any mechanical engineers?

[redg2]

so im in my 3rd yr in h/s deciding what i want to do i think i wanna be a mechanical engineer so im asking if anyone on here is a mechanical engineer...do you like your job? what do you get to do? and if you don't mind how much do you make an hr? im just looking for some insight from people who actually finished school for that and are doing it

[speifer]

Hey, I'm a mechanical engineer. I graduated from college in May and had a job right off the bat. I like my job... its hard to describe without writing an essay, so I won't try to elaborate, but basically right now I'm designing huge turbo compressors (we're talking thousands of horse power for these babies, lol). I think the average starting salary for mechanical engineering is around 54k, but it varies depending on the location and company. One little piece of advice,... if you want to be a mechanical engineer because you want to design cars, you might want to reconsider.... artists design cars, engineers just do the b!tch work, lol.

If you are in the Lehigh valley area, I'd be happy to talk to you in person. You could stop by one of our weekly meets in Allentown at Applebees; I usually go to them. Good luck with your decision!

[Njsurfrgurl]

depends what kinda mechanical eng you want to be... i'm an interior designer and we have an engineer that doesnt mechanical and electrical dwgs for us... i think per project he makes 20k plus depends on the size of the job. My firm doesnt layouts for brokerage firms so they dish out big bucks...if you want i have all teh programs (autocad, solidworks, bryce, photoshop, etc etc) if you wanna try em out

[supraghost]

im in school right now for ME. def not an easy major.

[redg2]

thanks for all the replys i actually go to school at ridley so im rite around the lehigh valley area maybe ill just have to catch one of those meets....and to njsurfgirl yea if you could pm one of the autocad programs taht would be good.. i rly dont know what i would like to design rly, def wouldnt be trying to design a whole car or anything but maybe interior things,pistons things like that..

[speifer]

Originally Posted by supraghost

im in school right now for ME. def not an easy major.

So true! I also minored in business and geez,... there was no comparison. No offense to anyone who is a business major, but it's wayyyyyy easier. And you can still make good money with a business major.

Also, to add to my engineering/automotive rant, I would never want to work for a U.S. car company, you have no job security at all. I've talked to people who worked for GM and they hated it.

[Njsurfrgurl]

Originally Posted by redg2

thanks for all the replys i actually go to school at ridley so im rite around the lehigh valley area maybe ill just have to catch one of those meets....and to njsurfgirl yea if you could pm one of the autocad programs taht would be good.. i rly dont know what i would like to design rly, def wouldnt be trying to design a whole car or anything but maybe interior things,pistons things like that..

Ill get a co worker to host it for you on a webpage...the files is extremely large and so is the program so hopefully you have a enough memory in your comp. Oh its Autocad 2008 BTW) But mess with it and see how ya like it...cause basically if your any sorta designer/ engineer your gonna use something like this. Again depending what route ya take...be prepared to drop major loot...in 6 yrs of college (yeah i transfered schools) i dropped a grand total of 15 grand plus just on supplies for my design classes.

But i have to agree business majors have it sorta easy (no offense) but come sit in class for 6 hrs 3 days a week (and thats just one class)

[Jeffros Spec V]

You can download a full trial version of Autocad from their website.

Though I'm not ME I'm a civil engineering major. My advice for somebody coming out of high school, if your going to do an engineering program do it from the start. I didn't and I had to back track so much. Good luck.

[redg2]

thanks alot and as for school you guys are saying its hard but hard as in what aspec..is it hard to learn or just alot of things to do/learn?..thanks for the advice and is it worth it after you graduate money wise?

[Signatus230]

I'm currently taking classes for mechanical engineering, but I havent gotten to far into it yet. So far I consider it a major challenge, but its also semi-enjoyable. It is what I want to do, at least for now.

[Njsurfrgurl]

Well i cant comment on how hard the schooling is but just going over the drawings that we get..you have to know voltages, lights specs, umm HVAC, etc etc thats just the tip of the ice berg. But its really time consuming. Like for me college wasnt the atypical college. When everyone was at the bar thursday and friday nights... i was in the studio doing work all night. Design/engineering majors take up alot of your time and well they are things you just dont learn in a book. And well you have to have some sorta of creativity. But honestly it does pay off...i have friends that are architects who can stamp dwgs that make 75 to 80 grand a year. Where you get a job determines how much you get paid. I make decent money but i also do freelance for MTV so it helps. Best bet is to take a CAD class to see how you like it before jumping in all the way.

[speifer]

Originally Posted by redg2

thanks alot and as for school you guys are saying its hard but hard as in what aspec..is it hard to learn or just alot of things to do/learn?..thanks for the advice and is it worth it after you graduate money wise?

Well, the math and physics is hard. I thought I was good at math until I got to the "advanced engineering mathematics" class. Mainly though, it just takes a lot of time. Like njsurfgurl said, while your friends are out partying, you will be busy doing hw. So although the classes are hard, with enough time and effort, pretty much anyone can get through them, its just that you really have to put in the time studying.

Personally, I'd say it's worth the money. I'm living very comfortably and don't have any complaints, but I was also fortunate enough to not have to take out any loans for college.

I'll be heading off to Applebees soon, .... I won't be there next week though.

[Njsurfrgurl]

Originally Posted by speifer

Well, the math and physics is hard. I thought I was good at math until I got to the "advanced engineering mathematics" class. Mainly though, it just takes a lot of time. Like njsurfgurl said, while your friends are out partying, you will be busy doing hw. So although the classes are hard, with enough time and effort, pretty much anyone can get through them, its just that you really have to put in the time studying.

Personally, I'd say it's worth the money. I'm living very comfortably and don't have any complaints, but I was also fortunate enough to not have to take out any loans for college.

I'll be heading off to Applebees soon, .... I won't be there next week though.

A little off the topic here...but i was over in Bethlehem today surveying a Cigna that i'm working on... lol
I second the money part...i dont make as much as an engineer would but i love what i do...i get to travel all over (today for example) plus you get into different types of work...like i'll be doing the MTV VMA's for the third year in a row. Knowing many of the programs you learn can take you many routes...you can design parts to buildings to sets...the sky is the limit. And oh yeah YOUR ALWAYS IN DEMAND!

[marshallpre1]

I'm a mechanical engineer. Yes it is brutal. Yes it sucks. Yes you won't party as much (esp 3rd and 4th years). Yes you will learn A LOT. No, you won't use half you learned at work. And yes the job market is awesome. If you are good in math and science, and don't mind getting stuck on thermodynamics problems for hours or many times, days, go for it. If you do, go at it hard. Don't dilly dally the first couple of years. Employers are looking for people with at least a 3.0 when you graduate. It may not seem difficult, but for most, it is. Most schools only offer a class once a year (either fall or spring). If you fail a class, you most likely be a year behind. To put the difficulty into perspective, my ME class freshman year had about 120 people. My graduating class had ~70. Most of these people had great GPAs in highschool. Make sure it is something you want to do, because it is a lot of time investment, but I think what you get afterwards is worth it. After that, get your MBA~ then you can better start your own consulting firm (given you get your PE license). I'm getting my MBA part time right now and I just graduated last May. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me or post on this thread.

Good luck on your decision!

*EDITED* PM'ed OP instead.

[Cardriverx]

im a senior in high school, going for mechanical engineering. Im eaither going to WVU, temple, drexel, or penn state (if I get in). Sadly, I dident get into pitt... thanks for the responce guys!

I want to end up in the automotive feild, like desiging engines or something..

[marshallpre1]

Originally Posted by speifer

Well, the math and physics is hard. I thought I was good at math until I got to the "advanced engineering mathematics" class. Mainly though, it just takes a lot of time. Like njsurfgurl said, while your friends are out partying, you will be busy doing hw. So although the classes are hard, with enough time and effort, pretty much anyone can get through them, its just that you really have to put in the time studying.

Personally, I'd say it's worth the money. I'm living very comfortably and don't have any complaints, but I was also fortunate enough to not have to take out any loans for college.

I'll be heading off to Applebees soon, .... I won't be there next week though.

good to see another engineer.. WOOOTT

[scoogan]

Originally Posted by marshallpre1

I'm a mechanical engineer. Yes it is brutal. Yes it sucks. Yes you won't party as much (esp 3rd and 4th years). Yes you will learn A LOT. No, you won't use half you learned at work. If you are good in math and science, and don't mind getting stuck on thermodynamics problems for hours or many times, days, go for it. If you do, go at it hard. Don't dilly dally the first couple of years. Most schools only offer a class once a year (either fall or spring). If you fail a class, you most likely be a year behind.
Good luck on your decision!

Could not agree with you more. There is no room for slacking if your an engineering student. Im currently in my 4th year @ Drexel for ME and love it. Some classes are a complete bore and your prof. isn't always the best....or understandable, but the good outweighs the bad

[Signatus230]

Very good to know everything you posted. Personally I am NOT in it for the money, nor am I that interested in designing engines or car things, as I don't have a specific, specific major.

Edit: I've researched this before, but what ME specifically are you guys into / going into?

[Gregory]

I'm in my second year at Drexel for mechanical engineering. Co-op program is the way to go if you're interested. It is a hard major, but a way respectable one that should pay off. The business majors have it WAY easier. I love it, and it is such an open ended major that you could go so many ways with. How are your grades and SATs and what schools are you looking into?

[Cardriverx]

how do you guys like drexel?