Engineering ?

cotyp

cotyp

91 cherokee
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Location
lincolnton
With the next school year coming up(college), i have been putting some thought into what id like to do. With me i think i would like to do mechanical engineering because i have a great time designing and trying to problem solve with building or improving on inventions. But with the math involved i know it will be hard but for because i am not the best at math, but I would like to hear from any engineers out there and see how you guys like the field and if you have any advise.
 
Engineering is so broad, especially mechanical engineering. I chose HVAC and I really enjoy it.

As for advice, go to a smaller school for a couple years and take the math and physics you need. I did this at App state. Classes are smaller and taught in English. If you took the math and physics at nc state you better learn to speak Chinese.
 
UNCC is a good school. NC State is better but I'm a little biased. One of the reasons I have my current job is because of where I went to school (boss man is a state grad).

By broad I meant there are several fields that you degree would be applicable in. My room mates were all ME's. We all got jobs in different fields (hvac, nuclear regulatory commission, patent office in Dc, nuclear plant, miller brewing, Norfolk southern)
 
I went there back before the turn of the century. It was a terrible school, IMHO. I got a great education at a 2 yr school up in NJ before coming down to NC. Made a 4.0 my first semester at UNCC and gave up. Still graduated with a very good GPA, but I played more volleyball and rode my mtn bike more than I studied. My field was mech engr tech (MET), which involved a lot of math like all engineering fields do, but it wasn't as in depth as a straight ME degree.

For example, the engineering science classes used a lot of calculus to explain theory while MET boiled it all down to a less complicated formula (kind of like a ballpark estimate) to say it plainly. There weren't many things we had to derive in tech. I'm sure the major is still out there and might be gaining popularity. After I got out, most everyone wanted to hire a straight ME person. I finally landed a job at Duke Energy and hated it. I got an in with someone I knew but lasted there less than a year. I've used my degree in some form or fashion for several jobs, but at the end of the day I just hate sitting behind a desk. I'm doing it right now and don't enjoy it very much. Yes, I get to problem solve and all that but I'd much rather be doing something. I figured every engineering job was like a 'test engineer' position. I was VERY wrong.

All that aside, don't let me discourage you from doing it if you really like the 'real world' idea of it. Feel free to PM me if you'd like. I will say that the local CPCC students really struggled at UNCC while the guys I went to school with came down and found it very easy. I'm not saying anything more than that CPCC must have been awful because some of the guys that came from there were pretty sharp and still struggled. The few classes I've taken at CPCC (welding and a few others) have not been very beneficial, so my advice is to avoid that place entirely if you can. My other advice is to go somewhere in state for tuition reasons. I know a lot of people still paying back their student loans. I don't think any education is worth what some places are charging these days.

Lastly, I think that having a good grasp of math is very important. I started out as a biology major (wanted to be a chiropractor and still would like to), but I couldn't memorize all the bones of the body and tons of other information easily. Engineering came second nature to me because I could usually 'see' the way an equation was used to solve a problem. Even on closed book tests, I could usually remember most of the formula or how it is worked out to do pretty well. I'd have had a really hard time without that insight. If you can wrap your mind around the math, you will probably get through it without much grief. Otherwise, you will have to memorize the formulas and how to work them out to arrive at a correct answer. IMHO the good teachers were the ones who didn't look for the right answer, but how you got to the answer you arrived at. Partial credit was huge to me...
 
UNCC & NCSU are both good schools - I'm an 07 grad from NCSU, BSME.

Advice: Math is where it is at. All ( degree) classes revolve around some level of calculation, so be prepared.

As far as MET versus A BSME, if you're more comfortable with theoretical calculation (and ideas), then you may be better suited for a BSME. If you're destined to be more hands-on and less involved with the theory behind 'why' the calculations are the way they are, then MET is a better fit.


regardless, you cannot go wrong with either. They will prepare you with the basis to do/understand many things in the workplace
 
Yeah I just clicked with trying to design and think up new inventions but like you said, I'd like to be hands on more because it's just where I feel at home is there a degree where I could be more hands on?
 
I'd think met would be my way but I feel like it would hinder me in the future when looking for a job because that could be the ice breaker for a job if the guy against me can go in depth more, but with the math I do better with being more in depth in why every number does what it does.

Tell me if this is a good example. With MET you learn The formula to get from point A to B but with ME you learn what every part of the formula does to get you from A to B
 
I would think an associates in manufacturing might be a good choice. Most MFG techs get paid pretty well and have (what I'd consider) decent jobs. I'm thinking along the lines of mechanics and install/upfit guys, not a regular machine operator. Heck, you could probably get a good start working part time at Coke/Pepsi/Frito Lay here in town to see if that might be something you'd like. You can get paid to do it and gain experience instead of paying for it.

Not quite with your example. With ME, your formulas involve more calculus (having to derive or iterate things to find a more exact answer). To me it is largely a load of crap because most of the time the theory does make sense but it just doesn't jive with what happens in the lab. A lot of my lab reports probably looked a lot like the global warming reports. You can make data say just about anything if you try hard enough.
 
And most any employed working engineer will tell you ... once you are out of school, you just look the answer up in the tables....
 
Junior in college now. Studying Civil Engineering. Love it. I am like you, love tinkering with stuff, mechanically inclined to build and tear down and rebuild. But in a ME curriculum those interests come with a lot of challenging courses. A lot of chemistry and I thought math was going to be tough. After two semesters of ME I saw the chemistry getting harder and harder. So I switched to Civil Engineering. Like Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering is broad but all of my interest is in steel structures and bridges. Been here at Virginia Tech building 14 feet concrete slabs and breaking them. So much fun. I can enjoy an engineering environment during school but continue to follow my passion for Mechanical Engineering stuff with my jeep etc.
 
Man that answers it right there for me^

How do you like doing civil vs mechanical

My cousin going into his jr year at uncc changed from civil to mechanical so I'm just wondering what you like out of the two?
 
cotyp said:
Man that answers it right there for me^

How do you like doing civil vs mechanical

My cousin going into his jr year at uncc changed from civil to mechanical so I'm just wondering what you like out of the two?
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I will explain this as clearly as possible. Your first two years of college in an engineering major is mainly gen ed and advance math and physics. Mixed with a few intro classes and basics of engineering. So freshman and sophomore year of a Civil and Mechanical parallel each other. Like your cousin a switch from CE to ME before junior year is an easy transition as most classes from the first two years are very similar. My roommate is an ME and we have been able to help each other with all our homework since freshman year. Junior year will be a different story. Complete different direction.

Civil Engineering
  • Concrete
  • Environmental
  • Water Treatment
  • Highway and Transportation
  • Bridges
  • Pollution
  • Project Management...etc
Mechanical Engineering
  • HVAC
  • Heat and Mass Transfer
  • Thermo Dynamics
  • Mechanical Dynamics
  • Programing
  • Aerospace
  • Materials
  • Vibrations...etc

Honestly I like all of it but Civil Engineering has been so much more practical. A lot of colleges will have curriculums explained. Check out there websites. Especially a curriculum flow chart showing exactly what you will be learning. And if you are looking for big bucks four years of college won't get you all the way there.

Good Luck!
 
With civil engineering you could get a job in local gov't. Perhaps director of public works or a city manager. Sure, there's a lot of responsibility and plenty of people under you, but the money is there. A good friend is the city manager of Tarboro and is working with 6 figures, my uncle works for the city of Hickory and makes even more.


Me? I'm just a lowly machinist :D
 
<---Another mechanical engineer here. I design exhaust systems for Volvo/Mack trucks. I use Pro-E design software, and get to do all aspects of the engineering design job. I too am a hands on person and prefer being in the trenches doing the designs and solving the problems. The only down side is when you work for a very large company, you are smothered with processes.

Math was always my easiest subject, ever since elementary school. I was always able to study very little in that subject and still do well all the way through high school. I had to put more time into it to do well when I got to college and took Calculus though. If you are not good at math, then you will struggle in engineering school, and not just in the math classes. I don’t want to discourage you though.
 
I have a lot to say about this and not enough time to say it because I'm a mechanical engineer and I have to work 50+ hours every week with no overtime pay because I'm "exempt"!
 
I'm an electrical engineer. Went to Craven Community College for a bit before going up to NCSU. I'd recommend going to your local community college to get the math, physic, english, humanities, etc. classes out of the way first. The only thing to be careful of is to make sure the specific classes you sign up for a transferrable credits to whichever university you decide to go to.

The community college route is a really good decision and I'm glad I made it. I still spend a lot of money going to State, but would have spent a lot MORE if I had to do all the "piddley" classes as well. Community college is definitely cheaper, smaller classes so you get more interaction with your instructor, and it's generally not as insanely difficult at the community college level as it is at the university level.

Good luck...Go Wolfpack!
 
I am a Mechanical Engineer. I work for a large chemical company in East TN. I am not sure how many Engineers work here in total, but it is several thousand. A lot of Chemical Engineers, a lot of Mechanical Engineers, a couple Electrical Engineers, and three Civil Engineers that I personally know of. All of the guys that I know who have MET degrees are Technologist or Technitions, either is just a fancy word for not an Engineer but upper Management didnt want to piss them off to bad.

My first job was in Lansing, NC designing equipment to make capacitors. The second job was in Bristol, Virginia designing pull-trusion equipment. My first five years here, I was designing various pieces of equipment and having them fabricated. I enjoyed spending a lot of time in the machine shops and being hands on.

Now, I am in charge of a production area. At first I didnt like it at all. People problems were the biggest turn off. But one day I decided that it was still about solving problems and getting things done. I have gotten used to this job and really enjoy it now. Somedays I have to sit in meetings, some days at the desk, a lot of time in the production area making sure that things are going the way they should be. I also now spend a lot of time talking to younger people who are doing the design work.

Take the first two years of school and try to get a rotaing CO-OP assignment. That will let you know if you will like the potential jobs you may end up with. I was debating changing majors, then I spent a couple of semesters at TRW helping to design and test new car steering component. I returned to school and knew that I could do that job for a long time and be relativly happy with it.

Sorry to ramble on, but I could talk all day about being a Mechanical Engineer.
 
jeepinmatt said:
I have a lot to say about this and not enough time to say it because I'm a mechanical engineer and I have to work 50+ hours every week with no overtime pay because I'm "exempt"!
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Maybe it is time for a change. I sometimes work a few extra hours here and there, but the total compensation they provide makes up for it.
 
not trying to hijack the thread....but im kinda going through the same thing here, i almost have my 2 yr engineering now and have thought about just see what i can do with that because like said i stayed much more entertained if i have some hands on work instead of the theoretical "this is what should" sort or thing but just cant completely decide if i want to transfer out to finish my 4 years or not. I also already have a 2 year manufacturing technology degree and a journeymans certificate in mold machine tech/mold maker

-so i guess the real question im wanting to know is, what do all yall have, 2yr 4yr a whole lot of experience or what?
 
Wow, didn't realize that there were so many engineer's here.
 
Bachelor degrees go a long way, and in the long run "I" feel like they are worth more for the amount of knowledge gained. I had a strong understanding of things mechanical (i.e. common sense and a mechanical knack with everything) before college, as well as a high comfort level with all of the classes that go along with college-prep in HS - so taking it to the next level was the best option in my position.
 
trevoringle said:
-so i guess the real question im wanting to know is, what do all yall have, 2yr 4yr a whole lot of experience or what?
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I have both an associates degree in mechanical engineering technology and a BSME.
 
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