Any Mechanical Engineers or Nurses in here?

So headed back for my 2nd degree (first one was useless BA in Natural Science) using my GI Bill currently enrolled to start as a Mechanical Engineering B.S. Student. I'm a bit excited because I like math and science (though also intimidated by the courseload a bit) and love to tinker (working on dirt bike engines/parts, my truck, etc.), but I also have a side to me that enjoys the idea of a helping profession (was gonna go into OT for awhile and did alot of volunteer observation work in healthcare settings) and have applied to 2 accelerated nursing programs as well for shits and giggles.

I know very different fields.

Just wanted to see if any TW peeps are in the fields and can give their 2 cents. I can see myself doing both, but I can also see myself maybe regretting both, and at 30 and about ot start a new chapter in my life and what I will likely be doing till I retire, I'm scared to death of making the wrong choice. Have poured through reddit forums and talked to a few people in the fields, there are definately pros and cons to both.

 

Im an ME

 

Mechanical Engineer here! Definitely a fan of the field and I’ve worked in several very different industries in my short 5 years in the workforce.

 

Being an ME gives you awesome flexibility in the type, hours, and industries of a position. It also sets you up well for future entrepreneurship in those fields.

 

One of the reasons I like ME over EE or CE, alot of different places/fields to work in. A little nervous seeing some recent ME grads having a hard time securing job placement.

 

Definite advantage for Mechanical over other engineering degrees.

What area of the country are you in? There’s no shortage of jobs up in the Twin Cities, I know for a fact.

 

@HCJ is a nurse. Maybe he can provide some insight

 

Single dude about to separate AD and live with parents while full time student, I'll be in the Chicagoland area, but open to relocating.

 

ME here as well. I was able to find a good paying job right out of school in a rotational program, geared toward gaining experience in different facets of manufacturing, production, etc.. I find that the ME path opens a lot of doors, and gives you access to a broader spectrum of job possibility. Don't confuse that with greater quantity of jobs, but with a wider range of job fields. That being said, there were more local jobs for CE's and EE's, having gone to school in Philadelphia.

 

I noticed that as well, looks like most ME jobs are in certain locations, alabama, etc. especially defense type stuff as opposed to EE and CE which alot of those jobs translate to software type positions and can be almost anywhere. I just don't see myself sitting at a computer troubleshooting or writing code all day.

 

Where do you want to work and what do you want to work on? You can work in almost any industry with an ME. California, florida, texas, denver are hubs for the space industry (I am in the space launch industry). There are lots of manufacturing jobs. Oil. Farming. Medical. You name it. There are ME's in any industry that has machines or moving parts.

 

I’m an ME working for a company designing subsea robots and unmanned submarines (ROVs) and my wife is an RN specializing in women’s health. She currently works in Labor and Delivery at our local hospital.

They are obviously very different careers and my wife and I are very different people. Her bad days really help to put my bad days in perspective. Another thing to note is her pay started out high but has stayed relatively flat over the years, where mine started low but has grown more steadily.

I’m at work right now, but I can provide more insights later. Feel free to PM me any specific questions you have and I’ll try to help.

 

Different regions have higher concentrations of different industries.

Twin Cities is Powersports, defense, ammo, Medical Devices.

Alabama, you’ll have a lot of auto manufacturing and their suppliers.

Michigan and Columbus Ohio, you’ll have a lot of auto design and manufacturing.

Seattle has a lot of aviation.

These are just the cities I’m familiar with personally. You may end up picking a city based on preferred industry, but you’ll always have half a dozen industries to pick from in a city as an ME.

 

Like most of us I love all things motorcycles and cars/trucks, but I know those arent really in demand fields for MEs right now, but I'm pretty open, would rather not work HVAC lol.

 

Awesome! This has been more helpful than the subreddits Ive been digging through.

 

Motorcycles, cars, and trucks all use CAD/CAM. They use robotics and heavy machinery is a huge ME field. You wont be the guy turning the wrench, but there are possibilities for MEs everywhere.

 

What are the odds, lol.

I think thats what drew me to nursing, ability to help everyday, great starting salary as a BSN/RN, flexibility schedule and speciality but also see the cons as you alluded too, most nurses go through burn out at some point and just feel overextended and appreciated along with salaries that stagnate and fluxuate based on location.

ME I noticed starts similiar or a bit less than new BSN/RNs but salaries rise as you gain experience and level of engineering ability/skill.

 

I am a Marine Engineer (more electricity and heat transfer than ME) with a daughter who is an Air Force Registered Nurse (Captain) and I believe she has the best chance for the most rewarding job. As more baby boomers like me retire there will be an explosion of need in the medical fields. Military (active and VA), private and community hospitals will all be needing nurses. My vote (if you can get in), is to become a Registered Nurse with a Bachelors Degree. Good luck with your career choice.

 

Thanks! Active Duty here about to separate, I agree I do see the job market as better with nursing, but there's cons to. Applied to two accelerated BSN programs.

 

Most entry-level engineers will find them self behind a computer screen for a while, regardless of their discipline (at least I have). And many disciplines coexist; aerospace and defense companies may be hiring more ME's but they are without a doubt hiring EE's as well. EE's that are programming robotics need CE's to spec the robot's foundation requirements, and ME's for the moving parts. You may not need to be an expert in soil plasticity or signals, but studying mechanical engineering will make you well rounded in the field. It's personal preference, but I haven't looked back.

EDIT: I have no experience/opinion with nursing.