Any mechanical engineers here?

[boyRacer]

Well here i go again... after switching from being a bio major... to electrical engineering... i'm now thinking about mechanical engineering... like i haven't wasted enough time... but i guess the switch wouldn't be so drastic considering their in the same department but how's it going for you guys? I admit the perfect job would have something to do with cars and/or engines but i just don't think there's demand for those... as if demand for EE people with no experience wasn't low enough. Should I just stay with EE and minor in mechanical...

 

[Aceshigh]

Are you doing alright in your EE courses? Also, how are you doing with the math?

 

[boyRacer]

I'm doing fairly well... I'm on schedule with math... but as you can see from my username... you could probably tell i would enjoy an automotive oriented environment more than anything else. Although I am also interested in computers... specifically hardware... I suppose that comes from the desire of tinkling with things... but tinkling with circuits all day isn't exactly what I see. Like many others, i'm probably in this for the money, but seeing how dismal the economy is right now... i don't know anymore... and I don't even think there is money in mechanical engineering at all. Although I believe that I should do what I'm happy doing... I don't think I'll be happy if I'm earning squat... and right now EE looks like it has better potential as far as money is concerned.

 

[Farbio]

boyracer -
get involved with SAE before you decide to switch your major...that's dealing with alot of what you'd like to go into and deal with, so check that out first. my roomie just grad. w/ an ME degree, and has had some interviews....looks promising w/ CSX and martin, so there are job opportunities, just perhaps not as great as EE, but they are there

 

[Omegachi]

hey man! whats wrong with EE? i am an EE myself, and i plan to stick with it. I know the econ has been down, but i am sure there will be jobs for us EE guys in the near future (war create jobs). But if you want to switch to ME, then go for it. Don't do it because of how much you get paid, do it for your own interest. I would really want to be a ME, but I have chosen to stick with EE. If you like physics then ME might be more interesting for you then EE. Its all up to you dude.

 

[RossGr]

With the modern computer controlls you will have a lot more luck appling your racer theme

with a EE then a mechanical. Think about it, where is the action at the street level? in the fuel feed timing issues or piston design?

 

[TuxDave]

Consider a field in MEMS.... that's a joint EE and ME program which stands for micro electronic mechanical systems. Pretty cool stuff...

 

[Omegachi]

Originally posted by: TuxDave
Consider a field in MEMS.... that's a joint EE and ME program which stands for micro electronic mechanical systems. Pretty cool stuff...

what is that all about? meeh interested. :Q

 

[KenGr]

Over the years, ME has probably been the most stable of the engineering disciplines. As an undergraduate in ME, you get exposed to several broad aspects of the field (like you do in EE). These are usually called machine design (mechanics), thermodynamics and heat transfer, and some element of materials and manufacturing. Besides "machines" like autos, ME's design all types of fluid and energy transfer systems, design manufacturing facilities and material handling equipment, etc. As an ME who has been involved with energy transfer and generation system design for years, I think the combined Mech/Elect focus is a great idea and many schools have some variant of it now. If you want to go this way, look to focus on controls and instrumentation. System control is a critical area.

 

[jaydee]

Originally posted by: Omegachi
hey man! whats wrong with EE? i am an EE myself, and i plan to stick with it. I know the econ has been down, but i am sure there will be jobs for us EE guys in the near future (war create jobs). But if you want to switch to ME, then go for it. Don't do it because of how much you get paid, do it for your own interest. I would really want to be a ME, but I have chosen to stick with EE. If you like physics then ME might be more interesting for you then EE. Its all up to you dude.

Or rather which aspect of physics you prefer.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Omegachi
hey man! whats wrong with EE? i am an EE myself, and i plan to stick with it. I know the econ has been down, but i am sure there will be jobs for us EE guys in the near future (war create jobs). But if you want to switch to ME, then go for it. Don't do it because of how much you get paid, do it for your own interest. I would really want to be a ME, but I have chosen to stick with EE. If you like physics then ME might be more interesting for you then EE. Its all up to you dude.

Nothing wrong with it at all... my dad is an EE and he's pretty well off... but if i were to put them on a scale of which i would like to do everyday.... i'd put ME just one point ahead of EE... which means the difference isn't too big.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Omegachi

Originally posted by: TuxDave
Consider a field in MEMS.... that's a joint EE and ME program which stands for micro electronic mechanical systems. Pretty cool stuff...

what is that all about? meeh interested. :Q

Me too...

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: RossGr
With the modern computer controlls you will have a lot more luck appling your racer theme

with a EE then a mechanical. Think about it, where is the action at the street level? in the fuel feed timing issues or piston design?

Hmmm... might have a point there... perhaps it would be wiser to major in one and minor in the other?

 

[ajayjuneja]

You can so easily work for a car company as an Electrical Engineer!! Most of my friends at the Bosch Research Lab here in Pittburgh have EE degrees. I'm pursuing a CS degree now, was doubling with Mech E. and CS (and still am minoring in Robotics)... and I dropped the mech e. degree last summer -- still coming out with a "free" minor in it.

And I'm a car nut too... FYI

 

[HokieESM]

My bachelors and masters are in mechanical engineering (my PhD--which I'm now pursuing--is in engineering mechanics--and yes, there is a difference).

The two fields EE and ME are different in course material (extremely different), but require a similar kind of mindset. A lot of the same math, physics, and sciences... but the "major" courses are wholly different.

As far as working on "cars and stuff", mechanical engineers do a LOT more than that. That's like saying an electrical engineer works on transformers. The fundamentals of mechanical engineering have to do with the motion of any body, the stresses and strains in a body, and of course, thermodynamics (the motion of heat, if you will). So, MEs have a variety of jobs. In fact, a LOT of the new jobs in the micro-electronics industry are for MEs and material scientists.... how do you think these things get made? In fact, my masters thesis was working on the shaping/tailoring of hard disk heads to reduce fly height--thus allowing higher data densities and faster read speeds.

I suggest you go talk to the department at your school.... see what kind of work UNDERGRADUATES do. See which one interests you more. And don't make any "quick" conclusions--like EEs work with computers and MEs are greasemonkeys and work on cars--you'll see all different kinds of things done in the departments (and you'll find that a term like "electrical engineer" is a broad one).

Best of luck.

 

[rh71]

Haha I was a mech. engineer for 1 year. I dropped it in favor of business... then dropped that in favor of Communication. I'm now a web guy. My cousin, on the other hand, graduated as a mech. engineer and just recently passed a test for EIT (engineer in training) ... 3 years from now, he'll be a PE. He seems to enjoy it very much. Tough tough work. I commend thee.

 

[HokieESM]

Originally posted by: RossGr
With the modern computer controlls you will have a lot more luck appling your racer theme

with a EE then a mechanical. Think about it, where is the action at the street level? in the fuel feed timing issues or piston design?

I think that might be oversimplifying it a bit, though. Actually, an engine is a thermodynamic process.... so the "fuel feed timing" is more of a mechanical phenomena than an electrical one. ALL mechanical engineers (at an accredited school) are required to take two courses on control systems and one course on general electrical behavior.... so you're not going to be completely ignorant of EE. In fact, in the "real world" the two areas "blur" so much that its hard to say which is which anymore. My research for masters had a LOT of instrumentation that was wholly electronic (so i learned a great deal)... but the problem was mechanical. Just like EEs can't make a processor without considering thermal issues (look at the new processors... I'm willing to bet that an ME--somewhere along the line--designed the heatspreader and heatsink... not to mention the processor socket, etc).

 

[SCSIfreek]

If you're in for the cash, stay with EE. EE has a much wider range of work than another other engineering field. From the way our economy is going, EE will always be in demand. But then do go with what you enjoy doing. One thing I have to warn ya though, THE REAL WORLD isn't exactly the same as you've imagined while you're in school. Believe me as I have walked the path before.


Good luck,

--Scsi

 

[Yossarian]

EE and ME are both very broad fields that are both in demand, and probably always will be. It just depends on what you want to do. Opportunities will be there.

<--mechanical engineer for a toy company