Are engineering assignments really so wrong?

[morry]

I have to agree with a lot that has been said here.

I am in my 2nd year of mechanical eng. At the moment, I have no practical skills. I would not know where to start something practical. Its a bit of a worry actually.

I am hoping to get a years worth of work experience after 3rd year, which should give me more of an understanding about what is really expected of me.

 

[FredGarvin]

Don't get yourself in a tizzy over this. School is there to give you the basics so you can understand what will be expected of you when you get to an employer. Colleges can't teach practical things down to the levels we'd want because that tends to change from place to place. Learn all you can and don't sweat being able to do a job the first day you show up. You won't be able to do that.

 

[Artman]

Don't get yourself in a tizzy over this. School is there to give you the basics so you can understand what will be expected of you when you get to an employer. Colleges can't teach practical things down to the levels we'd want because that tends to change from place to place. Learn all you can and don't sweat being able to do a job the first day you show up. You won't be able to do that.

This is true. Most places with decent leadership will recognize your experience level and challenge you without expecting you to know everything. My current employer is in this class, my former one was not. Just don't underestimate the help available in the form of designers and draftspeople with a lot of experience even if they do not have a degree.

 

[Astronuc]

Just don't underestimate the help available in the form of designers and draftspeople with a lot of experience even if they do not have a degree.

And watch out for cocky engineers who think they know everything.

I used to audit manufacturing shops, and I was astounded to learn that some engineers would never visit the shop floor and actually see the product that they designed. That to me is a piss poor attitude.

Anyway, as Fred and Artman alluded to, school is meant to teach the basics. Then the novice engineer needs to search out a mentor, not necessarily a senior engineer - it could be a designer or draftsman who has had lots of 'practical' experience.

 

[CarlB]

Having the engineers regularly drop by the shop floor is extremely valuable to a company. First, you find out where there are problems in the design that are causing rework or other difficulties. Second, an engineer can frequently, in just a few minutes, design a test fixture that will greatly assist the shop in putting out a product. Engineers frequently don't appreciate how important the manufacturing test equipment is.

In addition to the engineers who don't visit the shop floor, there's a fairly large number who won't work the bugs out of their own designs.

Carl

 

[leright]

That happens in a lot of fields. Consider the M.D. who not only has 4 years of undergraduate work, but also another 4 years of med school, yet still needs at least another 2-3 years of residency to be competent enough to go off and work on their own.

Isn't that the point of having EIT exams (or whatever you call them now), to remind them that they are only engineers-in-training? Seriously, engineering is one of the few fields I can think of where they blatantly tell graduates, via an exam, that they are only in training and not yet professionals. If I'm not mistaken, you need several years of work experience before you are permitted to take the PE exam; is that correct?



Again, this isn't a trait exclusive to recent engineering graduates. But, hey, I've done my share of knocking the arrogance of a few engineering students/grads, let me at 'em! (Okay, I was a bit younger then, but I used to have fun giving my roommate and friends a hard time; "So, when you take your ideal bridge built entirely in an ideal system out into the real world, how long before it collapses?") Anyway, anyone in the business of hiring recent grads should know this and be prepared to give them specific on-the-job training and mentoring. It's their boss' responsibility to make sure they are only given tasks suitable to their experience (or inexperience) and to ensure they are reminded of the limits of their experience/knowledge while they are still learning.

To become a licensed engineer here in michigan you are required to obtain an ABET accredited engineering degree, pass the fundamentals of engineering exam, obtain 4 years of experience as a practicing engineer (engineering grad school or industry), and then take the professional engineer exam.

The FE exam is 8 hours. 4 hours for general engi. knowledge (math, chem, thermo, circuits, statics/dynamics, cost analysis, ethics, etc), and the other 4 hours is on your particular concentraton (EE, ME, CE, etc)

The PE exam is similar, but is more focused on ethics, and practical knowledge that could only be gained from experience in the field.

When I graduate with my BSEE, I am going to take the FE exam (AND PASS IT THE FIRST TRY, UNLIKE MOST! I plan on studying hard...it is a tricky test) get my foot in the door, bust my ass and get my experience, and I plan on going to grad school at night to get the MSECE while I do this.

I am also considering getting into the DEMS program (doc. of engineering in manufacturing systems...this is a very sought after degree in the area). It is also designed for working engineers to complete it during night school. I think I can do it in about 7 years part time. This of course, is IF I'm not burned out by then. This Ph.D is designed for engis with masters degrees in engineering already.

Having a P.E., MSECE and Ph.D can't be all that bad, and I hope to get LOTS of "practical experience too.

Plus with a P.E. your job opportunities are not outsourced and having the P.E. makes you highly sought after. Plus the pay is much higher, but a lot of that extra income is lost since you have to pay for liability insurance when you become a PE.

 

[Moonbear]

To become a licensed engineer here in michigan you are required to obtain an ABET accredited engineering degree, pass the fundamentals of engineering exam, obtain 4 years of experience as a practicing engineer (engineering grad school or industry), and then take the professional engineer exam.

The FE exam is 8 hours. 4 hours for general engi. knowledge (math, chem, thermo, circuits, statics/dynamics, cost analysis, ethics, etc), and the other 4 hours is on your particular concentraton (EE, ME, CE, etc)

Is the FE exam the same as what used to be called the EIT exam?

 

[FredGarvin]

Yes it is.