Questions for Mechanical Engineers

[Ivan Helmrich]

Jacob,

Now that the PE thing is cleared up.

1. I started out studying chemistry in college. At about 2.5 years in, I got a co-op job in a chemistry research lab at another school. I determined that I didn’t have the love of the subject that the “real chemists” in the lab did and I had to regroup. I had always loved designing and building “stuff” so I just decided to formalize that and switched majors. Best academic decision I ever made. Another huge influence was the early space program. I was born in 1957 and in the ‘60s, the engineers seemed to be the ones who did the magic.

2. I have a BSME from Boston University, 1980.

3. I work at Hallmark Cards, Inc.

4. I’m a product development engineer. I used to be a machine design guy but now I work with greeting card designers and others to expand the definition of what a greeting card is.

5. I love what I do. I work with interesting people, I’ve had the chance to travel all over, I regularly get to do something creative at work and best of all, someone else pays me and pays for the materials to do the kind of stuff I’d do in my basement anyway. That’s not to say every day is perfect, but I have way more good days than bad.

6. There is no specific best project, but the types of project I really enjoy are the ones where the solution isn’t obvious. By nature, I’m not well equipped to grind through stuff I already know how to do. The other big win in a project is to be able to work with a customer to help execute their vision.

7. As a mentor, I’ve recently had the chance to give this advice: Don’t let yourself get behind in school. Go get tutoring if you feel you are slipping. An employer might ask you about your GPA, but they won’t ask if you sought extra help. If they do, it’s a trick question, they want to know how well you use your resources.

8. Machine design, packaging design, paper mechanics, management.

9. An ME really ought to be able to love the work. The pay is OK but there are easier ways to make more money. Another really important quality is to be able to communicate to non-engineers. For the first few years, you can get by on technical skills, but after that, communication becomes a real key to being successful.

10. I work with electrical, industrial, chemical, and computer engineers. I’m sure I work with a few folks who have some of the more specialized engineering degrees as well. One thing to know, some of us get sidetracked by interesting fields of study. I’m an ME but I’ve done circuit design, programming, optics design and manufacturing engineering. If you have a wide range of interests, mechanical engineering is a great place to start.

I hope this helps.

Ivan