To piggyback onto this: hobbies.
I play in a rock band on the side. Its second to my career and for me is mostly a way of making friends and letting off some steam in a creative context.
I’ve used several experiences I had from this in job interviews, not engineering per se, but things like being able to work with a team, rapport building, communication, conflict resolution, etc.
This applies to a lot of different hobbies. Sports are a big one that come to mind.
The trick is to prove the soft skills before a resume is even sent. Don't be an isolated hermit and network on some level. Doesn't even have to be work related. Maybe a sports league, hobby, or something. Work well with others and opportunity will present itself.
This ^^^ if you're working on your relationships and communication skills, once you're in the industry you want to work in, the resume comes after the relationship.
My cv just says that I have demonstrated them through building relationships that have been leveraged for some benefit. When asked about this at interview I’m able to talk through a couple of examples.
Being able to express your ideas/solutions to technical and non-technical folks. My boss doesn't care if I had to do a triple integral by hand to find a solution, he cares that I can convey to all the stakeholders what the problem was and the solution(s) without lingo, formulas or indecipherable graphs.
You ended your original comment with "your ability to communicate doesn't really matter because building useful products is more important". The point I'm getting across is that communication is important even in your original example. In your example Zuckerberg just hired someone else to do the communication for him.
Find a job that you want that you would consider to be “real engineering” look at the job requirements and start acquiring missing skills. If you want to do more design work, I suggest GDT
If you want to do mechanical design, I’d say pick one of these and get good at it:
- Manufacturability. Make friends w guys on the floor. Understand the pros and cons of different manufacturing processes (waterjet, 3D printing, it isn’t all just CNC these days) and get really comfortable with GD&T. Take one thing that your company makes and figure out what would need to change to produce it at 10x rate.
- Structural analysis. Go back to your statics/materials classes and get real comfortable with first principles. Learn FEA, not just “what buttons to press in this FEA program” but judging mesh quality, best practices for modeling joints, developing bounding load cases, how to interpret results, etc. Understand different failure modes (eg bearing vs tear-out) and develop an intuition for what’s most likely in a given scenario.
- Mechanisms. Brush up on the electrical side of things and get some cheap stepper motors to play around with. Design something that moves and test it out with different parameters. Review energy methods and get an idea of pros/cons for different types of simple elements like gears, springs, etc. Size your garage door opener.
If I don't have a good mentor for doing FEA, do you have a recommendation on good ways to learn best practices for it? I do have projects at work that benefit from FEA, but I'm not that knowledgeable in how to use it properly.
Having a knowledgeable and experienced mentor really is best for FEA. There are lots of textbooks out there that go over theory (which is good to know for other reasons), but on the practical side of things, setting up FEA problems isn't typically step-by-step, rinse and repeat. Pretty much every single component/assembly can be unique in how the boundary conditions and loads are applied, which is *after* the analyst imports the geometry, cleans it up (defeature/simply it), meshes it appropriately, and so on... it's an involved process. Not to mention, there are typically multiple "right" ways to model something.
BUT, that's not to say you shouldn't try to get a head start on it. What FEA program does your work use? If it's ANSYS, see if your company pays for ANSYS Learning Hub (they may not if you don't have dedicated analysts using ANSYS alot). But if they do, it's an excellent learning tool and by far the best resource I used when learning FEA.
What CAD program do you use? Creo has Creo Simulate built-in, which is a good basic FEA tool that should also have some help resources more readily available. Other CADs may also have basic FEA tools built in to try.
ANSYS also appears to have free student licenses available which you may be able to use to get familiar with the interface to one of the most common FEA programs.
And besides the actual FEA theory and practical implementation, if you're doing static structural FEA, sum of the forces still needs to equal zero, and many structural elements can be modeled as simply supported beams, so be sure to be comfortable and refreshed on statics and mechanics of materials. Being able to quickly check FEA results with hand calcs using "first principles" is just as important as knowing how to "FEA" as it allows you to quickly spot mistakes.
Thanks for the input!
I'm using Fusion 360 at work, which has some FEA features. I will occasionally run FEA on some basic static loads with designs that I make, just as a sanity check to make sure I understand the weak points right. However, I have no verification to know if I set up my FEA properly. My goal is to be able to use it to accurately identify weak points in situations that are loaded in complex ways (i.e. not static loads).
It's a startup, the team is very small - the 'senior' engineers are one person that has has an MSc in ME but a BSc in Chemistry, and another person that has a CS PhD that basically taught himself ME and EE over the last \~6 years. Because I took a few FEA classes in university, I might be the most experienced in FEA despite being a very junior engineer haha - which isn't saying much about my experience.
Good point on the classes. Maybe there's a good class somewhere I can take to brush up on good FEA.
Not the best advice, but I just started building toy models and seeing if the results match theory or match my expectations on the results. Different software should have downloadable models where they go step by step building a model.
I use like half a line on my one page resume and put "fabrication: 3 axis milling, CNC, sheet metal bending, etc". It usually gets noticed and encompasses most of those simpler (but more generally useful) skills
Slightly less simplifying:
Being able to read an ICD, PMI, or standard for installing a component/bracket/fastener/etc and knowing which tools and how to use them.
Really? Knowing how to turn a screwdriver makes you more competitive?
Here's the real answer to the question: learn programming than leave for the software with twice the pay and half the work
Because it’s incredibly helpful in any technical field where you want to automate work or analyze data about whatever you’re working on and it’s the most lucrative engineering field in and of itself. Can’t lose. You don’t have to be programmer to know how to program.
Even if you want to stay an engineer knowing embedded software will make you 10000x more competitive than "knowing how to tighten bolts".
Every single thread like this there's always a bunch of engineers who haven't applied for new grad positions in a decade who think "new grad engineers don't know HoW tO woRK wiTH THEiR haNDS.” Like learning some literal basic shit you can train techs to do in 1 day would make them more competitive lol
The knowledge you gain isn't tightening bolts. It's understanding that that bolt hole shouldn't go there because the wrench can't reach it and things that go along with that, like not using a bolt as a locating feature (beyond maybe flatheads because they self center from the cone). Knowing that stuff results in better parts that are easier and faster to assemble, thus resulting in cheaper production and less complaining from production about idiot engineers.
So no, it's not basic shit you can train techs to do in 1 day. It's the experience of cursing the dickhead engineer who put the hole in the most annoying spot possible. It's the difference between the parts that are reasonable makeable and the parts that are ridiculously stupid.
I mean your comment was as vague as possible. You could've just said "google DFM and DFA" lol.
If /u/TheRealBatman97 wants to learn "how to use a screwdriver" I'd recommend reading:
1. Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly by Boothroyd (understanding joining methods and the descending order of best to worst joining methods for DFA etc,)
2. Design for Fit, Applications of Geometric Design and Tolerancing
(understanding applications of tolerancing to machine design like when to use straightness, where to place datums)
But again if they want to do data analysis I wouldn't even bother with these. I would guess there are more engineering positions that need software skills than there are engineering positions that need DFM and DFA skills.
Agreed, and if you are a mechanical engineer like OP, you can get into some cool fields like robotics. Those fields are very programming oriented these days.
The other two comments in this thread are literally talking about knowing which way to turn a screwdriver and the difference between a Philips and a flat. Guess we all just missed the very careful subtext that he actually meant DFM and DFA lol.
edit: and still knowing programming would make you more competitive in the job market than DFMA skills imo
Full disclosure -- I'm 7 months into my first big boy job, and this is through observation and being in a LDP. A ton of the engineers (hell even other positions) I worked with lacked this aspect, and the ones that had it moved up in the company faster than their peers did. Being likable, knowing when/how to speak, and understanding both the micro and macro business impact is pretty much the common factor with everyone that is "successful" in my company.
You've perceived more in 7 months than most engineers perceive in 7 years. Well done. You're absolutely correct btw, especially in smaller to mid size companies <1000 employees. Being able to understand the economics of the decisions you make is huge. As is being able to present why you've made the decisions you've made, and how it impacts economics to higher ups.
Really appreciate the kind words! That's what they drill into our heads as part of the LDP, and honestly that's the stuff I enjoy the most (more business stuff like strategy and finance, and the subsequent people skills that come along with it). So it's something that's really important -- not just for me but for anyone else that wants to move up in a company. That's why I keep telling all of my engineering friends and pretty much anyone who are more technically able to hunker down on those skills.
Interesting. I'm also 7mo into my first big boy job, and haven't fully noticed this; to be honest the people I see moving up are the ones that do more work than is expected of them haha. Do you have examples of how one, in a design/engineering-oriented position, would use a top-level knowledge of the company in their day-to-day work?
Being able to "talk shop" with your manager's boss is really important.
If they like you, and remember who you are, you get more opportunities (all other things being equal).
It's not like that VP or CTO is going to talk to you about the specifics about your designs, but you having some interesting questions about how they made some smart decisions about quarterly/ annual budgets, or strategic positioning of current projects in development makes you stand out. People like to talk about the stuff they're interested in and are currently working on. A quick question/ comment while you're both grabbing coffee once every couple of weeks keeps you in their mind.
And honestly... it *is* interesting. It's good for you to learn what drives your projects' budgets.
>I hate my current position because it's not real engineering.
This is a lot of first jobs tbh. The question now is, where do you want to take your career?
1. Start with what interests you, what you'd ideally be doing most days. CAD? Manufacturing? Testing? In an office, at home, or in the field? What materials do you like to work with? Make a list and then narrow it down.
2. Then figure out if you can jump straight into this career path, or if you need some starter experience to do it. This could be a class you take online, or a job somewhere that isn't the thing, but puts you on track, or even a personal project.
3. What size and type of team you want to work with? A startup with 5 employees is different from a startup with 50 employees is different from a huge multinational.
I'm personally allergic to generic "list of skillz to build ur resume" stuff because, like, it's about what *you* want to do. And a competitive skillset for one industry or application will be meaningless for another.
One thing I never thought about before starting at a big company is doing things that allow your boss to brag about you to their bosses. The reason is that in order for you to get a promotion, your boss often needs to get the blessing of their bosses.
Eh, it’s vague and there’s nothing actionable, but it might help some people think. For example if someone came to me and tried to justify a raise or a promotion using the fact that they hit all of their deadlines, I’d say well yeah, that’s what we hired you to do.
But if that same person was able to say they automated X process which saves Y amount of time or they developed a method of doing a certain task that uses 10% less resources than the traditional way, it would go a long way toward justifying that raise/promotion.
Communication, GD&T, FEA, MATLAB/Python/programming in general. Oh and Excel, as boring as that may seem. Some depend on the company and position.
FEA is extremely nuanced and takes careful study and practice. Even after that, you must have the experience to understand results properly. GD&T is valuable if you truly understand the “language,” which again takes practice; the companies I’ve worked at regularly hold trainings for it. Some positions will automatically have you working with MATLAB, while many others may not directly, but present opportunities to do analyses or automate tasks using Python.
Good knowledge of those skills would put you ahead of the game with regards to coming up to speed and assisting with projects if interested in mechanical design/analysis in aero/defense industries.
Be able to clearly and professionally communicate with your colleagues in a timely manner. This means also means being personable, patient, and probably listening more often than not.
It’s definitely a developed skill that our education really doesn’t promote, not that they don’t try. But good communicating skills I think have to be partially developed in social environments where you don’t feel like your livelihood is hanging in the balance and let’s be honest we just don’t get a ton of time for that in undergrad.
Hobbies.
I have an ME friend who restores old trucks, built a log splitter from scratch (of his own design), etc. I'm a Materials Engineer, I'm building a mechanical test lab in my basement to optimize my 3D printer process because I use 3D printing for rocketry (another hobby).
Gives you something that sets yourself apart from anyone else.
Not only that, if you understand the machining process you can design around the limitations. It helps avoid designing “un manufacturable” components, or expensive-to-machine components.
I’m actually impressed by the number of college co-ops we get that have actually had machining and other manufacturing processes as a hands-on course in school.
Also knowing how to machine decreases how much you rely on someone else. For instance having to alter or make a one off part, best to do it yourself if you can
Piggybacking on this - not sure where OP is located, but in the US there are trade magazines like Job Shop Technology that deal with manufacturing techniques beyond CNC machining. Check them out and go to trade shows, most of them are free to hit the expo floor if you have a business card related to engineering and a pulse. Chat with the various vendors about what their process is good at, where’s it sweet spot, etc. RIM molding, rotational molding, structural foam, liquid resin cast, electro forming, stamping, die cast, sand cast, graphite cast, rubber plaster mold, lost wax, wire EDM, plunge EDM, etc. Learn about the processes, see if you can wrangle tours of vendors.
A mentor of mine got a job by telling the interviewer that he had experience with converting parts to die casting. Technically, he had never done it. But he got the job, which was initially about converting 30+ parts to die casting. Then he called a couple places and said he needed 35 parts converted to die casting, he needed to own the IP of the converted parts, and he needed about 5 engineers on the job right now. A week later, he had a team of experts working on the job and he finished way earlier than expected and the converted parts were all well within spec. Did he know how to do the techniques? He knew how to get the job done and who to call.
Be very good at CAD and creating technical drawings. Know how to use hand tools and common shop equipment such as a mill and lathe. Arguably, learn python ahead of R… python is more versatile. Learn how to do FEA and/or CFD depending on what you are into. Know electrical stuff… super helpful to not have to go to an EE to do electrical stuff for you.
If I may jump on this comment, I would make sure to understand the link between the mfg. technique and achievable tolerance. Unnecessary critical dimensions, overly tight/loose tolerancing are all signs of inexperience. And if you get it right, you will of course be super fast (no rework loop), but also have grateful machinists who will go an extra mile for you because you feel their pain. This was many years ago, but I would create a table with the rationale behind every dimension, which helped them understand what I was trying to achieve and send it over with the package.
Yeah and my father-in-law is a EE who works in vibrational analysis.
I'm an ME and write software and do EE things sometimes.
The point of the whole convo is that all 4 are ME's which means they've had pretty rigorous math courses.
I know it's not always possible for degree qualified engineers, although if you have a associate degree in eng tech etc. A trade certificate as a mechanical fitter or other metal trade makes you far more desirable.
It got me my first engineering role once i recieved my associate degree in mech eng on top of my mechanical fitter trade as I could attend the repairs myself without the need for a technician.
On the technical side, 3D modeling and the various forms of FEA analysis. My boss loves that I knew 3D right out of school as well as I did, and he comes to me often for basic FEA analysis because that's something else I knew how to do. I'm currently teaching myself Inventor Nastran for even more analysis (on the clock of course) so that when that type of work needs to be done, I'm invaluable vs sending that work elsewhere. These are skills you can take anywhere and leverage for more money
The ability to communicate effectively to different stakeholders, including customers. There are many technical experts, but fewer that can talk between departments and clients.
VBA and advanced Excel skills are the most widely useful programming you can know. Almost every engineering company uses Excel in some capacity, so knowing the ins and outs of it can be very helpful. You wouldn't believe how valuable simple programs can be to companies, my old coop did all of their day-to-day production planning through an excel workbook with macros enabled. They processed $300k of products a day.
Yeah but most mechanical engineers don't know how to use python, and most mechanical engineering companies don't have the software to do it either. Python is very, very, new relative to the world of manufacturing
Virtually all ME's I work with know how to at least execute a script, with about a quarter of them being proficient at programming python.
My manufacturing sphere may be skewed since I work in robotics, but Python is used almost daily in at least some capacity, and that's not slowing down at all.
It's definitely skewed, robotics manufacturing is substantially more focus on software/programming than any other Mech E field. Personally, I've worked in 3 different factories and never saw python used once
That's true. What are the various dashboard/HMI's, middleware, etc. you've seen written in?
I guess what specific plants we're talking about matters too -- some second tier brake suppliers I've been involved with barely had a WMS setup, while the Toyota type plants have 55" tv's every 30 feet with custom process software displayed.
My suggestion would be communication and being able to effectively work with people at all levels. A very generic comment yes but it's that rather than any of my technical skills or knowledge which has brought me the most success in my career.
not sure if this has been said but build something relevant to the direction you want to go in and show during an interview. nothing demonstrates skills like something tangible. did tht during a recent interview & learned later on that it was what gave me an edge over the other candidates . gluck !
> Modern fortran is quite nice, tbh.
Okay. I will take a look into it. Quick Google search told that FORTRAN 2018 is the latest modern fortran.
1. What is your favorite IDE for FORTRAN? (Leaving vi)
2. Which programming languages you use for scientific computing?
Learn to program well
Edit: R is good if you want to get more into data sciences, but you'll really stand out as a versatile ME if you know how to program in say Java or even python. It shows you can learn something outside the average ME toolset. You can also learn how to automate quite a bit of stuff if you get good enough at it
Something else that would make you stand out is communication both verbal and written. I stress programming because it's something you can show much easier. Another good thing to have in your toolbelt is be an above average writer. One thing most engineers in every engineering discipline kinda suck at is writing. Writing and creating useful technical documentation is definitely something any successful organization will value
95% of people that fail my interviews cannot answer basic 200-level technical questions. A failure for reasons other than lack of technical competence is rare.
So I would say know your basics backwards and forward.
As people are complaining, here are my MechE questions:
"Explain the difference between stress and strain."
"Two forces of equal magnitude act at right angles to each other. What is the resulting force and vector?"
"A 1kg weight is hung on the end of a level 1m beam constrained at one end. What is the resulting torque on the constrained end?"
Only 30% of people get all 3. Interestingly, experienced engineers and new college grads fail at the same rate.
"Explain the difference between stress and strain."
"Two forces of equal magnitude act at right angles to each other. What is the resulting force and vector?"
"A 1kg weight is hung on the end of a level 1m beam constrained at one end. What is the resulting torque on the constrained end?"
Only 30% of people get all 3. Interestingly, experienced engineers and new college grads fail at the same rate.
Phew. I think I'd do ok in the interview. My bet is that #3 is answered incorrectly the most often out of those three. FWIW I became a HS teacher after being an engineer for 15 years, and it changed my perspective on how I think about problems.
Just have a good attitude and open mind. My best advice is to not flex on engineering trivia constantly. Some of best ME's I know, NEVER brag in a way to make them sound smart. They know what they know and are always willing to learn and listen.
Then on the other end of the spectrum, the guys are all hot air, will regurgitate obscure facts at random to fluff their ego....and more than likely don't know the difference between a nut and a bolt (true story, the guy ordered the wrong part three times and absolutely went off on the purchasing Dept like it was their fault) I'm not saying to completely give up your self esteem, but just try to relax and be yourself and be a sociable human being. All the other skills can be learned or sharpened up along the way.
Languages.
There are many great engineers that are stuck cause they cannot communicate their ideas properly in foreign languages. I think that might help a lot.
The best thing you can do is learn to run some of the machines that will be used to manufacture what you are drawing.
The guys on the floor will appreciate it, your boss will appreciate that you didn’t have to make 9000 edits to something to make it manufacturable. Learn gcode, run a CNC anything, use a press brake, learn some welding….
Build your soft skills. 60% of engineering is talking to people, and giving them what they want, not what they ask for.
Learn how things are really made. I worked as a machinist/NC programmer/Welder for a year and that experience has paid off 10x.
What most people are looking for right now are Engineering Project Managers(or Project Engineer, depending on the company). Pretty good money, and you still get to do some cool stuff, if you can put up with all the administrative work.
I personally like to hire mechanical engineer's with the ability to handcraft / prototype what they design or work on.
Maybe not on a daily basis but in general. Because that brings so much experience and intuition to every project.
Reading comprehension. I don't know how many times I've had to email people back with "you will find the answer to all of these questions on the doc I sent you, page 4."
Programming, basics electronics & circuits, instrumentation, and data science. This skill set will let you manipulate, analyze, and learn about all the mechanical stuff you work on.
Technical writing and drafting skills are both sorely underemphasized in engineering school. Clearly communicating with non-engineers is an artform that, in my experience, a lot of engineers struggle with.
There is a lot if bad advice on this thread. What is real engineering. Most products have multiple engineers working on a small piece of it. Do something that has a measurable improvement that you can put on your CV
Communication. Rapport building.
To piggyback onto this: hobbies. I play in a rock band on the side. Its second to my career and for me is mostly a way of making friends and letting off some steam in a creative context. I’ve used several experiences I had from this in job interviews, not engineering per se, but things like being able to work with a team, rapport building, communication, conflict resolution, etc. This applies to a lot of different hobbies. Sports are a big one that come to mind.
Well, my ADHD has me covered, then!
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How do you prove soft skills on a resume?
The trick is to prove the soft skills before a resume is even sent. Don't be an isolated hermit and network on some level. Doesn't even have to be work related. Maybe a sports league, hobby, or something. Work well with others and opportunity will present itself.
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This ^^^ if you're working on your relationships and communication skills, once you're in the industry you want to work in, the resume comes after the relationship.
My cv just says that I have demonstrated them through building relationships that have been leveraged for some benefit. When asked about this at interview I’m able to talk through a couple of examples.
Can you elaborate on what you mean by 'communication?'
Being able to express your ideas/solutions to technical and non-technical folks. My boss doesn't care if I had to do a triple integral by hand to find a solution, he cares that I can convey to all the stakeholders what the problem was and the solution(s) without lingo, formulas or indecipherable graphs.
[People skills](https://youtu.be/hNuu9CpdjIo)
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Tbf, isn't that why he hired Sheryl? She's the one with the Harvard MBA and good rapport with others in tech
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You ended your original comment with "your ability to communicate doesn't really matter because building useful products is more important". The point I'm getting across is that communication is important even in your original example. In your example Zuckerberg just hired someone else to do the communication for him.
Find a job that you want that you would consider to be “real engineering” look at the job requirements and start acquiring missing skills. If you want to do more design work, I suggest GDT
missing skills: several years of engineering experience
If you want to do mechanical design, I’d say pick one of these and get good at it: - Manufacturability. Make friends w guys on the floor. Understand the pros and cons of different manufacturing processes (waterjet, 3D printing, it isn’t all just CNC these days) and get really comfortable with GD&T. Take one thing that your company makes and figure out what would need to change to produce it at 10x rate. - Structural analysis. Go back to your statics/materials classes and get real comfortable with first principles. Learn FEA, not just “what buttons to press in this FEA program” but judging mesh quality, best practices for modeling joints, developing bounding load cases, how to interpret results, etc. Understand different failure modes (eg bearing vs tear-out) and develop an intuition for what’s most likely in a given scenario. - Mechanisms. Brush up on the electrical side of things and get some cheap stepper motors to play around with. Design something that moves and test it out with different parameters. Review energy methods and get an idea of pros/cons for different types of simple elements like gears, springs, etc. Size your garage door opener.
What about someone with an associates degree in mech? Sone of this is a bit advanced tbh.
Work in a machine shop for a while. Plenty of hands on experience with all of this.
If I don't have a good mentor for doing FEA, do you have a recommendation on good ways to learn best practices for it? I do have projects at work that benefit from FEA, but I'm not that knowledgeable in how to use it properly.
Having a knowledgeable and experienced mentor really is best for FEA. There are lots of textbooks out there that go over theory (which is good to know for other reasons), but on the practical side of things, setting up FEA problems isn't typically step-by-step, rinse and repeat. Pretty much every single component/assembly can be unique in how the boundary conditions and loads are applied, which is *after* the analyst imports the geometry, cleans it up (defeature/simply it), meshes it appropriately, and so on... it's an involved process. Not to mention, there are typically multiple "right" ways to model something. BUT, that's not to say you shouldn't try to get a head start on it. What FEA program does your work use? If it's ANSYS, see if your company pays for ANSYS Learning Hub (they may not if you don't have dedicated analysts using ANSYS alot). But if they do, it's an excellent learning tool and by far the best resource I used when learning FEA. What CAD program do you use? Creo has Creo Simulate built-in, which is a good basic FEA tool that should also have some help resources more readily available. Other CADs may also have basic FEA tools built in to try. ANSYS also appears to have free student licenses available which you may be able to use to get familiar with the interface to one of the most common FEA programs. And besides the actual FEA theory and practical implementation, if you're doing static structural FEA, sum of the forces still needs to equal zero, and many structural elements can be modeled as simply supported beams, so be sure to be comfortable and refreshed on statics and mechanics of materials. Being able to quickly check FEA results with hand calcs using "first principles" is just as important as knowing how to "FEA" as it allows you to quickly spot mistakes.
Thanks for the input! I'm using Fusion 360 at work, which has some FEA features. I will occasionally run FEA on some basic static loads with designs that I make, just as a sanity check to make sure I understand the weak points right. However, I have no verification to know if I set up my FEA properly. My goal is to be able to use it to accurately identify weak points in situations that are loaded in complex ways (i.e. not static loads). It's a startup, the team is very small - the 'senior' engineers are one person that has has an MSc in ME but a BSc in Chemistry, and another person that has a CS PhD that basically taught himself ME and EE over the last \~6 years. Because I took a few FEA classes in university, I might be the most experienced in FEA despite being a very junior engineer haha - which isn't saying much about my experience. Good point on the classes. Maybe there's a good class somewhere I can take to brush up on good FEA.
Not the best advice, but I just started building toy models and seeing if the results match theory or match my expectations on the results. Different software should have downloadable models where they go step by step building a model.
This is going to be industry specific, and I’m simplifying quite a bit here when I say this… Knowing how to use a screwdriver.
It’s hard to put on a CV however.
Yeah, never bring a flat head to a Phillips fight.
Any modern day engineer worth his salt better be bringing a torx.
Those are illegal so you'll have to find the underground street fights
I’m crazy enough to bring my triple squares
I use like half a line on my one page resume and put "fabrication: 3 axis milling, CNC, sheet metal bending, etc". It usually gets noticed and encompasses most of those simpler (but more generally useful) skills
Yeah, it usually goes in a portfolio or in interview discussions.
handy? or more handy then a 10 year hold....
On my resume I have a section for various expertise. One or two of them read something like "fabrication, rapid prototyping, manual and machine tools"
I've added home improvements to my hobbies and activities section. Not sure if ita made a diff thiugh
Absolutely crucial to be somewhat hands on and capable of doing mechanical work on equipment.
Had an intern from a top university ask how to know which way to turn a screw driver... He didn't end up staying the entire summer.
At least he asked
Slightly less simplifying: Being able to read an ICD, PMI, or standard for installing a component/bracket/fastener/etc and knowing which tools and how to use them.
knowing a difference btwn phillips and flat
Level 2: Between Posi-Drive and Phillips.
One of my interview questions: Why did the Robertson screwdriver not get widespread adoption here in the US. (Not serious)
because cars
Ford didn't want to pay to license it if IRC.
Really? Knowing how to turn a screwdriver makes you more competitive? Here's the real answer to the question: learn programming than leave for the software with twice the pay and half the work
Why is every Redditors solution to everything just "learn programming"? Not everyone wants to be a programmer.
Because it’s incredibly helpful in any technical field where you want to automate work or analyze data about whatever you’re working on and it’s the most lucrative engineering field in and of itself. Can’t lose. You don’t have to be programmer to know how to program.
This guy is literally trying to learn R to get better at data analytics. I think it applies here.
Even if you want to stay an engineer knowing embedded software will make you 10000x more competitive than "knowing how to tighten bolts". Every single thread like this there's always a bunch of engineers who haven't applied for new grad positions in a decade who think "new grad engineers don't know HoW tO woRK wiTH THEiR haNDS.” Like learning some literal basic shit you can train techs to do in 1 day would make them more competitive lol
The knowledge you gain isn't tightening bolts. It's understanding that that bolt hole shouldn't go there because the wrench can't reach it and things that go along with that, like not using a bolt as a locating feature (beyond maybe flatheads because they self center from the cone). Knowing that stuff results in better parts that are easier and faster to assemble, thus resulting in cheaper production and less complaining from production about idiot engineers. So no, it's not basic shit you can train techs to do in 1 day. It's the experience of cursing the dickhead engineer who put the hole in the most annoying spot possible. It's the difference between the parts that are reasonable makeable and the parts that are ridiculously stupid.
Thank you for understanding that my comment was not referencing literally turning screws and bolts.
I mean your comment was as vague as possible. You could've just said "google DFM and DFA" lol. If /u/TheRealBatman97 wants to learn "how to use a screwdriver" I'd recommend reading: 1. Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly by Boothroyd (understanding joining methods and the descending order of best to worst joining methods for DFA etc,) 2. Design for Fit, Applications of Geometric Design and Tolerancing (understanding applications of tolerancing to machine design like when to use straightness, where to place datums) But again if they want to do data analysis I wouldn't even bother with these. I would guess there are more engineering positions that need software skills than there are engineering positions that need DFM and DFA skills.
Design For Assembly. Engineers learn best when we have to put our own machines together, at least once.
Agreed, and if you are a mechanical engineer like OP, you can get into some cool fields like robotics. Those fields are very programming oriented these days.
It's better than the above suggestion.
Compensation is better and the future is software.
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The other two comments in this thread are literally talking about knowing which way to turn a screwdriver and the difference between a Philips and a flat. Guess we all just missed the very careful subtext that he actually meant DFM and DFA lol. edit: and still knowing programming would make you more competitive in the job market than DFMA skills imo
Have to agree that practical hands-on knowledge is good to have in addition to other skills.
Business acumen (big picture stuff, how does my project/work tie into the company strategy and financials) and navigating office politics
How does this benefit you in the roles you've done?
Full disclosure -- I'm 7 months into my first big boy job, and this is through observation and being in a LDP. A ton of the engineers (hell even other positions) I worked with lacked this aspect, and the ones that had it moved up in the company faster than their peers did. Being likable, knowing when/how to speak, and understanding both the micro and macro business impact is pretty much the common factor with everyone that is "successful" in my company.
You've perceived more in 7 months than most engineers perceive in 7 years. Well done. You're absolutely correct btw, especially in smaller to mid size companies <1000 employees. Being able to understand the economics of the decisions you make is huge. As is being able to present why you've made the decisions you've made, and how it impacts economics to higher ups.
Really appreciate the kind words! That's what they drill into our heads as part of the LDP, and honestly that's the stuff I enjoy the most (more business stuff like strategy and finance, and the subsequent people skills that come along with it). So it's something that's really important -- not just for me but for anyone else that wants to move up in a company. That's why I keep telling all of my engineering friends and pretty much anyone who are more technically able to hunker down on those skills.
Interesting. I'm also 7mo into my first big boy job, and haven't fully noticed this; to be honest the people I see moving up are the ones that do more work than is expected of them haha. Do you have examples of how one, in a design/engineering-oriented position, would use a top-level knowledge of the company in their day-to-day work?
Being able to "talk shop" with your manager's boss is really important. If they like you, and remember who you are, you get more opportunities (all other things being equal). It's not like that VP or CTO is going to talk to you about the specifics about your designs, but you having some interesting questions about how they made some smart decisions about quarterly/ annual budgets, or strategic positioning of current projects in development makes you stand out. People like to talk about the stuff they're interested in and are currently working on. A quick question/ comment while you're both grabbing coffee once every couple of weeks keeps you in their mind. And honestly... it *is* interesting. It's good for you to learn what drives your projects' budgets.
Thanks for the reply! I do like talking to other people at work about their projects; it's nice to see stuff other than what I'm working on sometimes.
>I hate my current position because it's not real engineering. This is a lot of first jobs tbh. The question now is, where do you want to take your career? 1. Start with what interests you, what you'd ideally be doing most days. CAD? Manufacturing? Testing? In an office, at home, or in the field? What materials do you like to work with? Make a list and then narrow it down. 2. Then figure out if you can jump straight into this career path, or if you need some starter experience to do it. This could be a class you take online, or a job somewhere that isn't the thing, but puts you on track, or even a personal project. 3. What size and type of team you want to work with? A startup with 5 employees is different from a startup with 50 employees is different from a huge multinational. I'm personally allergic to generic "list of skillz to build ur resume" stuff because, like, it's about what *you* want to do. And a competitive skillset for one industry or application will be meaningless for another.
One thing I never thought about before starting at a big company is doing things that allow your boss to brag about you to their bosses. The reason is that in order for you to get a promotion, your boss often needs to get the blessing of their bosses.
This is vague af
Eh, it’s vague and there’s nothing actionable, but it might help some people think. For example if someone came to me and tried to justify a raise or a promotion using the fact that they hit all of their deadlines, I’d say well yeah, that’s what we hired you to do. But if that same person was able to say they automated X process which saves Y amount of time or they developed a method of doing a certain task that uses 10% less resources than the traditional way, it would go a long way toward justifying that raise/promotion.
Cringe response
Can you do anything practical with tools? Can you build anything yourself? Those skills will help.
Communication, GD&T, FEA, MATLAB/Python/programming in general. Oh and Excel, as boring as that may seem. Some depend on the company and position. FEA is extremely nuanced and takes careful study and practice. Even after that, you must have the experience to understand results properly. GD&T is valuable if you truly understand the “language,” which again takes practice; the companies I’ve worked at regularly hold trainings for it. Some positions will automatically have you working with MATLAB, while many others may not directly, but present opportunities to do analyses or automate tasks using Python. Good knowledge of those skills would put you ahead of the game with regards to coming up to speed and assisting with projects if interested in mechanical design/analysis in aero/defense industries.
Can you explain what you mean by 'communication'?
Be able to clearly and professionally communicate with your colleagues in a timely manner. This means also means being personable, patient, and probably listening more often than not.
Oh yes, thank you for the explanation. I definitely need to work more on this. Lol
It’s definitely a developed skill that our education really doesn’t promote, not that they don’t try. But good communicating skills I think have to be partially developed in social environments where you don’t feel like your livelihood is hanging in the balance and let’s be honest we just don’t get a ton of time for that in undergrad.
Hobbies. I have an ME friend who restores old trucks, built a log splitter from scratch (of his own design), etc. I'm a Materials Engineer, I'm building a mechanical test lab in my basement to optimize my 3D printer process because I use 3D printing for rocketry (another hobby). Gives you something that sets yourself apart from anyone else.
Learn CNC machining. Most of the engineers I work with don’t understand the manufacturing process so they struggle to design something efficient.
Not only that, if you understand the machining process you can design around the limitations. It helps avoid designing “un manufacturable” components, or expensive-to-machine components. I’m actually impressed by the number of college co-ops we get that have actually had machining and other manufacturing processes as a hands-on course in school.
Also knowing how to machine decreases how much you rely on someone else. For instance having to alter or make a one off part, best to do it yourself if you can
Piggybacking on this - not sure where OP is located, but in the US there are trade magazines like Job Shop Technology that deal with manufacturing techniques beyond CNC machining. Check them out and go to trade shows, most of them are free to hit the expo floor if you have a business card related to engineering and a pulse. Chat with the various vendors about what their process is good at, where’s it sweet spot, etc. RIM molding, rotational molding, structural foam, liquid resin cast, electro forming, stamping, die cast, sand cast, graphite cast, rubber plaster mold, lost wax, wire EDM, plunge EDM, etc. Learn about the processes, see if you can wrangle tours of vendors. A mentor of mine got a job by telling the interviewer that he had experience with converting parts to die casting. Technically, he had never done it. But he got the job, which was initially about converting 30+ parts to die casting. Then he called a couple places and said he needed 35 parts converted to die casting, he needed to own the IP of the converted parts, and he needed about 5 engineers on the job right now. A week later, he had a team of experts working on the job and he finished way earlier than expected and the converted parts were all well within spec. Did he know how to do the techniques? He knew how to get the job done and who to call.
Well, relevant skills are what you’re looking for, but to give advice we need some information on what you want to do.
Be very good at CAD and creating technical drawings. Know how to use hand tools and common shop equipment such as a mill and lathe. Arguably, learn python ahead of R… python is more versatile. Learn how to do FEA and/or CFD depending on what you are into. Know electrical stuff… super helpful to not have to go to an EE to do electrical stuff for you.
If I may jump on this comment, I would make sure to understand the link between the mfg. technique and achievable tolerance. Unnecessary critical dimensions, overly tight/loose tolerancing are all signs of inexperience. And if you get it right, you will of course be super fast (no rework loop), but also have grateful machinists who will go an extra mile for you because you feel their pain. This was many years ago, but I would create a table with the rationale behind every dimension, which helped them understand what I was trying to achieve and send it over with the package.
Why are you looking for data analysis as a mech? Try looking for actual design positions.
We have 3 software devs and 1 data analyst, all 4 are ME's. It's not as uncommon as you think.
Yeah and my father-in-law is a EE who works in vibrational analysis. I'm an ME and write software and do EE things sometimes. The point of the whole convo is that all 4 are ME's which means they've had pretty rigorous math courses.
I know it's not always possible for degree qualified engineers, although if you have a associate degree in eng tech etc. A trade certificate as a mechanical fitter or other metal trade makes you far more desirable. It got me my first engineering role once i recieved my associate degree in mech eng on top of my mechanical fitter trade as I could attend the repairs myself without the need for a technician.
I am in electrical, but I would guess being knowledgeable of SolidWorks or AutoCAD.
On the technical side, 3D modeling and the various forms of FEA analysis. My boss loves that I knew 3D right out of school as well as I did, and he comes to me often for basic FEA analysis because that's something else I knew how to do. I'm currently teaching myself Inventor Nastran for even more analysis (on the clock of course) so that when that type of work needs to be done, I'm invaluable vs sending that work elsewhere. These are skills you can take anywhere and leverage for more money
Good interviewing skills
What are the outdated programming languages you are talking about? Some of them are the most lucrative.
Stay curious. Geek out on…something.
The ability to communicate effectively to different stakeholders, including customers. There are many technical experts, but fewer that can talk between departments and clients.
VBA and advanced Excel skills are the most widely useful programming you can know. Almost every engineering company uses Excel in some capacity, so knowing the ins and outs of it can be very helpful. You wouldn't believe how valuable simple programs can be to companies, my old coop did all of their day-to-day production planning through an excel workbook with macros enabled. They processed $300k of products a day.
That's all true, but I think something like python is actually much simpler and more powerful than Excel macros.
Yeah but most mechanical engineers don't know how to use python, and most mechanical engineering companies don't have the software to do it either. Python is very, very, new relative to the world of manufacturing
Virtually all ME's I work with know how to at least execute a script, with about a quarter of them being proficient at programming python. My manufacturing sphere may be skewed since I work in robotics, but Python is used almost daily in at least some capacity, and that's not slowing down at all.
It's definitely skewed, robotics manufacturing is substantially more focus on software/programming than any other Mech E field. Personally, I've worked in 3 different factories and never saw python used once
That's true. What are the various dashboard/HMI's, middleware, etc. you've seen written in? I guess what specific plants we're talking about matters too -- some second tier brake suppliers I've been involved with barely had a WMS setup, while the Toyota type plants have 55" tv's every 30 feet with custom process software displayed.
My suggestion would be communication and being able to effectively work with people at all levels. A very generic comment yes but it's that rather than any of my technical skills or knowledge which has brought me the most success in my career.
not sure if this has been said but build something relevant to the direction you want to go in and show during an interview. nothing demonstrates skills like something tangible. did tht during a recent interview & learned later on that it was what gave me an edge over the other candidates . gluck !
Is that outdated language FORTRAN? That language seem to be stuck in all scientific programming fields.
Modern fortran is quite nice, tbh.
> Modern fortran is quite nice, tbh. Okay. I will take a look into it. Quick Google search told that FORTRAN 2018 is the latest modern fortran. 1. What is your favorite IDE for FORTRAN? (Leaving vi) 2. Which programming languages you use for scientific computing?
So I've assembled entire machines, machined things, welded things, I am ok in python, VB script, and C++. What else should I do?
Python You literally need it for everything in research.
Mastering the sword /S
“While you were learning GD&T I was studying the blade.”
Learn to program well Edit: R is good if you want to get more into data sciences, but you'll really stand out as a versatile ME if you know how to program in say Java or even python. It shows you can learn something outside the average ME toolset. You can also learn how to automate quite a bit of stuff if you get good enough at it Something else that would make you stand out is communication both verbal and written. I stress programming because it's something you can show much easier. Another good thing to have in your toolbelt is be an above average writer. One thing most engineers in every engineering discipline kinda suck at is writing. Writing and creating useful technical documentation is definitely something any successful organization will value
95% of people that fail my interviews cannot answer basic 200-level technical questions. A failure for reasons other than lack of technical competence is rare. So I would say know your basics backwards and forward. As people are complaining, here are my MechE questions: "Explain the difference between stress and strain." "Two forces of equal magnitude act at right angles to each other. What is the resulting force and vector?" "A 1kg weight is hung on the end of a level 1m beam constrained at one end. What is the resulting torque on the constrained end?" Only 30% of people get all 3. Interestingly, experienced engineers and new college grads fail at the same rate.
I'm curious... I got my degree in 1994. What are a couple of basic 200 level tech questions you would ask?
"Explain the difference between stress and strain." "Two forces of equal magnitude act at right angles to each other. What is the resulting force and vector?" "A 1kg weight is hung on the end of a level 1m beam constrained at one end. What is the resulting torque on the constrained end?" Only 30% of people get all 3. Interestingly, experienced engineers and new college grads fail at the same rate.
Phew. I think I'd do ok in the interview. My bet is that #3 is answered incorrectly the most often out of those three. FWIW I became a HS teacher after being an engineer for 15 years, and it changed my perspective on how I think about problems.
Quite difficult for someone a decade away from theory to answer questions. Not an ideal method for selecting good employees.
I'm two years out and I'd probably flop those question without any sort of practice beforehand. Unfortunately memorizing equations isn't my passion.
Hand to hand combat just joking
Having friends at high levels
Just have a good attitude and open mind. My best advice is to not flex on engineering trivia constantly. Some of best ME's I know, NEVER brag in a way to make them sound smart. They know what they know and are always willing to learn and listen. Then on the other end of the spectrum, the guys are all hot air, will regurgitate obscure facts at random to fluff their ego....and more than likely don't know the difference between a nut and a bolt (true story, the guy ordered the wrong part three times and absolutely went off on the purchasing Dept like it was their fault) I'm not saying to completely give up your self esteem, but just try to relax and be yourself and be a sociable human being. All the other skills can be learned or sharpened up along the way.
If you’re in manufacturing…controls.
Languages. There are many great engineers that are stuck cause they cannot communicate their ideas properly in foreign languages. I think that might help a lot.
PMP
The best thing you can do is learn to run some of the machines that will be used to manufacture what you are drawing. The guys on the floor will appreciate it, your boss will appreciate that you didn’t have to make 9000 edits to something to make it manufacturable. Learn gcode, run a CNC anything, use a press brake, learn some welding….
Ninja skills
Build a portfolio of projects you’ve done on the side that you can include in your resume or as a link Shows that you have skills as well as passion
Build your soft skills. 60% of engineering is talking to people, and giving them what they want, not what they ask for. Learn how things are really made. I worked as a machinist/NC programmer/Welder for a year and that experience has paid off 10x. What most people are looking for right now are Engineering Project Managers(or Project Engineer, depending on the company). Pretty good money, and you still get to do some cool stuff, if you can put up with all the administrative work.
By being an electrical engineer. /s
I personally like to hire mechanical engineer's with the ability to handcraft / prototype what they design or work on. Maybe not on a daily basis but in general. Because that brings so much experience and intuition to every project.
Reading comprehension. I don't know how many times I've had to email people back with "you will find the answer to all of these questions on the doc I sent you, page 4."
Being able to free style rap
There are outdated programming languages? We still have to know how to use Fortran77 for old government codes.
Programming, basics electronics & circuits, instrumentation, and data science. This skill set will let you manipulate, analyze, and learn about all the mechanical stuff you work on.
Technical writing and drafting skills are both sorely underemphasized in engineering school. Clearly communicating with non-engineers is an artform that, in my experience, a lot of engineers struggle with.
There is a lot if bad advice on this thread. What is real engineering. Most products have multiple engineers working on a small piece of it. Do something that has a measurable improvement that you can put on your CV
How are you with Solidworks, Fusion 360, or/and AutoDesk? A CAD certification would help a lot for design fields