Choosing Electives for a Mechanical Engineering Degree: Tips and Advice

[animalcroc]

Hi,
I'm a mechanical engineering (technically engineering science) student. It's almost time for me to pick my course electives but I don't know what to pick. I do have some interests but I would also like to take classes that will help me land a job. Although I would like to strictly take physics or math classes I'm not sure if that would help my employability (I'm already doing a minor in physics).Any suggestions?

 

[SRode]

what elective does your school have and what field do you want to work in?

 

[Danger]

Knitting. Once you're really good at it, you can get some steel wool and knit yourself a new car.

 

[animalcroc]

what elective does your school have and what field do you want to work in?

Hi SRode. I go to University of California San Diego. As far as electives I believe we can chooses any science, engineering or math class. I would like to work in a field that is theoretical as possible that involves relatively heavy math and physics. I don't know too much about the different engineering specialties even though I have been doing extensive research. I haven't been able to really see what typical engineers do in the different subfields.

Here is a link of engineering classes that contains both mandatory classes and electives:
http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/courses/MAE.html

 

[animalcroc]

Knitting. Once you're really good at it, you can get some steel wool and knit yourself a new car.

I get the impression your response was supposed to be sarcastic and humiliating. If so, I'll like to let you know I don't have a car. In fact my family's van (broken, single-parent family) is currently nonfunctional. That's why I want to ensure I can get a job and buy a car. But foremost, my goal of finding a job is to ensure that my broken, single-parented family that has been on welfare (not fully, just to supplement meager income) and living in a 25-foot motor home with 8 people for 10 years while living off $20,000 will be able more financially sound. Now that we have finally received a section 8 certificate (public housing) after a 7-year wait we constantly have to move and have our security deposit stolen after ever two years when the landlord's sell their house.

Your probably one of the happy well-situated people in America (also my country) who are ignorant of the dirt poor's lives. Take your head out your arse and travel out of your suburb and see that there's more than you know.

 

[Danger]

As an outsider, it would appear to me that the current trend in job markets is toward information technology. Also, now that private enterprise is entering the field, aerospace will be a growing biggie (ie: Virgin Spacelines).
In that light, I would look toward computer science, electronic engineering, aeronautical engineering, or something related. At the very least, get your Mechanical. With that, you can get a job in anything from auto mechanics to building maintenance if the job market doesn't have what you want.

edit: I just saw your belated response to my first post. Take a pill, dude. Notice the little thing under my avatar that indicates my sense of humour. Sorry that you don't share it, but that's not my problem.
And don't ever again accuse me of being either rich or a Yank. My dad made $4,000 a year and supported my mother and I until I could finally get a job when I was 22. I still make barely more than what is considered the poverty line here. :grumpy:
Now, do you want to be friends, or keep your head up your own ass?

 

[animalcroc]

If the trend is toward information technology then would it be correct to say that "academically trained" engineers are the ones not being sought after?

You might want to be more careful with your humor as there was no way to detect it in your post. Many people post replies like yours while intending to be rude. Also, in my post, I did not accuse you of anything. I wrote *IF*
you were trying to sarcastic and humiliating then the following words applied.
That being said you shouldn't be upset or feel the need to get me back with the "ass" comment.
Friends, fine.

As an outsider, it would appear to me that the current trend in job markets is toward information technology. Also, now that private enterprise is entering the field, aerospace will be a growing biggie (ie: Virgin Spacelines).
In that light, I would look toward computer science, electronic engineering, aeronautical engineering, or something related. At the very least, get your Mechanical. With that, you can get a job in anything from auto mechanics to building maintenance if the job market doesn't have what you want.

edit: I just saw your belated response to my first post. Take a pill, dude. Notice the little thing under my avatar that indicates my sense of humour. Sorry that you don't share it, but that's not my problem.
And don't ever again accuse me of being either rich or a Yank. My dad made $4,000 a year and supported my mother and I until I could finally get a job when I was 22. I still make barely more than what is considered the poverty line here. :grumpy:
Now, do you want to be friends, or keep your head up your own ass?

 

[Danger]

Friends it is, then.
I probably should have put a '' after my first post, but I really seriously thought that anyone would recognize it as a joke. My apologies for the misunderstanding.
PF is about the 'cleanest' site that you can find. Nobody who is deliberately offensive would have anything like my post count. (Well, okay... I'm deliberately offensive to Ivan and Integral in GD, just because of the age thing, but it's a mutual animosity and we respect each other in the real world. (And of the 3 of us, I'm the least worthy of respect.))

As for your other question, I don't believe that anything other than an 'academically trained' engineer is allowed to call him/herself an engineer. I'm a 'tinker' with a wee bit of engineering knowledge (more instinct than learned). I never finished high-school. I've learned more here on PF than I did in the 30 years between school and finding this site (or in school, for all that matters).

 

[ice109]

I get the impression your response was supposed to be sarcastic and humiliating. If so, I'll like to let you know I don't have a car. In fact my family's van (broken, single-parent family) is currently nonfunctional. That's why I want to ensure I can get a job and buy a car. But foremost, my goal of finding a job is to ensure that my broken, single-parented family that has been on welfare (not fully, just to supplement meager income) and living in a 25-foot motor home with 8 people for 10 years while living off $20,000 will be able more financially sound. Now that we have finally received a section 8 certificate (public housing) after a 7-year wait we constantly have to move and have our security deposit stolen after ever two years when the landlord's sell their house.

Your probably one of the happy well-situated people in America (also my country) who are ignorant of the dirt poor's lives. Take your head out your arse and travel out of your suburb and see that there's more than you know.

OMG dude you fail at life, you've got the biggest chip on your shoulder I've ever seen in my life

and don't forget that if you are attending a university you're more privileged than 90% of the world.

 

[SRode]

I was looking thru your classes, but wasn't sure which are mandatory and which are electives. Nothing in undergraduate really stood out, but my advice is to take the most advanced subjects you can and focus them in an area. I.E do advanced fluids, convective heat transfer, aerospace design. Things that complement each other. If you go into aerospace, try taking some advanced mechanics courses, I've found that a lot of my friends that have gone into the field already and majored in aerospace lacked knowledge of how to analyze structural systems.

Finally, if your school let's you take graduate courses as electives I'd advise theory of elasticity and comp. fluid dynamics. Those subjects are usually missed in undergrad, but are really useful.

Just as an aside, everyone needs to chill out, we all come from different backgrounds, try not to be openly hostile or get overly defensive. In the words of Rodney King, "can we all just get along?"

 

[animalcroc]

OMG dude you fail at life, you've got the biggest chip on your shoulder I've ever seen in my life

and don't forget that if you are attending a university you're more privileged than 90% of the world.

For the sake of keeping this board in friendly spirits I won't reply with anything vitriolic (even though I'm tempted to.). Rather, I'll post one of these.

 

[animalcroc]

I also apologise as well as I shouldn't have jumped too quickly...
Judging from the number of posts and your title I'd say you're likely a pretty capable person. I'm sure it more than makes up for your lack of a high school diploma.
Are you on this forum on anywhere else besides the engineering boards?
Out of curiosity, if I may ask, why didn't you high school?

Friends it is, then.
I probably should have put a '' after my first post, but I really seriously thought that anyone would recognize it as a joke. My apologies for the misunderstanding.
PF is about the 'cleanest' site that you can find. Nobody who is deliberately offensive would have anything like my post count. (Well, okay... I'm deliberately offensive to Ivan and Integral in GD, just because of the age thing, but it's a mutual animosity and we respect each other in the real world. (And of the 3 of us, I'm the least worthy of respect.))

As for your other question, I don't believe that anything other than an 'academically trained' engineer is allowed to call him/herself an engineer. I'm a 'tinker' with a wee bit of engineering knowledge (more instinct than learned). I never finished high-school. I've learned more here on PF than I did in the 30 years between school and finding this site (or in school, for all that matters).

 

[animalcroc]

I was looking thru your classes, but wasn't sure which are mandatory and which are electives. Nothing in undergraduate really stood out, but my advice is to take the most advanced subjects you can and focus them in an area. I.E do advanced fluids, convective heat transfer, aerospace design. Things that complement each other. If you go into aerospace, try taking some advanced mechanics courses, I've found that a lot of my friends that have gone into the field already and majored in aerospace lacked knowledge of how to analyze structural systems.

Finally, if your school let's you take graduate courses as electives I'd advise theory of elasticity and comp. fluid dynamics. Those subjects are usually missed in undergrad, but are really useful.

Just as an aside, everyone needs to chill out, we all come from different backgrounds, try not to be openly hostile or get overly defensive. In the words of Rodney King, "can we all just get along?"

Would you think a minor in physics is a waste? Does your school let you take graduate courses as electives? I don't really like design and would prefer to avoid such classes, is there a way out?

 

[Danger]

Out of curiosity, if I may ask, why didn't you high school?

It's no secret. I've never been too much into standing up for myself, but I felt obliged to 'neutralize' a math teacher who was physically assaulting my best friend in study hall. Even though the principal agreed with me, and gave me a 1-period detention to maintain decorum, a few others in the math department insisted that I apologize to the teacher in question. No way that was going to happen, since I was clearly in the right. That was in grade 10, and I never took the subject since. I was therefore short about 35 credits of graduating grade 12. There's no way that I was going to carry on to 13. Given that this happened in '71, I assume (or at least hope) that all of the faculty involved are either dead or in nursing homes by now.

 

[animalcroc]

It's no secret. I've never been too much into standing up for myself, but I felt obliged to 'neutralize' a math teacher who was physically assaulting my best friend in study hall. Even though the principal agreed with me, and gave me a 1-period detention to maintain decorum, a few others in the math department insisted that I apologize to the teacher in question. No way that was going to happen, since I was clearly in the right. That was in grade 10, and I never took the subject since. I was therefore short about 35 credits of graduating grade 12. There's no way that I was going to carry on to 13. Given that this happened in '71, I assume (or at least hope) that all of the faculty involved are either dead or in nursing homes by now.

Hmmm... I wonder how these few teachers were able to override the principal. That sucks... I see you still carry strong feelings over the issue...
I hope you were able to maneuver around that drawback the best you can.
BTW, what forums are you usually on?
Well, I'm going to sleep. See you on PF some other time.

 

[Danger]

BTW, what forums are you usually on?
Well, I'm going to sleep. See you on PF some other time.

Used to be just GD, but now it's pretty much General Engineering, Engineering Systems and Design, and Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering.
If you have to get in touch for something and you don't see me logged in, feel free to fire off a PM that I'll see the next time I show up.
And it is also bed time for Danger. I don't have to work tomorrow, but the wife does. It's coming up on 1:00 am my time, so I've got to hit the hay.