<p>I don't know if this thread will mostly be getting responses from engineering students or also engineers, but I need help knowing if engineering is for me. For a while, I felt like I was basically set on becoming an engineer, most likely mechanical. However, I've been on 2 tours of General Atomics and from what I saw, the engineers are only sitting in cubicles. Nobody was talking. The only people doing hands on work were technicians. I expected at the least to see some engineers communicating about a project and working together rather than just sitting in their cubicle. I am hoping that their are other work environments for engineers that involve more communication and hands on work. It seems that in school they stress that both of these are important skills as an engineer. So are these skills used at companies besides General Atomics? Are my tours of General Atomics worthy of basing whether I should be an engineer or not? I have also heard that working at smaller companies allows more hands on work and less sitting in a cubicle all day. Is it hard to find a job where you can communicate and be out of your cubicle more than in it? Please explain what your view of the engineering workspace is like or what it actually is like if you are an engineer. Thank you!</p>
<p>-SpunkyTheMunky</p>
<p>Most definitely, Yes - engineering is usually definitely be more than just sitting in a cubicle. One way is working as an engineer at the actual location of the facility you are engineering for. Then you are constantly going into the field and checking on the actual configuration, taking measurements, meeting with users, etc. Also, regardless of your location, you can have design team meetings, you may have to make presentations on proposed approaches to problem solving and lots of things like that.</p>
<p>I am an engineer working towards the end of my career. A good while back, I transitioned out of actual engineering and into Project Management and sales. I travel a lot and really am mostly out of my office. </p>
<p>I agree that working for a smaller company can be a good way to get a more varied work life. It seems the bigger companies will tend to specialize you, while at a smaller company you have to be able to do more things for yourself. </p>
<p>But like most anything, these are generalizations. You can find great jobs at big companies and lousy ones at small companies. Large companies can often give you some specialized training opportunities that are very hard to come by at smaller firms.</p>
<p>But don’t let your your 2 tours put you off engineering. Its a great career. You might want to look into co-op programs. These let you go out and work (and earn money!) while you are still in school. You then can get a good flavor of what work at that company would be like and can make changes before you graduate if you find you end up hating your major.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response! I’m glad to hear that there are positions that give opportunities for hands on work and communication. If you have absolutely any more information on engineering you are willing to share, please do so. I have been searching the internet for a very long time on information about engineering. I love eating up knowledge whenever it’s in front of me.</p>