Engineering Mechanical vs. Civil engineering

[kinkmode]

Hi ddelaiarro,
can you comment a little more on what those guys are doing in the nuclear industry and why you say it is so much different? Not trying to hijack the OP's thread, just curious!

There's a lot of civil guys in the nuclear industry who worry about seismic events. I'd also say that most of the engineers at the plant I contracted at were not nuclear engineers. Most were probably civil and mechanical, with a good helping of electrical.

 

[nel.rn]

Why are you searching for something which makes you incomplete?

I'm not happy for what I'm right now. I want more than being a RN. Would it be a nice idea to go back and study again even at my age 25?

 

[travboat]

I turned 26 a few months back; I am studying Civil Engineering; and I have about two years left until I get my B.S.

There are two major points that led me to define CE as my major.

Firstly, I wanted a better opportunity to work out-doors. A course was taught at my university called "Introduction to Civil Engineering" where every week we would have a guest speaker from various civil engineering firms talk to our class about their specific fields. Structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, environmental engineers and several others gave us a great overview of what it meant to be a CE, and lots of them commented that they usually got out of the office at least once a week.

Secondly, I was fascinated that civil engineers are partially responsible for so many great things in our lives. Every time we turn on the water, flip a light switch, drive down the road, or come home to a roof over our heads, a civil engineer played some sort of role. It may be a very "behind the scenes" sort of role, but I am okay with that.

I want to point out that at my university, civil engineering students are taught a great deal about all the other engineering disciplines. We are required to take courses in chemical engineering and circuit analysis in order to graduate. They teach us that civil engineering encompasses so many aspects of society, that in order to be an effective CE, we have to have knowledge of what other engineers do(electrical, mechanical, etc.).

I am not knocking mechanical engineers in any way, as someone else pointed out, some mechanical engineers have profound impacts on our lives. I am simply more fascinated with civil engineering than I am mechanical.

 

[asalan]

i did learn physics in college and it was my major..but too bad finally i be java programmer but i still love java

 

[char808]

I'm headed back to school for a civil engineering degree in a month. I already have a degree so I will have some space in my schedule for additional classes on top of what is required. I am interested in project management and working outside more than less. Any thoughts on what classes to look at? I was thinking of adding some business management classes on, but I think I will have some time to take graduate level courses at undergrad rates.

Thanks.

 

[MarkkkHennnry]

both mechanical and civil are good branches...
it depends on your choice what you choose for engineering

 

[muthupandi]

I think every one can able to create fun with any degree and also any situation. so make fun with what you select.

 

[Jeanderson]

Hello. (:

I am currently a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering at Western Kentucky University. I am just starting to know what exactly I want to do with engineering, and it involves some different things such as water treatment, building infrastructure, energy (and possibly prosthetic). I've been getting these ideas from a desire to be a part of the Janicki Bioenergy company (http://janickibioenergy.com/), Engineers Without Borders (http://www.ewb-usa.org/) and Engineering Missions International (http://www.emiusa.org/); I want to directly improve the lives of others as much as learned skills and talents can enable me.

From my understanding of Civil engineering, it seems these ideas all fall more under the civil category than the mechanical. However, I may be influenced by where my schooling is located - I am in Bowling Green, Ky, where there is a Corvette Museum and many metal companies that contribute to it, so it seems most of mechanical engineering has to do with metal formation and automobiles. I feel this may be incorrect, and that mechanicals aren't restricted to that? I recently went to a job fair, looking for an internship for this summer, and the companies I was most interested were looking for Civil Engineering majors, and would not accept Mechanical Engineering applicants.

On the flip-side, I have also heard that Mechanical Engineers have the know-how to do the things Civil Engineers do, but have even more options available to them. I feel that Civils are trained more for the things I am interested in. Is this accurate?

Any help or insight would be very much appreciated! :D God bless!

 

[Jeanderson]

Hello. (:

I am currently a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering at Western Kentucky University. I am just starting to know what exactly I want to do with engineering, and it involves some different things such as water treatment, building infrastructure, energy (and possibly prosthetic). I've been getting these ideas from a desire to be a part of the Janicki Bioenergy company (http://janickibioenergy.com/), Engineers Without Borders (http://www.ewb-usa.org/) and Engineering Missions International (http://www.emiusa.org/); I want to directly improve the lives of others as much as learned skills and talents can enable me.

From my understanding of Civil engineering, it seems these ideas all fall more under the civil category than the mechanical. However, I may be influenced by where my schooling is located - I am in Bowling Green, Ky, where there is a Corvette Museum and many metal companies that contribute to it, so it seems most of mechanical engineering has to do with metal formation and automobiles. I feel this may be incorrect, and that mechanicals aren't restricted to that? I recently went to a job fair, looking for an internship for this summer, and the companies I was most interested were looking for Civil Engineering majors, and would not accept Mechanical Engineering applicants.

On the flip-side, I have also heard that Mechanical Engineers have the know-how to do the things Civil Engineers do, but have even more options available to them. I feel that Civils are trained more for the things I am interested in. Is this accurate?

Any help or insight would be very much appreciated! :D God bless!

 

[ddelaiarro]

Hello. (:

I am currently a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering at Western Kentucky University. I am just starting to know what exactly I want to do with engineering, and it involves some different things such as water treatment, building infrastructure, energy (and possibly prosthetic). I've been getting these ideas from a desire to be a part of the Janicki Bioenergy company (http://janickibioenergy.com/), Engineers Without Borders (http://www.ewb-usa.org/) and Engineering Missions International (http://www.emiusa.org/); I want to directly improve the lives of others as much as learned skills and talents can enable me.

From my understanding of Civil engineering, it seems these ideas all fall more under the civil category than the mechanical. However, I may be influenced by where my schooling is located - I am in Bowling Green, Ky, where there is a Corvette Museum and many metal companies that contribute to it, so it seems most of mechanical engineering has to do with metal formation and automobiles. I feel this may be incorrect, and that mechanicals aren't restricted to that? I recently went to a job fair, looking for an internship for this summer, and the companies I was most interested were looking for Civil Engineering majors, and would not accept Mechanical Engineering applicants.

On the flip-side, I have also heard that Mechanical Engineers have the know-how to do the things Civil Engineers do, but have even more options available to them. I feel that Civils are trained more for the things I am interested in. Is this accurate?

Any help or insight would be very much appreciated! :D God bless!

You hit on a lot of interesting points here. First, location of your school does play into how they teach their curriculum. For instance, I went to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. There are many defense contractors in the area including Raytheon and Sikorsky. Pratt & Whitney is also local. Our curriculum was centered around design of components, heat transfer and fluid flow - all valuable skills for those companies. It makes sense that your curriculum is centered around metal formation and automobiles given your geographic location and the local companies.

You're right, mechanical engineers aren't limited to their curriculum. I went on to work in industries such as medical device design, ion beam etc (semiconductor process equipment) and, currently, defense electronics. In my opinion and experience, an ME degree is the most flexible because you are more of a 'jack of all trades' in that you learn the basics of almost anything. You can absolutely handle most Civil Engineering tasks, as well as EE tasks. That being said, each of those specialties is going to have specific skills that an ME degree will not prepare you for. But, you'll learn how to learn with any engineering degree so picking them up shouldn't be difficult.

What I'm getting at is this: if you're contemplating an ME degree or a CivE degree, go ME. While you currently have an ideal job in mind, life rarely works that way (I had no intention of being a Program Manager for a defense electronics company when I was doing my undergrad work) and an ME degree will undoubtedly open more avenues to you in the future. Employment opportunities, socio-economic climates and personal matters (family, kids, etc) all play into where you'll decide to work.

If you've identified companies you'd like to work with, one suggestion would be to find folks who work for them - ideally functional managers - and forge a relationship with them. Explain your thought process on what you want to do and why you're getting your degree. Not only are you networking at an early stage of your career, but you can help shape your degree based on the conversation. The best place to find these people is on LinkedIn. In addition to being a PM, I am also a functional manager and have had college students seek my guidance in a similar fashion. It has helped both of us - I even hired a few.

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

 

[littletrout]

Hello,

There is a lot of good information on this thread! From what I have read, I think Mechanical Engineering would be something I would enjoy studying. I would like to know the differences between a job you can get with an engineering degree and an engineering technology degree. I'm a senior in High school and I live in New York. I'm thinking about going to community college for two years and then transfer because the engineering schools I applied to, specifically RIT and Syracuse did not accept me. I did get accepted to Hofstra but it's very expensive.

Ddelaiarro, How did you know mechanical engineering was right for you? I love to do hands on work and I read that you design and build prototypes. That makes me hopeful I won't have to sit in an office all the time. I could go to a 4yr school and get an MET degree but I'm afraid I will regret that decision because from what I know (which is not much), ME will allow me to study further, like get a masters, etc. and I may have more job opportunities. On the other hand, how do I know I can handle the theoretical stuff involved with getting an ME degree? Right now I'm taking AP Chemistry and AP Physics and both are very difficult for me but I have survived so far and I find it interesting to learn about these subjects.
I don't want to end up in a job I don't like nor I can progress in.

Any advice is appreciatd

 

[ddelaiarro]

Littletrout - what are your other options for college? Personally, I would avoid the community college route if you are going to end up going with a full ME degree. You'll spend more time in school which equals more money. Go ME straight away, even if it's not at your dream school (I didn't go to my dream school). As a hiring manager, I look for my technicians to have engineering technology degrees (CC or 4yr) and my engineers to have full-blow engineering degrees. Nothing wrong with being a tech (God knows we all rely on good ones), but don't short change yourself and your education if you want to be an engineer.

For me, picking ME was essentially order of elimination. I knew I was good at math and science, had a strong background with my hands (Dad was a plumber, one grandfather was a welder, the other a mechanic so I was always building or fixing something), and the other disciplines (electrical, chemical, civil, etc.) didn't interest me as much. If you're surviving AP Chem and Physics, you should be able to handle most anything that gets thrown at you in an undergrad ME program.

As far as not ending up in a job you don't like - let us all know if you figure out how to avoid that. I'll bet we've all been there at least once in our lives.

 

[littletrout]

Thanks for replying!
My other options right now are Hofstra University, University at Buffalo, Farmingdale State College (which would be a 4 year program in engineering technology) or Queens College (which does not have any engineering program and I would have to transfer if I want to do engineering).. Although Buffalo is a SUNY school, I'm looking at paying about $20,000 for tuition, room and board per year. I would definitely try to get a job during my time there if I go, but I was trying to avoid taking out such a loan, especially if I plan on staying there for 4 years. The cost I just mentioned is what I would also pay at Hofstra in tuition only. Hofstra is a short drive from where I live so I would stay at home.

One of the main reasons I considered Nassau Community college is because they offer an associates in engineering science and schools like Stony Brook and Rensselaer. accept many transfer credits. The CC supposedly has a joint admissions or articulation agreement with Stony Brook and Hofstra making it easier to transfer. I need to get in touch with both schools to find out the specifics of this and how many students actually transfer to Stony Brook or another school and how long it takes for such students to get a Bachelor's in ME.

My thinking was why not take courses at the CC for two years, save money, and transfer as a junior to another school (Maybe UB or Stony Brook where I would pay for two years) and get my engineering degree instead of spending close to $80,000 on a four year school. Maybe I can cut that cost in half?

If going to a 4 year school would mean I would have a better chance at actually getting a degree in ME, then by all means, I'm willing to consider it. Right now, Farmingdale is my next best option because I would only pay the state tuition and live at home. My biggest concern is that they do not offer engineering, only engineering technology. Not that I don't like ET, it's just hard to tell which I'm more suited for.

 

[ddelaiarro]

OK, I'm veeeery familiar with all the schools you're talking about as I live and work on Long Island. First things first, don't waste your time and money at Farmingdale for a four year ET degree. It's not worth it. I think I misunderstood your question before about transferring after two years. I thought you were pursuing an ET degree with the transfer. Now I see you're thinking about going to NCC first and then transferring to finish up a full ME degree. I have a few thoughts:

1. Bravo to you for thinking about the loans you'll end up with at the end. Lots of kids your age don't do that and it is something that really hinders them getting started in life once they graduate. Those loans start kicking in six months after graduation and they can chew up a big part of your income for a while.
2. As a point of reference, no one will care where you started college, only where your degree is from. That makes your plan smart in one regard...
3. ...in another regard, it may have pitfalls. You need to consider a few things:
   1. Will you be able to finish up in two years at Stony Brook (for instance - it would be my recommendation as I see a lot of good, young engineers come out of there and it is a SUNY) or would you require an additional semester or two to acquire all the credits you really need? Something to look in to. My guess would be that you'd be looking at 5yrs of school - 2 at NCC and 3 at a full college. Consider the cost of that in your equation as well.
   2. You'll be missing out on the first two years of 'group building' at college. At least in my experience, project and study groups were built in the first two years. It may be tough to find these groups if you are a late matriculater. It won't be impossible, but may be more difficult
   3. You'll lose the social-learning aspect that a full college experience can provide. In my experience, I learned as much out of the classroom as I did in the classroom while in college. College life is akin to being an adult with training wheels. You have a ton of freedom, a lot of responsibilities, but there are still safety nets built in. Going to a CC and/or commuting from home may cause you to miss this learning experience.

Also, in my experience:

1. Young engineers who stayed at college in a four year setting are more mature in the workplace - at least in my experience.
2. I've worked with young engineers from Buffalo and young engineers from Stony Brook. Stony Brook grads are better in every aspect of engineering, hands down. For what it's worth, Buffalo has a much better social life - my sister-in-law went there and loved it (non-engineering).

So, I've given you a lot to think about. Chew on it and come back with questions. I can't tell you what to do, only lend advice.

 

[Bridge]

I started in Aerospace and it was not a good fit for me. I am very inspired by what Engineers Without Border's does is what I want to be doing with my life.

Initially, I am drawn to Civil Engineering. When I look at the curriculum of Civil as compared to Mechanical, the Civil Engineering curriculum strikes me as much more interesting. But I am having doubts. I tend to change my mind a lot and want to work in a broad field. Specifically, I would love to work in renewable energy, water resources or infrastructure development for developing communities around the world.

There is a flip side to this coin. I am reading Steve Jobs biography and am very drawn to the positive change he helped inflict on the world through technology. I would love to participate in creating new water treatment methods, improving renewable energy and the aesthetics behind the technology we use everyday. Sometimes I feel like to make my difference on the world it has to be through technology and that CE is not the best field for someone who say, has a desire to work on wind turbines.

I have read a lot of places that ME is a broader field than CE. Is this true?

If I want to work on improving renewable energy technology and water treatment technology, should I choose ME or CE?

Any insight is SO greatly appreciated.

 

[ddelaiarro]

You'll probably be able to work in those areas with both CE and ME. In my experience, ME's will work the technology - creating the systems to transform energy, designing the systems for water treatment, etc. CE's can/will work with them to implement it in the environment, however, most ME's can do this kind of work.

When I was at UMass, we had a professor in the ME department (http://www.ecs.umass.edu/mie/faculty/mcgowan.html who wrote Wind Energy Explained: Theory, Design and Application) who worked exclusively in wind power. He built wind turbines locally and the CE department had nothing to do with it. ME students (PhD, grad and undergrad) worked with McGowan to pick the location, design the earthworks of the land, design the install and manage it. We had similar situations where ME students worked with other schools' ME departments to work on waste water management projects.

 

[templejr]

hello, am currently studying civil engineering in north cyprus, this thread has really left me confused on whether to switch or remain in civil

As someone who has been in the work force for an extended period of time, I would recommend that you get a degree in something you enjoy first and worry about the job market second. You can get a good job with any engineering degree. I started out in electrical engineering and hated it. I moved into chemical engineering and hated it. I graduated with BS and MS degrees in civil Engineering and love it. By the way, don't let anyone tell you the money isn't good in civil engineering. I make over $200K a year as a civil (geotechnical) engineer. I know plenty of other civil engineers that make plenty good money. My point is to do something you're passionate about no matter what major your choose. If you make a decision based on what you perceive the income potential to be, you will regret it. You will be working for a very long time and you better do something you enjoy. By the way, people tend to do a better job at something they enjoy.

hello, am currently studying civil engineering in north cyprus, this thread has really left me confused on whether to switch or remain in CE, you said you earn over 200k where do you live and work?

 

[massmanute]

Maybe a dumb idea, but how much additional course work would be required for a double major, ME and CE?

 

[MNEG]

HI, I'm studying civil engineering, fourth semester, in Mexico.

I'm doubting about if i have made the right decision, I'm interested for what this field of engineering do but at this moment I don't know in which specifically area i want to work on. I think making research on materials behavior, working in aircrafts development or, in general, developing new things would be great. In general i want to apply all the science i have been taught until now, i am afraid once i graduate all i do was administration or drawings in autocad that doesn't requiere such high knoeledge.

So, i would like to know if a ME degree could help me to do so, what is the best choise, ME or CE, to make a research career?, and of course in which one i will be able to earn the most since i live in a "developing country" or "third world country".

Thanks and forgive me if i had grammar mistakes.

 

[ddelaiarro]

Well, if you're interested in materials, aircraft development, etc then you should lean towards ME. Both ME and CE can do both research however the things you mentioned are definitely more inline with an ME degree than a CE degree.

That being said, it's the end of the first paragraph that gives me pause. You mention that you want to apply all the science you've been taught and not do administrative and/or drawing work (which you believe doesn't require high knowledge). Let me address your last statement first - I know many non-degreed designers who can design and engineer circles around freshly graduated engineers. Never doubt the ability of those without a degree, especially the guys who have been in the field for a long time. Also, never be afraid to start at the bottom. I have been in the field now for long enough that I'm not longer in the youngest crowd at work (not am I the old man). What I can tell you is that the people who come in willing to learn and do the "remedial" work first are usually the ones who progress. Be willing to do the Engineering Change work - both the paper work and the CAD work. Not only will you learn about your company's products, but you'll also learn how they work. You'll also be learning valuable lessons about how engineering companies work, in general.

College/university gives the what, but only work experience gives you the how.

 

[Soli99]

Hey everyone,
I am still debating what field of engineering to pursue, and an answer to this question may help in the elimination process.
Does studying CE allow you to work in different countries or does each country have a unique building code/structure (eg. Using wood vs. cement and dry walls) which you have to learn if you work in a different country than the one you studied in?
Any response is appreciated :)

 

[ddelaiarro]

A CE degree should teach you the knowledge/theory of the science behind the work, not the building codes required for a location. For your reference, in the US, each local government (down to the town level) has their own building codes so it would be fruitless for a college/university degree to concentrate on building codes. Those are something you'll need to learn for the location you work in regardless of where you go to school.

 

[Dragoslav]

Hello I have a question because I started now a deegre in Denmark as Civil engineering and I want to ask is it possible after I graduate if I can pre-qualified to mechanical.