What engineering discipline are you in?

Alright, for all you complainers.... I updated and added an "other" section.

 

Question(s) for you guys. I need some college/career advice. I want to get into the mechanical engineering field. Now that I'm older (31) and have full custody of my son, being a full-time student on a campus isn't really feasible.

What are your thoughts on the 'online' route? There's ECPI that offers an a bachelors in Mechatronics, which is technically an electrical engineering degree, but geared toward the mechanical and production side of things. I've been told to be wary of for-profit schools but I'm not particularly sure what constitutes as a red flag. They appear to have several accreditations and are recommended on several independent sites, but again... I don't know how credible those are. I'm also not sure if employers would frown on a degree obtained online...

 

RF/Network

 

You're best bet is to talk to recruiters and HR folk from the companies you're interested in and see if the degree you're considering will get you in the door. I'm sure you know this, but after you're first couple years on the job your degree goes out the window. The new job wants to know what you did at the last job and hear from your references.

Te accredation you're looking for in an engineering school is ABET. (Accredation Board for Engineering and Technology) If the online program doesn't have that stamp I'd steer clear.

 

Certain companies only hire new grads / folks without a lot of experience with degrees from ABET accredited schools.

 

Make sure you have the discipline to do it online too. I got my MS in the evenings after work at a local university but had the option to do it online. I felt like the discipline of having to go to class, at least in my personal situation, was better even though the school may have not been as good of a program. Then repeat - ABET accreditation is key.

 

Thank you, that helps immensely. Doesn't look like they have that ABET accreditation. I'll move on and look into schools only listed on the ABET site.

 

Doing an online degree, you might miss some lab opportunities too. I got a lot more out of classes that had labs tied to them. Made the concepts stick better.

 

I thought about that too, which is definitely a downside as that's one of the best ways to learn. I asked ECPI about that specifically, and they said they actually send equipment out to you.

 

That's awesome they do that! I guess that is somewhat easier with electrical equipment. I couldn't see them sending a Tinius Olson tension testing machine or a mini furnace

 

@45acp - What's making you go the mecatronics route anyway?

 

It could be mechanical engineering as well. But it appeared mechatronics was the only thing similar, and available online (through ECPI, anyway). Not surprisingly, I don't see any ABET colleges that offer mechanical engineering online. It looks as if my only options now are to call around to the handful of ABET colleges and see if their electrical engineering programs allow for a 'concentration in mechatronics'... or to somehow manage taking traditional campus based courses locally.

 

Yeah I think you'll probably have a bit of a tough time finding an ABET accredited school that allows for a full online engineering degree. I'm just starting my senior year as a mechanical engineering student and I was able to take a good chunk of the lower level engineering classes online, but all of the advanced stuff is in person only.

 

Hey Guys,

So I'm somewhat in the same boat as @45acp...

I'm going to be 29, with no Degree. I started going to school 10 years ago for Graphic Design, but things changed, I moved, and havent gone back since. BUT.. I have always had a passion for Engineering/Design. Mechanical, Industrial, Graphic.. I just like making shit.. lol. I was lucky enough to get in at my current job 2 years ago (thanks to another local TW member!) Its a Packaging Design and Engineering house. I am working as an entry level Engineer creating the packaging prototypes, machining surrogates, and machining/3D Printing tooling for Thermoforms, Molded Fiber, etc. I have learned a TON since starting. I had no prior experience with Solidworks, ArtiosCAD, Delcam, or any engineering aspects until now. (Minus the exposure I got from the little amount of schooling, and my Stepdad who has an Industrial Engineering background). This job has reignited the spark I had in the beginning. I want to continue my growth in this field.. so I can make a career from it. I just don't know where to start, or is it too late??

I currently have a pretty sweet gig.. and cant complain, but I know I need to change something to advance myself and family. Currently, I have my day to day routine, which yields a lot of downtime and allows me to practice and "play" with everything we have here in our facility. I have been using Solidworks as much as I can, creating 3D models, which I have then either 3D printed or machined from Aluminum on our Hass machines. I like the "Hands-on" aspect of my job. I get to do it all. I even thought about maybe committing fully to machining, as I thoroughly enjoy that aspect too. I like the entire thing.. the creative part.. designing in Solidworks, seeing it come together, problem solving in your head, etc. Then.. the machining aspect. Love it!

I know I need to do something though to advance. I'm somewhat "plateaued" at my current position. That being said.. I dont completely hate it.. as I get a lot of time to myself and full access to our shop.

I'm stuck guys.. thoughts and opinions?

 

I was in the same boat as you a while ago so I will chime in here. It's definitely not too late, and doing an entry level job in your field is a terrific start. I know tons of folks with degrees but no experience that would kill for the skills you are building. I have a degree, but the stuff that really made me employable, was that I can build things that work (I am a mechanical engineer). If you have time to learn and build things, use that. Milk it for all it's is worth. Learn everything you can from anyone who will help you.

After getting an unrelated degree, I realized that I didn't want to go to law school, and that I really liked building stuff. It turns out I was pretty good at it. I got a job without a degree, just like you. For years, I absorbed everything that anyone would teach me. I got advice from everyone, from the janitors (seriously, some of them were really shrewd judges of character who gave great advice) to the owner of the company. You'd be surprised who will help you if you just ask. It seems like you have the curiosity and the knack already, so keep feeding that. Just following your interests will take you a long way. But as you said, you'll plateau, and eventually get bored I would guess. So you are going to build some sort of plan to keep growing.

I've got two bits of advice for you. First of all, make sure you are always qualified to do the job you are doing, or be working toward it. Like you, I had an engineering job, but no engineering degree, which was great until the company got sold. My position evaporated, and I wasn't "qualified" to do what I had been doing. I know people who are engineers without degrees, but companies come and go. Looking for a job where you are at least pursuing the degree is a lot easier sell to an HR dept that honestly probably doesn't have much clue what it takes to do your job.

Lastly (this is the best thing I've ever done for myself), look for jobs now. You don't need to apply, but look for the coolest job in the world. Look for the postings that will let you use all of your skills and creativity in a way that is meaningful to you. What do those Jobs require? A degree? Machining skills? Artistic skill? You'll start to see some patterns in the jobs that catch your eye, and that should give you a decent road map to what you need to do to get those jobs. Along those lines, reach out to people who actually GOT those jobs, and ask them how they did it. Many will ignore you, but many will be excited that somebody has interest in what they do, and will be pretty happy to share what makes them good at it.

Sorry for the novel, but those are the things (along with a big stack of hard work, and a bigger stack of luck) that helped me make the transition. Good luck

 

Thank you for your time to write all that out. Great advice!

I have been searching.. for a while now. I have found a few and sent my Resume and went in to talk to them personally... nothing.. and that is what has been making me think I need to do something. I honestly hate school, more than anything. That, and I just dont have the time for full time schooling. I would love to work my way into something based off of experience. how thats gonna work out... I have no idea. lol

 

Mechanical Engineer here working in quality, so more like a Quality Engineer.

 

Civil/Environmenral PE, working in stormwater permitting, spill prevention, reclamation, and radon mitigation.

I used to design and build remediation systems, which I loved, but my last company sucked so I had to move on. Just imagine a civil doing all your electrical drawings.....

 

I've already stamped like 8-9 things........ They really put me to work once I got it.

 

Yeah, the school sucks. There's no way around it. There are positions around here and there that resemble apprenticeships, where its part of your job to go to school as well as work (my first engineering job was contingent on that). They are few and far between, but they do help with the time/money crunch. If you do go back to school, make yourself a fixture in the machine shop there. Once people see how skilled you are, they become really interested in helping you. I had a prof offer to pay for my grad school after I helped him build some test fixtures.