Working engineers: do you actually "build things"?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Anymore, it seems like engineering is either overly theoretical or based entirely in designing for manufacture. I am primarily talking about mechanical engineering here.</p>

<p>Meaning, an engineer doesn't actually build and repair stuff anymore, as one did roughly a hundred years ago, but instead designs plans for it on a computer, then ships it off to some manufacturing plant in China.</p>

<p>Is this accurate or am I entirely wrong?</p>

<p>I ask because I am very interested in building things, electronics, models, etc. Stuff like <a href="http://www.hackaday.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hackaday.com&lt;/a> </p>

<p>But it seems as if engineering is too displaced from actually building "stuff" with your hands anymore.</p>

2

<p>It’s a knowledge economy. Coming up with the designs is the fun part; putting it together is dirty work. That’s how I look at it, anyway, but then again I’m in CS, and have the luxury of designing things and then actually building them (sort of).</p>

3

<p>you wont physically put things together in ME, I think.
But the people who do that kind of work don’t get any creative input in the designs!</p>

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<p>I know many EE’s still do prototyping in house.</p>

5

<p>At one of my colleges we did a lot of work in the machine shop. At another college the machine shop supervisor didn’t let students use the machines. We had to give him our designs and he would do the machining. In the plants I work in I am not allowed to do any physical labor work or use most tools. The union can file a grievance if they seem me doing anything as simple as carrying an air hose. The equipment I am alllowed to use are computers and instrumentation for testing equipment. Some of the instrumentation techs at the plants are non-union.</p>

6

<p>Meh that sounds boring. It’s a shame that people have gotten so far away from working with their hands.</p>

7

<p>It isn’t so much that people have gotten far away from working with their hands. The real issue is specialization. Companies hire the engineers to do the design work, and then hire skilled labor to do the manual work, who they can pay a much lower rate. This level of specialization makes things run much more efficiently, and makes the company more money, faster. If you want to get both sides of the coin (high end design work, plus hands on tinkering/building) you are better off using your degree to go into business on your own where you DO do all of the work on your own, or going into research/academia where you will be doing a lot of theoretical work, and building prototypes when you finish that, though even the research world isn’t immune to unionization, especially at large companies. Small companies are better for getting the chance to get your hands dirty.</p>

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<p>DS works at a research university, robotics, and they do build prototypes to prove the concept.</p>

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<p>That pretty much describes my interests. If you weren’t going to major in engineering, but wanted somewhat of a background in it, which types of courses would you recommend?</p>

10

<p>I spend a little time “building” circuits, but not that much. Weeks/months have definitely gone by when I spent no time at all building circuits.</p>

11

<p>i suggest you do spend a summer doing an internship with industry and another at research institution. you will see how different they are. i prefer doing research.</p>

12

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<p>Well you shouldn’t have that ability. A properly manager software project would never have its architects doing implementation. They are way to high priced for such a task. Want a source, read Code Complete, The pragmatic programmer, or take any basic Software Engineering class.</p>

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<p>I would look into Mechanical Engineering Technology, They are MUCH more hands on versus just theory and design. The Mech Eng Tech program I am in has a lot of machining and welding classes…</p>

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<p>this spell check software sucks, I meant Managed.</p>

15

<p>I find it funny how some people say that the people who actually “build” things are paid much less. My family personally owns a company that builds roads, highways, major water/sewer line and various other projects for the city and half of the guys working for the company easily bring home 80k-100k a year… It’s just a matter of if you really want to do that type of work or sit behind a computer all day.</p>

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<p>Many of my uncles and cousins are trades men, all of them make way more then I do. My cousin Patrick, an apprentice electrician making 51K a year and he just graduate HS in June. No higher education at all.</p>

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<p>“Well you shouldn’t have that ability.”

  • As you probably already know, I’m in school. I don’t work on industrial projects. My point was that anybody with a computer can program whatever they want, more or less. Much more so than, say, an aerospace engineer can design AND build a plane.</p>

<p>“A properly manager software project would never have its architects doing implementation.”

  • Nor did I say it would. If you had been paying attention to what I had written, you would know that I said people designing things shouldn’t be making them too. Read my posts before you try to pick fights with me.</p>

<p>"They are way to high priced for such a task. Want a source, read Code Complete, The pragmatic programmer, or take any basic Software Engineering class. "
That’s not meant as an insult. You literally ignored my first post. Do you want me to source my original post?</p>

<p>You’re the one who quoted it, for crying out loud.</p>

18

<p>So I am actually interested in designing and building the technology just like this guy, so maybe I should become an engineering tech? The only thing is that it seems like jobs are very hard to find for engineering techs. It seems like what is happening now is that they have engineers make a CAD blueprint of what they want built and then the technology is being built in sweatshops in China? Am I wrong? it seems like American companies don’t want to pay the labor in America.</p>

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<p>If you really want to build, construction might be an option. Construction of oil and gas facilities typically need mechanical engineers for piping and equipment. There wouldn’t be a lot of design, but you would physically be putting stuff together. Check out Kiewit Offshore Services or fabrication yards for a field engineering positon.</p>

<p>Edit: From my experience, engineering techs are basically doing the work engineers don’t want to. It is not more hands on then purely an engineering position and requires less education. No offense intended to anyone.</p>

20

<p>@chaoswithinthed</p>

<p>Yeah, I’m not really looking to do blue collar work though. I’m more interested in building things like computers, gadgets, cell phones, and possibly weapons for the military. I do live in a military town after all. They won’t let me join the military though because I have hypoglycemia and PTSD. Also are most engineering jobs just building houses and air conditioning units? Every engineering job that I have come across online has been dealing with hvac.</p>

<p>Is it possible to find a job that would allow me to design and build technology for their company or at least a prototype for God’s sake? Like the author says, it seems like engineering is now pure theoretical or pure building now, there seems to be no overlap.</p>