Need to interview an engineer for assignment

[ljbcac]

Hello. I'm a freshman in college and I'm taking an engineering introduction course. Our assignment for this week is to interview an engineer who has a four-year degree in engineering.

So I'm coming here for help! Any reply much appreciated!

Here are the questions：

1.Which field of mechanical engineering are you in? Automobile, material, etc.

2.Why did you choose this field?

3.How long have you been in the engineering field?

4.Was mechanical engineering the only major you took in college?

5.Does what you learned in college match what you need in your work?

6.Where do you work? In an office building or a factory?

7.Do you like the place you work at?

8.Do you feel much pressure in your work?

9.How important is teamwork in your work?

10.Which one do you enjoy more, working as a team or working alone?

11.What do you think is needed to be a good engineer?

12.Does the money you make now match what you expected when you first decided to enter this field?

13.Are you satisfied with your current status? The balance between career and personal life, salary, relationship with workmates, etc.

14.What is the good things and bad things working as an engineer?

15.Any suggestion for a student who's going to enter this field? Thanks!

Thank you so much for your time!

Also, our instructor require us to include the following information:

Your company / position / degree background / college attended

Please include the information you don't mind including. It's perfectly alright if you wouldn't like to include those. Again, thank you so much for you help. I appreciate that!

 

[Vadar2012]

1.Which field of mechanical engineering are you in? Automobile, material, etc.
Power Systems at the moment. Although, I design equipment, has nothing to do with power systems.

2.Why did you choose this field?
I didn't, engineering is a very competitive field, you end up taking what you can get.

3.How long have you been in the engineering field?
4 years.

4.Was mechanical engineering the only major you took in college?
I did mechanical and aerospace engineering, which is counted as two majors at the uni I went to.

5.Does what you learned in college match what you need in your work?
Yeah, it matches quite nicely. I use stress analysis and other mechanical engineering equations all the time. I wish I paid more attention in these classes.

6.Where do you work? In an office building or a factory?
In an office building right next to an equipment holding yard. It has a lot of large machinery and other cool stuff.

7.Do you like the place you work at?
Yeah, it's different. It's not another boring office building.

8.Do you feel much pressure in your work?
Sometimes. People want things done and keep asking you how it's going and when it's going to be done. THey don't care what other people have asked you to do.

9.How important is teamwork in your work?
Teamwork is everything... you must learn this or fail.

10.Which one do you enjoy more, working as a team or working alone?
It's nice to have a mix of both. It also depends on your team...

11.What do you think is needed to be a good engineer?
Be prepared to give up your life for 4 years. Most people quit before the end of the first year because they aren't prepared for this. It's a long grueling ride. I could list a whole heap of stuff here, but what I think it boils down to is being prepared to do what it takes.

12.Does the money you make now match what you expected when you first decided to enter this field?
I never thought about the money when I left school. Just chose what I thought was cool. I wanted to work on aircraft in defence. Big mistake there.

13.Are you satisfied with your current status? The balance between career and personal life, salary, relationship with workmates, etc.
Yeah, couldn't be happier. It's nice having a weekend and set hours. I've had jobs where I worked weeks ina row with a random changing roster. Making planning anything very difficult.

14.What is the good things and bad things working as an engineer?
Trusting yourself that the things you design and sign off have actually been done correctly. It's always there at the back of your mind. People also expect you to know everything.

15.Any suggestion for a student who's going to enter this field? Thanks!
Besides being preapred to make a lot of sacrifices, be prepared to enter a field you don't want to.

The last things you're after, it wouldn't be wise for anyone to give those out. But I will answer these:

Mechanical Design Engineer / Bachelor of Engineering (Mech and Aerospace), Master of Engineering / The University of Queensland (Australia).

 

[ljbcac]

1.Which field of mechanical engineering are you in? Automobile, material, etc.
Power Systems at the moment. Although, I design equipment, has nothing to do with power systems.

2.Why did you choose this field?
I didn't, engineering is a very competitive field, you end up taking what you can get.

3.How long have you been in the engineering field?
4 years.

4.Was mechanical engineering the only major you took in college?
I did mechanical and aerospace engineering, which is counted as two majors at the uni I went to.

5.Does what you learned in college match what you need in your work?
Yeah, it matches quite nicely. I use stress analysis and other mechanical engineering equations all the time. I wish I paid more attention in these classes.

6.Where do you work? In an office building or a factory?
In an office building right next to an equipment holding yard. It has a lot of large machinery and other cool stuff.

7.Do you like the place you work at?
Yeah, it's different. It's not another boring office building.

8.Do you feel much pressure in your work?
Sometimes. People want things done and keep asking you how it's going and when it's going to be done. THey don't care what other people have asked you to do.

9.How important is teamwork in your work?
Teamwork is everything... you must learn this or fail.

10.Which one do you enjoy more, working as a team or working alone?
It's nice to have a mix of both. It also depends on your team...

11.What do you think is needed to be a good engineer?
Be prepared to give up your life for 4 years. Most people quit before the end of the first year because they aren't prepared for this. It's a long grueling ride. I could list a whole heap of stuff here, but what I think it boils down to is being prepared to do what it takes.

12.Does the money you make now match what you expected when you first decided to enter this field?
I never thought about the money when I left school. Just chose what I thought was cool. I wanted to work on aircraft in defence. Big mistake there.

13.Are you satisfied with your current status? The balance between career and personal life, salary, relationship with workmates, etc.
Yeah, couldn't be happier. It's nice having a weekend and set hours. I've had jobs where I worked weeks ina row with a random changing roster. Making planning anything very difficult.

14.What is the good things and bad things working as an engineer?
Trusting yourself that the things you design and sign off have actually been done correctly. It's always there at the back of your mind. People also expect you to know everything.

15.Any suggestion for a student who's going to enter this field? Thanks!
Besides being preapred to make a lot of sacrifices, be prepared to enter a field you don't want to.

The last things you're after, it wouldn't be wise for anyone to give those out. But I will answer these:

Mechanical Design Engineer / Bachelor of Engineering (Mech and Aerospace), Master of Engineering / The University of Queensland (Australia).

Thank you so much for your help! I know it's unreasonable to ask for those information. Sorry about that!

Also, personally I have been interested in the questions above for a long time, so your reply is really a big deal for me! Thanks again!

 

[Pkruse]

I do the mechanical design of gas turbines.

I've worked many different jobs in the last 4 decades involving many aspects of mechanival, marine, and civil engineering. I tend to change jobs simply for the opportunity to learn new things.

I've studied anything and everything that interested me. But mechanical engineering was my first major and still my primary focus.

What I learned in college was less than 5% of what I needed for any of my jobs. But different jobs used a different 5%. Consider your degree as a license to continue learning.

I've worked in swamps, I've walked high steel, I've rappeled into tanks, I've swam thru sewer pipes, and I've worked in very nice air conditioned offices.

I have liked every one of my jobs, except one that I quit for that reason.

The more pressure the better.

Engineering is a team sport.

I can't remember any job where I worked alone.

11- you need a deep abiding love and passion for it.

I've never really cared how much money I made, but I've always made more than I need. This job is 30K per year less than the last and I don't care because it is so much fun.

I'm very satisfied, and there is no dividing line between personal and professional life because I live my passion in both. I'm still very happily married to the same lady I married at age 17 and we have lots of time to do fun stuff together.

14- is that not self evident?

15- if you don't have a strong driving passion to do this, then find another line of work where you do.

 

[berkeman]

ljbcac -- Welcome to the PF.

Unfortunately, for privacy and anti-phishing reasons, we do not allowe interview threads at the PF. This thread is closed.