the co-op programs (highly recommended), it can take 5 years, but you’ve developed over 1 years’ worth of experience and are more marketable, so it’s easily worth it.

As for which schools, I noticed you’re in Minnesota, so you’re in Big 10 country. All the Big 10 schools have decent engineering programs. When you get closer to deciding what field of study appeals to you, you can start narrowing it down. It also depends on your personal preference of distance from home, affordability, small vs. large school, etc.

Good luck and make the most of your education.