Which engineering jobs are the most technical?

[ramzerimar]

Most of the engineers I know are currently working in positions that are not strictly related to their majors (things like supply chain management, sales...). Looks like there are more job opportunities in those areas. That doesn't really appeal to me, since I like to deal more with simulations, analysis.
I'm still an undergrad, so I would like to know more if typical engineering jobs (mechanical, aero), usually involves one of those:

• Using FEM and CFD software
• Doing thermal, structural, vibration analysis
• Coding (Matlab, C/C++, Python)

Thank you, already.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Work is not school. There are very few - probably no - jobs "strictly related to [one's] major". Most jobs build on what you learned in school, and in fact, only build on some of what you learned in school. Some things you learned in school you will never use again.

 

[ramzerimar]

Work is not school. There are very few - probably no - jobs "strictly related to [one's] major". Most jobs build on what you learned in school, and in fact, only build on some of what you learned in school. Some things you learned in school you will never use again.

Yeah, I'm aware of that. But I think that are engineering jobs that deal more with supply and management, and those who are more technical in nature. I've asked about the latter. More specifically, I would like to know if engineers use to work with FEM, CMD software, doing thermal, structural analysis (because it's the kind of job I would like to do).

 

[billy_joule]

. More specifically, I would like to know if engineers use to work with FEM, CMD software, doing thermal, structural analysis (because it's the kind of job I would like to do).

Of course they do. That's why those tools exist and why they are part of the engineering curriculum.

Most of the engineers I know are currently working in positions that are not strictly related to their majors (things like supply chain management, sales...). Looks like there are more job opportunities in those areas. That doesn't really appeal to me, since I like to deal more with simulations, analysis.

That was largely my experience too. It seemed for every five or ten 'sales engineer, project engineer' etc etc listings there would be one 'product development engineer', 'mechanical design engineer', 'R&D engineer' etc etc. To make matters worse many graduate role listings are just 'graduate mechanical engineer' or even more vague 'graduate engineer'.
It just means you need to use more specific search terms to find the job listings you want and/or trawl through irrelevant listings.

 

[S.G. Janssens]

There are very few - probably no - jobs "strictly related to [one's] major".

I do not think that the "probably no" part is true. These jobs may be a minority, but they certainly do exist.

It just means you need to use more specific search terms to find the job listings you want and/or trawl through irrelevant listings.

Exactly.

 

[clope023]

Yeah, I'm aware of that. But I think that are engineering jobs that deal more with supply and management, and those who are more technical in nature. I've asked about the latter. More specifically, I would like to know if engineers use to work with FEM, CMD software, doing thermal, structural analysis (because it's the kind of job I would like to do).

I'm an electrical engineer who works in R&D and I've done structural analysis simulations using FEM, on top of circuit analysis simulations using SPICE, theoretical and computational electromagnetic field modeling, among lots of test and build engineering and writing programs to analyze my data. You're not relegated to being some kind of systems or sales engineer who never gets his hands dirty and doesn't get to play with the cool toys; such jobs definitely exist (even at the BS level) you just have to look for them and filter out search engines for them.