engneering field

[eaglejim]

Re: engneering field

well at 14, you have a lot of time. the one concentration, now is good grades, taking the right classes, that will give you the basic background you need in college.

After reading that I looked at your profile and I am tipping my hat to you,there are a lot of folks coming out of college that don't have a clue what they want to do and here you are asking around and receiving knowledge with that kind of drive you will do well

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: engneering field

The problem was that I really didn't know much Trig, which I didn't figure out until I took calculus for real. The key is, learn your Trig inside and out, particularly identities, and the rest of your math courses will lay down in front of you.

Totally agree with that. Once learned it never leaves you either.

 

[PeterMcG]

Re: engneering field

About pre-calc: I had a pre calc course about 35 years ago which didn't do a whole lot for me although I slid through it with a B. The problem was that I really didn't know much Trig, which I didn't figure out until I took calculus for real. The key is, learn your Trig inside and out, particularly identities, and the rest of your math courses will lay down in front of you.

I'll go one step further and offer this opinion: Math is a skill. Some people might have a natural aptitude, or natural ability, but (except for the learning impaired) everyone is capable of developing a level of proficiency through at least differential equations. One person might require more time,but like any skill, time and effort WILL yield improvement.

It is also a progressive skill -- it builds on itself. If a person does just enough to "get by" in one topic, he will later find himself at a disadvantage in another course.

 

[thurps]

Re: engneering field

You might consider a couple of years in the service before college. They really have fantastic schools for those that take advantage of them and they really teach you how to study to say nothing of the post college funding. Most big companys also give you credit for time served. Oldest son still serving after 25 years as a hilicopter pilot in the Army. Youngest son is a corperate design engineer for Chevron after 6 years in the Navy and a few years at Cal.
Science, math. Science, math. Science, math.

Good luck.

 

[45Auto]

Re: engneering field

Did you notice how all the engineers know how to use basic english and spelling?

engneering field

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so ive been thinking a major and it is engineering. i dont know what kind of engineering to go in. to many different choices.

for a job maybe working with a major outboard company in research and development? good pay?

Your original post has about a dozen misspelling and basic english grammar mistakes. If you expect to be successful in the engineering field you'll have to understand the fundamentals of several different subjects. Spelling and grammar is very simple stuff compared to what you'll be expected to master as an engineer. At 15 years old you should already know how to communicate. But if you think basic english is hard, it's going to be very difficult for you.

I'm not trying to discourage you from engineering, far from it. I've been mentoring high school students in engineering for the last 5 years or so trying to get them involved. See if your school or one near you has a FIRST Robotics club (you design and build a robot and compete with other high schools around the world - next year's competition starts Jan 9) and get involved with that:

http://www.usfirst.org/

You'll meet lots of engineers through FIRST, and learn a lot.

The best thing you can do at the high school level is get the best grades you can so you can get into whatever engineering school you want. As others have said, the first couple of years of college (basic math, chemistry, physics, etc) are pretty much the same no matter what branch of engineering you decide upon.

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: engneering field

Since everyone else is throwing in their $.02 I might as well too. I am a Chemical Engineer. I personally say you choose the engineering field of study you are most comfortable with. That's because what I witnessed in college was a lot of "weeding out" after the first semester. I started with Intro to Principles of Chemical Engineering. This class had over 300 people in it......by the next semester there were about 120. What I saw during the class was many many very sharp students get blown out of the water with some very basic concepts of Chemical Engineering. This class dealt predominately with Mass and Energy Balances and for some reason, kids that were valedictorians in their high school, were failing. Most of the ones that failed out of Chem E that first semester wound up entering Mechanical or Electrical Engineering and seemed to find their groove. Its not that one field is better or needs a smarter type of student than another, its just about what a personally is naturally good at. Personally I did great at Mechanical Physics, but sucked at Electrical Physics.....(just as an example)

As a rule of thumb, if you struggle with math, or do not do well in Calculus, I STRONGLY recommend another degree or at least postpone the persuit until you get your math under control. I also recommend a gut check at how well you intuitively see things from multiple perspectives. Engineering classes and tests are notorious for forcing you to figure something out from information that at first makes it seem impossible. For example, my exams in Chem E usually were anywhere from 3 - 5 questions long, and were open book. The length of the test was anywhere from 3 to 4 hours. I can't tell you how many times I looked at the test and realized what I studied had NOTHING to do with the question. You spent most of the time looking through your notes and books to find something similar to the question, then the rest of the time trying to weed through setting up and solving the math.

Finally, if you wonder about pay, take a look at this recent article on entering job salaries by degree.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/24/news/economy/highest_starting_salaries/index.htm

GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[coolguy147]

Re: engneering field

thats a cool aritcle you put up. from reading it i believe that this is earnings for students who just got out of school? how long did they go to school for? i want to at least get a master's like my sister but she majored in environmental science.

sorry about spelling and gammer. just when typing i say the words in my mind but sometimes dont type them out and it sounds funny. plus i dont really read over my post....lol probably should

chemical engineering huh? so what exactly do you do? well at the moment im taking bio and its pretty easy. we had are first intro to chem and it was quite confusing. balancing equations was tedious! still not sure how to do them....

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: engneering field

Personally I did great at Mechanical Physics, but sucked at Electrical Physics.....(just as an example)

Funny...as a EE I had to take what was referred to as "Baby Thermo", which was a watered down and compressed version of what ME's took. The class was basically designed to get us poor EE's enough knowledge to get us through the EIT exam. Anyway, that messed with my head until my wife (an M.E, but nobody's perfect....) beat into my thick skull that Heat is NOT the same thing as Temperature. After that fundamental bit of knowledge sunk in, the rest was easier.

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: engneering field

sorry about spelling and gammer. just when typing i say the words in my mind but sometimes dont type them out and it sounds funny. plus i dont really read over my post....lol probably should

Yep....you're definately engineer material.

As for what I do, I don't really do anymore "engineering". I've moved my way up into management. And let me say, what you learn in engineering will NOT help you once you get into managing people.

You talk about a masters....admirable goal....but a master's in engineering is tough. I'd recommend an undergraduate degree in engineering and then a masters in some type of business management. That's what I'm about to endeavour in to.

You talk about chemistry, but the one thing you need to know about chem E is the only thing really important for us is balancing equations. Here is how things typically work in a production facility that uses chemicals.

A chemist comes up with the reactions.

A chem E figures out how much of everything is needed to produce the end product. example, how much of each chemical, how much heat, how much time, and how to move(pump it) around the process.

A mech E figures out how to build the plant/equipment and oversees construction.

A electrical E figures out how to power the whole thing.

It takes everyone working together to get the job done.

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: engneering field

Funny...as a EE I had to take what was referred to as "Baby Thermo", which was a watered down and compressed version of what ME's took. The class was basically designed to get us poor EE's enough knowledge to get us through the EIT exam. Anyway, that messed with my head until my wife (an M.E, but nobody's perfect....) beat into my thick skull that Heat is NOT the same thing as Temperature. After that fundamental bit of knowledge sunk in, the rest was easier.

I took the full blown Thermo...two semesters worth and yes it is a very humbling experience. You will appreciate this. Everyone is familiar with a basic proof logic statement. Well in one of our cafeterias on campus the following was etched in the wall.

Thermodynamics kicks *****.
I have an *****.
Therefore, Thermodynamics kicks my *****.

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: engneering field

I forgot to answer your other questions....yes the article is about graduating college students with BS degrees. Most engineering fields are 4 year programs (except nuclear engineering). But that really depends on you. Almost all of your engineering classes will require you to get at least a "C" in or you have to re-take it. As long as you keep your head screwed on straight, you should be able to finish in about 4 years. Another thing that might lengthen it is if you go on internships or co-ops. Strongly recommended to give you experience and let you figure out if its what you want to do for the rest of your life.

 

[PeterMcG]

Re: engneering field

I am also in chemical engineering.
The thing about Chem E. is that what you specifically choose to pursue is still wide open -- from cooling systems in nuclear power plants, vehicles and computers to corrosion prevention. Chem. Es are often tasked with determining what the trouble is with a process that is suddenly having issues: ("Hey, up until 2 days ago, the product stream was 95% pure at 1000kg/hr. Now we are seeing about 83% and only 925kg/hr. What's wrong?")

The deposition of silicon on insulation in the manufacturing of computer processor wafers is a chem. engineering process.
A guy in my class was in the navy and once he had his chem eng. degree, the navy sent him to nuclear power school.
As mentioned above, seek out co-ops and internships DURING your undergraduate program. The money you earn is less important than the exposure you get to a company and some of the specific types of work that would be entailed. Further, the VAST majority of internships and co-ops result in job offers upon graduation.

It is a difficult degree. In general, you will have a period of about 3-4 semesters that are ugly. However, if you recognize that there are great jobs waiting upon completion, that there IS a definite pay-off at the end, it is bearable. The last 2-3 semesters, while they might be time-consuming due to projects, typically will be less rigorous material.

@FB, I found myself nodding my head at your comments about thermo. Funny thing is, I took P.Chem after reactor kinetics and both semesters of thermo. The first semester of P.Chem was an absolute cake-walk while the chemistry majors were crying about the calculus and thermodynamics.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: engneering field

wow to many things to pick from

for sure i want to do engineering. 84k for petro isnt sounding so bad.... lol

heck all depends what im naturally good at like you said. well see how i do next year in chemistry

oh by the way im in the magnet program called I.B anybody ever heard of it?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: engneering field

wow to many things to pick from

for sure i want to do engineering. 84k for petro isnt sounding so bad.... lol

heck all depends what im naturally good at like you said. well see how i do next year in chemistry

oh by the way im in the magnet program called I.B anybody ever heard of it?

Plenty of time to decide. One thing for sure is a good engineer with a reputation in the industry will be very well compensated.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: engneering field

sounds good to me other then the pay thought i mean starting out 50k+ right out of college is nice and all but i really hope i get to enjoy it. this monday ill be looking at my subjects differently now. not just to pass but to learn which is what ive been trying to do.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: engneering field

The reason why the salaries are pretty high is that less than 5 percent of college degrees awarded each year are in engineering related majors. The downside is that, for the majority of non-management engineers, the salary range tops out pretty quickly at about 90-100K (Midwest dollars, not CA or Northeast dollars). You are punished for staying technical ("on the bench") and not moving into management, even though you might have no aptitude or desire for management whatsoever. If you're looking for respect and appreciation for being able to do what very few other individuals can do, don't look for it in engineering. Go play football. Engineers have no theme song or hot cheerleaders egging them on.
That said, I've been extremely fortunate (lucky) in my career so far, and have been able to stay on the bench (mostly) and avoid the drudgery of middle management while still progressing up the corporate ladder.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: engneering field

well i probably wont feel content even if i was a football player even though it would be pretty cool

is 50k+ for starting out good? so in the end your sayin 90-100k by the time i retire? if this eco id say that sucks because of the inflation and such but if the pres keeps getting people to sign checks for 1.1trillions of dollars then who knows what good or not. i mean i could have 1 mil in the bank. then have it worth 1 dollar the next day...

anyways back on topic.is moving to managment a bad thing? this aint a boring job is it?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: engneering field

anyways back on topic.is moving to managment a bad thing? this aint a boring job is it?

The 90-100K would be adjusted as time goes on for inflation. It's just right at this moment in time, a senior engineer makes slightly less than twice the amount of a new hire. Not bad, but not doctor and lawyer type of cash.
Management isn't a bad thing; it's just that if you really like the technical side of the work you don't get to get do it anymore. And once you're a manager for too long, you CAN"T do the tech work anymore, since things progress so rapidly in technology.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: engneering field

i like the idea of my masters degree being business managment

ill have to see when i get there i guess?

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: engneering field

The 90-100K would be adjusted as time goes on for inflation. It's just right at this moment in time, a senior engineer makes slightly less than twice the amount of a new hire. Not bad, but not doctor and lawyer type of cash.
Management isn't a bad thing; it's just that if you really like the technical side of the work you don't get to get do it anymore. And once you're a manager for too long, you CAN"T do the tech work anymore, since things progress so rapidly in technology.

Well I am both senior engineer and manager. I still get to be on the technical side as well due to the recent recession. I think that is the way of the immediate future.