hey engineers

[fookgub]

My dad said he new I was going to be an engineer because I was the type that was drawn to any type of mechanical device. And, as a small kid would pull anything I could get my hands on apart if I was not being watched.

haha... I hear that. I took my parents' VCR apart when I was 8. Of course, it wasn't until I was 13 or so that I started figuring out how to put things back together.

 

[zac2944]

I got a BS in mechanical engineering from RIT in 2002. I worked for a few years designing molds for plastic medical products, and now I'm a project engineer for a very large book manufacturing company.

I have to agree with Bob that some people just have engineering in them. If you love to tinker, build things, and figure out how and why things work, then engineering might be a good choice.

At my current job, I don't really "do" much at all. I manage all the "doing". I basically execute the whishes of the CEO, Board of Directors, and VP's. The big guys figure out which direction they want to move the company, and I help make it happen. For instance, they may want to increase manufacturing capacity of a certain product. I'd source the right equipment, then work with the suppliers, contractors, and manufacturing to purchase the new equipment, install it, get it running, get people trained, etc. It may not sound like much, but these are sometimes multi-million dollar projects that involve hundreds of people to complete on time and on budget. Sometimes I'll work on small projects too. Maybe I'll have to turn a warehouse space into an office space, or gather data for EPA requirements, or have lighting installed in a warehouse.

You never think of this type of work as "mechanical engineering" while you're in school. I always thought I'd be designing parts and systems with solid modeling and FEA software. That's the beauty of an engineering degree, and in particular a mechanical engineering degree; you can do so much with it.

 

[paulraphael]

engineers relate to science in a different way from scientists. if you're an engineer, you're concerned with the fruits of science ... the knowledge and principles that have been discovered by scientists.

if you're a scientist, you're concerned primarily with "doing" science--how to apply the scientific method, to design experiments, interpret data, etc. etc.. It's more of a front line kind of thing, and it involves a lot more abstraction.

Scientists I know (including my girlfriend) tend to be pretty humble about their knowledge. Being so close to the discovery process reminds them of how limited and how provisional their understanding usually is.

Engineers can usually assume that the givens that they work with are facts. They're interested in practical applications, so the abstact thinking often gets in the way. Scientist tend to question all the facts, because they know where the so-called facts came from

A lot of people would be amazed by how messy and uncertain scientific research can be. When my girlfriend was in the middle of her phd thesis, i read her an Onion headline that said: "Study Finds Jack ****." she looked up sadly and said, "that's not funny, it's true."

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

A lot of people would be amazed by how messy and uncertain scientific research can be. When my girlfriend was in the middle of her phd thesis, i read her an Onion headline that said: "Study Finds Jack ****." she looked up sadly and said, "that's not funny, it's true."

I can relate to this. I've just thrown out nearly two months worth of data and I have to retake much of the data with some modifications to my experiment. With a deadline to meet in August I'm going to have to put in a lot of extra hours.

 

[dveeus1]

engineers relate to science in a different way from scientists. if you're an engineer, you're concerned with the fruits of science ... the knowledge and principles that have been discovered by scientists.

if you're a scientist, you're concerned primarily with "doing" science--how to apply the scientific method, to design experiments, interpret data, etc. etc.. It's more of a front line kind of thing, and it involves a lot more abstraction.

Scientists I know (including my girlfriend) tend to be pretty humble about their knowledge. Being so close to the discovery process reminds them of how limited and how provisional their understanding usually is.

Engineers can usually assume that the givens that they work with are facts. They're interested in practical applications, so the abstact thinking often gets in the way. Scientist tend to question all the facts, because they know where the so-called facts came from

A lot of people would be amazed by how messy and uncertain scientific research can be. When my girlfriend was in the middle of her phd thesis, i read her an Onion headline that said: "Study Finds Jack ****." she looked up sadly and said, "that's not funny, it's true."

I don't know that I believe that "Scientist" are humble. Most scientist I have worked with especially the PhD's are pretty arrogant about their knowledge. Further, the more prestigious of a university they did their post grad the more arrogant. I used to work with a person that made sure that anyone he met knew he was a Princeton grad within the first 15 minutes of meeting him.

Further, good engineers in my opinion will always question things down to "first principles". My engineers design their own experiments. They use MetLab to analysis data and leverage Extend, Solid edge, and solid works to model their assumptions. Depending on the problem they will build a test rig or build a line in our semi works to prove out a concept or process.

When there are millions of dollars on the table and / or peoples lives at risk. Not questioning the facts will get someone sued or put in jail.

 

[Jeff Moote]

I don't know that I believe that "Scientist" are humble. Most scientist I have worked with especially the PhD's are pretty arrogant about their knowledge. Further, the more prestigious of a university they did their post grad the more arrogant. I used to work with a person that made sure that anyone he met knew he was a Princeton grad within the first 15 minutes of meeting him.

Further, good engineers in my opinion will always question things down to "first principles". My engineers design their own experiments. They use MetLab to analysis data and leverage Extend, Solid edge, and solid works to model their assumptions. Depending on the problem they will build a test rig or build a line in our semi works to prove out a concept or process.

When there are millions of dollars on the table and / or peoples lives at risk. Not questioning the facts will get someone sued or put in jail.

+1

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

I don't know that I believe that "Scientist" are humble. Most scientist I have worked with especially the PhD's are pretty arrogant about their knowledge. Further, the more prestigious of a university they did their post grad the more arrogant. I used to work with a person that made sure that anyone he met knew he was a Princeton grad within the first 15 minutes of meeting him.

It's unfortunate that these are the people you've met. The guy in our lab who has his PhD from the most prestigious place of anyone (MIT) is the most humble and of anyone in the lab he is probably one of the last people anyone would think is a physicist/associate professor if they met him outside of the university/lab.

Further, good engineers in my opinion will always question things down to "first principles". My engineers design their own experiments. They use MetLab to analysis data and leverage Extend, Solid edge, and solid works to model their assumptions. Depending on the problem they will build a test rig or build a line in our semi works to prove out a concept or process.

When there are millions of dollars on the table and / or peoples lives at risk. Not questioning the facts will get someone sued or put in jail.