<p>Im at the beginning of the program right now. I enjoy it, but based on what I'm reading in the news, the future of the engineering profession in North America seems very precarious. As China and India churn out hundreds of thousands (over a million combined) of engineers every year, the likelyhood of outsourcing and offshoring of many aspects of engineering seems highly probable and that it will only get worse.</p>
<p>Couple that with the fact that many of those engineers will want to leave India and China, any engineering shortage that may exist now should have no trouble being met with these numbers.</p>
<p>Much of a mechanical engineer's work seems to involve working at a computer, which also makes the profession seem susceptible to offshoring. What's to stop conceptualization of a new device from being created in India, the blueprints shipped to manufacturing in China, and the finished product to be shipped to the US, which can be serviced by mechanics, machinists, and technicians who's salaries are much more affordable to businesses? If a company has a highly technical question about the device, surely they could simply communicate either by email, telephone, online chat, or videoconference with an english speaking engineer from India? The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman outlines how this is already happening. How would keeping an in-house engineer at triple to quadruple the price be cost effective nowadays for a company?</p>
<p>Because of this, I am seriously doubting my choice to study mechanical engineering. It just seems too risky. I've been thinking of switching to civil engineering, which "seems" more outsource-proof, or even switching to something medical, like med lab technologist or something. I would like to hear from engineers about whether or not they think my doubts are justified.</p>
<p>Engineering and dead-end career should not be in the same sentence. Don't buy into the outsourcing hype. It's overblown and exagerated. There will always be plenty of jobs for talented engineers in the U.S.</p>
<p>Outsourcing is inevitable. The best way to counter it is to provide better services than engineers in those low-cost countries. </p>
<p>Even in civil engineering, some of the work can be done overseas. The good thing is that right now, U.S. engineers work on overseas projects more than foreign engineers working on U.S. projects. It's tougher to pull off with civil engineering than other fields because you're usually using domestic labor, and there's always the cultural barrier (not only language, but building systems, terminology, etc). You can't really ship a pre-made building to another country without any interaction with the domestic labor force.</p>
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The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman outlines how this is already happening. How would keeping an in-house engineer at triple to quadruple the price be cost effective nowadays for a company?
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</p>
<p>funny thing, one of my professors made us read this book for extra credit. The points he highlighted were benefiting Engineers in the US.</p>
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I enjoy it, but based on what I'm reading in the news, the future of the engineering profession in North America seems very precarious.
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<p>Based upon what you're reading in the news, North America is going to be dominated by the rest of the world and our entire economy is going to collapse. Based upon what you're reading in the news fifteen years ago, the hole in the ozone layer is going to cause us all to have to wear reflective suits whenever we go outside by the year 2003. Based upon what you're reading in the news in the 1930's, the dust storms in the midwest are so terrible that by 1950, there will be a new Sahara stretching from the Dakotas to Texas. The media sensationalizes and fans the flames of massive panics, because that's what they're paid to do. If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then you'll be a man, my son.</p>
<p>Well, my IE friend has left manufacturing for good after having watched job after job leave the US. I would avoid manufacturing, as so little of it is done here anymore, and concentrate on some other aspect of ME.</p>
<p>Yes I would say. My brother has a MS in Mechanical Engineering and passed a PE(Professional Engineering). He worked in this field until 10 years ago but now switched over to Web design(all in the same company, ie not laid off). I also know somebody that had to take time off to switch from ME to CS back in the 80s(before outsourcing). I agree Civil Engineering is a field that it's hard to be outsouce because you have to be physical out and about measuring things.</p>
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Yes I would say. My brother has a MS in Mechanical Engineering and passed a PE(Professional Engineering). He worked in this field until 10 years ago but now switched over to Web design(all in the same company, ie not laid off). I also know somebody that had to take time off to switch from ME to CS back in the 80s(before outsourcing). I agree Civil Engineering is a field that it's hard to be outsouce because you have to be physical out and about measuring things.
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<p>So you're basing your judgement off of something that happened 10 years ago and someone you knew from the 80's that switched jobs?</p>
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So you're basing your judgement off of something that happened 10 years ago and someone you knew from the 80's that switched jobs?
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You can also look at the job listing to see if there are a lot of jobs in this field. There is no need to be snarky. I've often perused my company's job listing and I rarely see jobs that are applicable for mechanical engineering. My comment based on the type of jobs that are available for this industry, not based on one person. Every company that I've worked for, there is one ME position for every 10/20 positions of EE or CS.
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Engineering and dead-end career should not be in the same sentence. Don't buy into the outsourcing hype. It's overblown and exagerated. There will always be plenty of jobs for talented engineers in the U.S.
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<p>You also don't know how hard it is to have a PE do you? Most engineers do not qualify for this certificate. And where do you base the above comment from? Please define takented engineers.</p>
<p>2) Perhaps your company, and similarly, all the companies you've worked for, don't employ a lot of mechanical engineers, so I think you're looking at a fairly narrow subset of engineering in general. You can't really extrapolate from that, since I see a lot of jobs for mechanical engineers out there.</p>
<p>3) And yes, we know how hard it is to get a PE. It's primarily a civil engineering thing, anyhow. Not many mechanical engineers truly need PEs, though it's a higher percentage than, say, computer engineers.</p>
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2) Perhaps your company, and similarly, all the companies you've worked for, don't employ a lot of mechanical engineers, so I think you're looking at a fairly narrow subset of engineering in general. You can't really extrapolate from that, since I see a lot of jobs for mechanical engineers out there.
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<p>Sorry to disagree with you. My company is actually the only company that should be having a lot of mechanical engineers, however, I refuse to divulge anymore information. Please show me the numbers of employeed mechanical engineers vs EE/CS engineer before you get to be snarky.</p>
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Table 1. Percent concentration of engineering specialty employment in key industries, 2006 Specialty Industry Percent
Aerospace engineers
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 49
Agricultural engineers
Food manufacturing 25 </p>
<p>Architectural, engineering, and related services 15
Biomedical engineers
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing 20 </p>
<p>Scientific research and development services 20
Chemical engineers
Chemical manufacturing 29 </p>
<p>Architectural, engineering, and related services 15
*Civil engineers
Architectural, engineering, and related services 49 *
Computer hardware engineers
Computer and electronic product manufacturing 41 </p>
<p>Computer systems design and related services 19
Electrical engineers
Architectural, engineering, and related services 21
Electronics engineers, except computer
Computer and electronic product manufacturing 26 </p>
<p>Telecommunications 15
Environmental engineers
Architectural, engineering, and related services 29 </p>
<p>State and local government 21
Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
State and local government 10
Industrial engineers
Transportation equipment manufacturing 18 </p>
<p>Machinery manufacturing 8
Marine engineers and naval architects
Architectural, engineering, and related services 29
Materials engineers
Primary metal manufacturing 11 </p>
<p>Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing 9
*Mechanical engineers
Architectural, engineering, and related services 22 *</p>
<p>Transportation equipment manufacturing 14
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
Mining 58
Nuclear engineers
Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences 30 </p>
<p>Electric power generation, transmission and distribution 27
Petroleum engineers
Oil and gas extraction 43
<p>That's specialty industries. Perhaps you should try not taking data out of context before posting it. Perhaps you skipped this table or just didn't want to post it. </p>
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In 2006, engineers held about 1.5 million jobs. The distribution of employment by engineering specialty follows: </p>
<p>Civil engineers 256,000
*Mechanical engineers 227,000 *
Industrial engineers 201,000
Electrical engineers 153,000
Electronics engineers, except computer 138,000
Aerospace engineers 90,000
Computer hardware engineers 79,000
Environmental engineers 54,000
Chemical engineers 30,000
Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors 25,000
Materials engineers 22,000
Petroleum engineers 17,000
Nuclear engineers 15,000
Biomedical engineers 14,000
Marine engineers and naval architects 9,200
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers 7,100
Agricultural engineers 3,100
All other engineers 170,000
<p>Listen buddy, if you learn anything from this financial mess on wall street and from outsourching in general, it should be that nothing in this life is certain. Jobs that can only be done in America this decade might be able to be outsourced during the next decades...therefore, if you let fear dictate your career choice, not only will you be unemployed, you will probably be miserable too...</p>
<p>Dont loose to much sleep over this whole outsourcing thing...imagine what unskilled workers must feel like...pick a major that interests you, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow..</p>
<p>Also, things are rarely as bad as the media would have us believe... I mean, think about it, how many newspapers would they sell if they told us that everything was nice and peachy...</p>
<p>I wasn't actually <em>being</em> snarky, I'm merely pro-snark. In fact, I thought I was quite civil, to spike a pun in the endzone.</p>
<p>I think your perceptions are incorrect, is all. I see plenty of mechanical engineering jobs out there, as does the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it would seem.</p>
<p>And yeah, if it's okay, I'm gonna be more worried about doing a good job with the career that I'm in the midst of, rather than getting fired for being so knotted up in worries about being outsourced that I forget to do the job I actually <em>have</em>. Panicking and fearmongering never did anything to help bad situations.</p>
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What Do Mechanical Engineers Do?
The diverse mechanical engineering field can be divided in a variety of ways in terms of job functions. Some of the most common functions relate to these areas of technology, but not all do. Among these fields are: </p>
<p>Product Design -- developing products ranging from biomedical products to gasoline-powered engines. A mechanical engineer designs anything that uses mechanical motion.
Research and Development -- discovering new solutions to human needs or improving older methods.
Manufacturing -- developing the machines that process materials into products. Designing and building machines and systems of machines that improve operating efficiency is of prime importance.
Systems management -- overseeing operations of a large system such as a power plant as well as supervising the people who work there.
Energy -- planning how energy is generated, stored, and moved. Industries that produce and deliver electrical power such as natural gas and oil employ mechanical engineers to develop more fuel-efficient cars, motors, and appliances.
Marketing -- using a technical background for determining the need for a new or modified product, product availability, market size, cost structure, profitability, specifications, and distribution channels.
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What can you do with a Major in Mechanical Engineering?
Career options for aspiring mechanical engineers</p>
<p>Practically every company that designs and produces a product employs a mechanical engineer. But mechanical engineers can also be found in research labs, the military, government, and preparing for other professions such as medicine, law or teaching. </p>
<p>Most mechanical engineering jobs require design experience. When a need comes about for a new or improved product, companies call upon mechanical engineers to do the job. Engineers have to push beyond the limits of their previous work and use innovative technology to meet project requirements successfully.</p>
<p>A second major area of employment for mechanical engineers is in manufacturing. Manufacturing positions are concerned with everything involved in producing a product, from selecting the appropriate materials to developing the correct machinery to manufacture the product.</p>
<p>Most mechanical engineers are employed in industry at equipment manufacturers, aerospace companies, utilities, material processing plants, transportation companies, and petroleum companies. They also work with small firms, consulting practices, universities, and government research.</p>
<p>Specific assignments might involve research and development, design of equipment or systems, supervision of production, plant engineering, administration, sales engineering, the testing and evaluation of machines and entire plants. Some mechanical engineering titles and their functions include:</p>
<p>Automotive engineer: Mechanical engineers design many car parts for the automobile industry. As an automotive engineer, you could solve transportation problems by creating better and more efficient engines or by developing more secure door locks.</p>
<p>Biomedical engineer: Mechanical engineers work with a variety of medical professionals to design aids, prosthetics, and artificial organs for improving the quality of people's lives.</p>
<p>Consulting: Once mechanical engineers have gained significant on-the-job experience and developed a high level of expertise, they might choose to work for themselves as consultants or independent contractors. Here they can work on projects of their choosing for clients they respect. Consulting offers mechanical engineers opportunities in large and small engineering service firms and in private practice.</p>
<p>Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) engineer: Design refrigeration systems for making frozen foods, or air-conditioning and heating systems for businesses and industrial buildings, residential homes, autos, hospitals, and schools.</p>
<p>Nuclear engineer: The design of nuclear power plants requires the services of a mechanical engineer. The engineer must understand the fundamentals of nuclear design, know how to operate the plant efficiently, and evaluate the environmental factors associated with nuclear plants.</p>
<p>Robotics engineer: A mechanical engineer may design machines that build other machines. For instance, a robotics engineer may be involved with creating the devices that are used in assembling automobiles. Engineers are concerned with the robot's structure, its joint mechanisms, bearings, and heat transfer characteristics.</p>
<p>Teaching: A desire to help mold the next generation of engineers motivates some mechanical engineers to move into academic careers. Engineers in colleges oversee research activities, manage laboratories, and mentor students. They also write and publish books and technical papers about mechanical engineering.
<p>Civil Engineering is a great choice. The need to rebuild america's infastructure is widespread. I would say civil would be your best bet. Although, many jobs will be outsourced, alot of american companies look for engineers who can communicate their ideas and share information with their fellow employees. The degree isn't everything. It is also about the person with the degree.</p>
<p>I would also like to add that manufacturing jobs are in the process of being downsized. The engineering degrees that offer the most growth are civil, industrial, software, and environmental. I mean it all comes down to what you are interested in. You must also take into consideration that 65 percent of the American engineering core is over the age of 45. There will be a desperate need for engineers because we won't have enough graduates in america to supply the need. Like I said it all depends what you love the most. Mechanical is a universal engineering disciple. You can do just about anything with it.</p>