Re: Help. Electrical or Mechanical Engineering?
 

Hi Aldo,

Freshman year, in any engineering discipline is a challange because talking Calculus, Chemistry and Physics doesnt lead to help in the decision as to what type of engineer will I be when I grow up.

With that said, engineering, no matter what you decide, teaches you to solve problems. As a mechanical engineer, I worked with large industrial robots and small laboratory robots throughout my career. I had to learn more about electrical engineering, computer programming and machining on the job. Even as a mechanical engineer, I had to learn about semiconductor layout and biomedical implants. You never know what will come up.

So my advice - no matter what engineering you decide on, take courses in the other disciplines as your electives - even programming.

High level engineering classes in both areas require math - lots of math. So as you work through your math courses - be as strong as you can be, ask questions. These will support you through all your college years.

Also, see if there are professional engineering groups that meet at your college such as IEEE or ASME. Also visit a professional SolidWorks users group http://www.swugn.org/ There are over 170 groups so see if there is one close to you. I love going to a user group meeting because I am amazed at the cool stuff engineers design - not just robots.

Marie

Re: Help. Electrical or Mechanical Engineering?
 

Mechanical Engineer (BSME and MSME).

I would like to add a little to this point. Chances are no matter where you work, there will be things you do not like about the job. That is part of why you get paid instead of paying them (job vs. vacation). That being said, if you "Don't like" the majority of your job it will be difficult to be successful at it as you will likely get burned out. If you hate your job and just do it because of the money, you are pr_______g yourself. You can have noble reasons (like supporting a family), but strive to find a job you enjoy more often then not.

One important thing to bring to the table is attitude. I had a friend that worked with me at a major auto company. We were watching a Discovery special about the development of a motorcycle including all the testing and development (wind tunnel, vibration, suspension, aero-thermal work...). He was not particularly excited about his job and watched this special and said, "Man why can't i do that stuff". I looked at him and said, "you have done every single one of those tests, they just aren't showing the paperwork."

Another important aspect that has been partially neglected was the role of a researcher vs. product design/development. Early on in my career I was certain I just wanted to do upfront design and invent things. In a research or advanced design role, you often do a lot of work proving out things that don't work. This is great for some people, but not for others. Some people need to see their work put into production. After doing some design, I did Vibration testing for a few years. My job was a bit like those medical dramas. The development group would bring me a prototype car that had a noise or vibration problem and I would run a series of tests to try to find the problem, and then work on a resolution. I loved this job (by the way I was forced into and not excited to take the job). Ironically I was not particularly fond of my systems (vibrations) class at Purdue. I did like the prof. I got good grades. I just didn't enjoy the dry theoretical nature of the course. What the profs don't tell you is that there are excellent software solutions that do the fourier transforms for you. You need to understand the difference between time domain, frequency domain,.... But rarely did I personally have to do a Laplace transform. Instead I got to drive around in cars with sensors all over recreating issues and then weed through the data looking for clues. The important take-aways are:
I never thought I would be doing that job in college.
I never would have signed up for that job.
I really enjoyed that job 95% of the time.

************************************************** *
Back to college curriculum decisions, here were my regrets.

I did not take Controls II (mechatronics). I did not take Economics. I did not take Entrepensurship. I wished I would have. One of the beautiful things about our world is that I have been able to do some of these on my own (or with a team). This is a large part of why "I" do FIRST.

My favorite college courses: Undergrad was Vehicle Dynamics. Grad school was an EE course on Electric vehicles.