Which engineering is most hands on?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ice109
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Engineering
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the hands-on nature of various engineering disciplines, with a consensus that mechanical and electrical/computer engineering offer significant prototyping opportunities. Participants highlight that agricultural engineering is particularly hands-on, involving extensive lab work and practical applications. In contrast, many electrical and computer engineering tasks are performed on computers, which some do not consider truly hands-on. Additionally, the conversation notes that engineers in regulated industries, such as medical devices and aerospace, often spend considerable time on documentation and compliance rather than practical engineering tasks.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of mechanical engineering principles
  • Familiarity with electrical circuit design and simulation software
  • Knowledge of agricultural engineering practices
  • Awareness of quality systems in regulated industries
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore prototyping techniques in mechanical engineering
  • Learn about circuit design using breadboards and simulation software
  • Research hands-on projects in agricultural engineering
  • Study quality control processes in medical device engineering
USEFUL FOR

Engineering students, professionals in mechanical and electrical fields, and individuals interested in hands-on engineering practices and regulatory compliance in industries like medical devices and aerospace.

ice109
Messages
1,707
Reaction score
6
:cry: forgive me i know there's tons of these types of threads but in which type will the design engineer prototype as well?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
ice109 said:
:cry: forgive me i know there's tons of these types of threads but in which type will the design engineer prototype as well?

Probably mechanical or electrical/computer
 
anyone else?
 
Electrical is a good one - you get to prototype and design circuits in the lab if you'd like, using breadboards and real parts OR use simulation software. Depends on the scneario.
 
No doubt about this! The Agricultural Engineers are the most hands on, bar none! We do lots of labs, and have a ton of clubs/groups! And, to be honest...we are called power and machinery engineers, but we are basically a mechanical engineer(take nearly the exact same courses, but just more hands on)
 
Most forms of electrical and computer engineering are done solely on computers. If that's "hands-on" to you then great, but most people don't consider it so.

Civil and mechanical are generally the most hands-on.

- Warren
 
Just a general observation from a physicist working in medical device engineering: I think a lot of folks who go into engineering as career are surprised to find out that most of their time is spent doing things that are very different from what their initial idea of "engineering" is. For example, in highly regulated industries such as medical device, aerospace, military, etc. an engineer spends an enormous amount of time simply following the usually very rigid processes created by their Quality System. Lots of time is spent working on documentation and configuration control. If you come from a research background (PhD condensed matter for me) where you are used to spending your time somewhat creatively, this can be a very rude awakening.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 67 ·
3
Replies
67
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
16
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K