Automotive Engineering: Career Ideas for Car Fanatics

[DJey]

I've been a huge car fanatic since I was three, you name i know it about cars,
I am looking into University Bound, what career would fit my style

designing car body/engine
working on producing cars,
tuning cars
sort of things like that.

 

[pongo38]

Car design is done in teams of specialists. Which specialism do you fancy? Mechanical? electro-mechanical? Artistic? testing and feedback? Ergonomics? ... etc

 

[Ben Espen]

Look for a university with an active chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Enroll as a Mech E, join the SAE, and work on the Baja or Formula One team that make and race cars. You will probably find this fun, and get good experience in the process. You will learn about career opportunities that you may be interested in due to exposure to corporate sponsors and talking with other gearheads.

 

[Backdraft]

Choosing a university with an actual automotive engineering program would be helpful too, since they often combine academics with the SAE program instead of many other schools where SAE is almost treated as an afterthought.

Altho it might be a bit harder given the dearth of "specifically" automotive programs.

 

[Buzzworks]

Designing/tuning car engine/suspension is actually more of a 'rocket science' than anything.

Especially nowadays where efficiency is one of the highest considerations in design.

Lucky you, many engineering design software today, can already do the design calculations/optimizations for you! You can practically learn those in a month!

I'm actually at loss myself if there any such schools dedicated at automotive engineering - designing cars the scientific way.

I've come across few such schools, offering two-year courses with 'automotive engineering' titles but you end up servicing heavy vehicles. Suspension tuning/design is yet another separate course that seems offered by courses related to motorsports.

 

[Leshok]

I have the same interest as you and did a little bit of research. There are a few schools that offer a Bachelors in Automotive Engineering Technology. These do not seem to be very marketable and are a lot more vocational than technical. There are two schools that I found that offer a Bachelors in Automotive Engineering (For the most part is a Mechanical Engineering Degree). This is more marketable and will set you up for a Masters program or higher in Automotive Engineering.

One of the undergrad Programs
http://motorsports.uncc.edu/undergraduate-program.html

HTH