any engineers around here?

[CyberZenn]

Major in something that WONT BE OUTSOURCED TO INDIA (or some such place where someone can do it for 1/10 what you would be making)

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: SuperTool

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
EE Major / Software Minor student here. Can't comment on most of these questions but keep in mind that most engineers with good leadership skills move into management fairly quickly (engineer -> group leader -> management)

Not necessarily.
Most companies have dual career tracks. One for individual contributors who become experts, senior engineers, fellows, etc. The other one is management track.
Basically, if you like doing R&D as individual contributor, you don't have to give it up to advance your career. For example, a fellow at a company is roughly equivalent to a VP.
Also, noone is going to let you manage a big project unless you distinguish yourself as an engineer, and you will need to do a lot of engineering as a manager.

I agree but in order to stay technical you have to be an outstanding engineer. To get into management, you have to be a good engineer and have good leadership skills. Truth is, there are much more openings for managers with good technical skills than for experts. Engineering school teaches you a lot of technical stuff, but it mostly teaches you how to assimilate information, evaluate a problem, and select the best approach to solving it; and that's something you can use anywhere in life.

Usually companies try to keep 1:10 or so manager to employee ratio, so experts might come in handier than managers. Often times people switch from manager to individual contributor and back depending on project. Depends on the company though.

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: stev0

Originally posted by: ElFenix
well, i didn't really need school... i just sorta watched my father work, and one day he said, "here, you wanna do this?" and he let me at the controls. i was hooked that day and i still enjoy it. theres something about being at the helm of 3200 horsepower 135 ton locomotive that makes you feel manly

wtf? you drive a train?

btw, not the type of engineer i was talking about

um that would be what a locomotive is wouldnt it?

im lookin to go to purdue for comp. engineer, and if not that, my second choice would be computer technology degree which has 3 diff courses to it

MIKE

 

[Yossarian]

Originally posted by: stev0
sounds like you got lucky?

what part of the country do you work in?

yeah pretty lucky I guess! I'm in L.A.

 

[BladeWalker]

Originally posted by: PipBoy

Originally posted by: stev0
sounds like you got lucky?

what part of the country do you work in?

yeah pretty lucky I guess! I'm in L.A.

Tell me if you guys are hiring. I'm one of the casualty of the airline industry. I'm a Mechanical Engineer with only a little over 2 years experience. Boeing let me go a couple months ago.

 

[SaturnX]

Well I'm about to start my Engineering program in just about a month's time up here in Canada, (taking Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo), see, I'm very much a theorhetical person, I enjoy working out problems on paper, ie: Math, Physics, Chem, while also putting them to use, ie: Digital Circutry.

Either way, it depends on what you enjoy, and the type of person you are, I'm looking forward to it since its the stuff I enjoy. But as you mentioned you prefer Hands-On type things... Engineering may not be the best choice.

--Mark

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: stev0

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Technically I'm an engineer. More of a drafter, but if I wanted to get a degree in engineering, it wouldn't be hard. Anyway, best advice I can give you is run like hell away from the idea of becoming an engineer. Unless you like looking up tensile strength of stuff and measuring things to a thousandth of an inch or doing tons of math then go for it. Luckily I didn't do much of that but that little amount was enough. I know not all engineering stuff is like that but, the majority is. Currently I'm looking into becoming an electrician. I like to do stuff with my hands and electrical work has a lot of that. And, not being stuck in an office all day in a little box is a great plus. Just my opnion about things.

you see... that is the exact attitude i have towards it... i like being out on jobsites and working with my hands. not being couped up in a office all day.

and i'm already grabing my ankles math wise. (pre req for 3d rendering 2 at MSUM is vector calc... took me 3 trys to get through the first semester of HS algebra 2)

if you cant do high school math you will seriously get raped in college math courses. they are a lot harder, a lot.

 

[GeneValgene]

i just got a BS in mechanical engineering from U of Texas last may. i think engineering is a great first degree to get, even if you don't want to do it forever.
will start working at accenture this fall.

 

[TechnoKid]

Just about to start college and am planning to major in Automotive Engineering. I want to be one of those engineers that get to work on Formula One, CART, and Le Mans protoype cars, specifically on the Audi team (the R8 is such a nice car, saw it at the Grand Prix of Sonoma -- wow). Would this be the right direction to go into?


I am also thinking of medical, maybe I'll do both depending on the future economy and job market demand.

I love automotive racing. My life-long dream is to become a Le Mans prototype driver. Maybe I'll look into becoming a prefessional race car driver.

I guess you could say that I don't really know where I want to go, but definately something in automotive, or medical.

Oh, and Dilbert is cool.