Mechanical Engineering Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Mechanical Engineering? I'm currently a 3rd year mechanical engineering student. I was wondering how important the undergrad grades are towards obtaining a job at the bachelors level. I have one of the 2 options: 1.) either finish my Bachlors degree in 5 years with good grades, or 2.) finish in 4 years with average grades? I'm not planning on getting a masters in engineering.

Answer: can you not finish in 4 years with good grades? just work harder i am in second year of mechanical engineering and i think its better to finish it instead of extending it..unless your going to masters and then PHD, in that case do whatever it takes to get the highest marks I don't think alot of companies care that much about the marks if you are average or a little above average.

Question: What cities are known for mechanical engineering opportunities? My fiance and I would like to get married within the next year, but I'm planning on going to graduate school so I need to apply to schools in cities with ample mechanical engineering opportunities so that my future husband, a mechanical engineering major, will be likely to get job offers in the same city. He seems to think that engineers can get jobs anywhere, but I'd still like narrow my search of grad schools for those in cities with ample opportunities for him.

Answer: Try http://www.engineerjobs.com/ -George http://www.spec-eng.com/index.html

Question: Will taking Mechanical Engineering help me become a good thinker and problem solver? For the career I want it is very important that I be an outstanding decision maker and quick problem solver. I already have an interest in mechanical things and was thinking of majoring in Mechanical Engineering? Will this major help me to gain these skills or would a different engineering major help more?

Answer: I believe the ability to think logically and solve problems is more of an inherited trait. It is much like the ability to sing on key or play a sport well. Studying any type of engineering certainly provides additional skills to understand and solve technical problems. It also helps in organizing your thoughts but you must have that basic inherited ability to begin with. The choice of a specific engineering discipline not critical other than you will certainly do better if it is one you are good at and enjoy.

Question: How abundant are Mechanical Engineering Jobs in the United Kingdom? Because right now i live in the United States and im planning on majoring in Mechanical engineering, but i want to be able to move to the UK. So will i be able to find a job there that pays about the same as in the US. Sorry if my question doesnt make sense, but i know very little about any of this...

Answer: There are plenty of mechancal engineering jobs in the UK. Thats because its not seen as a cool profession to go into. Probably lots of other reasons too. Though you have to make sure which sector you go into. My advice is certainly dont bother with manufacturing and production engineering. There are less and less options in this section as manufacturing goes to countries where labour is a lot cheaper. Stick to sectors that arent so easy to be taken overseas. Examples are Building Services , Nuclear, structural, site engineering etc When you eventually get good experience in engineering you'll become hot property and able to name your price. A good qualification will get you a long way, but you need some years experience under your belt before you can make good money. For the first 10 years you may well find that its not paying as much as other professional careers. So my general answer is yes it can pay well if you get into the right field. Look at the adverts, see which job titles seem to be offering higher rates of pay. Engineers arent respected ( in terms of £££££ ) in the UK. I am lead to believe US engineers can get paid more. But its so hard to make such a comparison. Cost of living etc is higher here in the UK. You will find the cost of buying a house exceptionally high compared to US. Petrol costs are so much higher (they are going crazy at the moment £1.20 per litre - madness) Gloomy picture? sorry .. I am giving you my honest opinion

Question: What should i choose between mechanical engineering or petroleum engineering? I am attending Texas A & M next year and i can't decide between majoring in mechanical or petroleum engineering. I know mechanical is a more broader major and i would have plenty of opportunities and such but i heard in petroleum you PAID.. So i can't decide. Please don't give me anything about what I like and my passion because I honestly don't care, they're both engineering anyways. So if someone could just give me useful advice, it would be great!

Answer: I have a degree in mechanical engineering and I worked for a major oil company for 35 years. They paid me just as well as they did the petroleum engineers. In fact I was so well paid that I retired before I was 60 years old. I also had a really interesting, challenging and rewarding career. It really isn't the degree you have that determines your success but doing what you enjoy and how you apply yourself to the opportunities you have.

Question: How difficult would you say mechanical engineering is as a major to pursue in college? How difficult would you say mechanical engineering is as a major to pursue in college? I'm a senior in high school with a very strong math background, and a normal one for physics. I have a low A in AP Calc, and I got a low B in physics honors which was said to be the hardest subject in our school (class avg: 68.4%)

Answer: One of the toughest. Best of luck--my dad was an M.E. from Berkeley in '32, worked his way through during the depression, and went into aerospace. What a mind! The drive and discipline humbles me. Nice guy with brains. More power to you.

Question: How do you choose between mechanical engineering or becoming a doctor? I am doing my undergraduate right now, but I am not sure where I want to major in mechanical engineering or biology/chemistry and go into medical school. Any advice?

Answer: Think about whether you want to spend your life working with people or working with machines. Then the choice is a lot simpler. If you can't make that decision, You might also want to consider BioMechanical Engineering where you can design machinery in direct support of medicine.

Question: What is the difference between Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering? I'm trying to decide my major in college, and it's between mechanical engineering and manufacturing engineering. What is the main difference between these two fields, and what type of employment would a person be looking at with each degree?

Answer: I am a Manufacturing Engineer with a degree in Manufacturing Technology. I work with other Manufacturing Engineers with degrees in Mechanical Engineering, so there is a fair amount of overlap. In broad terms, mechanical engineers can become manufacturing engineers but the opposite is not as often true. Mechanical Engineering focuses more on design and theory, with a larger emphasis on mathematical analysis of those designs. Manufacturing Engineering focuses more on how to actually make those designs, with more emphasis on plastics processing, machining operations, automation systems, etc. Manufacturing also has a greater emphasis on production and operations management principles that are in use by nearly all modern manufacturing companies.

Question: what are the best universities in mechanical engineering? I am planning to get the master degree when I finish the BS. My major is Mechanical engineering and I am planing to specialize in the same field.

Answer: The number one mechanical engineering school in the USA is Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. It is a private university, formally known as General Motors Institute. It is consistently recognized as best school in the country for engineering by the US News and World Report. Kettering University is known for graduating highly successful engineers, including the president of OnStar, the president of Yamaha Sports and the former president of GM. One in fifteen alumni own their own business or are CEO's of major corporations. Kettering University is also known as having the best paid internship program in the country.

Question: What should i take Mechanical engineering or Computer engineering? I like both computer engineering and mechanical engineering. But based on job oppurtunities and job satisfaction(i have worries about spending the rest of my life in front of a computer screen) what should i opt for?

Answer: You may well spend most of your life in front of a computer screen either way. I'm a mechanical engineer but it is all computer based. Pick the one you think you'll enjoy. I will say that mechanicals tend to migrate up the corporate ladder more readily than other types.