To M.E. or not to M.E. for me...

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Posted by Ken Patton.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Engineer on team #65, The Huskie Brigade, from Pontiac Northern High School and GM Powertrain.

Posted on 10/27/2000 11:39 AM MST


In Reply to: To M.E. or not to M.E. for me... posted by Ken on 10/21/2000 1:23 AM MST:



Hi Ken-

Sorry I'm late jumping in to this....

Both Andy and Chris mentioned 'development' as an area that seems to match up well with your interests. I think they are right, but I don't think that you should necessarily be locked into only the idea of being a 'development guy.' You have some time - and a couple summers of work - to decide on your M.E. choices.

You mentioned thermo/fluids, controls, design, etc. as possible areas of specialization, and your personal interests might lead you to place a heavy focus on one of those. But there is also (in my opinion) an intense need for people who can cross some of those boundaries - someone with multi-disciplinary training and talent. So don't rule out a combination of specialties.

And, as Chris said, don't rule out graduate study.

But regardless of the specialization, some things are fundamental. You need to be an expert on the fundamentals, because you can apply them in every situation. You won't ever get to violate the laws of physics, and you will always be able to apply your training in the 'basics' to new and complex systems. So don't worry so much that you are going over ground that is already covered with the footsteps of others. You will depend on the fundamentals again and again. Your creativity and originality combined with knowledge on the fundamentals will be where those great ideas spring from.

And don't worry about all the ideas being already generated, even in such mature industries as the auto industry. Both Andy and Chris are right about the possibilities - theres a TON of innovation left to be done. Sure, some areas are more constrained by rules and infrastructure than others, but thats a natural part of growth. It just puts more demand on your creativity...

And if you think that people in the big industries aren't trying to break out of conventional thinking, you are wrong. I spend nearly all of my work time (I work in GM Advanced Engineering) on the design and development of things that AREN'T in production, and some of the ideas are definitely 'free thinking.'

Good luck, and keep your grades up. People who don't know you will use your grades as an indicator of how good you are, whether you think thats right or not.

Ken