What engineering discipline are you in?

I didnt do Baja nor mechatronics but I did graduate from TTU. Enjoy Cookeville! Check out Cummins falls, rock island, etc. Lots of great outdoor places to explore

 

Yeah I'm going to try and go to some of those places the week before classes start. I'm really looking forward to it. What year did you graduate and did you do ME?

 

Graduated in 17, and yes BSME

 

Mechanical engineer, but I don’t do a lot of mechanical work. More general/industrial engineering for US Army helicopter production .

 

I went to school for mechanical engineering, but now work as locomotive engineer. So yes, I drive the darn things.

 

How in the hell did you guys get through the math? Anyone not good at math become an engineer?

I went back to school for engineering and can’t get through geometry. Proofs are unprovable for me. I’m afraid of not being able to get through the math and end up dropping out of this career.

 

By skipping geometry and trig and jumping straight into calculus. There’s a lot more to the engineering profession then the math. So I wouldn’t let that stress you out too much. The math classes are usually the hardest part of an engineering degree.

 

How much math is actually used in the field though? I guess that’s what concerns me. If I can’t get through the math now, how am i gonna do it at a job lol.

 

Also, for those of you in mechanical engineering, how much hands on work can I expect? Or what jobs in mechanical engineering would provide more field work where I’m not stuck in an office 5 days a week.

 

Biomed Engineer checking in

 

Depends on what type of job you get in the field. Could do project management, R&D, facilities. They all use varying degrees math. Your honesty probably over thinking it. Stick it out for the year. Try and land an internship next summer. Or take a semester off and land a CO-OP. Get some hands on experience and decide from there.

 

Defiantly not facilities. Probably more of a reliability engineer. More field work is probably more in line with an oil and gas engineering job. But I can’t help you much there, I do industrial/manufacturing engineering work.

 

I do structural steel connection, detailing, erection design and plans.

I've learned that architects cant draw welders cant read and the is no helping the crane operators.

Also the wiife is a new product mechanical engineer and almost done with her systems engineering masters.

 

Bro.. I feel you. I'm terrible at math, sucked in High School, sucked in the one class I did take in College, but have always been hands on and had a good mechanical thought process, detailed orientated, enjoyed being creative, etc.

I'm a Machinist now and starting to Program as well. I have no schooling for it, just my experience on the job I have gathered over the years. The math portion, when I do need to crunch some numbers, is tough. BUT.. every time, I learn something and grow from it. I was good at Geometry, sucked at Algebra and never even got close to Calc or Trig. Of course.. I feel in love with a career that uses Trig... I kick myself for not sticking with math, but at that time, I had no idea I would be doing Machining, Design and Engineering. If anything, you have an advantage, because you know the field you want to be in, and know what it will take to get to that top level.

What I'm saying is, dont stress it. If I can make it.. you can. Hell, I pretty much did the whole, Fake it till you Make it thing. got my foot int he door, worked hard, soaked up as much as could, worked on side projects to help further my knowledge and skillset, and worked my way into where I'm at now. Precision Machine Shop specializing in the Aerospace Industry. Using Solidworks, Fusion 360, Mastercam, and learning programming.. all self taught and learned on the job.

you got this

 

Depends on the size of the company and unions. When I was at John Deere engineers were not allowed to touch tools for the most part. But at my current job with 40 people designing and manufacturing road pavers, it's a lot more hands on for engineering.

 

To be totally honest, if you cannot get through geometry you will have an exceptionally difficult time getting through an engineering degree IMO. For me I did geometry as a freshman in high school and had a full year of calculus in high school and still had a difficult time with the math in engineering school. It's totally different math than geometry is, but significantly harder. And most of the physics, heat transfer, thermodynamics classes are all rooted in the calculus you learn so you won't get away from it in school. Once you're out of school it will totally vary by what you do. I do MEP consulting, with a focus on rural power generation and water treatment, and I use math most every day. But its easy stuff, like algebra and trig.

This one totally depends on the field you're in. Oil and gas can have lots of hands on work. I have essentially zero hands on. I travel out to rural Alaska quite a bit which is fun, but I'm largely in the office.

 

It honestly scares the crap out of me.
I’ve tried my best to learn math, but it doesn’t really come naturally to me so it takes me a while to understand. I usually get it but man, geometry is on a whole other galaxy for me. For whatever reason it’s just not making any sort of sense.

The thing is though, if I didn’t do engineering I wouldn’t know what else to do. I’d like a job where I can build something and be a part of of the process.

 

Linear and Differential Equations is kicking my ass this semester, not fine.

 

Thanks man, lol. But if engineering doesn’t work out I’ll have to look into something quick before the wife divorces me I just like the idea of building shit, without a shit wage. Idk man, I’ve looked into welding and other things as well.

 

If you hurry and get some welding experience you could jump in the oil and gas industry for awhile, might get going good again with shit getting blown up in by East.


Still probably end up divorced though haha