Quote:
Originally Posted by iCurtis
This is a fantastic thread. It'd be sweet if we could get some more degree holding engineers (of any variety) to chime in. Super sweet.  |
I'm a Senior Electro-Mechanical Engineer at a small-ish aerospace company, in their R&D deparment. Here's my story:
I'm about 15 years out of school, so theoretically that puts me solidly in mid-career. My degree is in Mechanical Engineering. In the 1980's, I had been one of those kids who became interested in computers at an early age (about 12 or 13). Back then, there was a lot less abstraction (separation) between hardware and software, since a lot of the programming was done in assembly language. I was fascinated with video games, and wanted to learn how they worked. As a result I familiarized myself with both electronics hardware and software. In college I studied Mechanical Engineering because I was also interested in aircraft, rockets, etc. and those were much more mechanically-oriented than electronically-oriented. Career options at the time seemed to be about the same between EE and ME. Pursuing a dual degree wasn't a viable option given the limited financial resouces available to me and the options at school I could afford to attend. I took as many CS and EE electives as I could instead. There weren't any "mechatronics" programs in the US at the time that I'm aware of.
My first job after school was at IBM. There, I helped develop electromechanical products and bring them to market. 75% of the work I did was mechanical, but the product was having some EMI and software issues that I asked to try and help out with. I did very similar things at my next job, a company that made ATM machines and the modules that go inside of them. I gravitated towards the design and development of sensors, which always needed to be improved. I was still called a Mechanical Engineer, but I only spent about 65% of my time on purely mechanical things, with the rest being electronics related. At both places, I was the only person who crossed over between the two disciplines. Fortunately my managers saw some value in this, and supported me (although they took some policital risk in doing so).
At my current position I started with the title of Mechanical Engineer, but I was essentially hired to develop a specialized data acquisition system for cryogenic sensors. They were a relatively new company, and didn't have enough work to support a full-time EE. I covered that need for several years. Eventually, when a internal job posting opened up with the title of "Electrical Engineer" I applied for it, which threw them for a loop: I had all of the required skills and experience for the position, but I had the "wrong" degree name (the position required a degree in engineering, not necessarily electrical engineering). They didn't feel (nor did I, really) that the job title "Electrical Engineer" was appropriate for me because it gave the impression that the position holder would have a BSEE degree. Eventually we came up with the "Electro-Mechanical Engineer" job title. I've continued to do mechanical design work, but I'm the lead electronics and software guy for my branch of the company too. Interest-wise, I'm now in my sweet spot. In terms of long-term career objectives I've got some good options too, particularly in Systems Engineering (which requires the ability to speak the languages and understand the pains of the multiple engineering disciplines).
Assuming you can't find an electromechanical or dual-degree program, my recommendation would be to enroll in a mechanical engineering program. I believe that it's easier to transition towards electronics/software from mechanical than it is to go the other direction (flame suit on!). You won't get exposure to some of the most esoteric topics in EE/CS, but you can still get a big chunk of the practical education if you take as many crossover classes as possible.
Ultimately, YOU are responsible for defining your career, and you can steer it in non-traditional directions if you like.